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Coolness personified – Jungle deliver one of the smoothest sets Castlefield Bowl has ever seen

Contemporary disco is alive and well and it's thanks, in no small part, to these lot.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 12th July 2024

We enjoyed another night at Castlefield Bowl on Thursday evening and Sounds of the City 2024 continues to impress, as the almighty Jungle took to the stage for one of the smoothest all-round performances we’ve seen in a long time.

The modern dance icons have been flying the flag for the disco renaissance over the past decade and, pound for pound, have become one of Britain’s very best live acts.

After all, they did just headline the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury barely a fortnight ago and after a fair few people already dubbed their favourite set, we already knew they were going to smash Sounds of the City as well.

We just didn’t expect it to look so effortless.

The coolest customers within a 20-mile radius, Jungle did have an opening DJ set to help warm the crowd up a little but, to be honest, it’s not like they needed it. The Bowl was read.

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From the moment we heard that instantly recognisable and ever-so-unique synthy and almost kazoo-ey intro to ‘Busy Earnin”, the funk was very much in full swing and it quickly became apparent that those in attendance were going to dance all night long until the very last note. And that’s exactly what they did.

That might sound pretty standard for a gig, but to actually get that many people properly grooving non-stop for more than two hours on a muggy Thursday night in Manchester, when most people are still knackered from the celebrations from the footy, is quite the statement.

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And we’re not just talking casual two-stepping: one of the things that we loved the most about this show was how many people fully threw themselves into the pure disco of it all. Us Mancs can dance, trust us; we spotted Aljaž from Strictly in the crowd and he looked impressed too.

Pretty sure we saw a 10 scorecard go up and one point, hard to say…

Jungle got a very warm welcome as they walked out into Castlefield Bowl (Credit: The Manc Audio)

But seriously though, the set was bop after bop, be it long-standing favourites ‘Time’, ‘The Heat’, ‘Heavy California’ and ‘Happy Man’, or other radio hits like ‘Romeo’, ‘Keep Moving’ and, of course, Volcano bangers such as ‘Us Against the World’ and ‘Candle Flame’.

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And yes, we did get to see a few people pull out the ‘Back on 74’ dance and yes, it was wonderful.

Honestly, the list goes on and on when it comes to these lot and one of the highest compliments we can pay the dance music collective is that they also managed to bring some of those album tracks that we’ve never been as fussed about to life on the stage in a way that we now can’t get them out of our heads.

If that isn’t the hallmark of a good live band then when we don’t know what it is. We also don’t think you’ll find many live acts where the whole team and touring crew of musicians feel just as big a part of the core group as its frontmen.

The main duo might be the geniuses that are Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland but where they excel is in spotlighting all of these various individual performers in moments and celebrating the ensemble – something that has always been at the heart of dance music as a genre.

jungle manchester gig 2024
jungle castlefield bowl live
Petition to make orange the official colour of Jungle and all good disco music? Just feels right, doesn’t it?

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We might not have been able to get tickets for Glasto (literally the one act we would have been fighting through the crowds to see) but, for now, we’ll happily relish having seen Jungle on our home turf and simply watching as they turned Castlefield Bowl into a dancefloor.

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Sounds of the City 2024 really has been dynamite so far – you only have to read our review of Avril Lavigne’s Manchester gig or look back at the scenes for Fatboy Slim to see that – and it’s not over yet.

With the Manics and Suede, as well as Hacienda Classical still set to play this weekend, we’ve got a couple more days to sign off this year’s festival in the best style possible.

Enjoy it while you can, people.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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Frank Carter is bringing the Sex Pistols back to Manchester to play Never Mind the Bollocks in full

Danny Jones Danny Jones Frank Carter and the Sex Pistols Manchester tickets

In what we know is already set to be another show to remember, UK artist Frank Carter is bringing members of the original Sex Pistols lineup back to Manchester to play their legendary debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, in full and it’s happening sooner than you think.

The former Gallows member turned frontman for his self-titled outfit, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, is at the forefront of the contemporary punk genre and is about as close to an old-school rockstar as you’ll find on the modern scene.

With that in mind, it seems only fitting that he be chosen to stand in place of John Lydon, a.k.a. ‘Johnny Rotten’, as the limited-time-only lead singer when the Sex Pistols organised a one-off charity reunion run to help save London’s Bush Hall earlier this month.

However, following the massive success of these shows, the band have now decided to book a few more gigs and now, with the help of Frank (minus his snakes), will be playing one of the most iconic records of all time from start to finish – well, sort of…

sex pistols uk tour dates with frank carter
Credit: Supplied

With original bassist Glen Matlock – who was replaced by Sid Vicious and then returned after his death – drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones all returning to the lineup, 40-year-old musician and tattooist isn’t just filling in, he’s helped get them back on tour and in the public consciousness.

Up there with The Rolling Stones, Ramones, The Clash; Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, The Who and others who would be considered amongst the most influential rock bands in history, the significance of their return to Manchester, in particular, isn’t lost on us audiophiles and lovers of music history either.

In case you were unaware, Manchester was the site of the Sex Pistols‘ very first gig outside of London back in 1976, when the frenetic four-piece played what was then known as the Lesser Free Trade Hall on Peter Street right here in the city centre, now The Edwardian Hotel and Peter St Kitchen.

Considered by many as ‘the gig that changed the world‘ and resulting in the famous claim and muso phrase ‘I was there’, a line that even went on to serve as the title of the book by David Nolan, it helped influence countless artists to come.

For example, other people who were in the crowd that night included Ian Curtis, Peter Hook and Bernard Summer of Joy Division and New Order, Morrissey of The Smiths; Manchester music and nightlife mogul Tony Wilson, Manc punk icon John the Postman, as well as members of The Buzzcocks and The Fall.

Despite there only being a rumoured 40 or so people in the room that night, the noise they made and the impact it had makes it one of the most important moments in music history, so how big a deal it is having them back out on stage isn’t lost on anyone – certainly not a lifelong fan like Frank Carter.

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As for Rotten, 68, he has remained in a feud with the existing members for years, namely around the rights to the music, and is said to be “furious” over this latest reunion.

But that’s a big part of what punk was always about, isn’t it? Doing what you want and p*ssing a few people off along the way.

Speaking on the announcement, Jones said: “There was an overwhelming response on social media from fans asking to play different parts of the country. So guess what? It will be done. We will be tighter than a rat’s a*** by the time we get to Kentish Town.”

Frank Carter and the three Sex Pistols members are set to play Manchester Academy 1 on Tuesday, 24 September and while they won’t necessarily be doing NMTB in order, they will be playing it in full. What a time to be alive.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, 23 August at 9am and saying they’re going to absolutely fly is the understatement of the century. You can grab yours HERE. This is going to be a night to remember and then some.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Image/Dom Martin (supplied)

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A Take That documentary series is currently in the works at Netflix

Danny Jones Danny Jones Take That Netflix documentary series

For anyone whose soul is still at least partly stuck in the 90s, or who still maintains that Take That are the best boyband ever, you’ll be absolutely buzzing to learn that a new documentary series about the legendary British group is coming to Netflix.

Only a few months on from their blockbuster return to Manchester at the AO Arena and even more recently their reduced residency at Co-op Live as part of their massive world tour, Take That fans will soon be able to roll back the years even further thanks to the upcoming docuseries.

Coming exclusively to the Netflix streaming platform, this is the first standalone Take That documentary of its kind outside of a 44-minute featurette that aired on Channel 5 back in 2009.

While details are still very limited, this comes not long after the success of Robbie Williams’ self-titled documentary series which also landed on Netflix in November last year.

As explained in the announcement, although the release date is yet to be confirmed, they have detailed that not only will the production team have access to the current lineup of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, but it will also “feature interviews with Jason [Orange] and Robbie.”

Promising to “give unprecedented insight into one of Britain’s most successful and beloved bands”, you can expect the show (the number of episodes is still unknown) never-before-seen footage of the group and sit-downs with the five-piece.

It’s been a full decade since the band were all together, with Robbie returning for a short stint between 2010 and 2014 before exiting with Jason once again, but the three remaining members have continued to release new music and achieve huge commercial success both here in the UK and across the globe.

Barlow himself says has long been of the belief Williams and Orange might one day come back for good and, who knows? Even if there are still fences to be mended, maybe projects like this might help bring that possibility back into the frame.

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Having formed in Manchester back in 1990 and with several members hailing from 0161 to start with – Mark born in Oldham, Howard from Droyslden, Jason from Crumpsall and even Gary only from down the road in Cheshire – it goes without saying that their connection to our musical city is strong.

The iconic boyband’s collective home, for all intents and purposes, we think we speak for everyone when we say, one: we can’t wait to watch this series and two; we sincerely hope we see them all stood side by side again some day.

When we know more information about Netflix’s now highly-anticipated Take That documentary, believe us, you’ll be the first to know.

Until then, we’ll just keep reliving how nostalgic this night was:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Sira (via GoodFon)/Press Image

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