Recensie Jungle ★★★

It has been a while since two London boys and childhood friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland formed a band Jungle as J and T. It has been 4 years since their self-titled debut album that instantly conquered the hearts of the listeners and brought them a nomination for the Mercury Prize.

Last seen in Latvia year 2015 at the Positivus festival, they now returned, invited by the concert agency FBI, with their new album ‘For Ever’, released September 14^th, 2018 under the label XL to play in the Palladium concert hall in Riga.

Grown from a 2 man band to a 7 people performing collective, Jungle filled the stage and the space with a funky and sunny vibe and thrilling beats. The audience commenced dancing along with the beat as Jungle started off with ‘Smile’ from the new material and the uplifting mood in the concert hall only elevated as the show went on. 

The band seemed to equally enjoy performing the new hits such as ‘Happy Man’, ’Heavy’, ‘California’ or the bittersweet ‘House in L.A.’, as well as the classics, i.e. , ‘ Busy Earnin’, ’Julia’ or ‘Lucky I Got What I Want’ and that was just what the listeners were waiting for. The new songs blended with the early compositions softly and fluently as the silky sounds, falsetto and the soulful notes overtook the evening.

Jungle is absolutely a band that exceeds any expectations with their live performance. Check the European tour dates and do not hesitate to attend their show on November 22, Antwerp, Belgium.    

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