Reggae artiste Bugle is entering 2024 on a high following a strong set at Sting that showed off the arc of his overall development as one of the best reggae performers.

Looking dapper in a tan suit and matching sneakers, he kicked off his performance with a bang with Anointed.

“Mi forward from a place name Cooreville, Kingston 20, big up every real ghetto yute, Riverton, Seaview Gardens, Callaloo Bed, Waterhouse, if yu proud of yourself and where you come from, represent for your ghetto,” he said, before launching into Be Proud.

Bugle then requested the Answer rhythm where he deejayed a song about burning out some “bwoy with nose ring”.

He got a major forward for an uptempo rendition of Doh and then he took off his jacket as he warmed up to the audience. He then earned another forward with Journeys.

Vuvuzelas spanked the cold night air and shouts of ‘pow pow’ greeted songs like What Have I Done to You?, and he kept the momentum going with a lively rendition of Blame Life.

Over the years, Bugle has built up an impressive catalogue of songs that are like a distillation of spirituality, common sense, homespun wisdom and old proverbs.

The highlight of his performance came during his rendition of Nuh Compatible, which is arguably his biggest hit, where one of his backup singers joined him onstage to answer his allegations about their ‘toxic’ relationship. She deejayed with conviction: “tek back yu promises/tek back yu ring”, and got some big forwards from the crowd.

He also paid tribute to his mother, who gave birth to 11 children and who passed away last year.

“Mi ah number 8, imagine if mama did stop at #7, there would be no Bugle,” he said, before asking the patrons to turn on their flashlights on their phones. He transformed the venue into a glittering panorama of thousands of pinpoints of light as he did Mama Mi Love You.

The Sting organisers slashed Bugle’s performance time but he did songs like Nuh Worry, and defying the backstage managers, even did songs a capella to huge roars before exiting the stage.