Review| Jake Bugg at Great Hall, Exeter University
Hi everyone,
It’s Keri. For today’s post, I thought I would talk about the Jake Bugg concert that I went to the other night (12/03/18) at Exeter University. Soph was also supposed to attend, but unfortunately she was unable to go due to a possible strep throat.
People watching is a simple, yet great way to pass the time. However, it is made even greater at any kind of gig or music festival due to the fact that a gig is just a mass of people all gathered together, sharing one thing in common – the love of the same music. You always have some idea of the kinds of people who attend certain concerts, for example, Beyoncé concerts are usually attended by groups of females, usually ranging between mid-teens to mid-30s with the odd reluctant bloke who looks as if he has been forced to come by his partner. Rascal Flatts seem to be couples in the mid-thirties and fourties who share a love for Country music, Fall Out Boy had groups of people aged between late teens to mid-twenties, enthusiastically waving their arms around and Ne-Yo seemed to attract lots of older women who were particularly interested in his more raunchier numbers.
Flicking across the large crowd gathered at the Great Hall to see Jake Bugg, it was really apparent that there could not have been a more diverse group of people of all ages and lifestyle in one place from the young, to the old, from males to females, all enthusiastically waiting for Jake to take to the stage. One thing was for certain, everyone in that room was well-educated musically to get that someone with a talent like Jake’s simply does not come around very often.
As my mum, who attended the gig with me, pointed out that Jake was simply ‘blessed,’ to not only be an incredibly talented guitarist, but also an incredible song writer and vocalist. He simply has it all, and the fact that at 23 years of age, Jake already has four studio albums to his name and numerous festival and TV appearances etc, tells you that he is a talent that will be around the industry for many years to come.
It’s often a difficult task for a band or an artist to appeal to a wide range of generations and age groups, but Jake manages to make it look easy. Perhaps it’s because Jake is all about the music, and not about having a certain ‘look’ and stage persona. He is known for being a man of few words, choosing instead to let his music do the talking and he really did. In a room full of 1,300 people, dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans, Jake and his guitars captivated the audience for 80 magical minutes.
Jake kicked off his one man music show and treated the room to the melodic soft tones of How Soon the Dawn, which was followed by Hearts that Strain. Both songs were off his new album – Hearts the Strain. Next up he threw in a throw-back of his 2012 single – saffron and the ever so gritty Strange Creatures. The set list was a good blend of old and new songs including Seen It All, Slumville Sunrise and There's a Beast and We All Feed It. I was especially pleased to hear the soft, strumming of Broken and Country Song as those were two songs off his first album that I have loved for years. He also treated us to cover version of Neil Young’s Old Man that showed off just how versatile his vocal range is, and how high his voice is capable of reaching. Mum even went as far as to say that Jake’s version was better than the original.
The persistent bloke in the audience finally got his wish towards the end of the concert when Jake chose to ignore the traditional approach of exiting and returning to the stage with an encore and played Two Fingers, before ending the show with an energetic rendition of Lightening Bolt. The ever gracious, polite and humble Jake then thanked the audience and walked across the stage waving a final farewell, whilst gushing mums in the room spoke about how they would love their daughters to marry Jake.
When it comes to young singer-songwriters, Jake is simply one of the best at his trade. He sounds incredible on record recordings, but when you see him perform live, you discover just how incredibly talented and all rounded as a musician he really is. I had the pleasure of seeing him live on the main stage of the Isle of Wight Festival in 2013, when he held the stage in front of 50,000 people, so to see him in a packed out room of 1,300 with just a guitar and his voice, was testimony of how much he has matured as a musician and it was a privilege to be in the audience.
Oh and a special mention to Jake’s support act Georgie. Like Jake, she too was talented in not only her guitar playing, but also in her song writing skills and vocal range. I really enjoyed her energy, vocals and her song quality. Raw and emotive, Hard Times was the stand out song of her set and I particularly enjoyed her cover of Be My Baby from Dirty Dancing.