Live Review: James Blunt - The O2, London 15/02/2025
Two songs into headlining The O2, James Blunt joked “it’s all downhill from here”, but the emotional slalom of ‘Back to Bedlam’ carried the crowd through a special Sunday night.
Blunt, in his last week of being 50 years of age, marked the 20th anniversary of the debut album that put him on the map. “Do you know what that means?” he asked the audience. “I’m fucking old. And some of you are fucking old.” By opening his set with the record in full, those first two songs were ‘High’ and ‘You’re Beautiful’. The uninitiated may ponder where James could go from there, but for the sold-out arena, it was only the beginning.
Support came from another act with an inescapable song in the 2000s, Toploader. Their 45-minute set had a classic 70s-rock vibe and beautiful harmonies, including ‘Achilles Heel’ and the funky ‘Time of My Life’. “Unsurprisingly we’ve never played here before”, singer Joseph Washbourn told The O2 arena crowd, one night after Danny from McFly brought him back into public consciousness when suggesting he might be Wolf on ITV’s ‘The Masked Singer’. This was the quartet’s fourth night in a row with Mr Blunt, and their last. “Maybe he’s too polite to tell us to fuck off,” Joseph joked. Toploader amped the crowd with clap-alongs and a sea of phone lights during ‘Only for a While’. The close-knit band vibe will fit April’s intimate tour, plugged towards the end, and epitomised with their cover of ‘Mr. Blue Sky’. Introducing the finale, Joseph said: “If you know this song, I want to see some hands.” If you don’t know ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’, I want to know how. Five-times platinum in the UK at the last count, this live rendition got the whole arena clapping, while highlighting the groove and swagger which underpin a song that still strikes a chord, no matter how many times you hear it.
The show began with a montage of 00s-history clips and images - 9/11, Obama, Zidane’s headbutt, among countless others. Then James walked out solo at 2045 military time to kick off ‘High’: “Beautiful dawn lights up the shore for me.” The band, a vital part of the gig’s journey, quickly joined, although they do not take the focus from the star. Then it’s straight into ‘You’re Beautiful’. It’s rare for a song of such ubiquity to be so early in a show, but it brought the crowd together, as they sang “fucking high”, and the refrain of singable syllables towards the song’s conclusion. Their eager participation throughout shows this is about more than one man with a strong, clear voice. These songs are owned by the masses now, and it shows.
Most albums are not built for a live show. It is why James made his “downhill” quip after two songs, before the remaining singles, ‘Wisemen’ and ‘Goodbye My Lover’, the latter seeing James take to the piano for the first time.
He removed his jacket and did a five-minute speech more suited to a comedy set to bridge the gap after the singles. He thanked those who bought the album in 2005, adding: “I have a lovely house in Ibiza because of you.” Particular highlights in the other songs included the Feeder-esque ‘Out Of My Mind’, backed with psychedelic visuals, and ‘Billy’, introduced with the story of the inspiration, as James roasted his broke friend from two decades ago. It’s a history trip, as promo shots of a young James are interspersed with colourful lyrics on the stage’s screens.
Album closer ‘No Bravery’ sees Captain Blunt start solo on piano, with home videos of his time in Kosovo during the war in 1999 playing behind. It is a moving section, aided by the gradual return of the band to create that full-on sound. There is warm applause as the album, which has sold 14 million copies worldwide, finishes, but the band run straight into second album cut ‘I’ll Take Everything’. Later, he explained the track was about his attempts to deal with the abuse from media and other musicians during the height of “juggernaut” ‘Back To Bedlam’. He took the heckles, accepted them, and dealt with them in his own way, in his house in Ibiza.
With the “incredibly short album” over, the show pivoted. No room for naysayers, this is about those who planned their Valentine’s weekends around this show. It’s not just an older crowd either, with younger people brought up listening to James Blunt. He acknowledged this point himself: “I’m thrilled you’re here, you’re my future.”
‘Postcards’ from 2013 saw James wield a ukulele, causing jaunty jiggles from audience members, before his version of Slade’s ‘Coz I Luv You’. “I want to hear it sung louder than anywhere else in the world.” With his relentless touring, he’s better placed than most to judge. James started on piano, pulled off a wild crowd run in the middle, and returned to the stage for the end. It’s an act of true showmanship. During this whole time, the band - Paul Sayer on guitar, John Garrison on bass, Chris Pemberton on keys, and Karl Brazil on drums – merge seamlessly. In the 2023 James Blunt documentary ‘One Brit Wonder’, John states: “I don’t want anyone to come away saying ‘Oh, James’ bass player was really good’”. Luckily, the others were, and even Mr Blunt acknowledged their role: “No aspiring musician sets out in the music business with an aspiration to be in James Blunt’s band.” But those four musicians helped the night come alive, as James started a Mexican wave during ‘Stay The Night’ and brought a touch of EDM to proceedings with the Robin Schulz collab ‘OK’. He told the room to get down, but when they jumped back up, and raved away to the song’s climax, it was pretty beautiful. The emotional rollercoaster swerved again, jutting into the poignant ‘Monsters’, about James’ paternal bond following his father’s kidney disease diagnosis, as pictures of the pair played out behind him.
The main set closed with ‘Same Mistake’, one of the singles from sophomore ‘All the Lost Souls’, but the break was not long. “Do you want a happy song?” The crowd cheered. “That’s good, because I’ve got one.” ‘Bonfire Heart’ is infectious, before swiftly moving into finale ‘1973’, the lead single that followed the ‘Back to Bedlam’ era. It’s a rousing ending, which sees James lap up the adoration from the audience, and also jumping on the piano, seizing his moment in the spotlight. He leaves with a final joke: “See you in 20 years!”
The celebration of ‘Back to Bedlam’ is, much like the album, going global. The one hour, fifty-minute showcase is a ski slalom through comedy, tenderness, and the hope that cracks through sometimes. The meandering nature is a little crazy, but it works. ‘Back to Bedlam’? We never even left…
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by Abigail Shii
