Caroline Sullivan on Glastonbury and James Blunt
If ex-Household Cavalry personnel ar permitted to tremor in their boots, William James Blunt must be doing just that. Having seen the hostile chemical reaction to the news that Jay-Z testament be headlining Glastonbury, he'll be anticipating the uproar that his own appearing at the fete volition cause. The pop singer detested by many for his posh origins, teeth-grinding howl and scrawny bod is playing the main phase on Sat dark, and organiser Emily Eavis is already deflecting the inevitable outrage by claiming he deserves to be there because he's "an established Brits creative person".
Only if Glasto purists are spit feathers at the idea that the man world Health Organization gave us You're Beautiful will be paddling through their mud, they ought to consider it from Blunt's side. Anyone wHO doesn't want to discover his pantywaist crooning privy see another stage, patch he has no alternative simply to face a crowd together that will be potentially to a greater extent hostile than anyone he faced as a armoured combat vehicle commander in Kosovo. There's a real chance that he'll be greeted with the sort of gall flung at Robbie Williams during his impromptu arrange with Oasis in 1995. So whatever Blunt's failings, cowardliness isn't among them.Assuming that he is up for a challenge - which he clearly is - he could use Glastonbury as an chance to change people's perception of him. With a batting order many think weaker than usual, festival-goers volition be looking for for diversions. This is Blunt's opportunity to shake up the audience and show what he's made of.Underdogs oftentimes prosper at Glastonbury - it happened for Pulp, 11th-hour replacements for the Harlan Stone Roses in 1995, world Health Organization prodigiously pink wine to the occasion. Faced with by far the biggest crowd together they'd ever played to, Jarvis English cocker spaniel captivated the audience with his drollness.There's no reason Blunt can't do something similar. His main baulk onstage is an innate awkwardness that prevents him from engaging with audiences. Contrariwise, he has an offstage reputation as a party animal, and it is this wild side that he of necessity to uncage. If he can reach the saami state of altered consciousness as the consultation, Glastonbury could be his.
Patrick Ball