Live Review: Jake Bugg – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN

10 years ago Brittany Fisher 1
Mercury
Mercury

At first glance, you might think 19-year-old Jake Bugg is one of those kids who gained fame from some Disney television show. I know I did, but I was oh so incorrect.

I felt a slight tinge of hesitation when I walked into the concert venue, which was packed full of kids with big black X’s on their hands. Other than a few middle-aged attendees (chaperones, I’m sure), I was the oldest person there. The good news? The line for alcohol was unusually short.

I first listened to Jake Bugg earlier in the week and had become particularly infatuated with his music. As a Bob Dylan fan, he was the first comparable artist that came to mind. Bugg writes a lot like Dylan and has a similar sound – an unmatchable sound that is undoubtedly his own.

One of the exceptional things about Jake Bugg is that he sounds better live than he does on record. Raised on The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, it’s quite apparent that Bugg, who opens his show with a clip of Robert Johnson’s ‘Cross Road Blues,’ is also heavily influenced by the blues and rock & roll.

When Bugg entered the stage, he immediately began killing it on guitar while his bass player and drummer accompanied to create a Johnny Cash-like sound. He opened strong with the catchy, upbeat ‘There’s a Beast and We All Feed It’ off of his latest album Shangri La.

My favorite moment of the night was Bugg’s performance of ‘Broken’ from his self-titled 2012 record. The song is simply breathtaking and he nailed it. His vocal presentation of the song was moving, almost heart-wrenching. Bugg of course encored with his most popular tune, ‘Lightning Bolt,’ which is also very Dylan-esque.

Bugg performed a beautiful cover of Neil Young’s ‘My My, Hey Hey – Out of the Blue,’ which famously states, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.”

Jake Bugg may be young, but he is a serious talent and one thing is for sure: He won’t be burning out or fading away anytime soon.

Jake is headed out of the United States soon, but he’ll return this summer. Check out his upcoming gigs to find out if he’s playing in your city or in a city near you.

You can also purchase Jake’s latest album, Shangri La, at Jake’s official store.

Brittany Fisher

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