Banging The Drum

It is amazing the Tribal Kings manage to tour, considering how hard it is to get the trio in the same room at the same time.

The live electro group are an ensemble of three rather busy men - Mark Pellegrini, Michael T and Jason Heerah - who all have various other projects constantly on the boil, so getting them together to rehearse, let along perform is a luxury. “We are always working on things, Mark is in the studio with different projects and Jason is always drumming for some television band so it is really hard to all get together,” T said. “It can be very difficult for us to tour and get together and it's hard even to get the same day free. We all have to cross-reference our timetables,” he laughs.

And after somehow finishing off a music video for their upcoming release and starting auditions for a vocalist for the next one, the group have made sure they kept a few days free in the schedule to head north.

The boys will be hitting the Gold Coast this week to perform their brand of percussion-based electro with a show set down for the Coolangatta Sands Hotel on Saturday.

As well as performing, the Melburnians are set to make the most of the sunshine. “It's been rainy, cold weather here lately. We get stirred all the time about the weather, but it will be good to go somewhere nice and sunny,” he laughs. “And we haven't played at the Gold Coast before, but we really looking forward to coming up there. “I think people will really dig the show.”

Starting life after a jam session between the two DJs - Pelligrini and T - and singing percussionist Heerah, T says the thing that has earned them a reputation for being a great live show is their usual set-up. “We are different from a band because we are electro dance music mixed with that live aspect… and we are a lot different to a DJ show, because we have a live drummer and singer in Jason out in front.

“He just gets so involved with the crowd and while Mark and I play the music, Jason is interacting and we have to keep on asking 'what is he going to do next?'” T laughs.

Tribal Kings will perform at the Coolangatta Sands Hotel on Saturday, August 29.