An empty stage with only a microphone on, Jake Bugg’s Foundry set was simple, stripped back and effective. He gave a captivating 45 minute performance, 14 songs, just him and his guitar. Bugg’s (31) career began in 2011 at the ripe age of 16 after he dropped out of college in his home town of Nottingham to pursue his career, even then writing his own music. Now, his most recent tour celebrates the release of the deluxe edition of his most recent and sixth studio album, showing his extreme career growth.
It was a strong start, walking on to launch immediately into ‘Zombieland’, an energetic number off his most recent album, ‘A Modern Day Distraction’. It’s easily the most intimate concert I’ve ever been to; it didn’t feel like a singer with 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners was up there. The humble staging with Bugg’s friendly personality helped to create this feeling; even joking with the audience and giving witty comments to the occasional heckler.
The crowd only added to the experience; there was a gentle singalong to every song he played (a great mixture of his old favourites and new hits) that only got more enthusiastic as he built towards his last tracks of classic’s ‘Two Finger’s’ and ‘Lightning Bolt’. And this didn’t stop for his newer songs performed, his fans clearly appreciating his talent through all the years he’s been active.
His guitar skills shone through in the more funky ‘Taste it’. Plus these stripped-back, acoustic versions also brought attention to Bugg’s lyricism – again often quite simple but full of emotion, including on songs from his new album such as ‘I Wrote the Book’ and ‘All That I Needed Was You’.
A personal highlight of mine is the shorter but making no less of an impact – ‘Country House’ from his self-titled 2012 album. This really combined all his abilities into a heartfelt song where all his strengths shone through. Of course, saving his two biggest hits for the ending couldn’t go unmentioned. Here, the energy really picked up as every voice in that crowd sang along happily to songs which still work just as well as when they were initially released almost 14 years ago
I should add that whilst I am a fan, I didn’t know every word to every song, but I didn’t feel like I needed to. The atmosphere was just so joyful, it was impossible not to have a good time. People all around were swaying with partners or parents to songs which clearly meant a lot to them.
How often is it you can say you saw an artist with no backing track nowadays? But that’s exactly what Bugg did, just his voice alone with little breaks for the entire set. And not once did he falter, sounding as close to the studio versions as you can imagine.
Bugg ended the night with many ‘thank you’s’ to the audience for being so supportive and to Sheffield for always being a great crowd, when really it felt like we should be thanking him for a great evening, one that I would definitely recommend to anyone who liked his music.
9/10
