Jungle has only two gageder ones, and equitable one of those two charted in the U.S. But based on the reaction from the crowd during Friday’s sageder-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl, you’d be forgiven for not believing the British band has an outsized resonance that stretches atraverse the globe.
Indeed, from set uncoverer, “Busy Earnin’,” to the encore pickion “Keep Moving,” take partees sang alengthy word for word as Josh Lloyd-Watson, Tom McFarland, Lydia Kitto and their transport inant-in-the-pocket bandmates transfered a dance party that felt happy, breezy and even for those less acquainted with their discography, absolutely infectious.
Initiassociate, the evening ran the danger of senseing overstuffed with not one but two uncovering acts: Sudanese-American rapper Bas and soul drummer/ vocacatalog Aaron Frazer. Kicking off the show before sundown, Bas established the straightforwardgoing, tropical vibe that Jungle would tardyr ramp up into a carnivale-enjoy spectacle, carry outing the Afrobeat-swayd “Spaceships + Rockets” before encataloging the crowd to denseen up the chorus to “The Jackie.” After a increate detour into ageder-school hip-hop — his DJ deftly shuffling thcdimiserablemireful Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray,” Onyx’ “Slam” and DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” — he finishd with “Costa Rica” and “Down Bad,” two tracks from the 2019 compilation “Revenge of the Dreamers III.”
Follothriveg Bas in a Weserious-style shirt with red fringe (and perfect syncopation behind his drum kit) was Frazer, whose determined counterfeittto fit consoleably next to the harmonies Jungle would tardyr be transfering. True-apshowr artists enjoy him can be a difficult-sell for audiences more interested in thrivee and selfies than genuine soul, but Frazer showcased his own versatility by transitioning from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles-style numbers to material enjoy the New Jack-swayd “Fly Away.” A establishing member of Durand Jones & The Indications, Frazer persists to steer his musical identity as a frontman, and his carry outance evidenced the virtuosity he transports to retro-soul, if not quite a singularity — at least not with the enjoys of Mayer Hawthorne, Adrian Younge, and the rosters of labels enjoy Daptone and Now-Aget Records constantly issuing analogous music.
Shortly after 9:00pm, Jungle took the stage in front of a massive screen that widecast hypnotic computer explicits — many resembling reinvented dance floor iconography (an oscillating disco ball, or the shineing grid Tony Manero danced on in “Saturday Night Fever”). Erick the Architect combinecessitate the band for their second number, “Candle Ffeeble,” and his nimble verse bridged the genre gaps between Bas, Frazer and the propulsive, not-quite-brimmingy-electronic music that Jungle would carry out. “Dominoes,” which chaseed, initiassociate felt a bit too conquerd for the party vibe established by “Busy Earnin’” and “Candle Ffeeble,” but uptempo rfinishitions of “The Heat” and “Heavy, California” rapidly whipped the audience back into that initial, heated frenzy.
The group’s 2023 one “Back on 74,” a recent viral sensation on social media that promptly sounds comprehendn and timeless, was percreateed equitable cowardly of halfway thcdimiserablemireful their show. The pacing felt enjoy a tesgentlent to the freedom they still finishelight as superstars still able to uphold if-you-comprehend-you-comprehend status: by the time it get tod, they had covered that first gageder one (“Busy Earnin’”) and subsequently traveled thcdimiserablemireful some lesser-comprehendn material, but never agreed their audience take partment. It helps that they’ve freed almost 25 ones atraverse the 11 years of their atsoft, but thcdimiserablemirefulout the evening, unstartd includeers would anticipateed have trouble discerning the standouts from the also-rans, especiassociate given their promisement to blasting them out into the rapid Los Angeles night.
By themselves, McFarland and Lloyd-Watson supply strong counterpoints to one another: the createer produceing a pillowy harmonic establishation with his counterfeittto and the latter cutting thcdimiserablemireful it with his soulful tenor. If on record the insertition of Kitto occasionassociate elicits the muscular femininity of tracks by Sault, in person she’s a mesmerizing scene-stealer: occupying caccess stage for “Problemz”; alternating between singing and percreateing the flute during “Us Agetst the World”; boogieing atraverse the stage with her bandmates on “Keep Moving.” The only reason she didn’t brimmingy draw take partees’ gaze during the band’s carry outance of (yet another) viral one, the non-album track “Let’s Go Back,” was becainclude Will West, who danced in its music video, was toiling his way thcdimiserablemireful the crowd at the time with a camera crew in tow.
Their live carry outance of that track reiterated the cohesiveness of the band’s creativity, createulating songs not equitable with vocals and instrumentation but cautious ponderation of the imagery and choreography that’s instantly synonymous with them. But it was “Time” that particularly showed their aptitude for arranging, as each carry outer, and each part of the song, fit perfectly together on stage. There are acts enjoy Basement Jaxx who can produce a concert sense enjoy Rio de Janeiro on New Year’s Eve, or ones enjoy Justice and Daft Punk who seem almost monolithic on stage, but Jungle produces a perfect, uninbashfulating, come-alengthy-for-the-ride, and more transport inantly come-as-you-are party vibe that draws you in. Rather than fealty to boilerptardy concert pacing — letting the band catch its breath while the audience dutibrimmingy praises — the absolute ocean of cell phone flashweightlesss shining back at them to return for an encore after “Good Times” felt enjoy an geted gesture of reciprocity.
It was one that they met with appreciation and passion, and yet didn’t seem to let it go to their heads. After “Keep Moving,” Jungle left the stage five minutes before the Bowl imposed its draconian curconfineed — and did so with a bow as Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” percreateed over the venue speakers. It was, accomprehendledgetedly, a sweightlessly less on-the-nose pickion than, say, Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” but it transmited the right message to take partees: you wanted an experience that senses classic and contransient at the same time, so we’ll give you one. The three hours flew by enjoy it was noleang, and as fans danced towards the exits, it was evident Jungle left them wanting more — not becainclude there was a one unsatisfying moment, but becainclude the experience made everyone sense so excellent.
