To Be Blunt

JAMES Blunt has done amazing things since he first emerged on to the music scene, with his debut album . . . and that song.

That was six years and 18 million record sales ago. But the singing ex-army captain turned You’re Beautiful star, remembers those days, which first brought him to Oxford as an unknown, albeit promising, artist with affection.

“It's been a few years since that Oxford gig,” he tells me. “It was our first night on the tour bus. After three world tours, I still have all the same band members. We’ve covered a few miles and had a lot of fun.”

Tomorrow James returns to the county for a headline set at Cornbury Festival.

And, despite the accolades – which include Brits, Ivor Novellos and five Grammy nominations – he can’t wait to be back, doing what he loves . . . playing in a field.

“There’s nothing better than the English countryside in the summer and nothing better than playing outdoors in the open air, so I’m really looking forward to playing at Cornbury,” he says.

So what has been the best moment since things went super nova for James; real name James Hillier Blount.

He thinks hard. “Well, two of my bandmates have married people they met at our concerts: one in Copenhagen and the other in Perth. I never imagined we’d establish a band dating service when we started out!”

And there has been no shortage of unexpected – and oddly amusing – incidents in the meantime, he confides. “I’ve broken my finger stage-diving in Ashville, North Carolina; been rugby-tackled by a security man halfway through a song in Chicago; and snapped a keyboard while using it as a surfboard on stage in the Bahamas.”

But, says James, who famously carried his acoustic guitar in the back of his tank for the liberation of Pristina, during the Kosovo conflict, there have also been some moving moments.

“My keyboard player and I did a gig in Kosovo, where I was a soldier during the war,” he recalls. “The concert was really moving, but the scars of war, that will last for generations, were tragic to be reminded of.”

Tomorrow’s show comes as he promotes his third studio album, Some Kind of Trouble. After the outrageous success of Back to Bedlam, does he ever worry about trying to return to those heights?

“With the CD market down more than 50 per cent and with such ridiculous success for the first album, I knew I’d get asked about matching its sales figures. But, personally, I have just been happy to make other albums that I loved. As it was, the second album sold five million and I toured for two years as a result, so I was lucky.”

He’s particularly proud of his latest outing, though.

“It captures a bit of the mood of the early 80s,” he says. “There was a global atmosphere in the West that we could do anything; the same optimism we felt as teenagers. Some Kind of Trouble really captures that same sense of freedom and excitement and naivety.”

It’s also a lot more upbeat than the often melancholic acoustic fair on which he has based his career. Heck, it even sees him blowing off the dust on his old electric guitar. But while it’s hardly likely to raise cries of “Judas” from the audience, it should raise a collective eyebrow.

“I learnt to play the electric guitar as a teenager, but travelled a lot, which was a hassle with a guitar and amp, so I switched to the acoustic, but the result was my songs were all quite melancholic.

“This time round I dumped the acoustic and went back to the electric to write and the songs just became more upbeat.

“It was more for myself than the audience though,” he goes on.

“I wouldn’t have had much fun writing another collection of down-tempo maudlin songs.”

But tomorrow’s festival crowd will, he insists, still get a chance to hear the old favourites: High, Goodbye My Lover and, of course, You’re Beautiful.

He is in no doubt as to the role that multi-platinum selling tune has played in his success to date. “I’m very lucky to have that song,” he says. “Without it, my career would be far smaller.”

Cornbury follows James’s appearance earlier this year at Twickenham, in a benefit for Forces charity Help For Heroes. It remains a cause close to his heart.

“As an ex-soldier, I raise money for Medecins Sans Frontieres, who look after the people who suffer most in war, civilians, and for Help For Heroes, because it does exactly what it says on the packet.”

Is there anything he misses about military life? “Yes,” he admits. “I miss the honesty and the simplicity.”

But, he adds, it was worth giving up for a life in music.

“Life is for living,” he says. Not just for dreaming.”

With Cornbury just one day away, I wonder if James plans to join the festival spirit by hanging around? “I really like the festival atmosphere,” he says. “I’ve played at Glastonbury three times and each time enjoyed pitching my tent in the fields. I’ll definitely try to have a look round Cornbury too.”

So, as an army man turned artiste, does he have any military tips for survival in the field? “Sleep in your boots in case the enemy comes over the hill,” he laughs.

How about that perennial dilemma: festival food? “I pretty much eat anything,” he insists. “The burger stall suits me.”

* Cornbury runs tomorrow to Sunday in Great Tew. Tickets are £140 (weekend camp) or £60 a day. Cheaper for kids and free for under-12s. cornbury festival.com