Jake Bugg is from Nottingham.
Infact, he is from Clifton in Nottingham which is approximately 2 miles from my house. He is nineteen years old and plays and writes songs like a young Bob Dylan.
He is highly acclaimed in places like Radio 1 and NME and in a very short period of time has risen from playing support act to Roddy Woomble at a Comedy Club in Nottingham (around 150 people) to selling out 9,000 people at the Nottingham Arena.
Alison and I were there (a Birthday present for me) to watch Jake's triumphant return to Nottingham. Clearly the crowd was going to be on his side and the atmosphere was pretty good but I have seen a lot better atmospheres in the Ice Stadium, not least The Killers who kept the place standing and on their seats with their hands in the air for a whole 90 minute set.
Perhaps Bugg's music doesn't lend itself to as much jumping around although some of the tracks do but one of his biggest issues is his inability to interact with the audience. This might be because he is just generally shy and that is how it appears but he has very little to say to the audience and just runs from song to song with minimum engagement.
He is super good on the guitar, his lyrics and voice are very clear, his band were great and we did really enjoy it (apart from the people smoking beside us) but it's hard to attach yourself to someone like that who just seems not to want to talk back.
Funnily enough, Alison's Aunt and Uncle went to the show at the Albert Hall the following night and he texted me to tell me exactly the same report and was quite disappointed by his lack of interaction with the crowd.
Comparing it to someone like Frank Turner or Ed Sheeran who are all over the crowd all the time, getting them involved with a real night of entertainment, it is difficult to see a big future for Jake Bugg in live shows.
Leave a comment