He then hired a band to travel to America with him for a showcase performance at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas. Within weeks he had been taken on by Elton John's management company and negotiated a songwriting deal with EMI.
It earned him valuable live experience, made him some key contacts and gave him a head start when he finally left. By day he would march around Buckingham Palace, and at night he would take his guitar to pubs and clubs, trying out the songs that became Back to Bedlam. After ending his tour of active duty, Blunt volunteered to spend his final six months on ceremonial duty in London in order to get his musical career under way.
