The ethereal and magnetic feeling of an event-filled Friday night is ever-present among the locals out front of The Princess Theatre in Brisbane (19 June).
The venue is again part of The Tivoli's winter festival Open Season. The historic stage, surrounded by brick charm and war-time windows, with its soaring ceilings, create a larger atmosphere to make space for the anticipation in the room.
The front strip of the Theatre is laced with fans deciding whether to opt for a cheeky merch purchase or enter the venue.
Within the venue, Melbourne locals Sleepazoid take the stage, capturing the attention of all those in attendance – even those in the drinks line are silently rocking their heads to the music.
The three-part guitar battle between frontwoman Nette France, George Inglis and Jim Duong is truly encapsulating. Their masterful reimagining of the Australian alt-rock sound can be accredited to their perfectly crafted instrumentation.
Luca Soprano (drums) lays the foundations of the rock atmosphere with Inglis and Duong creating an Interpol-esk guitar feature through harmonic chords. Josef Pabis (bass) inputs a perfect harmonic addition of syncopated basslines, as France ties the sound together with her mastered mix of melodic and grouchy vocals.
Sleepazoid's set is entrancing – each song features masterful harmonic chords and funky basslines, which provide the foundation for killer riffs and solos from Inglis.
The short intermission between Sleepazoid and Rum Jungle slowly builds a scene of anticipation.
Bar lines are filling and elongated, the comfortable space between herds of fans is slowly filling with new members, and the buzz from the mezzanine for the under-aged fans is slowly infiltrating the mosh.
Gigs at The Princess Theatre with local Aussie bands always hit harder than the international acts; there is always a sense of casualness and relaxation bursting from the green room to the pit.
That is what Rum Jungle provide even before setting foot onstage: Michael Kolmajer (bass) is tuning his bass and doing his own soundcheck before their set begins as the other members watch from side stage.
There is barely a sense that this is a musical performance – for Rum Jungle it is another day in the life.
The band's stage design is as intimate as the venue: Frazer McDonald's drum kit is positioned at the front right of the stage, rotated sideways so that he's facing his bandmates, while Josh Giles (guitar), Benny McIntyre (vocals and guitar) and Kolmajer arrange themselves linearly.
Before even beginning the set, Rum Jungle create a firm sense of community not only between themselves, but also with the crowd. The band opened with 'Coal Dust', the first single from their 2026 sophomore album, 'Marginalia', released earlier this month.
The crowd is instantly transfixed on the band in front of them, screaming lyrics and shaking about. The band is an embodiment of their stage presence – effortlessly casual and cool.
McIntyre is somehow hitting every mark despite sporting his sunnies as Giles sings along to every lyric as if he's a fan of his own band. The next few songs of the set feature singles from early in their career – throughout these era changes, fans do not falter in screaming lyrics and jumping around.
McIntyre makes a keen effort to include the underaged fans, often shouting out to them and engaging with punters in the top row. The energy from the mezzanine is vivid – more and more fans are taking position against the railing, singing towards McIntyre from their advantage point.
As the set progresses through more 'Marginalia' tunes, the crowd becomes much more eager. To my left, a fair few are crowd surfing as Giles and McIntyre make effort to come closer to the barricade.
Around halfway through the set, Rum Jungle perform 'Glass Top Suite' featuring an extended jam, with Giles chucking out a few solos and McIntyre returning the favour. The jam extends into the intro of their breakthrough single as fans rile themselves up to scream the gut wrenching, heart breaking, inner turmoil that is 'Keep'.
Fans around me (and possibly myself) are awfully singing Giles' iconic muted guitar riff from the song's intro. Rum Jungle have had six years to master the single and it was completely evident tonight.
The chord movements, the riffs, and the yearning from girls around me was palpable within the pit; the 6/8 rhythm had everyone head-banging aggressively on the first and fourth beats during the build-up of the solo.
After this performance (by everyone, really), McDonald pauses the show for an incredibly important update on the Newcastle Knights' score against the Dragons. Upon hearing their home town is winning, McDonald admits: "We got f...ing flogged at the Origin."
The crowd deservedly cheers as the band sheepishly leads into 'Weather's Better' (rookie error on their behalf). From song to song more fans are crowd surfing, and more people are sitting on shoulders.
Before the encore, Rum Jungle debut 'Wasting Your Time' for the first time in Brisbane. The crowd reception is wild, almost drowning out McIntyre's vocals with our own belting.
To conclude the night, the band finishes with an acoustic performance of 'Pass You By' from their 2025 album, 'Regency Bias'. McDonald steps off his throne, taking up the limelight with an acoustic guitar.
The performance of 'Pass You By' perfectly celebrates the song itself with McDonald on vocals and guitar, and the crowd singing back-up. The band performs completely acoustic, neglecting their in-ear monitors and encouraging the crowd to take the lead for the chorus.
In-ears were out, phone torches were out, and lighters were out; it was an intimate showcase of the laid-back, personal nature of Rum Jungle behind their melodic riffs and upbeat tunes.