Jungle reviewed live in London: Mercury nominees are growing in stature

"… There will be no more Marc Bolans… or David Bowies creating their own worlds. D'you know why? Because you will know everything about them from the internet. There'll be no magic," said human quote machine Noel Gallagher recently. While he clearly feels that the digital age has led to a dearth of enigmatic artists, Jungle must have missed the memo.

There was an undeniable air of mystery surrounding the band after the release of debut single 'The Heat'. Masters of the viral promotion campaign, videos for their singles star brilliant dance routines and 6-year-olds body popping, never featuring the band members themselves.

Commercial and critical success inevitably followed - the last time Jungle were here at the Roundhouse, they were picking up their Mercury Prize nomination - and while a string of high-profile festival appearances might have lifted the veil on one of the most breathlessly hyped bands around (reclusive spearheads 'T & J' turned out to be Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson, two pretty normal looking white guys from Shepherds Bush), the intrigue hasn't lifted just yet.

Tonight the pair lead a nine-piece touring band through a crisp 80-minute set. While the band are perhaps best known for their radio-friendly funk-pop, the set is actually at its best when at its most oppressive. The menacing 'Lucky I Got What I Want' and potent opener 'Platoon' are jagged-edged counterpoints to a veneer of plush synths, slick dual percussion and pinched falsettos ubiquitous elsewhere. Here, the band revel in the track's simple, spiny undertow and punch through the froth effectively.

There's a clear progression in their live execution since I saw them play in August last year: a greater sense of dynamic variation, nuance and intensity is made clear during ultra-tight performances of new single 'Julia' and 'Accelerate'. Cinematic instrumental 'Smoking Pixels', complete with frenzied trumpet solo, is also a highpoint in a sleek, yet idiosyncratic set.

A brass section boosts closer 'Busy Earnin'' (tonight's performance proving an improvement even on the record, which sees the joyous trumpet refrains conveyed via economy synth presets). The track's catching groove is impossible to resist, and the balcony are on their feet as confetti cannons fire off and the show is brought to an emphatic climax.

It's a slick show from an act quickly growing in stature and assertiveness. While an enigmatic viral campaign helped get them here, on tonight's evidence, Jungle are looking more and more comfortable in their own skin.