JAMES BLUNT: ONE BRIT WONDER

In January 2022 James Blunt went back out on the road for a highly ambitious stadium tour of Europe, which was only just emerging from the pandemic. It was announced by James on Twitter with his trademark black humour “By popular demand, I have renamed my tour The Greatest Hit Tour and shall only be playing ‘that song’ 20 times”. He was accompanied by acclaimed documentary maker Chris Atkins (Taking Liberties, Starsuckers, Who Killed the KLF?) who joined the Blunt crew for several weeks and even slept on the tour bus. 

The tour was hampered by a string of unfortunate events: James’ hapless drummer Karl bunked off to do a gig with Robbie Williams, leaving them to desperately find a replacement; the equipment trucks went missing in a blizzard somewhere between Stuttgart and Hamburg, meaning the crew couldn’t even cook breakfast let alone put on a concert; and everyone got stranded on the Isle of Man when a force ten storm hit the island and all planes were grounded. All such mishaps were met with James’ deadpan wit, and the film captures stunning moments from his epic performances Infront of tens of thousands of people across Europe. We also meet his long-suffering band and crew who have worked with James for 17 years, including his morose tour manager who complains that James is basically a narcissistic psychopath.

As well as hilarious scenes from the tour, the film peels back the layers of this enigmatic popstar to tell the inside story of James’ rise in the 2000s. After being rejected from every record label three times for being too posh, he had a chance encounter at the South By South West Festival with Linda Perry (formerly of Four Non Blondes) who finally gave James his luck break. His debut Album Back to Bedlam then became the biggest selling album of the decade catapulting James to global fame, and his monster hit You’re Beautiful went to number one all over the world including the USA, the first time this had been achieved by a brit since Elton John’s Candle in the Wind in 1997.

Scathingly self-critical and devilishly charming, James Blunt: One Brit Wonder is an antidote to the usual puff piece music docs. Riotously funny and sublimely touching in equal measure, it’s an inspiring tale of a man who’ll always carry on regardless and shows how laughing in the face of tragedy usually wins the day.