Get ready for John Otway’s festive
LET THE festivities begin … John Otway is preparing for his seasonal return to Reading. The English singer-songwriter has built a sizeable cult audience, thanks to his surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.
And, despite having to take a year-off for covid, he has an annual Christmas knees-up at Sub89.
It takes place on Wednesday, December 15, and you can expect to see the singer in a Santa hat, belting out some of his favourite songs.
As a nine-year-old, John knew he wanted to be a pop star, and was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan.
He had to wait until 1977 and the rise of punk before his dream of fame and fortune would finally become a reality. Having caught the eye of the producers of the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test,
Otway’s performance on that show would grab the attention of the watching audience.
Ever the showman, John decided to jump on to the amplifier of his colleague during a performance of
Bob Lind’s Cheryl’s Going Home. Unfortunately, he misjudged his leap and sent Wild Willy Barrett’s amplifier tumbling as he crashed down, straddling the box under the amp.
The full force of the impact was absorbed by the most tender part of his body, but in doing this one simple act of recklessness and his wanton disregard for his own safety, Otway was the talk of everyone who watched that evening’s programme.
Not only did he see a surge in his audiences, sales of his sixth single, the half-spoken love song Really Free increased dramatically and reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart.
Despite numerous attempts to get back into the charts, John would have to wait 25 years for his next taste of chart success.
And in 2002, John achieved what he desired the most – a second hit. A concerted publicity campaign saw him reach number 9 with the disco pastiche Bunsen Burner and a second appearance on Top of the Pops.
In 2016, Otway announced that he was planning to record a new album. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, he will took his band to the Caribbean island of Montserrat to become the first international recording artist to record there since the Rolling Stones in 1989.
The result was Montserrat - the first album of entirely new and original Otway material in over 10 years.
And, of course, he’s also been a regular at Sub89, thanks to Club Velocity.
This year, his support is Tom Webber, a 21-year-old from Oxford.
Club Velocity’s Sid Siddle said: “Tom is already getting London excited, he’s a name to remember.”
The gig at Sub89 takes place from 7.30pm on Wednesday, December 15.