Riding on the coattails of their self-titled debut album, Jinja Safari invite audiences to gather in, breathe deep and discover the mysteries within ‘The Bay Of Fires’ tour.
Since getting 'unearthed’ back in 2010; the band has grown from strength to strength, spending most of last year touring the world with their fantastical sound. Keyboardist and producer Cameron ‘Pepa’ Knight chats to us about getting crazy onstage, India and an impending solo album, ahead of the biggest touring footprint the Sydney outfit will make on Australia.
“At our intimate gigs, we can get away with going a bit crazy. At a festival you've got a lot more people ready to party, there's definitely a really fun vibe, but at our shows we can get away with doing cheeky things onstage and no one yells at us. We played a festival in Canberra and at the end of the set we got a bit out of hand. I climbed on the ceiling of the venue and Marcus picked up Joe and threw my keyboard into the drum kit and rode my keyboard like a body board over the drum kit. The drum kit was completely smashed by the end of the set and it wasn't ours, it was a hire one, needless to say the company we hired from were a bit cranky. At our own shows we can get away with things like that.”
They'll be joined on tour by Sydney friends Okenyo and Brisbane’s Cub Sport (the artists formerly known as Cub Scouts). “We've only played one show with Cub Sport, but it was all good vibes,” Pepa says. “Okenyo are a pretty fresh band, so it should be a pretty fun crew touring with us.”
Known for his exotic collection of instruments, and his yearly visits to India, Pepa says it’s a special thing to collaborate with the band from across the globe.
“Before recording the album, I went to India for eight weeks, Marcus went to Uganda and the other boys travelled as well, so we got samples from those countries and included them into our song writing process, and into the final recording. We did lot of writing and got a lot of inspiration from our travels. It was cool being able to record ideas together on a plane or in a hotel with a laptop and a bit of hardware.”
India holds a special place in Pepa’s heart, and is where he learnt to play the sitar.
“My favourite instrument is the Sitar. We just toured India last year, so I got to play it live, I was really nervous because I don’t play it in the traditional way. In my mind every single person in the audience was a professional sitar player, but they were really nice to me anyway. I just booked flights to South India. I’ve never been to that part and I'm keen to pick up some more instruments and meet up with some more musicians. I could pretty much live over there forever.”
Audiences can expect to hear the obscure, worldly samples that permeate the album incorporated into the band's live shows, thanks to Pepa’s production talents.
“I recorded a sample at the Taj Mahal in India, it was the sound of an Islamic prayer from across the river, that sound is used at the end of our album, but for the tour we're starting with that sample, looped. But in our last set we had to cut it back a bit, because in the production of the song, in the recording, I go a bit overboard and put a lot of layers of sound that are impossible to achieve live. So with the live show it’s about making a balance.”
Pepa won't be taking any time off after the exhaustive tour — as he reveals to us, he's got a solo album to focus on.
“I’ve just finished recording my own solo album. It was written quickly, out of nowhere and I’m not really sure what to do with it — but I’m hoping to release something at the end of the year, and release the full thing early next year.”
Written by Francis Witsenhuysen
Jinja Safari Tour Dates
Wed Sep 11 — The Woombye Pub (Sunshine Coast)Thu Sep 12 — The Spotted Cow (Toowoomba)
Fri Sep 13 — The Hi-Fi (Brisbane)
Sat Sep 14 — The Coolangatta Hotel (Gold Coast)
Wed Sep 18 — ANU (Canberra)
Thu Sep 19 — Wollongong Uni Bar
Fri Sep 20 — Cambridge (Newcastle)
Sat Sep 21 — The Metro Theatre (Sydney) (All Ages)
Wed Sep 25 — The Loft (Warrnambool)
Thu Sep 26 — Barwon Club (Geelong)
Fri Sep 27 — The Forum (Melbourne)
Sat Sep 28 — Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Thu Oct 03 — Adelaide Uni Bar (All Ages)
Fri Oct 04 — Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)
Sat Oct 05 — The Astor Theatre (Perth) (All Ages)
Sun Oct 06 — Prince Of Wales (Bunbury)
