Live Review: James Blunt, Busy Marou

James Blunt's performance at Crown Perth Theatre on Thursday night was filled with ambivalence of a cosy nature. With a performance that provided a well-balanced combination of soft rock and piano ballads, the audience was treated to a musician who exhibited a well-executed aura of wit and emotion.  The show was opened by country duo Busby Marou, who allowed the audience to kick back to some of their hearty country-tinged tunes. Their single, All Of You, allowed Busby to perform their lightly finger-picked acoustic melodies pleasantly accompanied by the tasteful backing vocals from both of the lead singers. After Busby Marou's dosage of blues and roots, the stage dimmed into a delayed darkness after which a loud ominous countdown reminiscent of the '60s moon landing began.

James Blunt and his band emerged onto the stage donned in overalls with NASA insignias and flags. For a second, one could liken the band to astronauts about to be sent into space, but in reality they really just looked like sci-fi-esque electricians about to fix another worldly circuit board. That's not to say the performance wasn't moving at all. Blunt proved his versatility as a performer, starting off his set with Facing The Sun, a strong piano ballad that seeped emotion. This emotive marathon was then followed by Blue On Blue, which was also laced with a heavy presence of piano, enabling Blunt to convey a more emotive atmosphere. Some hits from his previous albums were also played, among them High and Wisemen, which gave his fans a sense of nostalgia through a taste of noughties pop-rock, with one of the more memorable lyrics the rhetorical line in Wisemen: “Where are you now?” 

Some of the more memorable moments of the night came in Blunt's rendition of Miss America, announced as a tribute to the late Whitney Houston. Once again, this was another piano ballad that Blunt performed tactfully, installing a sense of tragedy into his performance. Blunt finished his set with an encore that consisted of some his most recent hits, Stay The Night and Bonfire Heart, which allowed the crowd to jostle to some acoustic positivity. The final song, 1973, was a funk-addled pop anthem that sealed off a night of wistful ballads and wit.