GIG

monday nite
wolverhampton civic hall
i get in for free at a james blunt gig
loitering in the bar before the show
getting fans to sign postcards for 'the big ask'
which james b is supporting on this tour of duty
i seen blunty once on jools holland's show
but only vaguely know a couple of songs
the crowd is an odd mix
mostly thirty and forty-somethings
wives n girlfriends
who've persuaded their beaux to mosie on down
a few schoolkids and grandparents thrown in
most of em aren't averse to signing postcards
though there's a distinct 'captive audience' feel
up on stage
james warbles away in his strange quivery voice
strumming his trebly capoed acoustic guitar
against a projected backdrop of scenes from a war-zone
he seems to be commenting on his army career
and the futility of conflict
'this is the enemy so i'm told'
to my surprise
despite the intensity of his singing
he ain't mean n moody
he's surprisingly theatrical
bounding around the stage like bono
climbing on top of his piano
even launching himself into the audience at one point
hugging and kissing fans with gay abandon
there's one surreal moment
when the showmanship goes totally over the top
the lights flare
clouds of tickertape spray onto the stage
(hope it's recycled)
and blunty whips the audience into a frenzy
as he ends a number by bashing a huge gong
that has descended from the ceiling
like the fella at the start of an old rank movie
the band are a good bunch of players
the rhythm section are gutsy
the guitarist n keyboard player coax some pleasing moans
from telecaster and hammond organ respectively
and as the crowd spills happily out into the black country night
there's definitely a little electricity in the air