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Catch the Bugg for Jakes’s retro sound


By Margaret Chrystall

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Eighteen-year-old Jake Bugg will take his retro sound to an audience in the Newmarket tomorrow.
Eighteen-year-old Jake Bugg will take his retro sound to an audience in the Newmarket tomorrow.

IT could be Nottingham in the ’60s that 18-year-old Jake Bugg is singing about in his retro-sounding debut single "Trouble Town".

The sound he and his two-man band will conjure up on his live Highland tour, which includes Thurso, he calls "skiffly".

But think less Lonnie Donegan, more Donovan to Buddy Holly.

The comparisons with stars of the past weren’t part of Bugg’s plan. He revealed "Trouble Town" was his very first demo – and it just turned out sounding a little bit retro.

"It came out like that the day I wrote it," he laughed. "I do like the old music, people like Buddy Holly."

Mercury Records liked what they heard and have signed Bugg up. Now he’s got an EP due out next month and an album on the way. Recording starts for it next month, though a producer hasn’t been assigned to the project yet.

"I’m still writing new songs that might end up on the album," he said. "I don’t want it to be rushed because I want to look back in 10 years’ time and be happy with it!"

Though Bugg is just 18, he’s a bit of a music veteran already – singing from 12, songwriting from 14. And it’s not every 18-year-old who can say they’ve played Glastonbury.

"I was invited by Radio One to play the BBC Introducing stage last year," he said. "But there’s a funny story about that.

"I’d just auditioned to play at a Glastonbury tribute called Glastonbudget in Leicestershire.

"I heard I had been turned down, but the next day got the call from Radio One to ask me to play the real thing!

"I was 17 at the time, so I think I was one of the youngest playing there."

Bugg will play at the Newmarket in Thurso tomorrow (Thursday) before moving on to Ullapool on Friday.

You can catch him singing "Trouble Town" on www.myspace.com/jakebugguk


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