Commencing the Brisbane show of Jinja Safari’s national tour was fresh-out-of-school local band Kodiak Lawn Party. With an upbeat vibe similar to Two Door Cinema Club, the five-piece performed well, largely carried by Jacob Reed demonstrating proficiency on guitar, particularly on the pleasantly acoustic track “Blue Ribbon”.
In similar acoustic tones, “Blue Moon” was a standout, with a catchy chorus that nicely suited frontman Alex Wilson’s mellow vocals. Despite awkward between-song banter that reflected the group’s youth, they set the tone for the evening and performed consistently well to a growing crowd.
Local retro/dance purveyors The Belligerents came next, with plenty of hair and a groovy air from the offset, opening with a catchy track subtly underpinned by Konstantin Kersting’s contribution of bass.
Later, frontman Lewis Stephenson showed himself off as a natural performer on the song “Infatuation”, with a unique vocal style not dissimilar to Jack White, accentuated by some satisfying reverb. “She Calls The Shots” followed similarly, a track with a retro feel tied together by simple but catchy guitar in between verses.
Finishing off with a rowdy conclusion heavy in guitar riffing, The Belligerents demonstrated an effortless coolness and confidence in their performance style that was echoed in their music. While they could be pigeon-holed into the ‘simple but catchy’ category, they do it well, and played a lively support set that left many wanting more.
Nearly exactly three years after their first live performance, Jinja Safari took to the stage at 11pm (too late in the eyes of many punters), with tresses to rival The Belligerents and an infectious sense of cheeriness.
From the opening notes of “Hiccups” (which showed off the perfect vocal pairing of frontmen Markus Azon and Cameron ‘Pepa’ Knight), with what may be history’s only occurrence of keytar being cool, it was clear to all that an excellent set was to come.
“Toothless Grin” off their recently released, self-titled album was met exceptionally well by the audience, a rousing combination of percussion from Alister Roach and pleasantly raw vocals from Azon in particular. The percussion taken charge of by Roach is largely responsible for Jinja Safari’s tribal/tropical vibe, the Caribbean undertones in particular making it hard to resist dancing in some form.
‘Moonchild’, though a softer track, was greeted favourably by the crowd, who were clearly familiar with the group’s older material. With a simple melody and harmonies that hushed the audience (in a positive way), “Moonchild” had undeniable similarities to Paul Simon’s solo work.
Despite a few tech difficulties, Azon covered well, his interim chatting not detracting from the music and seeming genuine and relaxed, to the extent that it seemed a friendship of sorts was developed between those on and off stage.
“Plagiarist”, followed by “Peter Pan” were both immensely joy-inducing, and left nobody in the audience standing still, the latter including a sitar, the notoriously tricky instrument proudly wielded and admirably played by Knight. Jacob Borg on drums underpinned each track well and provided an element of stability underneath the free-spirited nature that’s present in most songs.
“Stepping Stones” was soft and sweeping, with Indian-style vocals from Azon and the sweet inclusion of a wooden flute played by Knight. Standout performer of the track was Roach, fiercely playing varying drums with complete confidence
After a brief period spent off-stage, the group returned to encore with “Bay Of Fires” off their latest album. All five members contributed vocally for a mellow sound that peaked in the chorus and was strangely uplifting.
“Mermaids” was an excellently selected closing track, with the crowd anticipating the build after the soft intro and again into the chorus. At times a cappella with the audience, there were good vibes all around, Knight concluding the show by scaling some speakers in one of his signature showcases of monkey business.
With a friendly, relaxed presence on stage, and a generous performance, Jinja Safari left an immensely positive impression on The Zoo, with a set that perfectly balanced well-played music with completely likeable personas.
