Ian Ball & Ben Ottewell-Boys From Gomez
Supported By Buddy
Ian Ball and Ben Ottewell and Buddy
The Espy, St Kilda
26 September 2023
The lads from Gomez, Ian Ball and Ben Ottewell, were last at The Espy in June of 2022. Plans to go had not been made until the evening came along and I decided the venue was a 20-minute walk away and it was 50 dollars.
Simply, I would be turning down a serious joy-making opportunity for no reason if I stayed at home on the couch.
Gomez have visited our shores may times since 2000. Some of those early shows I missed and was finally able to get in a very strange room with them at The Cockatoo Island Festival in 2005. The room, picture here, was The Turbine Room.
It was a warm Easter weekend with a handful of mushrooms to guide us around the Island we made our way to hear their set. The vibe in this room was nothing short of electric and that was before the band hit the stage.
The place was packed, wall to wall, and dancing and singing was on the cards.
Since that time, I have seen countless Gomez gigs, Ben Ottewell solo shows, and the Ian and Ben combo performances.
The beauty of seeing these songs performed with a crowd is that everyone knows the lyrics. Each and every individual has some memory of a fabulous time with a Gomez gig. You can see it on each individual face as they get lost singing or swaying.
Tonight they pulled out (amongst others) Revolutionary Kind, Ries Wagon, 78 Stone Wobble, We Haven’t Turned Around, Get Myself Arrested, Get Miles Away, Whippin’ Picadilly, and Ben’s solo song Shapes and Shadows which was requested from the crowd.
There were tunes from a new trio album called Handbags where Buddy came out and rocked and rolled with Ian and Ben. These songs were fascinating to hear and I look forward to hearing the entire record which at this point is only available at gigs.
Gomez has not released anything since 2011’s Whatever’s On Your Mind. Last year when this same trio played The Espy they did tease us saying something was going to be released. At this stage, I think that there are other forces at work keeping the band apart and what they are I have no idea.
Life is what happens…..you know that.
They have a few more shows down under so go have a look at The Gomez website for details.
You know that feeling you get when you put a Gomez record on and it brings you back to a place and time. The psychedelic tracks of your memories will rise to the surface.
It may not be the entire band, but they do a fabulous job giving us a big old serving of Spicy Gomez.
Go get yourself some. Go get yourself arrested.
