Forget the Brit Awards and the MOBO’s, Leeds was blessed with hosting the We Love Jungle Awards at our very own Mint Warehouse. From the hallowed presence of General Levy to the constant voracious appreciation of perhaps Leeds’ favourite genre of music, it was a brilliantly organised affair. Even ignoring the awards night’s high profile status, Jungle Jam put on a cracking party with a nice twist from their classic nights.

The Caribbean BBQ was in full array, with everything from jerk chicken to curry goat. Although I’m not normally one to have a snack mid night out, those sweet potato fries really hit the spot whilst sitting under the camouflaged seats, listening to the sweet jungle music playing in my ear.

After my light mid-night snack and DJ Shock’s grooving skills, the awards started and the quality of production throughtout the ceremony was very impressive. You might assume that no one would want to stand around for two hours listening to winners being announced, but the eagerly excited fans maintained a high level of energy throughout as the names flashed up on the big screen. And if you rocked up before 10pm you got the chance to be on the BBC documentary- the only reason I managed to drag my housemates to a night out so early!

There was a nice moment of remembrance during the awards for the MC Tenor Fly who sadly passed away last year, with tributes from many artists on the stage, referring to him as ‘one of the greatest MCs in the country’. He was a very talented MC within the Jungle industry, workingalongside the likes of Congo Natty and Top Cat. The crowd showed their appreciation with enormous cheers and chants of ‘Tenor’ ‘Fly’ slowly working their way into a song from the legend himself ‘Born Again’, itself a stalwart of jungle sets.

After the awards were all accepted, the night continued in true Jungle Jam style with Topcat driving the crowd with a fast paced sound combined with the reggae vocals of ‘A Friend in Need’. It was the perfect end to a night in the jungle, and despite the sweat dripping from the ceiling, they managed to put on a magical production, with true jungle fans all coming out to appreciate the sound.

If you now feel disappointed you missed the whole affair, General Levy livestreamed the whole thing on Facebook, with wonderful commentary from the users of Facebook too.

Caris Dollard