TIM HUGHES talks to a teenager already being compared to the great 60s singer-songwriters

JAKE Bugg is an artist who seems to be lost in time.

This guitar-wielding singer-songwriter has earned comparisons to 60s heroes Dylan, Donovan and The Beatles, is a Radio 1 favourite and has a loyal following on the strength of his powerful live performances.

There’s nothing particularly remarkable about that, you might think, until you realise Jake is just 18 years old.

This teenage troubadour from Nottingham has won the admiration of music-lovers more attuned to the sounds of his parents’ (or grandparents’) generation. And, despite the fact he was only in short trousers when the likes of Noel Gallagher and Snow Patrol were doing their best work, he will shortly be jetting off to America to support them on tour. So who on earth is Jake Bugg – and why doesn’t he sound like someone his own age?

“I discovered the music myself,” he says. “That’s just what I listen to. Music seems to be moving forward all the time so I thought maybe it’s time to go the other way.

“It’s not a secret that when you start out, you want to try and be like your favourite artists. When you first learn guitar, you don’t immediately sit down and write songs, you try and work out the songs you already like - and I did that when I was 12. But, then, somewhere along the line, you find your own sound, you work on it and develop it. To be honest, I just prefer older music.”

Like what? “Well, in the last 10 years Arctic Monkeys, definitely. But then I’m just as happy listening to Robert Johnson or Donovan, and The Beatles, of course.”

The influence is obvious, he agrees. “People have compared me to Bob Dylan,” he says. “And while he is amazing, maybe a lot of people say that because they don’t really know Donovan.

“My mum always played Catch The Wind, and some of the songs he wrote are just phenomenal. They are so gorgeous; just really mellow and nice to listen to.”

Part of the reason for his musical maturity must be the fact both his parents are musicians. And Jake admits their musical tastes have rubbed off on his songwriting.

“There is a bit of that,” he says. “But I also think you find out for yourself that the songs were better back then.

“Too much music today sounds the same; the songs have got no vibe about them.”

Next weekend he joins the likes of Spiritualized, Wilco, Stornoway and Rodrigo y Gabriela, opposite, at Wilderness.

And what can we expect when Jake and his band take to the festival’s rustic, willow-fringed stage?

“It might not be what people expect,” he says. “I like to swing from genre to genre – country, indie, even a bit of reggae. I take influences from all over.

“People are calling my stuff rootsy, which is fine by me. It has quite a lot of punch and attitude to it, but then I’ve also got lots of softer, more intricate stuff too. Grit and rawness, mixed with quietness and delicacy, that’s how I’d put it.”

The first thing that strikes the listener is the voice. It’s what makes him so hard to categorise, but also what gives his songs a timeless quality. So, the question is - how does he do it?

“I started writing at 14 and I didn’t really notice that my voice was developing in a particular way,” he says. “At first, to be honest, I couldn’t sing a note. But I worked and worked at it. The weird thing is, what I hear isn’t what other people hear. To me it just sounds like I’m singing a song. I’m not deliberately trying to sound like anyone else. But then I do get people saying I sound really different. It’s a strange one.

From writing songs in, and about, his East Midlands hometown, Jake was first noticed after uploading his song to his local BBC Introducing website.

“I got an email literally the next day from BBC Radio Nottingham saying they wanted to play the track,” he says.

“I couldn’t believe it. And before I knew it I had a manager and got signed – all within six months of taking a deep breath and uploading the song. And from that I went on Radio 1 and then to Glastonbury. It’s incredible, really.

“Actually playing on that stage was phenomenal for me; a great achievement. Although Beyonce was on at the same time as me, so I didn’t have the biggest crowd!

“I’m playing lots of other festivals this year too, like Wilderness – which is going to be bang on... as long as the weather is good and it’s not muddy. I’m not a big fan of festivals, but Wilderness is one of the few festivals we are going to hang about at. It looks cool.”

“I love playing live,” he adds. “There is nothing like coming off stage when you’ve kept an audience’s attention. It feels like you’ve done a day’s work; like you’ve really achieved something by entertaining people.”

  • Jake Bugg play Wilderness festival next weekend. His album Jake Bugg is out in October. Wilderness takes place from August 10-12 at Cornbury Park, Charlbury.
  • For tickets and further information, go to wildernessfestival.com