Jake Bugg the homecoming hero conquers all before him
AND so, it came to pass: on the day that Jake Bugg was announced as the first Nottingham act to headline Splendour, our first homegrown act to top the album charts duly became the first Nottingham act to sell out Rock City. Oh, and let's not forget the small matter of a potential Brit Award, for British Breakthrough Act – voting closed on the day of the show, and the results will be revealed on Wednesday. And yes, that would be yet another first for a Nottingham act.
Never mind selling out Rock City; Jake could probably have filled the Arena as well. It's 12 months ago, he was coming to the end of a residency at the Glee Club, but the 18-year-old's rise has been astonishingly sudden, blindsiding many seasoned industry observers.
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The world's his oyster: Jake Bugg at Rock City before his sell-out show on Friday.
He's becoming a bit of a style icon, too. There have been gigs for Burberry, fashion shoots for FHM, and in the Rock City foyer, anyone eager to get the Bugg Look could buy branded polos and button-down check shirts.
Inside the packed main hall, two things immediately struck you: the extraordinary buzz of cheerful anticipation, and the sheer diversity of the punters, which ranged from up-for-it teens to beaming 50-somethings, and even a few senior citizens. And this was a proper city crowd, as well; quite unlike the studenty throng who had turned out for the NME tour three days earlier. Family members were there in force, along with film director Shane Meadows, Bafta-winning actress Vicky McClure, some of the lads from Dog Is Dead, and a crew from Radio One.
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Stepping out to a homecoming hero's welcome, Jake began in low-key fashion, with a solo rendition of Fire. The band struck up for Kentucky, taken from the Taste It EP, and augmented with a hint of Duane Eddy-style twang.
Trouble Town brought the first of many throaty sing-alongs, followed by the next single Seen It All. Simple As This nodded towards early Dylan, while the anthemic Slide bore comparison to Jake's new mate, Noel Gallagher.
As promised, there was a new song, Slumville Sunrise. Powered by a dirty, speedy rock riff, it was a musical cousin of Lightning Bolt and a lyrical cousin of Trouble Town – are Slumville and Speed Bump City the same place? – which climaxed with a fantastic rhythm-and-blues guitar solo.
A solo acoustic section – Someone Told Me, Country Song, Note To Self – calmed things down, in preparation for the final run of singles: Two Fingers, Taste It, and the ever-thrilling Lightning Bolt. For the encore, a stripped-down Broken was given added power by the crowd, whose voices swelled up for each chorus.
A storming cover of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues left the hall on the highest of highs.
Jake's a man of few words but you could sense his quiet delight, as those heavy-lidded eyes coolly absorbed the whole spectacle. "It's been a real pleasure to play here tonight", he told us, "and I hope you've all enjoyed your evening."
Those big arenas? It'll be no sweat at all. He's here for the long haul, and Nottingham will continue to be there for him too, cheering him every step of the way.
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