For me, there's nothing I love more than listening to the haunting indie folk creations of singer/songwriter Jake Bugg. At the tender age of 17, he was scouted to play a set at Glastonbury where he was given a contract at Mercury Records. Two years later and with the release of his second album next month, Bugg is going from strength to strength. After seeing him at Benicassim in July and iTunes Festival in September I managed to get some tickets for his autumn tour.
Last Wednesday I headed over to the cosmopolitan district of Brixton, where I went to queue up for the gig that took place at the O2 Academy. Unlike the festival goers and casual music listeners I had encountered at the previous two gigs, there were only a handful of girls as enthusiastic as I was to queue. Our blatant fangirling paid off however when as we sat queuing, Bugg walked past us and casually waved. Much giggling ensued before we all managed to get up and run after him to say hi and tell him how excited we were to see him play. He was nice enough to pose for a couple of pictures too, what a gem.
As venues go, the O2 in Brixton is great due to its small size and sloped floor which means the stage is visible from almost anywhere in the venue. I was pleasantly surprised with the hugely talented warm-up acts that began with Italian-English singer Jack Savoretti followed by Tennessee basedHoneyHoney who provided some much needed Country fun.
For those of us desperate for new music, Bugg didn't disappoint, beginning his set with There's a Beast and We all Feed it, the first track on upcoming album Shang ri La, one that screams intelligence with the line "When my sister suffers/When my mother cries/All I wanna do is look in someone's eyes…here's a beast eating every kind of beauty and we all feed it."
Kingpin, Pine Trees, new single Slumville Sunrise and the delicious What Doesn't Kill You were also performed, giving us an idea of how magical the new album will be!
His fine tuned, focussed and authentic performance would not have been complete without Lightning Bolt, Two Fingers, Country Song, Broken and one of my favourites, Seen it All and he definitely created an electric atmosphere. For someone only 19 years of age, his songs contain a huge capacity of life experience and as live acts go, he is by far my favourite. Although some tend to criticise his so-called lack of showmanship, his humble and unassuming air only adds to his charm.
His music is a lovely break from the ego-centric, sexist chart music manufactured superficially, written and churned out by a team of people.
I can't wait to see him in February!
