Rock Monsters Romania

The quarantine was a really hard period for bands and artist. We talked to some bands from all over the world to see the real effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in music.

Today we talk to Ali In The Jungle, a UK-based band that perfectly combines raw piano, jazz and indie.

How can you describe the changes generated by the pandemic in the band’s activity?

We obviously had all of our gigs postponed or cancelled, which was really gutting because we’d just managed to snag several London gigs and two festivals! Some of those will be rescheduled for whenever it’s possible. But in the meantime, we’ve had lots of time to write new stuff in a very different way (i.e. being completely separated), and we’ve been focusing on our internet presence. Over the past few months of lockdown we released our first 2 music videos, and garnered a bunch of interviews and reviews, as well as radio play and playlist features. We played a handful of livestreamed gigs too which were great fun. Overall it’s given us time to assess how we’re doing as a band and focus more on our outreach and put out more content that fans can access.

What daily activity did you miss the most during quarantine?

Seeing friends! Not that that was a daily occurrence– but meeting up with friends is such an important thing for me that it’s been very difficult not being able to see anyone in person. Video calls just aren’t the same. Plus it’s only recently that we’ve been able to practice together as a band again, which I’ve really missed.

Were there any pluses for this period without concerts?

Having a break from the constant cycle of trying to book gigs was nice for a little while. It’s actually quite exhausting in the long run. But then again we’re missing being able to perform live so it’s a double-edged sword. For us at least it gave us time to try some new things, like setting up a merch site (https://aliinthejungle.dizzyjam.com/) and a Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/aliinthejungle), and exploring new ways of reaching new fans.

How does it feel to return to some normalcy?

I’m not convinced things are really back to normal- especially for the band, because we still can’t get gigs booked without them being continually postponed. It will be a long process, and that’s OK if it means people are kept safe.

What plans have you got for the rest of 2020?

Our music video for “People Change” will be coming before too long! Keep an eye out for that via our YouTube channel. We’ve just launched our range of AITJ-tastic merchandise, and our Patreon too, and we’ll have quite a few other exciting announcements soon as well. There are talks of recording several songs before the end of the year…

Do you have any message for the bands or artists who are still in lockdown/quarantine?

Sourdough is not worth the time it takes. (Not the band, the bread.)

What message do you have for the people who are going to read this interview?

Congratulations on making it to the bottom of the page! We appreciate you, the Reader, more than almost anyone. Definitely more than Sam (only joking, Sam). Chris, Tim, Ali and Sam all hope you have an amazing day.

Interview by Radu Mihai