A group of lads who love performing together is how Jakubi’s guitarist Rob Amoruso best describes the band.
2016 has been a massive year for Jakubi as they've found their footing both in Australia and the US. The boys have toured the United States, selling out shows and gaining a record deal. They have now returned to Australia to continue touring as well as playing at Bigsound.
The band gained industry attention thanks to their viral hit, ‘Couch Potato’. “It’s great and amazing!” exclaims Rob about the recognition and support the band feels. “We were never expecting this to happen or planning it to happen, we just put out a few songs that gained traction in the States and since then every day have been amazing.”
The boys have done a lot of touring in America and they certainly see a difference between their shows there compared to Australian shows. “The culture is definitely different. When we play in Australia the vibe is more laidback, which goes with our Australian culture. In the US though, they really celebrate bands. At shows we have had massive, screaming audiences; everything is a bit faster paced.”
Regardless of where they tour, Rob explains they get the most enjoyment from interacting with people. “Just interacting with the audience and meeting new people is the most enjoyable thing about touring. We are all very social people, so touring really suits our lifestyle. We get to play an hour show and see things. In between playing shows and doing promotions it’s like being on a holiday just hanging out. It's amazing.
“Playing live is the most important thing for us. That's how we started, we started as a party band and we are based on being a live, party band.”
While in LA the boys worked with a number of producers, including Eric Hudson on their debut EP, '61 Barkly'. Working with Eric is an experience the boys will not forget. “He is sick! When he walks in a room you just know it's him, he has that thing about him; you get a vibe straight away. "He has great ideas and the thing that really stands out for us is that he knows our history and where we are coming from.
“We worked with a different producer on each song for the EP, which was just amazing. Creating the EP was a pretty great experience for us.”
The boys will head to Brisbane in September for Bigsound. Rob says they are most excited to simply be on the line-up. “Honestly, we are just looking forward to playing and being on the line-up. Having the opportunity to play at one of the biggest festivals in Australia that is notorious for having great artists is just amazing.”
The next step for Jakubi as Rob explains is more touring. “Hopefully next year we will put out an album. Right now we focused on touring, so hopefully the four songs from the EP will tie people over. We would love to also tour Europe. We keep having to bail going there due to other things coming up, but we have done America a bunch of times and Australia, so Europe is the next thing for us to do.”
'61 Barkly' is released 16 September.
Written by Ellen Cook
Jakubi Shows
Wed 7 Sep - Bigsound (Brisbane)Fri 9 Sep - Beach Hotel (Byron Bay)
Sat 10 Sep - Taps (Gold Coast)
Sat 10 Dec - Pleasure Garden Festival
