Nottingham retro-rocker Jake Bugg's got a look that he sports on the regular – a sort of vaguely interested, but mostly detatched expression that, to the newcomer, can give the impression that the talented teenager is a little tipsy a lot of the time.
Don't take our word for it – there's proof enough in this photo tweeted by 6 Music's Radcliffe and Maconie show just the other day. "He always looks like that," remarked one Clash staffer when shown the shot. Blue Steel it isn't.
But trust us: he's not pickled. Honestly. He's a consummate professional is Jake. If he wasn't, how would he have earned a 9/10 Clash review for his new album, 'Shangri La'? (Read that review right here.)
The man certainly was drunk at the recent Mercury Prize ceremony, though – Gigwise reports (via the BBC) that Bugg was so lost in boozy escape that he was glad, indeed, that he didn't win the annual prize – £20,000 and a healthy sales boost – for his eponymous debut LP (Clash review).
"I was quite pleased I didn't win… because I was quite drunk and didn't want to go on that stage and make a speech," said the singer. Fair enough. But what of this year's winner, James Blake?
Says Bugg: "I didn't particularly enjoy his [Mercury] performance, but I could see that he's talented." And that's your sticker quote for the follow-up to 'Overgrown' (Clash review) right there, Jimmy.
Is this news? It's Friday, go figure.
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Clash's Pop Issue is great and you should probably look at what's inside, thanks.
