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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
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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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WILLS AND THE WILLING Scuffed Knees (Smash & Grab Music Ltd)
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09:00-12:00 PRAYING MANTIS Defiance (Frontiers)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023
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