Ones To Watch: Jake Bugg

    Jake Bugg
    At first glance (and listen) eighteen year old singer/songwriter Jake Bugg comes from a different time.  In the sepia-toned photo above, Jake channels a young Beatle as he stands confidently in the middle of an empty street, guitar in one hand, cigarette burning in the other.  His new single, “Lightning Bolt,” recalls a familiar scene from my childhood, stretched out on the rug in the living room, listening to my parents old Bob Dylan vinyls.  It’s uncanny how much Jake Bugg sounds like a young Bob Dylan! I think a lot of it is in the slight nasal quality Bugg has in his voice, while the rest might be the crackling production which reminds me of an old record spinning on the turntable.

    Newly signed to Mercury Records in the UK, Jake Bugg‘s songs are tales of growing up and friendship, sharply observed.  At eighteen years old, it’s impressive to me that Bugg is putting out such a mature sounding folk-rock type of sound. Then I learned that he discovered this genre of music after hearing a Don McLean song in an episode of The Simpsons and it all makes sense.  Still, his interpretation of 60s, 70s rock is inspiring, considering how young he is.

    “New single ‘Lightening Bolt’ is two-and-a-half-minutes of white heat. A driving riff sets the track going before a searing electric guitar line ignites the track.”

    Lightning Bolt” follows on the heels of Jake Bugg‘s debut track, “Trouble Town,” an introspective song that tells his story of growing up on the Nottingham estates and being a teenager in that world. Inspired by golden oldies like Bob Dylan and Glen Campbell and current chart toppers like Wiz Khalifa, Jake Bugg is an artist to keep your eye on.

    With a BBC Culture slot already under his belt and plays from Zane Lowe on Radio 1, Jake Bugg is generating buzz left and right back at home.  Other radio support has come from Fearne Cotton and Huw Stephens.  Jake has already supported talent like Lana Del Rey and Example and was announced as the main support act on Michael Kiwanuka‘s recent UK and European tour.

    Check out tour and festival dates for Jake HERE and download “Lightning Bolt” June 4th (iTunes UK) via Mercury Records.  Oh and Make sure you catch Jake Bugg‘s “Lightning Bolt” video, which was released last month. Expect Jake’s debut album out on October 22nd.

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