Jungle – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax

By Steve Crabtree, August 2024

So far, there’d been 32 shows out of 34 at The Piece Hall this summer. One of the two I’ve been most excited about (Rick Astley) was incredible.  For the other one, I had to wait until concert number 33…

I’d been lucky enough to get to 17 of the gigs in 2024, and Jungle was to be show 18.  It seemed to take an age to get here, but when it did it was seriously worth the wait.

Jungle’s performance, without a doubt, stood out as the best gig and the best atmosphere all season. Unsurprisingly a sell-out crowd, if some of the acts this year can fill the Piece Hall for two nights, Jungle can do it for three…because all 6,000 of us who were there on Bank Holiday Sunday would go again and again…

“Uplifting, upbeat, and just impossible to resist”

We were all in for a very special night. From the moment the band took the stage at 9pm, the vibe was incredible, and that’s down to Jungle’s infectious energy. Their music is uplifting, upbeat, and just impossible to resist, and that meant the historic venue we were all in turned into the coolest party.

Night had fallen, and the Piece Hall stage was alive with the familiar Jungle logo light, and graphics on the screen that mesmered. A visual experience that played its part for the entire evening. The band appeared as silhouettes against these vibrant visuals, and opened up with ‘Busy Earnin’,’ and from that point on we’d be moving all night.

My favourite Jungle tune, ‘Candle Flame’ was the next tune of the night, and it’s not only my favourite, it turns out. It’s intro brought cheers from everyone, and together we swayed, danced, and sang along to these feel-good dance rhythms that Jungle does so well. The track ‘Problemz’ added to the night’s high-on-summer vibe, and as the evening progressed, it was clear that this wasn’t just another concert…it was a night of something else.

“Engaged for the entire set”

Jungle didn’t just play a few hits—they delivered a full experience that kept the crowd hooked. Their set was packed with their most-loved tracks, each one bringing its own bursts of energy. ‘Back On 74’ and ‘All of the Time’ were absolute highlights, and both tracks brought the house down. The crowd’s reaction to the former got the hugest cheers of the night, yet we still had energy building with every song. It’s not often you find a band that can keep a crowd engaged for the entire set, but Jungle do.

My first time seeing them live, Jungle’s live performance sounds very similar in sound to their recorded music, yet somehow even more powerful.

I know from looking around the place that the crowd were gripped with just pure enjoyment of what was going on.

“People just kept dancing”

We had a nice connection with the band, who took time to talk to the crowd. It was nice for them to make a point of introducing drummer George, who hails from Hebden Bridge, playing in what’s essentially his hometown. So, he was a hero for us on Sunday alright!

More favourites came at us all evening. ‘Casio’ mellowed things out a touch, and ‘Truth’ took the tempo back up again. The unique tribalesque beats of ‘Coming Back’ sounded so good, and as the night drew to a close, the crowd clearly wasn’t ready to say goodbye. After a 21-song set was over, Jungle returned for a one-song encore.

They delivered an incredible performance of ‘Keep Moving,’ a song title that perfectly sums up the night. We could have carried on going like we were for hours.

Even after the band finally said their goodbyes and the lights came up, Michael Jackson’s music played over the speakers, and instead of heading for the exits, people just kept dancing. An announcement had to come over the speakers to finally nudge us out, but the party could have easily continued long into the night. Jungle had left us all, I think the right word is ‘infected” with a feeling we weren’t willing to shake off anytime soon.

“Most enjoyable show of the summer”

Looking back, this was my most enjoyable show of the summer, and I think Jungle are one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live. It was the penultimate night of the Live at The Piece Hall season, but in hindsight, it should have been the closer. Jungle delivered a perfect concert that showcased their incredible talent and it would have been apt to have celebrated the end of the season with this kind of vibe.

I hope they keep coming back to Halifax year after year. I’ll definitely be seeing them as many times as I can in the future.

Images: Cuffe & Taylor/The Piece Hall