John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett

Courthouse Friends pre-sale will start on 21st February at 10am, general sale will start on 24th February.

On Friday 20 April, 1973 the first John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett single, Murder Man, was released on Track Records, home of Jimi Hendrix, Thunderclap Newman and The Who, and produced by The Who’s Pete Townshend at his own Eel Pie studios. Despite the involvement of one of the biggest rock stars of the time, the record failed to trouble the chart compiler, so the pair split.

Now, more than 50 years after that first release, the mismatched but dynamic duo are on the road again with their WHAT THREE WORDS: OTWAY AND BARRETT tour.

Still loved for their total in-yer-face originality, the contrast between the dead pan humour of Barrett and mad onstage antics of Otway are hilarious to watch.  John’s lyrical genius and Willy’s outstanding musicianship (he seems to play almost every stringed instrument known to man, plus a few hybrids of his own making!)

Willy’s interest in making instruments began when he commandeered two guitars made by his dad in 1965. One from an old guitar neck and a scaffold plank which became affectionally known as the Les Dawson, and the other branded the Mk1 Schitstik electric slide of similar pedigree. These instruments were used on many of the early tracks, including Really Free and Racing Cars)

Willy’s remark that “this will be the last time that many of you will see us together again” was often hastily misinterpreted as the final throw of the dice, but the reason given “it’s not us packing up, it’s you lot dying off, you know who you are!” is often overlooked by eager scribes. And so the rumours abound.

Three years ago John celebrated his 5,000^th gig to a packed house at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

For any Otway/Barrett virgins out there who don’t know what to expect, be prepared for everything from bare-chested theremin playing to wah wah wheelie bin as the duo jump from one hit and 40 near misses to another:  An amazing and irreverent performance by two master entertainers.