Last night could have been just another night at the Corner, just another Sunday night gig to end the weekend but it was far more than that.
After the crazy antics of Drunk Mums, with a dedicated tambourine player who could have been described as the human embodiment of sound (seriously, stop bagging out the triangle player in the school band, there may be greater aspirations at play), the stage curtains closed and everyone squeezed closer and closer to the stage in anticipation.
Opening with Fire, Jake Bugg had captivated the crowd from the first note sung with a maturity, wisdom and degree of composure that belies his years. Joined simply by a bass player and a drummer after a simple greeting of ‘Good Evening Melbourne’ the performance remained as composed and pristine for the entire night from rocking out with Trouble Town, the gentler Country Song and everything in between.
Jake Bugg @ The Corner
Broken was a truly spectacular moment, where Jake held everyone on baited breath with every word and strum of his guitar. The sound was incredible, and was encapsulated in the tremors behind the mic during the chorus. The recording is amazing, but live the song is truly something else. Irrespective of how good ‘Broken’ was and the thrills of hearing ‘Slumville Sunrise’ earlier in the evening, the moment of the night for me goes to Two Fingers, soul stirring from the first guitar strums.
But it wasn’t just about the album and the songs we knew. Almost as a tease, some new material was thrown in including ‘Me & You’ and ‘Kingpin’, played for the first time in Melbourne just to make everything a little more special.
Jake Bugg @ The Corner
For a welcomed change, I didn’t feel the need to tell the people around me to shut up, because no one was talking. Instead, there was that realisation that collectively, we were witnessing something special. The night could have gone on forever, but we were reminded that rock and roll is here to stay, and rock and roll can never die when a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Hey Hey My My’ was sung like gospel before finishing with Lightning Bolt.
Seeing Jake Bugg was a truly mesmerising experience. We expected a good night, but it was far more than good. There was magic in the air, a unique moment in time but also with so much promise of things to come in the future. Gobsmacked pretty much sums up the night in a nutshell; those of us who were there are going to be talking about this one for a while.
The year’s not over yet, but this will undoubtedly make my top 5 gigs of 2013.
Related articles
- Jake Bugg: Fame at odds with music (contactmusic.com)
- Jake Bugg: T in the Park special (thescottishsun.co.uk)
- Is Jake Bugg the Coolest Kid in the Universe? the Mw Team Think So (maverickwarehouse.wordpress.com)
- Jake Bugg – The Man! (youareintreble.wordpress.com)
- Jake Bugg: No-one in that crowd to see us (contactmusic.com)
- Music Mondays: Jake Bugg (lovem.co)
- Jake Bugg wants second album to be true to roots (contactmusic.com)
A Higher Revelation 