He did it Otway

Wow.

I'd forgotten exactly how good a live performer John Otway really is. We were down at the Sheffield Boardwalk (out of the sun) last night, and the atmosphere seemed a little subdued. Otway himself was sat having a drink in the bar, just looking like the amiable oaf that he is, as the place slowly filled up. Murray Torkildson, Otway's rhythm guitarist, played a short set as a support act and it was an enjoyable start to the evening. After a short break, the band took to the stage ...

"In 1977 'Mull of Kintyre' was number 1, 'Grandma we love you' was at number 8 and this song soared all the way to number 27", was the intro before a blistering performance of 'Cor Baby That's Really Free', and it was followed by a high octane set of Otway classics (including both his hits from a chart career spanning twenty five years, and the seventh best song lyric of the last millennium). There were also a couple of songs from the new album, with the funky 'International Dateline' standing out as the best, although one of the encores 'The Old Fiddler' proved that Otway's violin teacher was probably right all along ...

Richard Holgarth, the lead guitarist, was on cracking form and turned some classic bits of guitar work on 'You ain't seen nothing yet', and the Big Band were as good as I've ever heard them over the last ten years. Otway's mastery of the Theramin is as inspired as ever on 'Crazy Horses' and even the on-stage banter still made me laugh even though I'd heard a lot of the jokes before. Otway is just a natural jester, in the very best sense of the word. Even his 'microstar' preenings have a self deprecating edge to them.

This is a man that I would travel round the world to see, and if all goes to plan, next year I hope to do just that ... :-)