Blog: A Gavin Osborn Gig

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I headed out to distant WEST London on Friday night, to go and see the delightful Mr Gavin Osborn playing a GIG. When I arrived I was slightly alarmed to find that the venue was a WINE BAR, not a pub. I know things are a bit FANCY, Out West, but I hadn't been prepared for THIS.

I eventually discovered that the GIG bit was downstairs, so went down expecting a much more homely affair... only to find that it was one of those gig venues that do not wear their history LIGHTLY. There were huge murals EVERYWHERE of the Famous Faces that had played there Back In The Day (Paul Simon figured prominently), a fancy PA system (which the tiny room didn't really need, but still), DIMMED lights, table service and later on some people in CRAVATS. It was like they'd read a book about BOHEMIAN BARS and tried to recreate it. I get a bit On Edge about that sort of thing, mostly because it reminds me of ghastly places like KOKO in Camden that scream "OOH WE ARE A GIG VENUE! THAT'LL BE FIVE POUNDS FOR A COCA COLA!" and expect you to be excited just because they've booked a band. It wasn't as bad as THAT of course, it just felt like a bit weird to have a place try SO VERY HARD to be BOHEMIAN, but then charge prices at the bar that no ACTUAL bohemian would ever be able to afford. MOANING!

Everything became JOY and MAGIC once I stepped into the room and said hello to Gavin, who was just off to do his soundcheck. He's one of those people I only ever see very rarely but wish I saw a lot more off, on account of him being a GRATE CHAP and also being BRILLIANT at doing the songs. I sat down with his PALS, where I discovered that I wasn't the only one who'd been STRONGARMED into having a COCKTAIL by the nice, if STERN, bar lady. I have POSSIBLY mentioned this before, but man alive - cocktails! they're so annoying! They take AGES to make, cost about a MILLION QUID, are not actually all that nice, and you've drunk the LOT within about five minutes! I stood my ground for the rest of the evening and had PINTS instead, and GOLLY I was glad I did - they had some Proper German Purity Law LAGER on the go, and not only was it DELICIOUS but the next morning I felt fresh as a daisy. ACE!

Gavin was on first and he was ACE. What I love about his songs is that they're not just funny, or Searingly Accurate, but they're also really TOUCHING. I honestly welled up THREE (3) times during his set, especially during "Sweet Bedford" when i thought I was going to just BLUB. It's such a shame he's not better known on the MUSIC side of things, rather than the COMEDY circuit, as he's a MAGIC songwriter and also DEAD GOOD at performing them too.

After he'd finished things took a bit of a turn towards the FOLK-JAZZ so people moved into a BOOTH at the back of the room. I know i have MOANED about the venue being a bit Posh-BOHO but it was ACE having these little seating areas, as a group of us could sit together and have a GOOD OLD CHAT, which we did for another hour or so. I had a LOVELY time, it was like going to the PUB or something, not least towards the end when Mr Osborn came back and we did some SHOP TALK. Man, i LOVE Talking Shop! It's something i RARELY get to do, and when I do it's generally in a RUSH at the end of gig or something, so it was GRATE, also INTERESTING to get to Talk Shop with someone who seems to be facing the similar RUMINATIONS to what I am. SO interesting was it, in fact, that it later gave me an IDEA for a TALKING SHOP FORUM that I might actually get round to DOING later in the year... when everything ELSE is done and dusted anyway.

But that would wait for another time - as it was I finished my DELICIOUS beer and headed back to the tube and the OLD EAST END. See you again, West London!

posted 5/7/2011 by MJ Hibbett

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