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Location: Kent, United Kingdom

A 50 year old wet blanket.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

I am at a secret London gig by Grant Lubbock, formerly of grizzled Americana band The Novotels. He walks onstage at 9.30 p.m., just him and an acoustic guitar and says, 'I got here on the Northern Line.' This gets a communal laugh and a round of spontaneous applause. He then launches into a diatribe about George Bush and his English puppy Blair, followed by a montage of Woody Guthrie songs. The evening flies by as we are held rapt by a master songsmith at the peak of his powers. Novotels classics are mixed with covers of songs from the fifties to the noughties, including an hilarious piss-take of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful'. He finishes off with a few songs from his forthcoming solo album 'Porch Songs', and off we go boldly into the London night, uplifted and full of hope. On the way home I realise it's the first time I've seen Grant sober.

8 Comments:

Blogger Wyndham said...

I thought James Blunt's You're Beautiful WAS a piss-take - ah well, another illusion shattered!

Thanks for the link, most kind!

1:25 PM  
Blogger Geoff said...

You're welcome, Wyndham. At work I have to listen to Heart 106.2 who usually pick up on singles released 6 months previously (Hey Ya!, Lola's Theme). But this one they've latched onto straight away, calling it 'the most romantic song of the year'. Ideal for a wedding, then: 'You're Beautiful, it's true', followed by Spandau Ballet's 'True', followed by Lionel Richie's 'Truly'.....

3:43 PM  
Blogger Wyndham said...

Time to change jobs, I'm thinking. Someone was telling me the other day that the James Blunt album was bought lock, stock by one of the major record companies from a tiny label for £50,000. Considering it has now sold three billion or so, that's one hell of a return. File Under: Go figure.

8:49 AM  
Blogger Geoff said...

Bloody hell. Was that the little known label Upper Crust Records? Previously home to David Dundas?

1:38 PM  
Blogger Mark Gamon said...

James Blunt has an ALBUM????

2:51 PM  
Blogger Betty said...

Today, on Teletext (the poor people's internet) I saw James Blunt described as the new Chris De Burgh. So simple and yet so apt that I'm surprised it hasn't been said before ... except that it probably has.

4:42 PM  
Blogger Mark Gamon said...

A NEW Chris de Burgh? Forgive me - I'm trying to keep my dinner down...

9:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeez, me too. Haven't we suffered enough.

1:50 AM  

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