Ben Ottewell of rock band Gomez for Róisín show
Ben Ottewell, the singer and lead guitarist in the Mercury Prize-winning rock band Gomez, will play the Róisín Dubh next Thursday, December 11.
Since his first solo release, Shapes & Shadows, in 2011, Ottewell has embarked on a series of successful acoustic tours across the UK, US and Australia. Now with a newly-recorded album of songs for his second solo project, Rattlebag, the singer has returned to the road.
On Rattlebag, Ottewell once again collaborated with childhood friend and Shapes & Shadows writing partner Sam Genders.
“Sam and I grew up together in a little village called Bonsall in Derbyshire,” Ben says. “I love his songwriting — the stuff he did with his bands Tunng and The Accidental, particularly lyrically.”
Last Autumn Ottewell called on his fan base to crowd-fund Rattlebag, and launched a pledge campaign on Indiegogo.
“It seems to be a really honest way to do it,” he said at the time. “Indiegogo lends a kind of transparency into making the record. I feel long-term Gomez followers will really enjoy engaging in this way.”
The experiment worked well and exceeded his fundraising goal, with enthusiastic supporters from around the world contributing to the recording of the album.
Simultaneously stripped-down and lush, Rattlebag is a collection of poetic tales of salvation and redemption and audiences can expect a similar heartfelt performance when he plays live. Doors at 9pm tickets €16/€14.