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Bugg to the future
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July 5th, 2013
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This article is more than 10 years old.
**** (4 stars out of 6); July 4 at Odeon
Those who managed to make it under the Odeon tent and out of the rain for Jake Bugg's concert were part of something closer to a Woodstock vibe more than the welcoming of the hyped Messiah.
Standing like a lone Gallagher?brother ? tidily dressed in an emerald green polo shirt and slim denim jeans ? Bugg stood rooted to centre point throughout the duration of the show flanked by his three band players standing a few steps behind him. Performing outright from a humble stage setup with a simple black and white banner reading 'Jake Bugg' hanging lankly behind them, the focus was all about the music.
Toughing it out to conceal their nerves, Bugg and his backing cohorts appeared uninterested in anything but the quality of their performance as they smoothly coasted through the first half of the concert as if they were within the insulated walls of a recording studio.
Lording over a mix of teenagers and classic rock dads (who were probably wishing it was their son up there) the depth of meaning hidden behind his preachy serenade 'Seen it All' appeared to evade the logic of his younger listeners. Pan?faced, Bugg unabashedly crooned away, mystifying the greyer Bob Dylan fans among the audience and leaving them wondering how a songwriter still aged just 19 can convincingly perform songs that audibly prove that somehow, someway, Bugg really has 'seen it all'. The older audience was largely impressed by his ballsy cover of Neil Young's 'Hey Hey My My'.
Buying himself a few thousand more Facebook friend requests from his teenage audience, Bugg finished up just how he started: contained but confident. Faultlessly making his way through the finisher 'Lightning Bolt’ with almost prophetic power as the skies grew darker, many took shelter beneath the natural canopies of trees furnishing the borderland of Odeon Stage with the odd dedicated fan joyously singing along.
Left damp, inspired and quietly wandering what Bugg could achieve in 30 years time, there was a collective feeling that emerged out of the applause that this was almost certainly not the last time Bugg would be at Roskilde. The only question was if the next time would be on the Orange Stage.
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