Live Review: Jake Bugg, Peter Bibby

Jangly, piercing guitar riffs and chords were what filled the air of Northbridge's Metro City on the last show of Jake Bugg's Australian tour. The sentiment was heavily accented towards the anticipation of the Perth people wishing to catch a glimpse of the inaugural star. 

Peter Bibby smoothly made his way on to the stage, armed only with a single guitar and his twangy, melodic vocals. The Midland born-and-bred guitar-skilled ballad-maker wore a wide-brimmed bush-ranger's hat. It wasn't a surprise to learn the crowd were in for a good storytelling session. Opening with Cunt, a folky ballad-like ode to living in Midland, Bibby humorously introduced himself through song, peppering the lyrics with a humorous take on life in Midland.

Thanking the audience for being there, Bibby joked that he was used to punters spitting on his shoes while he performed. Bibby issued a challenge to the audience to see how far they could spit, which sadly was an impossible feat, due to the Everest-like height of the stage. Sixty-percent wit and most likely forty-percent talented lyric writer, Bibby was definitely entertaining to watch; if not sombrely nostalgic.

Once it came around to the time for Jake Bugg to play it was clear he meant business. Opening up with On My One and Two Fingers, Bugg's jangly vocals echoed throughout the venue. Although only aged 22, Bugg has the sound and style of an old rocker who's been at it a few decades. The first half of the set felt very aged and rockabilly, with Seen It All a popular track. With little time spent between songs, the gig felt generous with lots of tracks packed in.

The latter half of the set featured new stuff, which showcased a different, funkier style from Bugg. Gimme The Love was played with a less acoustic more refined sound getting the crowd down to boogie. Things took a sombre turn with the playing of Broken, during which a mixture of intricate finger-picking and Bugg's painfully sad vocals tore at the heartstrings a little bit.

Finishing up with Lightning Bolt, the set closed very much the same way it began: a flurry of jangly, indie-folk rock. The crowd was definitely pleased.