What might you expect a member of a highly esteemed soul, funk, dance, and electronic music collective to do during their downtime from touring? You might be surprised to learn that for Tom McFarland, one part of the Jungle group, his relaxation of choice is golfing. Not only is he passionate about the sport, but he also finds time to enjoy it even amidst a busy schedule, such as their upcoming performance at the renowned Red Rocks venue in Colorado and a return visit to the eminent Coachella festival.
Before these performances, McFarland was preparing to enjoy a game of golf featuring the full 18 holes. “A couple of weekends prior, I brought my golf clubs along during my prior DJ gig in Dublin over Easter. I am excited to play Beyond the Pale and heard the golf courses in Wicklow are commendable too,” shares McFarland. Regarding his golf prowess, he quips, “Well, my handicap is 14.9 which I consider slightly better than just average.”
The upcoming Beyond the Pale concert will see Jungle headlining the music festival on the Glendalough Estate, with a vocal performance from Lydia Kitto and an assembly of musicians and dancers. It’s certainly a golden era for Jungle as their big break in the US with their second album, ‘Loving in Stereo’, as well as beating eminent groups like Blur and Young Fathers for the title of best British group at the Brits, has catapulted them into the limelight.
On being recognised at the Brits, McFarland chuckles, “Did we think we’d win? No, not at all. Just the mere nomination and participating in the performance was quite gratifying. However, winning the award was merely the cherry on top. Having the chance to celebrate this victory with everyone involved in our journey, especially my wife, was exceptional. Though the accolades are nice, what really matters to us as a band is the recognition from the music industry.”
Jungle’s performance of their track “Back on 74” at the Brits was a prime example of the well-executed choreography and fashionable productions that the band is known for since their breakout in 2014 with “Busy Earnin’”. The visuals accompanying their music and the music videos are integral aspects of their work, a concept not so prevalent among other artists.
“And yes, to tell you the truth, it’s indeed a huge expenditure,” confesses McFarland, with a chuckle. Despite this, he speaks fondly of the band’s love for creating videos and collaborating with choreographers and dancers. McFarland suggests that this particular song might not be as successful as it is without its music video and the subsequent attempts by TikTok users to recreate it. He discusses the possibility that if the music video had not been created, they might not be performing at their current venues, including an anticipated show at London’s O2 this September. Despite the general disregard of music videos as a form of art, the band remains indifferent to such criticism.
The video also spawned a TikTok dance challenge, which helped the song gain monumental popularity across the social media site. But having their track go viral on TikTok has its pros and cons, notes McFarland.
“We are in a situation where there’s a dilemma of sorts,” he adds. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon amplify our music reach, but there is a sense of them exploiting us. By assisting artists, these corporations tend to believe they deserve some credit over the creativity of these artists. He expresses his wish for a more artist-friendly financial model, despite acknowledging the global reach their music achieves due to these platforms, which would be impossible to achieve through small record shops across the globe.
For a long time, Jungle has been more of an underground sensation than a mainstream marvel. This indie band’s music has topped charts and they’ve been the main attraction at festivals, yet their name is not on the tip of everyone’s tongue. They’ve mastered the digital world as well as live performances, all while staying out of the spotlight. As McFarland shares with a grin, there’s a certain pride in having worked diligently for a decade without drawing excessive attention. The band’s emphasis has always been on maintaining their unique character, becoming what they refer to as a ‘concept band’, a notion that brings a touch of humour. Jungle serves as a sanctuary for the band, allowing an escape from the frustrations of accolades, society, and real life in general.
The band’s ascension to fame following ‘Loving in Stereo’ was a surprise to many, catapulting this soulful independent group to supporting Billie Eilish on tour and playing in arenas.
Tom McFarland from Jungle says they’ve built not just a concept album, but a concept band.
McFarland reflects on the band’s experience of playing in larger venues, which he says was initially just a dream inspired by their teen idols. He confesses that they weren’t certain their success would lead them to such grand gigs. However, performing in arenas turned out to be an enjoyable experience for the band. It simplified touring logistics, such as bus spacing and crew accommodation, as opposed to the struggles of squeezing a vast production set into a small venue.
McFarland recalls their tendency to overestimate the capabilities of a venue or a festival, leading to some sticky situations, especially in smaller American venues with 1000-seat capacity. Hence, playing in larger venues became less taxing for them.
The band’s rise to prominence can be traced back a decade to their well-known track ‘Busy Earnin’, which gained mass popularity due to its frequent features on television shows, commercials, and sports montages. McFarland admits that he is still fond of the song that marked their emergence in the music scene.
“When it came to producing our second album, there was a fleeting sensation of anxiety about our next steps,” he admits. “However, it didn’t take us long to move past that moment. It would feel awfully disruptive if we ever left that song out of a live performance; it would be akin to The Strokes not performing Last Nite. To exclude it would feel like a rebuke to our fans. Yet, performing it has never been a burden. We’ve even started introducing our sets with it, thereby setting the tone for the rest of our repertoire.”
Now with four albums under their belt — the most recent being last year’s Volvano — Jungle is firmly committed to continuous innovation. The success of Loving in Stereo has energised them to revisit the recording process for Volcano using a fresh approach, with a primary focus on live performance.
“We have a strong desire to ensure we’re constantly pushing our boundaries, engaging in new experiences and partnering with new individuals,” he concedes. “On Volcano, we decided to bring in Lydia Kitto as our voice for the album – and she has now unofficially become the third member of Jungle. So, we’ve made these subtle changes over time, which have kept our creative process engaging and diverse. Without this, things may become static far too swiftly.”
McFarland maintains that new music is perpetually on their minds. However, their rigorous touring schedule is likely to push out any developments until late 2024 or early 2025. And when their fifth album does emerge, it can be confidently stated that it won’t be packed with ballads; McFarland previously shared that “folks attend our shows with the expectancy to enjoy themselves”. A standpoint presumably set to remain in the future.
“We’re unsure, but it’s a possibility – we might conclude next year having a globally-renowned jazz record right on our table,” he quips, chuckling, while gearing up with his golf equipment, set to embark for a round on the golf links. “Although it’s not particularly probable, who’s to say? Our prime focus is creating music that we are passionate about and can groove to. If this music resonates with our fans, then that’s the direction we’re heading in.” Jungle is the main act for Beyond the Pale, located at the Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow, on Friday 21st of June; The festivities continue until Sunday, the 23rd of June.