Ben Ottewell, Jackson McLaren@ Notes, Sydney (6/4/11)

Fri 8th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Every adolescent male and his Macbook-pro considers himself a singer-songwriter these days, but in the case of Jackson McLaren, he’d be correct. McLaren opened the night for Ben Ottewell at Notes Newtown and delivered a solid set of original tracks with the kind of honest charm only a country boy can pull off with sincerity.

It’s clear McLaren has clocked up some life experience in his mere 20 years of existence, with his lyrics capturing life from the lens of someone who searches deeper. McLaren is a candid performer, the arrogance that is bred into the musically gifted seems absent in him and his self-conscious stage banter was innocently endearing, securing him many ‘adoring mum’ fans.

By the time Ben Ottewell took to the stage, the intimate venue was packed with an eclectic crowd, a mix of vintage Gomez fans and younger hipster folk with a couple of b-grade celebrities thrown in for good measure. He kicked off his set with the title track from his freshly released solo effort Shapes and Shadows, just him and his acoustic guitars on stage and the room fell silent to his messianic voice.

Smokey, rustic, gravelly – Ottewell’s voice takes you somewhere else. It’s a hard one to define, his voice in the past has been compared to the likes of Eddie Vedder and David Gray. The crowd was soon transported from the RSL vibe of the venue as Ottewell played songs from his latest album with a few Gomez classics; Get Miles and Tijuana Lady and even a Jackson Brown cover. And that’s what’s special about Ottewell, whether he is singing with Gomez, punching out some solo tunes or covering classics, the surrounds become irrelevant as he transports you somewhere else.

It was clear the crowd wanted to stay on the ride as there was a stubborn pull for an encore and audience members bidding for “just five more, just five more”.