07.04.2025 • BY Jake Stolte

The Tracks Party Tour is set to kick into full swing over the coming weeks with three upcoming shows across two weekends. We head to Burleigh on 12 April for our rescheduled show alongside the Australian Boardriders Battle. Surf Trash will be headlining at the Burleigh Bowls Club and they will be supported by Lazy Ghost and Thirst Trap. We then roll on into the Easter weekend with a double header of shows – the first being at the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club on 18 April while the WSL CT event runs at Bells and the second shows sees us descend on the Harbord Hotel in Sydney on Easter Sunday 20 April.

Both our Bells and Sydney gigs will be headlined by Rum Jungle who bring their gritty alt-rock anthems, heartfelt ballads and everything in between. They will be supported by Bakers Eddy, Pisco Sour and DJ Eddy at Torquay and The Good Kids and Ah Honey in Sydney. Each night will be hosted by Ain’t That Swells’ Jed Smith, the larrikin voice of surfing culture, who is set to bring heaps of shenanigans. Click here to purchase tickets.

The first 100 people through the door will score a Tracks T-shirt (worth $60) and there will be heaps of giveaways from our partners including a Burzerk e-bike worth almost $4,000. Anyone who buys a ticket to any stop on the tour will be automatically entered into a draw for a chance to win.

Ahead of our upcoming parties, we caught up with headliners Rum Jungle to learn more about the band made up of Benny McIntyre (Vocals and Guitar), Josh Giles (Backup Vocals and Lead Guitar), Michael Kolmajer (Backup Vocals and Bass) and Frazer McDonald (Vocals and Drums).

Tell us a little bit about the origins of the band?

We got together in late 2017 due to a local songwriting competition (that we lost) which led to us playing a live show. Ever since we have been playing and writing tunes non-stop in Newy and almost everywhere else on the globe.

How would you describe your sound?

Our sound is a combination of all of our vastly different music tastes mushed into one. If we had to summarise it into a couple of words it would be ‘Newcastle Indie Rock’. We take inspiration from bands like Cage the Elephant, The Strokes and Beach Boys while trying to come up with our own fresh ideas along the way.

Do you guys have any links to surfing?

We all live near the beach but Frazer is the main competent surfer of the group. Most of us grew up surfing but traded the board for a guitar after high school.

What can people expect from a Rum Jungle show?

When we play live we want to feel like we are in the crowd next to all of you and we want you to feel like you are on stage with us. It’s a vibe, trust.

Career highlights so far?

• Playing in London at the village underground for what was then our biggest ever show we had put on.
• Being surprised we got the number one Aus album. All sat round having a kebab then seeing it happened and we were all so stoked.
• Seeing Niagara Falls. We just cooked it crossing the Canadian border three times in a row trying to figure out how to sort paperwork stuff then finally once we had it all sorted, we shot down to Niagara Falls and it was such an insane thing to see in person.

Your current favourite Rum Jungle song?

Keep will always be a favourite of mine (Josh) as it was the first song we all collectively wrote that really felt like what we were doing was special. And playing it live is both challenging and heaps of fun for me.

If you were to make a band out of professional surfers or any other famous people, who would be in it and what instrument would they play?

Noa Deane – Guitar, Jaleesa Vincent – Vocals, Morgan Cibilic – Tambourine, Craig Anderson – Bass, Mason Ho – Synth and Creed Mctaggart – Drums.

If you could play a festival with two other headliners of your choice, they can be dead or alive, who would you pick?

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. I feel like that’ll sell some serious tickets and be a hectic night.

To purchase tickets for our upcoming shows, click here.