Review: Jungle at The Anthem
With the clouds of the pandemic slowly beginning to part, concertgoers in DC gathered at The Anthem to see the British soul collective, Jungle. The show on October 4 was part of Jungle’s first US tour since 2019 to celebrate the release of their third studio album, Loving in Stereo. The duo, made up of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, played to an energetic crowd thrilled to be back in the mix, even if on a Monday night.
The set consisted of a mixture of songs from their three albums, beginning with their summer breakout hit “Talk About It”, leading into “The Heat,” off their second album. The transition between the different albums was seamless, even though their newest album plays through with a definitively positive tone. It felt like they were weaving a story of loss and heartbreak that culminated into several of their new songs that represented a more secure and happy time in the artists’ lives. I think the fact that, in many cases, the lyrics don’t necessarily match with the more upbeat nature of the music allows us to forget that songs like “Julia”, for example, aren’t inherently happy. The crowd could not stop dancing the entire time because of the punchy basslines, dark and wide synth sounds, pounding beat of the drums, and the upbeat falsetto in each song.
Illuminated by the iconic Jungle sign, the stage setting seemed as if it was inspired by stage sets from 1950s and ‘60s television performances. The entire band looked amazing dressed in different shades of cream, tan, and brown. Llyod-Watson and McFarland positioned their two synths in the middle of the stage where they were surrounded by a stacked group of five backup musicians who stood on a lit-up platform. The collective was boxed in by a mesh gate made of tiny LED lights that lit up with different colors and textures to fit each song. One creative use of their light set up was during the song, “Romeo”, which features the rapper Bas, whose image was cast onto the lights behind the band. Featuring Bas in this unique format served as a fun and visually interesting surprise, since touring during a pandemic means that on-stage special guests will be few and far between.
When I saw Jungle during their 2019 tour, their set was incredibly tight -- not a note out of place, with everything perfectly primed and polished. Flashing forward two very long years, this most recent show was no less flawless. Though there were a few mishaps, like a wrong note played on the synth during “Casio,” or a rogue guitar note in “All of the Time,” mistakes were few and far between and I feel that unless you were looking for them, they could pass relatively undetected. I am chalking these small mistakes to the fact that Jungle, along with many artists, have not had the chance to tour in the past year and a half because of the pandemic. And, despite a few momentarily slip-ups, Jungle sounded almost exactly like they do in the studio. This show also showcased the versatility of the group, especially the background musicians. All of the background musicians switched off instruments as well as sang throughout the night. The background singer brought out her guitar during “Can’t Stop the Stars,” and the keyboard player whipped out a flute solo during “Bonnie Hill.” I cannot express enough how professional and calculated each musician was, making the whole experience sonically enjoyable, but in contrast caused the experience to feel a little less personal. Besides Llyod-Watson commenting on how “posh” he thought The Anthem was because of its chandeliers, there was very little banter. Perhaps it was the lack of banter from the band that kept the magic of their set so mysteriously alluring - Jungle whisked us away to a carefree place where we could dance until we sweat and boogie the night away, even from behind protective masks on a crisp, Monday night.
Concertgoers were left with the wise words of the duo to help navigate the uncertainty of the pandemic, “Dry your Tears” and “Keep Moving.”
Review by Kelly Peaks. Photos by Meredith Wohl.
