Jake Bugg: 'Everyone should be able to follow their dreams and their beliefs'
Ahead of his National Stadium show next month, the Irish Mirror chatted with Lightning Bolt songwriter Jake Bugg about pub sessions in Clare, touring with Liam Gallagher and John Squire, and his newest album
English songwriter Jake Bugg says “Everyone should be able to follow their dreams and their beliefs” as he drops his sixth album, A Modern Day Distraction.
The Two Finger’s singer returns to his roots on the rock-driven new record, one he says turns up the noise while shining a light on the “injustice he’s seen dealt to the family and friends he grew up with”.
“It's just highlighting those things that I happen to see, I have friends and family that have to have to live through with those struggles,” Jake told the Irish Mirror.
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“As much as my life is very different, I think it's still important to talk about those things and to bring those points up because especially with the way things are back home it's really tough for people.
“And as I say, people could easily say, ‘Oh, it's easy for you to say, you don't have to worry about that’, but it affects so many people that I care about and that I grew up with.”
Earlier this year, Jake played a string of shows with Britpop legends Liam Gallagher and John Squire, supporting for their Liam Gallagher John Squire album tour. The Seen It All songwriter says the experience was “surreal”.
“It was just brilliant. It was a bit of winning over the crowds, especially because, a lot of them are just hardcore Liam and John fans,” Jake said.
“To see John play every night, and Liam sounds like he's singing better than ever. There were one or two nights out as well that a few drinks were involved.
“Liam's a great guy as well, and it was just a brilliant tour. To grow up listening to him and then to end up being on the road when it's just surreal, to be honest.”
Zombieland, a bone-crunching Beatles-via-Nirvana guitar-driven banger from the record, is a rollicking ode to the many broken by the inescapable daily grind, trudging on with a stiff upper lip.
“I think a lot of it is fear as well,” Jake shared. “If you're not working, how are you going to survive, but, it's a shame, really, because, I think everyone should be able to follow their dreams and their beliefs.
“That part of the album, even though it's highlighting a lot of the social injustices, in a way, I think it's important to do the things in life that you want to do, so you don't feel so trapped. I think you have to follow what you believe in.”
He added: “It's a shame that there's not enough freedom, with the mental capacity in some way to be creative and life and work and can just drain you and weigh you down.”
Jake grew up on the likes of The Dubliners and The Fureys, sharing that Ireland is a “country of music lovers”.
The music video for I Wrote The Book, off of his newest record, was shot in Cloclainn Pub in the quaint village of Ballyvaughan, nestled in Clare - with the singwriter bringing a cast of local musicians into the pub to play in the video.
“Growing up in our house there was a lot of The Dubliners and The Fureys getting played, always a big fan of those guys,” Jake said.
“They love their music over here, there's a lot of, there's a lot of good players as well over here, and a good level of musicianship.
“When we were doing the video the other day. We had a couple of local musicians come to the pub and play with us, and they were just brilliant as well. Definitely, a country of music lovers, that’s for sure.”
“It was a great pub,” Jake added. “The lady who ran it, she ran it for like, 30 years. Her name was Margaret and, yeah, just took care of us. Kept pouring us the double whiskey, I think we were pretty hammered by the end of the day!”
- Jake Bugg’s newest album, A Modern Day Distraction, is out now on all streaming platforms. The English songwriter will play at The National Stadium, Dublin on November 21 before heading off on a string of UK dates. Tickets are available here.
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