Jake Bugg and Clifton zombies

February 2014

HE may be able to breeze through an arena gig in front of 9,000 people in his home city but when Jake Bugg sleeps he has bad dreams. Well, one in particular.

“I have a recurring nightmare that I’m being chased by zombies through Clifton,” said the 19-year-old yesterday, ahead of his headline show at the Capital FM Arena.

“I survive for ages but then at the end of the dream I always get eaten. I sometimes wake up sweating.”

He added: “Nothing else really bothers me but I do keep getting those dreams. I met a bloke the other day who had them as well so I think it’s pretty common.”

Where does it come from? Perhaps being chased in a dodgy tracksuit through the streets of Nottingham for his Slumville Sunrise video?

“My sister’s dad used to watch all these Seventies films when I was about four. It’s probably that,” said Jake, who has appeared in front of millions of people on US TV and attracted 40,000 people to his Glastonbury set last summer.

He started a UK tour last weekend and last night’s homecoming was his biggest one on the tour. In fact, it’s his biggest indoor gig to date.

“I have been to gigs at the arena. The amount of people there for the Kings Of Leon was crazy.”

And last night he faced the same size crowd playing songs from that self-titled debut and the follow-up, Shangri La, which reached No. 3.

His visit home was fleeting.

“I’m only back for the one day,” said Jake, who is off to London to the Royal Albert Hall today for the second of two workshops he’s leading with 16-18 year old music students.

“I can’t tell them how to write a song or how to sing or anything like that but I hope I can inspire them,” said the Notts County fan.

The first session was on Wednesday and part of it was to teach them how to play Broken, one of the singles from his million-selling self-titled debut album.

One of the students will then join him on stage tonight to play the song with him during his Albert Hall gig, in front of 5,000 people.

“We’ll see if they can nail it,” he said.

“If they can then it’d be great for them to do that.”

The last time he was home was at Christmas for three days.

“That’s the longest I’ve been here in something like two years.”

He didn’t move back in to his old bedroom at his mum’s in Clifton but stayed in a hotel.

“I was just knocking around and minding my own business. On Christmas Day I was round at my grandma’s with my dad,” said Jake, of David Bugg, who lives near Jake’s mum, Leeysa Kennedy, in Clifton.

“It was nice to have a break. It’s not like I’m going to be sat round at my grandma’s and she’ll say ‘Play Slumville Sunrise!”, he laughed.

“I saw my mum, my nana and grandad, my cousins Grant and Scott.”

Scott Bugg is the singer and guitarist with Nottingham band The Swiines, who opened for Jake at the arena last night.

“I think they’re a cool band but I might be biased,” he admitted.

“They’re a good act to have on before me to get the crowd riled up. They did a show in London last week and I went down to see them. It was pretty cool. The crowd were great. I haven’t been to a gig and had a few beers in ages so it was cool.”

Scott is ten years older and The Swiines have been around for eight years. Jake played with them a few times, even as young as 14.

He’ll still have a jam with Scott round at his house in Clifton when he’s back home but he’s a little too busy to play gigs with them these days.

The Swiines have secured support slots with Reverend and the Makers at Rock City and a tour with The Rifles.

Said Jake: “Things are going pretty well for them. Scott is writing some good songs. If he can keep doing that things could get even better.”

Jake, whose next single will be A Song About Love, has played across Europe, Scandinavia, the US, Japan and Australia over the past two years and he’s just booked his first tour of South America.

And that has meant back to back phone interviews.

“I did 26 the other day,” he sighed.

“And it isn’t easy when their English isn’t that good and the connection is poor. You feel like an idiot asking them four times what the question was.”

The most common question was about Noel Gallagher, whose band High Flying Birds, he toured with across Europe and the US two years ago.

He recently sent a text to the former Oasis guitarist asking about seventies musician Terry Reid.

“Apparently he got asked join Led Zeppelin and he turned it down. Everyone thought he was a bit stupid but he went on to make these cool records. There’s one called Super Lungs which is a cool album but my favourite is River.”

There was hope that he’d pick up the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist on Wednesday night as it was Gallagher presenting the awards but Jake lost out to the 67-year-old David Bowie.

He’s up against Bowie again in the same category at next week’s NME Awards.

Said Jake: “I never prepare a speech because I never expect to win.”