The big man with the big voice, best known fronting Gomez, is coming to town next week. With his third solo album A Man Apart just released, Ben Ottewell is stepping out of the shadow of his former band. He speaks to ALFRED GORMAN from his home in Brighton about the pros and cons of touring without them, before he kicks of his tour in Perth on Tuesday, June 27 at Mojos and Wednesday, June 28 at The Four5Nine Bar.
Much like you did with Gomez, we appreciate you making the effort to come to Perth. You’ll be in town next week, with your mate Buddy supporting you again I believe?
Yeah, it’s just nice to have a mate on the tour. For years with Gomez, I was used to touring with about 12 guys. I did Australia once by myself, but there’s so many flights and faffing about that it’s nice to have someone around. Plus Buddy’s great!
It must be somewhat liberating touring as a solo artist after all these years. Do you miss that camaraderie of the other guys though?
Yeah, a little bit, but there’s no one whinging. Apart from my own internal whinging. And you get to choose where to eat. You’re not at the behest of a big posse of people. It’s very different. Mainly, when it comes to playing, it’s very different.
Congrats on the new album, it’s a great listen. After three solo records now, do you feel you’re getting better at this solo thing?
I think so yeah. That’s the idea. I think it’s just kind of getting older as well. Hopefully there’s some progress there. It’s hard day to day. I definitely think A Man Apart is a progression. It’s different. I think the songs are stronger as pieces of work. Rattlebag was more riff based – it was very blues based, more of a vibe record. Whereas this is more of a song record.
It’s written under different circumstances. It was recorded in different studios. Different personnel. It’s just got a different feel to it. You don’t want to keep repeating yourself. I kind of explored the craft of the song a bit more with this. Songs like Bones or Watcher – they’re kind of leaning more heavily on a Jackson Browne thing, or even maybe a Joni Mitchell type thing.
What was inspiring you during the song writing for the album – is there a running theme or anything?
I’m finding there’s a hell of a lot to write about and get angry about at the moment. It’s hard to avoid, politically here or in the States, where I spend a hell of a lot of time. It’s hard to avoid this crushing sense [laughs]. While I was writing the record, that was certainly a theme.
You can’t help but have it influence you. We all live in these bubbles, with social media just giving you shit that you like. Or if like me, you read the Guardian, and most of my friends read the Guardian, you live in this kind of liberal bubble, and then suddenly something happens like the Brexit thing and you’re like, who are these people? I don’t recognise these people as my countrymen! I guess with most people around here, it’s just been like this dark cloud…
Although the recent election result is a bit of a silver lining.
Yeah that was good, it was really good. I mean, it was a loss, but it felt like we won. It’s just brought back a bit of fucking optimism and life into UK politics, progressive politics. So that’s been quite good.
Are there specific songs on the album that reference this?
Well A Man Apart is very much about demagogues. I started writing about, initially, this preacher called Peter Popoff – he’s one of these TV evangelist guys, like this faith healer – but he got found out, because he had a little wireless mic in his ear when he was doing this stuff. His wife would be feeding him information out of the audience. So I started writing about that, and I realised, this is just starting to sound like all those guys. Like y’know, Boris Johnson. It’s just about that, and these kind of guys taking people’s hopes and dreams and twisting them and using them to gain power. And also what that must do to the soul of the person doing that. And what kind of person you have to be, to be able to do that.
And then Cradle is pretty much about Tory establishment. A Better Lie, me and Buddy actually wrote the day after Trump got elected.
There’s also some more simple, beautiful songs on there. I really like Steal Away.
Yeah that’s just a love song. It’s more about communication in relationships.
How do you approach songwriting these days as a solo artist – it’s a very different process to working with a band I imagine.
It is different but I nearly always still work collaboratively on some level. Most of the songs are cowritten to a greater or lesser extent. I always find working in partnerships and having someone to bounce ideas off of good. It’s just the way I’ve always done it. I’d never wrote a song before I was in Gomez. Free To Run was the first thing I wrote. So I’ve never been in a position where I’ve just sat down and written alone.
I mean, obviously I’ve written songs by myself, but it’s always been with a sounding board y’know? So it’s just a matter of finding people you trust. It might just be changing a word or two or finding a line, or someone comes up with a verse and I come up with a chorus, or middle eight. I’m not really a guy who can sit around ‘crafting’ something, like working to a brief. Generally, ideas just come. It’s more the kind of Keith Richards school of songwriting, which is the way I’ve always been.
Who are the some of the collaborators you work with on the album?
There’s some really good players on there. John Smith particularly is amazing. He was just down in Australia, playing guitar for Lisa Hannigan. He’s an amazing guitar player, and a top bloke. All the fancy guitar work is his.
You’re a pretty good guitar player yourself!
Yeah, but he’s a bit better. That’s the way I like to work as well really. Just find people that are better than you. The drummer on there is amazing too – he works with Richard Thompson quite a lot.
Have you toured with a band backing you for your solo stuff?
I did try it with the band in the States, and it was awesome. It was great fun. Just a little trio. A drummer and a bass player and me. But y’know, it’s just economics man, pure and simple. And also, as great as it was playing with those guys – it is kind of odd playing with people that aren’t Gomez. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like… like I’m cheating or something. [laughs] Because y’know, I way playing with those guys on stage for 17 years. But the acoustic show is getting pretty good now. I feel like I’m in control of the dynamics a lot more.
Now you’ve release three albums, do you feel you’ve really established yourself as a solo artist now, as opposed to just ‘that guy from Gomez’, and find you have enough solo material to build a solid set? Though hopefully there’s still some Gomez classics in the mix.
Yeah totally – but it’s nice to be able to choose from those albums. I still play a smattering of Gomez here and there, but it’s getting fewer and fewer. Though I don’t think people would let me leave the venue if I didn’t play one or two, do y’know what I mean? It’s normally something like four Gomez tunes and about 12 of my own.
Now I can’t let you go without asking – what is happening on the Gomez front? You guys are on an indefinite hiatus and just busy doing your own things at the moment I guess – but is there a chance you might get together in the future and tour, or maybe even work on some new material?
Yeah, we still talk. And yeah, I think it might be time soon to get out of the shop… but we’ll see. There’s nothing concrete as yet, but we’re talking about it.
