An encounter with this handsome Old Etonian comes in three phases. First, you are impressed by his energy and ability to communicate. Then you realize that all the songs are the same, a series of fast-paced singalong anthems getting worked up about things which aren’t worth getting worked up about; and in the final phase, you think you’ve mistakenly stumbled into a Levellers concert. Judging by the adoring response from his well-heeled young audience, who already know all the words to the songs on his new album Love Ire and Song, we should be very afraid, because success of Bluntian proportions seems just around the corner for the rasping ex-Million Dead vocalist with the frantically strummed acoustic guitar. But his self-awareness, insincere smile and constant thanking of us (and especially his mum) for making him what he is today are irritating in the extreme for all but the most die-hard fans.
--Oliver Gray [April 28, 2008]
