Ben Ottewell - Weds 5th Dec, The Fleece, Bristol

When I first heard the baritone raspiness of Ben Ottewell, like many I assumed that such a powerful resonating sound must originate from a chain smoking Tennessee whiskey-guzzling Rancher. Not so, to those of us who know him from Mercury Prize winning British indie/rock band Gomez from their rise to fame with debut ‘Bring It On’ to the present day, Ottewell still looks every bit the pasty postgraduate.

Appearances aside there is no doubting that he has one of the most powerful voices of the last 15 years; his renowned throaty howls have been the focal point throughout the band’s journey from UK to US success with 7 albums, numerous international festivals and featured songs on US film/TV shows.  Having avoided the fast-track to obscurity that has befallen previous Mercury winners, Gomez and Ottewell still maintains a loyal fanbase thanks to a prolific studio and live work ethic and a potent cocktail of blues, folk and rock.

 

Tonight sees a mix of tracks from introspective solo debut ‘Shapes and Shadows’, Gomez favourites and a couple of interesting covers thrown in to please the half full polite mid-week crowd. Kicking off with ‘Black-eyed Dog’, a song perfectly selected to introduce the uninitiated to the raw power of what is to follow, the bespectacled singer’s husky howl shakes the glasses on the tables in front of us ala Jurassic Park.  The track is carefully segued into the luscious open-tuning of ‘Free To Run’, a tune written in his teens that bobs and weaves effortlessly, the latter section accompanied by some precision finger-picking.

John Ashton aka support act Little Gem joins Ben for cover ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, Ottewell’s voice actually sounding better than Bill Withers; gruffness replacing soulfulness.  The sweeping strings on the original give way to a rather meandering conclusion of keyboard improv, the song proving less triumphant than it promised.  Where some songs dip in quality and attention wanders, Ottewell can summon up that trademark wake-up-Hades bellow to bail him out.  That’s not to say that there isn’t a smooth and soulful element in there too.  On ‘Chicago’, a solo Nick Drake inspired melancholic trip, we can hear the soothing qualities that are said to put his two young twins to sleep. 

Ottewell sails close to Seasick Steve on the fun ‘Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone’ and penultimate track ’78 Stone Wobble’ has a jazzier feel to it.  “I’m not going to bother with the usual conceit of walking off-stage just to come back for the encore” is the mumbled address as the down-to-earth singer laps up the applause and begins ‘Tijuana Lady’.  After 4 guitar changes and a fair amount of bottled beer, Ben finishes the gig with a stripped down version, passionately delivered with yet more cathedral hall echo.  In all it’s a mesmerizing display from one of the UK’s most original voices and surely worthy of a much greater audience.

The pick of the support acts tonight is the acoustic blues of Ben Pang from Weston, flanked by electric guitars, he energetically delivers an accomplished deep-south take on Dylan.

Kindly published by Venue.co.uk: http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-b/19833-ben-ottewell

Setlist:

1. Black-Eyed Dog
2. Free to Run
3. Shapes and Shadows
4. Get Miles
5. Blackbird
6. Hamoa Beach
7. Chicago
8. Pieces
9. Ain't No Sunshine
10. We Haven't Turned Around
11. All Brand New
12. Rosemary
13. Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone
14. How We Operate
15. 78 Stone Wobble/Not Fade Away
16. Tijuana Lady

Best Track: Watch through link below:

Ben Ottewell - Get Miles


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