Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut album was released in 2012.
Since then, the 19 year-old prodigy has had heightened success in the UK as
well as the US. His voice is comparable to a young Bob Dylan, and influences
such as Johnny Cash and Oasis are apparent in his work. A star on the rise,
Bugg’s second album is expected in October of this year.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing him at The
Metro, an intimate venue in the heart of Wrigleyville. The opening band for the
evening was HoneyHoney, who seemed to be almost completely unknown to the
crowd, except for the drunken woman next to me. Their vintage folk sound (think
The Civil Wars meets Mumford and Sons) had the crowd looking to each other early
on in the performance and nodding with approval, and stomping their feet and
clapping by the end.
Jake, in his starch white shirt, flew through a 16-song set,
which included three new tracks from his upcoming album. My personal favorite
was “Kingpin,” which cannot be described as anything but an absolute jam.
Upbeat, catchy, and showcasing talent well beyond his years.
Jake’s attitude of humble level-headedness shouldn’t be
mistaken for arrogance. He has a no-nonsense type of demeanor, but his remarks
to the audience were of genuine gratitude. All business Saturday night, he only
let one grin slip through when an audience member took advantage of a silence
during the ballad “Someone Told Me” and yelled, “Smile!”
The highlight of the performance was the encore, which began
after plenty of coaxing from the multitude of teenage girls in the audience.
“Broken,” the haunting melody appearing on his self titled album, started
things off slow before Jake and his band moved into a rockin’ cover of “Hey
Hey, My My,” a Neil Young classic. The night ended perfectly with “Lightning
Bolt,” the most radio-friendly track from the 2012 release.
The halls of The Metro are full of posters from bands who
played there before most of them really made it big. One can see names like The
Foo Fighters, Beck, Alice in Chains, Jack Johnson, Muse, Cheap Trick,
Radiohead, and The Smashing Pumpkins lining the walkways. Jake Bugg’s youth and
natural music capability put him in the running to one day join these big names
on the famous Metro walls.
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