Lightning Strikes as UK Import Jake Bugg Plays Intimate Gig at The Living Room

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At 18 years old, Jake Bugg is inarguably accomplished for his age. Playing the coveted Glastonbury Festival at age 17 and signing to Mercury Records the same year, Jake Bugg is fast on the rise.

Bugg is not your average teen pop musician. There is an authenticity to his music; in it there exists a great respect for American folk music. If you listen to his full-length album, Jake Bugg, it’s very clear. Dripping with analogue tape warmth and personality, you might confuse it with an album recorded in the 60′s. Think equal parts Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson and Oasis.

One look at Jake’s Listening Trend below will show you just how quickly he’s exploding, and just how lucky we were to get ahold of him now, before these numbers hit the stratosphere.

Hailing from Clifton, Nottingham in the UK, Bugg is now in the midst of his own takeover of the US. He took the stage at The Living Room in New York City for a solo performance of his infectiously catchy, Donovan-flavored folk pop songs.

“Two Fingers” is Jake’s top track on Last.fm, and a top pick around our offices too. Check it out below, and you’ll be a fan by the time the chorus hits.

Jake treated the adoring crowd to his to a set of his most scrobbled tracks on Last.fm. We’ve pulled select performances of five of our favorite, including “Trouble Town,” “Two Fingers,” “Country Song,” “Slide,” and “Lightening Bolt.”

“Country Song,” Bugg’s #5 most popular tack on Last.fm, shows his more reserved maturity and wisdom which are both well beyond his years. Sparse picking and lyrics delivered straight from the heart are enough to silence and wow any crowd. The sincerity and emotion in each note pouring from the stage had our audience hanging on every lyric.

“Slide” showcases Bugg’s genre defying breadth at it’s finest. If you closed your eyes during this performance, you could easily imagine yourself in the presence of the giants of the early days of Britpop.

Jake closed out his Last.fm Session with his second most scrobbled track, the upbeat “Lightning Bolt.”

Jake hung around after the show and talked to Last.fm about his young career, as well as answered fan questions that were passed along from #AskBugg

Bugg will be playing across the UK and Ireland throughout February, then head across Europe for March, April, and beyond. Hopefully, we’ll see him stateside again soon.

Keep up with Jake Bugg: Home|Like|Follow|Listen

UPDATE: Jake Bugg has been nominated as “British Breaking” at the 2013 Brit Awards… Vote Jake here:www.brits.co.uk/voting

Voting still on-going for #BRITsBreakthrough #BRITS2013 @britawards @jakebugg ow.ly/hzCo9 VOTE HERE – ow.ly/hzCot

— Last.fm Originals (@lastfmoriginals) February 9, 2013

#ScrobbleBugg