Earlier this week, Jake Bugg performed a lively acoustic homecoming set at Rescue Rooms to celebrate the release of his sixth studio album, A Modern Day Distraction...
Now 30, Jake Bugg has come a long way since releasing music on MySpace and kicking a ball around with his mates in Clifton, and as always, when he returns home, there's a buzz about the city.
After winding my way through Stealth to the Rescue Room stage via the bar, there was a pleasant atmosphere as guitars were being tuned, and fans of the Notts-born singer-songwriter started filling the room. The balcony overlooking the stage was packed, with some fans wearing blue Notts County away shirts with Jake Bugg's name emblazoned on the front. More about County later...
Bugg sauntered on stage in a black T-shirt, jeans, trainers, and an acoustic guitar a little later than scheduled, with blue neon lights behind him. The unassuming star seems shy, laid-back, and immediately likeable. He kicked off with Strange Creatures from his 2014 EP Messed Up Kids; typically bluesy and passionately performed, it was the perfect start to an evening that seemed to whistle by.
Next up was Zombieland, the debut single from A Modern Distraction, and it's a belter. Anthemic in places and brutally accurate in others, as Bugg zeroes in on the depressing futility of a "living to work" culture.
Bugg admitted he hadn't quite nailed the acoustic version of some of the new songs (not that you could tell), so he sprinkled a few classics into the set. With fan favourites from his self-titled, Mercury Prize nominated debut album such as Trouble Town, Seen It All, and Taste It.
Meanwhile, 170 miles away, Jake's football team, Notts County, was losing 1-0 to Barrow. The frequent chants of "You Pies!" were met with "You Reds!" which amused some.
But with the cry of "We're not at the football!" and some heavy eye-rolling, it was clear not everyone was enamoured with the back-and-forth between the fans of Nottingham's biggest club…and Forest.
The halfway stage saw an outing for Slumville Sunrise from the 2013 album Shangri La. While it received mixed reviews in the UK (a two-star review in The Guardian but four stars in Mojo), it did well in the US, hitting number one on Billboard's Folk Album chart.
There were a few songs to go, and the final one from A Modern Day Distraction was All Kinds of People, released in July this year. It's an upbeat song that emphasises our differences, with lines such as, "We're all kinds of people, we're all kinds of right and wrong, trying to find where we belong."
The gig ended with a couple of popular Jake Bugg tracks, Two Fingers and Bugg's blistering, signature tune, Lightening Bolt, which predictably went down a storm and was the perfect ending to an engrossing album launch.
Oh, and Notts County equalised with a 93rd-minute penalty, sending Jake home content and with the warm applause of the faithful home crowd rumbling around Rescue Rooms.
Jake Bugg performed at Rescue Rooms on 22nd October 2024. You can read our interview with Jake here.
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