James Blunt reveals he was once in a band with Bear Grylls – and you won't believe the name of it

8 October 2024, 15:07

James Blunt has met and worked with some incredible people.

Since his career took off in the noughties thanks to his debut album Back to Bedlam, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, James Blunt has had some rather memorable moments.

Living with the late Carrie Fisher and recording 'Goodbye My Lover' on the piano in her bathroom is just one of them.

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Another incredible story? Blunt and Bear Grylls forming a two-man band together.

Watch the interview below.

The singer met the adventurer and survival expert at university in Bristol. Blunt told Smooth's Jenni Falconer: "We were in a band together called Limp Willy and the Disappointments.

"And we would go around busking, around the streets of Bristol and we'd stop people, you know, couples and say, what's your name?"

Blunt explains how the pair would sing freestyle lyrics to the strangers they encountered, describing it as "musical mugging".

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"This song would go on for maybe fifteen minutes until the guy would just pull out money and pass just to leave them alone."

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Blunt will be heading on tour next year to celebrate 20 years of his debut album, Back To Bedlam.

He'll perform concerts at Belfast's SSE Arena, Leeds First Direct Arena, Glasgow's OVO Hydro, Manchester's AO Arena and London's O2 Arena in 2025.

There'll also be a remastered reissue of Back To Bedlam, too.

"I thought we should repackage it with some early demos, and milk it for all it’s worth," Blunt said. "It was one of the biggest-selling albums of the Noughties, so here’s hoping it makes a dent in the 20s."

You've probably seen in the news that the singer has made a bizarre promise to fans if the reissue tops the chart.

In a video shared on social media, Blunt has promised to legally change his name to the most popular suggestion from the public by deed poll.

Within hours of it being posted, there had been thousands of comments – and some very interesting suggestions too