BY James Blunt’s own admission he’d already played the same show here in April, as part of his epic Moon Landing tour. But tonight was different in many ways.

For a start, he’d handpicked young Bournemouth singer-songwriter Drew Allen as the only support act for the night. A shrewd move, as Drew kept the 4,000 strong local crowd entranced with his beautiful folk-rock songs such as The Deal, Whistling Tunes and Only Just Begun.

It must have been an intimidating experience playing to such a large audience, but Drew let the quality of his debut album Sydney Afternoon do the talking. Surely stardom must now beckon for this home-grown talent.

Speaking of the stars, James Blunt was reaching for them while dressed in a spacesuit for the night. The unusual clobber was part of the promotion for his latest album, Moon Landing that has just been reissued this month.

If you follow James on Twitter, then you’ll know he’s actually very down to earth and this was all done strictly tongue-in-cheek. Snug spacesuit aside, James and his band put on an energetic and highly entertaining show that seamlessly contained a mixture of both old and new numbers.

James is a natural performer and looked at home leaping from speakers, running amongst the audience and even doing a stand-up routine with his ukulele. The night saw plenty of fan favourites such as Goodbye My Lover, High and of course You’re Beautiful.

But there was also room for a stomping cover of Slade’s Cuz I Love You and a live premiere for brand new track, Smoke Signals. The encore yielded more hits that included the stand-out single Bonfire Heart from his new album and a happy clappy rendition of 1973.

A great night for music, made better by the multi-talented host and his self-deprecating wit.