Describing the sound of Ganga Giri is no easy feat. Before last Saturday night I had never heard anything like it.
The two front men of the band took to the stage armed with a didgeridoo and some serious dreadlocks, and all eyes in Transit Bar focused on the quirky pair on stage.
As the duo launched into their first song which can only be described as psychedelic tribal fusion; a crowd quickly swarmed the stage. Ganga Giri had cast their spell over Transit Bar within the first two minutes of being in the room.
Heavily pierced and tattooed Didgeridoo player; Ganga, played the traditional aboriginal instrument with a respect and enthusiasm I have certainly not witnessed in a bar before. The sounds he could produce with it were so varied and surprising, I could do little but stand in awe as one minute he was playing drawn out bassy notes, which complimented Jornick; his Rasta-dub off-sider’s reggae singing style. Then he’d effortlessly switch to staccato percussive notes, demonstrating the versatility of the didgeridoo and human vocal cords.
After being entranced by the hypnotizing sounds of Ganga’s Didgeridoo playing and Jornick’s soulful vocals, I couldn’t resist the urge to dance any longer. The fat tribal beats were pumping through the room, and the dancing crowd of backpackers and locals were having too much fun for me to simply stand and watch.
The songs the duo performed were lifted mostly from their latest album; Good Voodoo and were an assortment of soulful singing, spoken word and energetic trance-dance; there were even elements of dubstep thrown in.
Ganga Giri produces a wonderfully unique sound and a mixed array of musical offerings, which made the performance all the more exciting. The audience was taken to a completely new place with every song, and all they could do was allow themselves to journey into the mysterious sounds of Ganga Giri and dance.
As their set drew nearer to it’s end I found myself wishing they could play all night. I easily could have danced to their wild tribal sound for hours, or simply watched the amazing didgeridoo playing skills of Ganga. When it was announced they were playing their last song the audience made sure they gave it their all, dancing wildly and grinning madly at the funky beats and earthy notes of the didgeridoo and Jornick’s gorgeous accent and even smoother voice.
As a reward to the audience, and a final nod to his Rasta heritage; Jornick sung a beautiful acoustic version of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, as Ganga packed up the equipment. The audience swayed and sung along, enchanted by the Marley classic delivered so beautifully.
After their set the pair were all too happy to hang around and chat to the audience, answering questions and displaying just how humble and eager to connect with their fans Ganga Giri are. I couldn’t resist – I bought their CD, and I left Transit Bar somewhat reluctantly.
The cold Canberra air was a rude shock after being transported to a tropical tribal paradise by Ganga Giri, and as my car’s heater struggled to get going I put on Good Voodoo and let their warm sunny sounds of tribal-funk heat me up instead.
Photography by Melissa Tidd
