A tale of two halves: Jake Bugg plays the Warwick Arts Centre

Warwick Arts Centre, 28 April 2024

It is a wet Sunday evening. A packed auditorium, full of hustling youth, eager in anticipation for the arrival of a three-time Glastonbury performer. Eager in anticipation for the youngest UK solo male artist to debut an album at number one. But something is amiss. A concert without Jake Bugg in his Adidas tracksuits is an indicator something might be wrong.

Bugg walks onto the stage with his recognisable schoolboy haircut, dressed in black accompanied only by his guitar. With no more than a quick “hello” he launches straight into a rendition of “Strange Creatures” from his EP Messed Up Kids. Bugg is not chatty, letting the music speak his emotions.

His voice almost transports you back in time, as if you are listening to nostalgia unfold.

It is a mediocre first half. Whilst his voice fills Warwick Arts Centre with a calming stillness, it feels strange to listen to the hugely popular “Me and You” without bass or drums. Though Bugg is a skilled guitarist, but he can’t alone build up the texture so beautifully presented in his 2013 album Shangri La.

The unreleased ‘I Wrote the Book’ is a fantastic surprise, his words “Don’t tell me / Cause you know I wrote the book” punching through the room. His vocal range is magnificent. Add to this is a raspy texture, and he really brings a lot of emotion to the vocals. His voice almost transports you back in time, as if you are listening to nostalgia unfold.

Bugg in an interview with OX Magazine insists that he is on tour to reinspire local music in Britain’s smaller cities. Yet with the absence of the band in the first half, it feels almost more like a Sunday night gig at the local pub. His performance of ‘Simple As This’ from the album Jake Bugg sums it up. Imagine Simon and Garfunkel but without Garfunkel. Performed live, without backing singers to harmonise, it feels shallow and incomplete.

His talent is on full display, and an excellent guitar solo in ‘Simple Pleasures’ openly demonstrates his skills

However, a much more pumped Bugg blows up the room during the second half. By bringing on Ben Walton (drums) and Jake Trim (bass), the whole venue explodes in a half that just seems to get more and more exciting as it goes on.

His performance of the big hit ‘Lightning Bolt’ inspires the crowd, an audience chorus belting out every word to the song. Straight after, he launches into ‘Two Fingers’, a tune symbolic of a rebellious youth wanting to “Hold two fingers / Up to yesterday”.

Perhaps the highlight of the second half, and indeed the whole concert is his performance of ‘Broken’ from the album Hearts That Strain. It’s a moving song about his dear friend who committed suicide and the responsibilities he now feels: “Run to the lobby where I saw you try.” He delivers it with passion, slowing down and accelerating gracefully, and you really feel the whole room stunned in silence. It’s hard to put words to the feeling he creates here, but what makes it so great is sandwiching this song between upbeat hits, reminding us that there is still a suffering world out there.

What Bugg does best is that he creates a spark. A buzz.

His talent is on full display, and an excellent guitar solo in ‘Simple Pleasures’ openly demonstrates his skills. He dances between notes, adding texture to his solos by bending and muting sounds. Perhaps a solo by drummer Walton might spice up the concert a little, but Bugg is a solo artist after all and a big inspiration behind his own music.

He finishes the night with ‘All I Need’, a high-tempo tune that gets the crowd dancing. At the age of 28, he shows what an electrifying and energetic performance he can really provide. It is a tale of two halves, but the second half was excellent and a truly high-quality performance. What Bugg does best is that he creates a spark. A buzz. And one that lingers in the mind long after the concert has finished.

★★★