Review of Ben Ottewell (Gomez) – The Academy 2, Dublin on Sunday February 27th 2011
Review by James Hendicott
Gomez, for the record, are still going strong. Ben Ottewell’s divergence into a solo career is a blip on the musical map; a brief, loveable aside that’s allowed the vocalist the chance to flex his creative muscles. His day job, in fact, is clearly still on his mind: tonight’s set is a crowd-pleasing mix of Gomez classics, covers, and tracks taken from the singer’s solo effort ‘Shapes & Shadows’. It makes for a happy blend.
Ottewell’s stand out asset has always been his voice. It’s exposure in Gomez, where he shares the vocal platform with band mate Ian Ball, is almost a waste, with Ottewell’s soulful, stark vocals often proving to be among the band’s highlights, especially live. Tonight’s show shows us exactly why: Ottewell’s solo efforts, such as the title track of his new album ‘Shapes & Shadows’ and single ‘Lightbulbs’ fit in nicely with his more well-established work, and utilize his exquisite vocals to the full. Mostly, the themes are similar: love and hurt, the deeper meaning behind objects, symbolism and thoughtfulness.
Surrounded by a stage cluttered with guitars, Ottewell’s performance features nothing more complex that a few changes of electro-acoustic. He performs cautiously and unaccompanied, with each track punctuated by a quick tune up before Ben dives into the next. The audience is attentive to the point of intimidating: Ottewell’s nerves between song are almost palpable, like he’s stripped bare without the band around him. The nerves might even be an aid to his style, with the emotional edge to Ottewell’s vocals one of his greatest assets, and really coming to the fore in a genuinely touching way this evening.
Tonight’s highlights come from a number of sources: covers of Neil Young and Nick Drake are both exceptional, while Gomez classic ‘Little Pieces’ is tearjerkingly delicate, and closer ‘Tijuana Lady’ a memorable – if brief – encore. Ottewell has the mix just right: this is a great taste of what he’s capable of alone, the Gomez selection he picks is both catchy and daring (it includes at least one track that’s normally sung by Ian), and the covers are altered enough to be distinctive and original. While The Academy 2 is far from our favorite venue, it’s sparse enough tonight for the usual visibility issues to fade into the background, making this a sublime taste of Ottewell in a venue not much bigger than a pub. A feather in the cap of the quietly rapturous assembled Gomez fans: this show might not top the ‘show of the year’ polls come Christmas, but for tonight’s small but enthusiastic turn out, it’s something genuinely unforgettable.