WITH his thin, quavering vocal tone, drippy love songs and posh boy accent cemented in the public consciousness, James Blunt may never escape his image as the weedy kid in the pop playground. But constant touring has honed him into a performer who at
tempts to rise to the occasion with each jump up the gigging scale.
Having now reached arena level – a challenge for all but the most epic of artists – he has chosen to splurge wisely on the accepted conventions of the environment, including a plush stage set and inappropriately indulgent lightshow.
But, despite such naff, cheerleading gestures as affecting to surf on the top of his piano, the camera never lies, and the cameras feeding the big screens showed up Blunt's signature rabbit-in-the-headlights expression every time. More than once, he looked like he was about to burst into tears. Maybe he was – the crowd certainly gave him an adoring response which would make anyone emotional.
The set was the usual mix of keening ballads and sub-Elton John references, though there was immediately more depth to the sound when Blunt switched from guitar to piano for No Bravery, his most "classic" piece of songwriting and just about the only number in which doesn't moon over a girl.
Then, a "surprise": during the band's usual jaunty cover of Slade's Cuz I Luv You, Blunt jumped the barrier and tore recklessly through the grasping crowd to a piano on a hydraulic stage at the back of the hall. No matter how often this stunt is pulled at concerts – and it seems to happen more often than not at the SECC – it always adds a frisson to proceedings. And this was a gig which badly needed a frisson.
The full article contains 296 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
