Live Review: Jungle

The crowd seemed to roll in rather later, many presumably confused (your humble narrator included) by the late change in venue, but eager nonetheless. Jungle have quite the reputation for putting on a great show and the original venue, Factory Theatre, seemed a somewhat more fitting venue for the London-based group; Enmore Theatre's elegance and regality seemed a little over the top for a band who are just unashamedly cool. 

Enmore Theatre packed out and eventually the lights dimmed. A thundering bass track was felt in the chests of every patron as the band made their way on stage. An ominous, warm, golden glow began radiating from the back of the stage, cutting the very dim lighting and soon taking the shape of the band's eponymous logo. Before anyone really had a chance to stop screaming, Jungle ran out on stage and launched into their set.

A quick listen to any of Jungle's music reveals a well-produced and round sound. When a band's production values are so high, it's easy to assume that their live show may be somewhat lacklustre since studio production is difficult to replicate on stage. But this could not be further from the truth for Jungle. Every single one of their electro-funk chords oozed from the speakers, every riff hit its mark and not one syncopated note fell flat. This feat was compounded when we considered that Jungle played the show not exclusively with keyboards and trigger pads, but instead with a full seven-piece band.

Set highlights included Time, Platoon and 'that one song everyone knows' Busy Earnin'. They spent a bit of time playing some of their new songs, but even these resonated with the audience who carried on dancing through the entire show - their new music is definitely worth listening out for.

Jungle absolutely nailed it.