Like a magic carpet that flew over the city’s landscape, Jake Bugg’s gig was full of the musical colours and tones of every sunset, sunrise, dawn and twilight sky in the world!
There were swirls of orange and crimson like a blazing sunset, iridescent waves of purple tones like the deepest and quietest twilight night and hues of blue that lie on the edges of dawn.
Performing at *SCAPE The Ground Theatre on Saturday evening, the intimate gig that befell upon our senses that night was as atmospheric as one could get.
There were no barriers separating the audience from the artist and everyone could get as close as possible to the stage.
It reminded me of gigs in London.
This level of intimacy accentuated the experience and what we took with us that night was akin to a love letter to our hearts.
And so we waited for what was to come…
Dressed in casual black, Bugg walked onto stage at half eight, to the screams of some of his fans and started the opalescent gig with How Soon The Dawn.
Almost like sipping red wine on the verandah on a cool night, the viscosity of his music ran through our veins and we were pulled in like moths to a flame.
So emotional and full-bodied was his music that it made the fan beside me tear up with happiness barely a minute into his first song.
Indeed, it is also one of my favourite songs in his latest Hearts That Strain album.
His voice just shone through the tones of the song beautifully like light flare in a photograph.
Slide which comes from his self-titled debut album, was equally ethereal, its glow somewhat reminding me of Of Monsters And Men’s We Sink.
Coupled with Bugg’s velvety vocals, the sound waves and poignancy of the piece ran through my bones like a burst of electricity and I glided in the iridescence of it.
Many a times during the gig, I was mesmerised by his vocals. He sounded really good, live. And it was perhaps one of the best acoustic gigs that I have ever attended.
Broken melded into my heart as much as Slide did.
Such talent from this 24-year-old!
Playing songs from his prepared setlist as well as handling a few song requests from the audience, there were just so many songs that were covered that evening and Bugg did it all for us!
At one point, he even joked, “I’m going to do my song now”. Everyone laughed.
It is no wonder that his fans adore him.
One fan even brought flowers for him to which he gushed and smiled, “What did I ever do to deserve this…”
From songs like Bigger Love and Two Fingers, which really made me feel like I was London, perhaps Camden or Shoreditch, to Lightning Bolt which showcased the prowess of his guitar skills, there was not a moment that was not “lived” at this gig.
If life was a music sheet of colours, tones and flares of light, this gig did it all!
It lived life…to the fullest!
Thank you Jake Bugg for one of my best Saturday nights of this year!
Thanks Live Nation Singapore for bringing him in!
I really hope to see more of this young chap in the future! I’ll be in London in June - I might see if he is going to be performing in London then!
All photos, unless otherwise stated, taken on a Canon G7X MKII and are © Vanessa Mostafa Photography.
Videos (TBA) recorded and edited on an iPhone6 for the purpose of this review and for those who missed out.
*Jake Bugg played at *SCAPE The Ground Theatre on 28 April 2018.
