Jake Bugg - Live Review
O2 Academy Oxford
Jake Bugg – Your Town Tour - Monday 29th April 2024
Jake Bugg continued his 2024 ‘Your Town Tour’ in great fashion on Monday night with a sold-out show at the O2 Academy in Oxford.
This tour sees Jake playing 15 headline dates across the UK at some of the country’s smaller towns and venues, bringing live music back to the heart of communities. With local venues constantly under threat of closure, and grassroots music scenes dwindling, the ‘Your Town Tour’ is Jake’s bid to bring a high-profile live show back to some of the country’s towns that have seen drop-offs in big touring artists visiting in recent years. Oxford is a prime example of this – probably not helped by being within an hour of London.
But tonight, we are in luck. No support act, just Jake playing a two-set show. First up just after 8.15pm Jake takes to the stage on his own to perform an acoustic set, stripping back the tracks to how they would’ve been written – with raw emotion and an air of confidence of someone who has been there and done that. Intertwining classics like ‘Country Song’ and ‘Simple As This’ with newer numbers.
The crowd, a complete mix of ages, are warming up nicely, and the anticipation is rising nicely as the set comes to an end after 30 minutes.
A quick 15-minute change over and Jake plus band come back on the stage at 9pm straight into ‘Trouble Town’ which sets the mood for the quicker pace of things to come. Jake, never being much of a talker, takes time between songs to thank the audience for coming and guiding them through the newer material, as well as building anticipation for the more ‘singalong’ ones to come. Changing pace a few times for heartfelt numbers like ‘Broken’ really sees the audience appreciate Jake, by going completely silent and thankfully no one talking and just appreciating the song.
A setlist that can finish so strong with 'Two Fingers', 'Lightning Bolt', 'What Doesn't Kill You', 'Simple Pleasures' and 'All I Need' is exactly the right way to end the show. With a 28 song set, no one was going to be saying their favourite hadn’t been played!
I had to look it up, but I first saw Jake play the same venue and stage back in 2013, which made me feel old. Jake on the other hand, is still only 30 years old. It’s amazing to think how young he was back then releasing such hard-hitting gritty tracks that have stood the test of time.
A great night was had by all, as I overheard people discussing their favourite tracks of the evening whilst walking out the venue down the road.
There are a few nights left of this tour, get there if you can. If not, Jake looks to be busy this summer festival season.