How has Stephen Bunting managed to become an overnight social media sensation? ‘The Bullet’ explains how he has taken his success on the oche to the karaoke room…
“Always believe in your soul, you’ve got the power to know, you’re indestructible, always believe in, ‘cos you are Gold (Gold)”.
‘The Bullet’ enjoys belting out a bit of Spandau Ballet when he’s not throwing arrows.
If you don’t see the man, who has an uncanny resemblance to cartoon character Peter Griffin from Family Guy, at a venue near you, then you’ll find him on social media, where he has developed his own cult following.
So how could a 39-year-old darts player somehow become an overnight social media sensation with his own hashtag Lets Go Bunting Mental (LGBM)?
“It was a bit of a joke at first,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “Me and my son were messing around on the platform. He introduced me to the platform and he showed me how to do some stuff.
“I think the first video was just me and him messing around, miming some stuff, and it just went from there.
“It’s nice to be able show the fans and the people who have supported me that I’m not just a darts player, I have actually got a personality as well. That was the most important thing at the start and I think the more I did it, the more fans I generated, the more followers I received.
“What you see with me is what you get. There’s no showmanship. I try and entertain people with my walk-on but when I play I try and keep focused and try and win but away from the oche you see me telling jokes, singing in karaoke bars, or on TikTok doing daft things.
“I’m just a jovial type of person to be honest and that’s one way I can give something back to the fans so they can see that side of me.
“If they bumped into me in Tesco or Asda, or at a football match, that’s the sort of side of me they’ll receive, not the very serious darts-playing side.”
Bunting walks on to ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta featuring Sia having previously used ‘Bird Is The Word’ in the past, but the Peter Griffin dance proved all a bit too much for the avid Liverpool fan.
“When we play in some of these vast arenas, darts can be won by the width of a wire, but when you’re playing at some of these big arenas you need to focus. Sometimes you need that crowd on your side. The cheering really does get you focused,” Bunting continued.
“When I go to Germany or Belgium I’m still getting that support but it’s really important to keep them on my side. When you’re playing darts it can be a very lonely place but when you’ve got the fans behind you it’s far easier.
“The walk-on songs gets you a lot of fans as well. It’s really important that the crowd have a good time as well, so long may that continue.
“‘Titanium’ is my son’s favourite song so that was the reason behind that and it’s got the bulletproof tag line.
“I got rid of the bird because it was just a lot of hard work. I had to get on stage and do the Peter Griffin dance.”
The St Helens’ thrower fulfilled his lifelong dream when he won the 2014 Lakeside World Championship but soon after joining the PDC, Dutch great Raymond van Barneveld had him in tears with an infamous post-match speech which led to Bunting suffering a dip in form which affected his mental health.
Ten years on and Bunting is back! He claimed his maiden PDC title at The Masters and he now heads to the World Grand Prix in the form of his life, despite losing a hat-trick of Pro Tour finals in Wigan.
Back to karaoke, so what’s Bunting’s go-to song? “I’d say ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet. That’s my number one song. I’ve not done karaoke for a long time but next time I win a big major tournament I’ll be in a bar singing.”
And does he have any future plans? “I’d be interested in going on a TV variety show because that’s my sort of personality,” he said. “I’d like to go and other stuff like I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! or Come Dine With Me, but I don’t think beans on toast will help me win on that show!”
What live darts is next on Sky Sports?
Live darts returns to Sky Sports with the BoyleSports World Grand Prix in Leicester from October 7-13, featuring some of the sport’s very biggest stars.
The annual £600,000 tournament will take place at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester from October 7-13, as 32 of the world’s top stars compete for the coveted title which was won by Luke Humphries.
Then in November, the Grand Slam of Darts will be hosted in Wolverhampton as Luke Humphries looks to defend his title.
Attention then turns to the turn of the year and the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beginning on December 15, as the darts calendar continues to provide excitement throughout the year – and you can enjoy the very best here live on Sky Sports.
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Source : Sky Sports
