James Blunt has always been known for his heartfelt songwriting and quirky vocals but in recent years, the English singer-songwriter has developed a new niche: comedy. He is regularly seen taking shots at other celebrities (and himself) on X and has developed a loyal following for this among many generations. He even solidified this with a recent viral stunt on TikTok where he said he would change his name if the 20^th anniversary release of his hit album, Back to Bedlam, went to number one in the charts (spoiler alert: it cracked the top 10 but Blunt was spared on this occasion). 

As Blunt commenced the sold-out show at the ICC Sydney Theatre, his trademark humour was put on blast from the very first moments.

“We’ve practiced on the French, we’ve practiced on the Germans so we can get it right for the most important people,” he said. “I promise I haven’t said that to anyone else.”

Despite his humour, Blunt was sincere in his praise for Sydney.

“We get to tour the world and one of our highlights is to be here,” he said. “Thank you so much for having us.”

It is easy to forget just how vast Blunt’s discography is. With his new album to promote and a faux-warning that he would only perform new songs, the audience was initially apprehensive but any such fears that Blunt wouldn’t play his biggest hits dissipated as he launched into the falsetto-laden chorus of “Wisemen”, off his first album.

The effort that Blunt puts into his performance was noticeable from the beginning of the concert. His voice may not have been in the best form, cracking on some of the high notes and lacking the sensitivity and nuances on his record (having seen Blunt perform before, I do wonder if this was influenced by some sort of illness on this particular night), however in spite of this, his energy was still incredibly high throughout the performance. He burst around the stage, playing a multitude of instruments, showcasing his incredible musicality.

Blunt warned the audience that he would be moving into the “miserable” part of his setlist (jokingly suggesting that he was saving his two uplifting songs for the end of the setlist), and for the audience, this meant a heartfelt rendition of “Goodbye My Lover” with Blunt on the piano. The song still possessed the same poignancy it did when it was released, with the beauty of the lyrics shining through the ICC Sydney Theatre.

Blunt’s songwriting has a depth to it that goes beyond his jokes about his songs being merely miserable. The words in one of Blunt’s newest songs, “The Girl That Never Was”, which followed “Goodbye My Lover” were gut-wrenching as they told of the pain of his family when he and his wife lost their daughter to a miscarriage. 

The set quickly moved into “High” which Blunt joked was “higher than dogs could hear”. Blunt was backed heavily by his band on this song but it still created a fantastic moment for the crowd, who all sung along in the signature chorus line. 

After a journey through more hits (even some of Blunt’s less familiar songs in the setlist have in excess of 25 million views on YouTube), we arrived at “You’re Beautiful”, the song that everyone was waiting for. 

“I’ve been touring for 20 years and it’s been the one song that’s kept me on the road for all this time,” Blunt said as he was introducing the song. “Thank you for letting me perform it for you.”

Blunt saved his best vocals for his most iconic song, with the chorus being crisp and clear as it resonated through the theatre. Blunt revealed earlier in the concert that he spent 6 months living in Sydney when he was a judge on the X-Factor and it really felt like he saved his best for a city to which he had a great affinity. 

Before moving into the promised uplifting songs in his encore, Blunt had one more moving song to play for the crowd. As he sat at the piano, he pulled on all the heartstrings with “Monsters” which he performed in memory of his father, complete with photos of fathers and sons on the screen behind him. As he ended with a picture of him and his dad behind him, it was a fittingly poignant moment. 

Blunt closed with “Bonfire Heart” and “1973”, which allowed him to leave the audience on a positive note. This was a performance with which everyone in the room connected and even if the vocals were not perfect, Blunt’s stagecraft and humour as well as his exquisite songwriting gave this performance a certain aura. As he left the stage, Blunt said to the audience that he would see them next year, which the crowd certainly took to be a promise. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

James Blunt – ICC Sydney Theatre – 23^rd November 2024

All photo credits: Aaron Leslie