Jake Bugg returned to a sold out Rock City in his home town of Nottingham, for the first of a 5 date UK tour in November.
The crowd was fully warmed up by the support act, Scottish singer/songwriter ONR., and the atmosphere began to build further with the pulsating techno collaboration track between Jake Bugg & Camelphat ‘Be Someone’, released earlier this year. Finally local lad Jake strolled on stage to an adoring mixed age crowd and launched straight into a 22 song, hour and a half set.
At 18 Jake was the youngest male artist to have an album enter the charts at no 1, with his debut self-titled album, and the media were quick to dub him the new Bob Dylan with his vintage folk/country sound; his lyricism founded on growing up on a Council Estate in Nottingham. Still only 25, there have been 3 further studio albums, and he will be releasing a new album with new label Sony RCA in 2020.
Not one for gimmicks, there was a simple black backdrop with Jake dressed all in black and it was quickly down to business. He played a mix of old and new songs including 4 acoustic songs: the beautiful heartbreak ballad ‘Broken’, and lesser-known ‘Saffron’, both melancholic and mesmerising. Each of the 4 new tracks were received with warm enthusiasm including new single, ‘Kiss Like The Sun’, produced by Andrew Watt who’s worked with Post Malone and Cardi B. Jake has spoken about wanting it to be more “fun and light-hearted”.
A quiet, humble man of few words, Jake thanked the crowd several times, but otherwise went from song to song with little interaction. Even several flares being setting off by members of the crowd and security bundling them out the venue didn’t seem to put him off his performance. His vocals were strong, effortless and the guitar solos impressive; in fact, the tempo and energy never let up with the crowd loud and raucous throughout, many on each other’s shoulders, singing loudly to well loved hits such as ‘Lightning Bolt’, and ‘Taste It’.
Jake closed with the anthem, ‘Two Fingers’, about escaping the streets of working class Nottingham, totally at one with the crowd singing back every lyric, two fingers aloft. He’s not leaving the hearts of this Rock City crowd and his home town anytime soon!
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