Indie-rock prodigy Jake Bugg was only a teenager when he crashed onto the UK music scene in meteoric fashion.
He was 16-years-old when he walked out onto the BBC Introducing Stage with his trusty guitar at Glastonbury Festival 2011, before signing to mega music label, Mercury Records.
The Nottingham-born singer rocketed through the ranks of the UK music scene in the 2010s after bagging a number one UK album with his self-titled debut record in 2012.
The high-flyer would soon support the likes of Noel Gallagher and The Rolling Stones, make music with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and earn a Brit Award nod for British Breakthrough Act in 2013.
Fulfilling every young artist’s dream, young Jake graced the legendary Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2013 – becoming the first act to ever move from the BBC Introducing Stage to the main stage in successive years.
Fast forward a decade, then, and the Lightning Bolt star has been touring the UK with his fifth studio album, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning which he dropped last year.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Jake opened up about fame, festivals, hometown friends, and the football.
How’s the UK tour been, and what’s it like to be out playing shows again?
“It’s great man. It’s quite indescribable really because it’s been so long since I’ve had the opportunity to be back out on the road and I think not only as artists ourselves, but the crowd also are just so much more appreciative and grateful for having live music back I think.”
What’s the response been like to your latest album?
“It’s been great to be honest. I think the response to this new album is probably the best it’s been since the first two records I think, so it’s really nice. Especially with the younger fans that have seemed to come on board now.
“They seem to have gravitated towards the new stuff which is kind of understandable. And it’s great you know, you’ve got some of the older fans and new ones as well from the new album so it’s a brilliant mix.
“It feels great to play a load of new material that people are really into to be honest.”
Do you we have any new music in the works?
“Yeah, I’m always trying to write new material and I’ve been playing a new song live. It gives you a good indication of how it’s received when you’re playing it live and it seems to be going down well.
“Obviously it’s difficult for people when they’re listening to it for the first time to see if they like it or not but the response has been good so far, so yeah, just keeping writing and keeping going really.”
Can we expect an album or are we EPs and the like?
“I’m just seeing how it goes. Just going to keep writing new material and weigh up the songs that you have and then it depends.
“I always think if you’re doing an EP you’re halfway to doing an album I think, and if the songs are strong enough then you should pursue an album but yeah, we’ll see. I’ve still got plenty more writing to do before I decide what to do, really.”
Are you trying out anything new in terms of sound and direction?
“Yeah I always try to do something different for each album but I really like the direction the last one went in. I think if there was a way of pursuing that direction but in a more organic way I think the results could be quite interesting but it’s always easier said than done so we’ll have to see what happens with the writing process I suppose.”
Do you remember the moment you realised you’d made it?
“I think it was about 2015 when I played the other stage at Glastonbury and seeing the crowd at that point and also I was on the same time as Metallica, who were one of my favourite bands growing up so that was a bit of a wow moment for me. I never thought I’d be clashing one on one with one of my favourite bands at a major festival like that.
“But obviously that was in the early stages and in the music industry, one of the hardest things is maintaining that level and it’s never always an upward trajectory unfortunately you know, there’s ups and downs just like with anybody’s career so you have to get through that, and I feel like I’m at a point now where I’m glad to be and hopefully I can build on top of that even more.”
Love that. Did you get to chat to Metallica?
“No I didn’t unfortunately! The most unfortunate part about it was they were probably the only band I really wanted to see on that weekend! But yeah, it was an amazing experience and yeah, very privileged.”
One of the most important lessons you’ve learned over the years in the industry?
“That’s quite a tough one. I think you learn a lot of lessons along the way. I think for somebody like myself one of the important things is it can be very easy to get dragged into some of the more mainstream side of things I suppose, in terms of how you present yourself as an artist and I think for somebody like myself I think it’s very important that you stick to your own vision but also, you know, it’s important to take on advice along the way.
“But you always have to keep that vision of what you wanna achieve yourself. When I think back to the first record, it wasn’t exactly a mainstream sound at that time and that’s how I got a lot of my fanbase.
“That first record was very much just doing what I wanted to do and the sound and music that I believed in and I think that you really just have to stick with that and make the music you truly believe in and the music you enjoy.”
Did you any get tips from your contemporaries?
“Haha it’s always a tough question. But you know for me it’s more about the experience. I think you learn from the experiences more than anything, and obviously every artist’s career is different and obviously there’s advice and tips along the way but I’ve been very fortunate to work with some amazing people like Rick Rubin [Def Jam] and Chad Smith [Red Hot Chili Peppers] and Mike D from the Beastie Boys. I think just being around those people and soaking up their knowledge I think it can only benefit you and help you along the way.”
What would a supergroup with you and Liam Gallagher look like?
“I think to be honest the dream is… the singing is the most tiring part so any chance to just play guitar in a band and turn up with a hangover and switch my amp on sounds like a dream to be honest, so yeah! Anything involving that sounds pretty fun…”
“Yeah, it’s not really a thing anymore is it, supergroups. I can’t think of the last one that really happened. Think they’re a thing of the past to be honest.”
(Image: Redferns)
Any dream collaborations on the bucket list?
“Well there’s a young girl Renforshort, she’s got a great voice. We did a track together, a collaboration and for me it’s always interesting to work with like new and upcoming artists because it’s exciting and it’s new.
“I’m just always curious to see what it’s like when it’s with another person so for me I’m pretty open to collaborations to be honest. I’m not really someone that goes looking for them, but if somebody wants to approach me and work together on something then I’m always up for it to be honest.”
It’s also about using both artists’ strengths whilst keeping it spontaneous…
“Yeah absolutely and I think with every experience whether you get a good song out of it or not you always end up taking something away from it. And as I’ve said before the experience is what you learn from and what you build upon.”
How would your friends describe you?
“Ooh [laughs] tough one. The answers are probably very different behind me back!
“I’d like to think I haven’t changed too much. Obviously we all change as we get older but I still keep in contact with my friends from school and stuff and I like to think I’ve got my head on my shoulders and I kind of keep my head down and keep working hard so, but how they’d describe me is I have no idea. Wouldn’t know where to start in describing myself.”
(Image: Birmingham Mail/Darren Quinton)
It’s nice having different people from different parts of your life. Keeps you grounded.
“Yeah absolutely. It’s important to have those people around you. They’re the first people to tell you if you’ve lost your way. You know, you buy a fancy pair of shoes and you think they look great and you go back home and they’re like ‘What are those…’
“It’s a completely different reaction and so it’s important to have those honest opinions around you all the time I think.”
Do you ever run ideas by your mates or do they tend to go to a producer?
A bit of both really, like whenever I’ve written something new I like to base it on averages and I like to play it to maybe like ten to 20 people. People in music and people who are not so much as well and I think that kind of gives you an average and you know, if you’ve got people from different backgrounds and stuff and they all kind of agree that it’s maybe not a good tune or maybe it is and it kind of gives you a general idea.
“At the end of the day some of those people are the ones that actually listen to the radio and some of them don’t listen to the radio at all. I think it’s good to get opinions from all backgrounds I think.”
You did the Ronaldinho doc… Would you do any other film soundtracks?
“Yeah I’d love to. I think obviously it’s very time consuming and I had a lot of time over the course of all the lockdowns. Time consuming as it was, it was very enjoyable and it being about Ronalhdihno is yeah… for me it was just so inspiring to see somebody so amazing at what they do and also having a smile on their face when they’re doing it as well. It’s kind of made me appreciate what I do a lot more you know. I think I would definitely do it again.
“After that experience I think I’ve got more of an idea of what I’m doing now, so hopefully the process wouldn’t take as long.”
Has football inspired you as an artist?
“I think in some ways, there’s definitely some critical thinking involved in football. What I find interesting about the game is you’ve got the ball at your feet, you’ve got several decisions that you can make and it’s about choosing the right one. And I think when it comes to songwriting it can be very much that, you’ve got plenty of decisions you can make and it’s about choosing the right one at the right time and when it comes together it’s a beautiful thing.
“Yeah most definitely [laughs], I think my bandmates would definitely agree when I’m shouting at them on the football pitch. It’s great for community and it’s good for people that maybe don’t have so much social skills. It’s great to get out on the pitch and communicate with other people.
“And also like the great thing about the sport is it bring people together from all sorts of backgrounds doesn’t it? And then you’re all on that pitch together, You’re all one team. It’s definitely important, as you say, for mental health.”
England in the Euros was a special moment, wasn’t it?
“At the end of the day it’s obviously gutting to lose in the final but at the end of the day you have to look at the achievement and.. To get to the semi-final of a world cup and a final in the Euros is one of the best for a very long time. You can build on that.
“We conceded I think, one goal from open play in the whole tournament. It brought people together and it was a really great time wasn’t it?”
Jake Bugg’s Saturday Night, Sunday Morning is out now.
For more of the latest showbiz news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
