YOU could have been watching a college band - all floppy hair, jeans-t-shirt combo and borderline moody demeanour - but there is nothing post-adolescent about the way Jake Bugg plucks the strings of a guitar.

A 21st century revamp of fifties folk with contemporary rock riffs thrown in, his performance at Manchester Academy on Thursday night had feet tapping from the off.

At the gig I was surrounded by men more than twice Bugg’s age trying to be Paul Weller, or Noel Gallagher, or even both, suggestions maybe of where he is coming from.

When I first heard his often skiffle, sometimes country, sound, saddled next to his throaty voice and the use of ‘momma’ in ‘Two Fingers’, I assumed he was American.

More fool me.

His roots, in fact, hail from Nottingham’s Clifton, a housing estate that once bettered every other in Europe in the size stakes, and his songs tell the story of growing up there.

‘Seen It All’, which doesn’t do anything for Nottingham’s reputation for being a bit stabby, reveals how kids pass the time these days with the lyric ‘On Friday night I took a pill or maybe two’, followed up by the revelation everyone at said party ‘everyone here has a knife’.

The 18-year-old’s first gig was reportedly in his former high school in his home town, a refreshing change to the manufactured hopefuls who pop up periodically on Pop Idol, or whatever God-awful version is currently running in its stead.

Rumours abound Bugg - born Jacob Kennedy- turned down calls to join the Britain’s Got Talent brigade to make a name gigging, and I would like him for that alone.

Happily, there are plenty of other reasons to take time out of your day to listen to his stuff.

The Brit Awards nominee doesn’t go in for much taking, but as someone living the dream of every teenager sat cradling a guitar in their bedrooms, he is effortlessly cool.

Tracks like ‘Someplace’ and ‘Country Song’, belies a tender side, while ‘Lightning Bolt’ is the crowd-rowser every good gig needs.

And as Bugg waves his appreciation to the crowd and departs, you get the feeling he is just the kind of character a plastic pop world is badly in need of.