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It really has been an incredible twelve months for Jake Bugg. The young man from Clifton has gone from performances in tents at festival to playing the main stage at Glastonbury and a headline slot on the tenth day of this year’s iTunes festival. With his debut album reaching the top of the charts and a new album on the horizon, the 19-year-old looks to be coming of age with this confident performance.
The first section of his iTunes gig was dominated by tracks from his self-titled debut album as he hit the crowd into ‘Trouble Town’ and ‘Seen It All’ which have already become sing-along anthems. With stripped-down support from his ever reliable bandmates, Bugg is allowed to excel with a vocal performance which showcases that his raw talent.
What is more noticeable now compared to twelve months ago is his on stage confidence, as he struts around the stage donning a leather jacket he finally looks comfortable and at times even happy to be there. It is this confidence that allows him to rattle through a host of new songs that certainly seem to swing more in the rock’n’roll direction as opposed to his acoustic side.
With excited women declaring their love for him and every song receiving a rousing reception, Bugg still has little to say other than introducing a handful of songs. As he comes to the end of his cover of Neil Young’s “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)' he declares his appreciation for the crowd in his own unique way by confessing, “I know some of you would have rather won tickets for another night so thank you for coming out tonight” before ending the hour long performance with a jazzed-up ‘Lighting Bolt.’
With a host of big gigs across the UK coming up over autumn and a completed follow up album to hand, the next twelve months will see this young man continue his rise with even bigger things in store.
