Hello - it's Andy here to start. Melissa will come in later to fill you in on James Blunt's full set.

The Boy Least Likely To is one of those discovery-of-the-year type bands that just thrill me to pieces. Thank goodness for engaging cover artwork. The sweetly-scrawled little colorful animals on their CD caused me to immediately pull the album out of my pile of review CD’s to give a spin to, and the equally-colorful music delighted me to no end. It’s impossible not to smile to this music, even through the oft-dismal themes about life and death and ’maturity’ it presents beyond its whimsical sounds. So how extra-thrilled was I to see they’d be playing at the Orpheum in Vancouver just a few weeks after I listened to the album? Immeasurably! And how stunned was I to see that they were opening for the extraordinarily-mainstream pop crooner James Blunt? Also immeasurably. What an odd combination, I thought. But, I can’t pass it up, so off I went to see what these chaps from Wendover could do for me in a live environment.

The stage filled up with a cast of folks; drummer, guitarist, bassist (etc.) and keyboardist, who also played violin and a number of other instruments. This was the support crew for the core of the band, Jof Owen (who would appear closer to stage left and take care of vocals and handclaps) and Pete Hobbs (standing centre, mostly on acoustic guitar and vocals). The opened with the chipper “Hugging My Grudge,” a peppy tune festooned with harmonicas and twisty synth noises, all of which were reproduced quite well in the massive auditorium. Things got perhaps lost a tiny bit in the hugeness of the space, and the band, despite being fairly large, looked to be swimming on the vast stage. But what a lively performance! The slight fellows leapt and clapped and bounced about, just being uppity and seeming to get through to an audience who likely hadn’t a clue who they were. And I nearly lost my mind when I noticed what appeared to be an electric banjo taking the stage. An electric banjo! Okay so it’s not exactly an unheard-of custom instrument but I can’t recall a time I have ever actually seen one in performance before.

The Boys themselves, Owen and Hobbs, are an impossibly adorable pair of stripe-shirted, diminutive fellows in classically British cute trainers, great jeans, lovely haircuts, sparkly eyes and a lot of beautifully- and casually-executed leaping and clapping and fist-pumping. Is this how the Brits get in shape for footie games? Or perhaps the games prep them for their shows? The energy is boundless, especially in Owen, who simply flies around the stage bouncing skyward, dancing, and just looking like he’s having a grand ol’ time. As I was leaving the theatre space (seated show, I’m merely a photographer…) I heard Owen saying, “For this next song I’m going to be playing an instrument a lot of you won’t know. It’s called a vibra-slap and it goes like this.” And off he went with the little percussion instrument that I, for one, recall from elementary school music classes.

These boys really need their own gig here. I just don’t understand how they got lumped in with the decidedly non-indie pop kitsch rock James Blunt. Weird. As I sat around the lobby listening to the muffled remainder of the Boy Least Likely To set, I noticed the area out there was quite noisy and full of James Blunt fans who couldn’t be bothered watching anything else that night. What a shame. It appeared not everyone was appreciating the quirkiness the way those who decided to stay in their seats did. When the band charged up with the spooky “Monsters,” just about all I could hear through the theatre doors were massive drums. I mean, enormous. When the doors opened to let some patron in or out, I noticed there was a creepy flashing light show going on in there. Something in the way “Fur Soft As Fur” was presented reminded me of Elvis’ “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” crossed with an ABBA song that I can’t place at the moment. Now my big ARGH moment came when they struck up with the fantastic “I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star.” What a mouthful, but the song was sweet even through the closed doors. I wish I could have been inside watching how they physically performed the tune, but I could clearly hear the banjo and a whole lot of ’woo-oooo’s going on during some extended interlude. The set ended with the chiming “Be Gentle With Me.” The full album was pretty well-represented during the set. In this tune, the drums remain huge and ploddy. This is something that wasn’t so apparent when I was down front but perhaps I just wasn’t in a position to hear it. Anyhow, here’s hoping this band comes back for a show of their own sooner rather than later.

Now for James Blunt. I had a healthy hunk of jaded skepticism heading into this one, after being thoroughly unimpressed by his album and then somewhat disgusted by his huge and sudden fame despite having such a schlock bunch of sappy tunes seemingly designed to attract nothing but equally-sappy romantic-minded girls. It just seems unreal - I mean, is he just trying to get laid, or is he really this corny? Who knows. So I was expecting to be a bit bored - the live clips I’ve seen of him left a lot to be desired in terms of intrigue.

Unfortunately, I am mildly humbled. I hate to admit this. But James Blunt is a good performer. I only saw two songs, maybe that’s all he had in him. Maybe it was the atmosphere of theatre opulence, incredible sound, and a fancy set of lights lending ambience. But I don’t think so. I must tip my hat and say, he done good. The stage was festooned with a netting-like drapery that lit up with all sorts of icy-colored lights like a patterned starry sky, which was indeed impressive. In the dark preceding the set though, as people emerged onto the stage, the screams that erupted in the theatre were deafening. Ouch, hush girls, and they were in actuality cheering the drummer anyhow! Not until after the band settled in and began playing did Blunt come out, and with fire mind you. The man charged to the edge of the stage, guitar already in place, eliciting yet more screams from the ladies, and then took his place behind the microphone. Blunt still makes painfully crunched faces when he sings, but he no longer stares nervously off into space like a frightened animal (a cute frightened animal, but a frightened animal nonetheless. No one said someone can't be both corny and attractive). He seems like a real human being there, who actually is in touch with where he is. The songs he was performing were still not tons to sneeze at, simple compositions filled with corniness, but the live atmosphere brought them a huge kick as compared to the album tracks. Just large and soaring, and darn it, just good. Not something worthy of spending the $500 on that tickets were reportedly going for to this well-sold-out gig, but shockingly, worth seeing if there’s nothing else to do in an evening. Who knew! Now onto Cordespondent Melissa Pulsifer to take us through the remainder of the show I did not get to see.

*start Melissa Pulsifer*
Before beginning his second song, Blunt explained that, even though it's a theatre and everyone's sitting politely in their seats, he doesn't mind if they break the rules and stand up and dance and maybe come on up.

James Blunt covered his entire album for his set, plus four songs I did not recognize. Blunt proved himself an unexpectedly racy and witty character. Gone were the impressions formerly held of a meek and shy Brit. He approached the front of the stage frequently, interacting with his twitterpated audience. He had a great command of the room, proving himself a solid frontman, with great songs, a great voice and great production. Certainly the amazing acoustics of the Orpheum Theatre had a small hand in that.

Some key songs included "Goodbye My Lover," which was just fucking beautiful. He managed to get the crowd to remain silent for this one (unheard of!), and he performed this song alone on the piano. His voice was strong and clear and passionate here, unfettered by multiple instruments. You could hear sniffles in the crowd... and yes... I did have to choke it back pretty hard. Blunt received a standing ovation when that song was completed. I get goosebumps from listening to the song now on CD. Amazing how that happens. During "No Bravery," Blunt again performed alone on the piano. He was visually backed by a film he shot himself during his tenure as a peacekeeper. The striking images showed war-torn Kosovo, and children chasing after tanks. It was highly emotional, and he got loads of cheers after the tune. It was a very appropriate selection for the song and for 'wartime.'

Again, not really expecting him to be as saucy as he turned out to be, I was a bit stunned to not witness a mere cute, shy, awkward, mild-mannered guy. Before starting "Tears And Rain," he spoke up; "This next song is a bit high for the men in the audience, so it'll be a sing along for me and the girls. I'm not trying to be unfair, it's just that I sing like a girl myself." And in true rock star fashion, he prompted the girls to toss their bras up on stage at the keyboardist. No one did so after a while, Blunt said, "I don't see any bras up here yet. Don't let me down Vancouver." Who can resist that? A bra suddenly landed on stage at Blunt's feet, to which he responded, "Can I get my tour manager to get this girl an after show pass? We definitely want her in our dressing room." Saucy monkey! That comment of course led to another few bras being tossed stageward.

Humourously, Blunt mentioned, "Do you guys know the song 'Hotel California?' Well, I don't but I know this song..." And off he went into his latest single, "Wisemen." During a quiet moment, a male and female voice shouted out "I LOVE YOU!" to Blunt, who took it instride. "I'd have you both, but I definitely heard a man's voice in there."

As a regular-set finale, Blunt played "So Long Jimmy." Here, he pumped up the energy somewhat, launching off the drum kit and running about. For the encore though, he played the Pixies' "Where Is Mind." The reception for this song was pretty quiet, which is to be expected from a crowd of young teenage girls as this largely was. But, what was missing from this set so far? Oh, right, Blunt's insane smash single, "You're Beautiful." Of course it was part of the encore. You gotta keep the people there who were waiting to only hear that song! There was another huge standing ovation here, which kept the band members on stage to receive their accolades. All in all I'd say a consummate performance from James Blunt.

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler and Melissa Pulsifer
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : April, 2006.