JAKE BUGG returns to Southampton on Sunday, five years and three albums since his first show here.

After huge gigs at Manchester’s Albert Hall, The London Palladium and in his home city, the Nottingham-born singer plays The O2 Guildhall as part of a solo acoustic tour to support his fourth top 10 album Hearts That Strain.

Recorded in Nashville with Grammy award winning producers David Ferguson and Matt Sweeney, plus session musicians who worked with Elvis Presley and Dusty Springfield, the record is a return to country rock for the 24 year-old songwriter after his take on hip-hop and dance beats on compilation On My One.

Bugg picked up the guitar at the age of 12, and within a year he was composing his own songs.His first single Lightning Bolt became a smash hit in 2012 before he reached the age of 20.

Disinterested in the hip-hop and grime that dominated the listening habits of his peers, he turned to the classics for inspiration. Bugg’s first brush with recognition came at the age of 17, when a local DJ began spinning one of the cuts he uploaded to BBC Introducing, a program that supports “unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar musicians.” An invitation to play Glastonbury arrived shortly thereafter, and before he knew it, he was supporting acts like Lana Del Ray, Example, and Michael Kiwanuka, and had inked a deal with Mercury. His first single, “Lightning Bolt,” arrived in early 2012, while his debut, the eponymously titled Jake Bugg, appeared in October of the same year and featured production work from former Snow Patrol collaborator Iain Archer.

Jake was 19 when he first stood on the Guildhall stage singing songs Broken, Seen It All and Lightning Bolt from his number one self-titled album.

Raised on a diet of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and the Gallaghers, English singer/songwriter Jake Bugg blends the melodious, working-class swagger of the La’s and the primal, bluesy simplicity of the White Stripes with the wry, weathered romanticism of Jens Lekman.

Now, with new tunes How Soon The Dawn, Bigger Lover and Every Colour in the World, fans have the chance to hear what could be his best work so far. Support comes from fellow Nottingham singer Georgie, tickets at academymusicgroup.com or 023 8063 2601.