Music / Reviews
Review: Jungle, Bristol O2 Academy
In November, Jungle started to really deliver on the promise and buzz around their self-titled debut album with a tour that included a sold-out night at the Anson Rooms.
Three months later and the venues are bigger, the crowds more fanatic and Jungle stronger than ever, giving their ever-evolving full-length the victory lap it’s earned.
The mood that turned the O2 Academy into a dancefloor by the end of the night was set by Clarence Clarity, an artist whose undefinable electro-pop set more than a few heads nodding. The Bella Union-signed protege stands out as something all the more outlandish than the label’s usual style, but songs off his ‘Who Am Eye’ EP set the tone for a party that Jungle were only too happy to capitalise on.
Playing live as a seven-piece, Jungle’s arrival felt like a carnival, with illuminated letters sporting their name adorning the back of the stage and pumping along in time to opener ‘Platoon’.
While the set could potentially have felt restricted and short due to the band’s relative lack of material to draw from, songs from the album were beefed up, tweaked and extended to make the 75-minute set more than just an album playback.
Tracks from towards the end of the album that stutter on record were given a new lease of life in their live form, and ‘Lemonade Lake’ proved an unlikely set highlight. Although predictable, the ending of ‘Busy Earnin” followed by an encore of ‘Time’ sent the Academy into a frenzy, with Jungle’s sound veering away from the soulful vibes emitted on record and towards full-on dancefloor hits when played live.
Another even bigger run of dates have been announced to round off the exhaustive touring Jungle have undergone for their debut album, and when they finally disappear to carve out LP2, they’ll have left every corner of the UK with a sold-out night to remember. Bristol has had two, and loved every second.
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