Jake Bugg 'Your Town' Tour
Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge - 23/07/25
As festival season heats up, Jake Bugg is doubling down, having played some of the UK’s biggest festivals over the last month, all whilst hitting the road with his own intimate headline tour, ‘Your Town’. The aim of this tour is to bring live music back to overlooked corners of the country, with Jake performing two sets each night: a short solo acoustic opener, followed by a full-band electric set alongside his longtime bandmates Tom Robertson (bass) and Jack Atherton (drums).
With grassroots music venues under increasing threat and local scenes continuing to decline, Jake Bugg’s Your Town Tour feels like a much-needed statement. The tour aims to bring high-profile shows to areas so often bypassed by major touring artists, and last night it was Cambridge’s Corn Exchange that played host. As the city’s premier venue, steeped in a legacy of iconic performances, it proved to be the perfect setting for this tour. With Jake performing two sets, the venue was refreshingly full not long after doors opened, as fans made sure to arrive early for the rare treat of the acoustic opening set.
Acoustic Set
Both the acoustic set and the full-band performance shone a light on Bugg’s rich discography, showcasing a wide range of material from across his career. There was a particular focus on his 2012 self-titled debut album and his most recent release, 'A Modern Day Distraction'. Early tracks like ‘Slide’ and ‘Someone Told Me’ still carried the same poignancy they had over a decade ago, only now, delivered by a singer whose artistry has deepened over time, bringing a new sense of weight and reflection to songs that already resonated. Meanwhile, newer songs like ‘All That I Needed Was You’ and ‘I Wrote the Book’ felt instantly at home in the set, proving how strongly Jake’s recent work holds up against his classics.
The acoustic setting gave these songs even more emotional clarity, stripping them back to their lyrical core, delivering a string of moving moments that lingered well beyond the brief set. The audience matched the tone perfectly, whether it be watching in quiet awe before erupting into applause at the end of each track, or joining in with gentle, choir-like singalongs when the moment called for it. This created a truly special atmosphere that not only primed the crowd for the main show but also offered a uniquely memorable experience in its own right.
Full Band Set
After a short break, Jake Bugg returned to the stage with his two long-term bandmates to deliver a high-octane set of indie-folk brilliance. Bugg’s vocals carried a slightly rougher edge, his guitar switching to electric tones, while Jack Atherton’s powerful drumming and Tom Robertson’s steady bass added depth and drive to the performance. If the acoustic set was a celebration of the raw and intimate, then the full-band set was a rousing showcase of musical intensity. Kicking off with ‘Zombieland’, the trio instantly had the Cambridge audience in the palms of their hands, sparking an infectious energy that had everyone dancing along in no time.
After a stellar playthrough of ‘Keep on Moving’, ‘Taste It’ kicked the set into overdrive, with Bugg and his band locking into a relentless groove that had fists pumping and heads banging. The chemistry between the three musicians was effortless and deeply intuitive, seemingly needing no words to communicate on stage. Their seamless interplay felt completely natural, each anticipating the other’s moves with precision and ease, weaving together a cohesive sound that was both tight and organic. Bugg was sparing with his words, eschewing long monologues in favour of brief, heartfelt reminders of his appreciation and simple song introductions, letting the music speak for itself. He seemed genuinely grateful to everyone there, showing his love for live music and the shared experience it creates.
Whether it was a new song or a timeless classic being performed, the audience wholeheartedly returned that love, immersing themselves in every note and lyric. Their energy and enthusiasm created a powerful connection, transforming the concert into a shared celebration where artist and fans fed off each other’s passion, making each moment feel both intimate and electrifying. Hits like ‘Seen It All’ and ‘Messed Up Kids’ sparked energetic crowd participation, while the stripped-back performance of ‘Broken’ delivered a stunning, goosebump-inducing moment of collective harmony. The latter song was the only one in the full-band set where Bugg returned to the night’s opening format, standing alone under a single spotlight with his acoustic guitar. While the opening set was deeply moving, this moment took on an added impact precisely because it appeared amid the full band’s intense energy, its stark contrast making the performance all the more striking and memorable.
Bugg was then rejoined onstage for the energetic ‘All Kinds of People,’ which ramped the momentum back up before the trio launched into powerhouse renditions of ‘Two Fingers’ and ‘Lightning Bolt.’ Both tracks carried the intensity and stature to have easily closed the night, but with such a rich discography to draw from, the set continued, giving fans the chance to experience even more of Bugg’s generational songwriting.
A crowd-pleasing rendition of ‘Still Got Time’ was swiftly followed by a tight and polished version of ‘Simple Pleasures,’ bringing the show steadily toward its conclusion. It was a commanding performance of ‘All I Need’ that brought the night to a close, perfectly encapsulating everything that made this evening of musical excellence so memorable. There was no need for flashiness or extravagant staging, just great music made even better through a strong live performance.
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