Gig review: JOHN OTWAY – Face Bar, Reading, Thursday 15 December 2022

This time last year when penning my John Otway gig I noted… “Welcome to the Brave New World/1984 as this was the first gig I was asked to show my covid pass. Sign of the times but if it keeps live music and entertainment going then it is a small price to pay considering the hit on incomes artists and venues & their staff have taken these past couple of years.” Fast forward a year, the covid pass is a thing of MySpace and Friends Reunited but some things in life you can rely on and that is a John Otway gig!

He is backed by his Big Band, who have been been together thirty years in January. As Otway was given an honorary doctorate surely his long suffering band each deserve a medal?! They celebrate this event on Gibraltar between January 27-29.

Starting off with the oldest of his two hit singles, the 1977 hit ‘Really Free’ started things off in suitably manic style, swiftly followed by the single’s B-side ‘Beware of the Flowers (‘Cos I’m Sure They’re Going to Get You Yeah)’, which as were reminded sold as many copies as the A-side!

The band really add some ‘oomph’ to ‘Delilah’, where Otway shows his punk rock roots. This reached the dizzy heights of 186 in the singles charts on the back of it being used to advertise Weetabix.

Otway turned seer with ‘I’m Cured (And I Can’t Catch Love)’, which involves plenty of injections in its lyrics, whilst things take a even more bizarre turn with the use of a coat hanger with seven bits of sticky backed plastic on ‘Louisa On A Horse’. This allowed him to roam stage hands free with the mic attached to aforementioned coat hanger. Madonna may have been his inspiration for the idea but bet she couldn’t pull it off on a cold night in Reading…

His other hit ‘Bunsen Burner’ is rocking affair , although sadly no theremin solo, and the use of the venue’s glitterball. Audience participation is key to the success of ‘The House of the Rising Sun’. The start’s as a spoken word call and response, before the band all join in. The bonus is you get a guitar solo (from Richard) and stylophone solo (from Murray), one made the original version and the other didn’t.

‘We Rock’ does just that, an anthem made for the stadiums, or at least reasonably sized venues up and down the country.

‘Seagulls on Speed’, with a finale of Otway wearing a seagull’s head mask, is almost Otway does thrash metal. At the other end of the scale ’Josephine’ clams things down a bit.

For an encore we had ‘I Shouldn’t Be Doing This’ and ‘Geneve’, a gentler song and one of his best.

Get the 8 December in your 2023 diaries folks as he’s back at this venue on that day.

Right now we need the mavericks and one-offs to keep us going & entertained. John Otway is one of the best night’s entertainment and live music you’ll witness this side of a Spinal Tap or Krankies reunion. Legend.

Review by Jason Ritchie

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)