Ben Ottewell @ The Basement,Sydney (7/4/11)

Mon 11th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Gomez create transcendent music, whether it be in the studio or in the concert hall. As a unit it is creativity at a very high level because it is music that speaks not only to your head, but to your hear t and soul. Over the dozen years that I have drunk from their cup, the elixir never fails to shake the same synapses in my body that create a joyful energy.

Ben Ottewell, lead guitarist and one of the lead singers from Gomez, filled The Basement with a gaggle of avid Gomez train spotters. From the opening, with two tracks from his first solo album, the title track Shapes And Shadows and Lightbulbs, you could hear that this man has a singular voice in the annals of rock and roll. With the faithful at hand, he said he would get to their Gomez requests and “it will all work out fine”. But before that, we had him picking and singing a cover of Black Eyed Dog by Nick Drake. You could hear a pin drop as he went through this classic folk piece.

Ben can sing with the gravel in his voice that he is known for and can project his voice a city block. He displayed this as he went through a handful of Gomez songs: Get Miles, Hamoa Beach, Whatever’s On Your Mind (from the soon to be released Gomez album) and Free To Run. Even without the band, those dancing neurons were activated and people were grooving along, gently.

Ben added Neil Young’s Unknown Legend from Harvest Moon and left the stage after the Gomez track How We Operate. The congregation made a tumultuous sound after being so enraptured by Ben that he came back out and thanked us for listening. Finishing with what is arguably one of Gomez’s greatest tracks, Tijuana Lady, Ben left everyone satisfied, joyful and we all await the return of Gomez in July for Splendour. Bring it On!