TOTT #1: JUNGLE

Introductory years don’t come much better than the 2013 that London newcomers Jungle have experienced. They hit the ground running with their debut track ‘Platoon’ back in May – which has now amassed mind boggling stats on Soundcloud and Youtube alike – and they went on to release it in July via the ever-impressive Chess Club as part of a AA single alongside the equally infectious ‘Drops’ (which The Tipping Point described as managing to “reference vintage soul and disco whilst exploring mid-tempo, contemporary stylistics”). Support flooded in from the likes of Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe, NME and The Guardian, but one thing remained teasingly elusive; just who the hell are Jungle?

A mere three months down the line and we’re at single number 2 with ‘The Heat’ and ‘Lucky I Got What I Want’. Again put out through Chess Club, the single was backed by Jungle’s eagerly awaited live debut, with shows taking place in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Brighton throughout October. Not since Wu Lyf had there been such anti-London suggestions, except, this time, the band in question actually comes from the capital city. So what next for this unknown duo?

Well, needless to say, Jungle’s debut London show was eventually booked and took place earlier this week, with a new capital city show recently announced for March 2014 at London’s Village Underground. So besides a pair of insanely good singles and what is probably the best video of the year (see below), we’re still none the wiser as to the identity of Jungle. 2014 beckons big things, not least coming out from behind that press shot, and we can’t wait.

Words by Neil Wood

Originally posted on The Tipping Point on July 8th

www.junglejunglejungle.com