John Otway in Stockton-on-Tees

John Otway is an English singer-songwriter and comic performer, born in Aylesbury in 1952. His rock songs draw on punk, folk and pop, and he is best known for “Really Free,” recorded with Wild Willy Barrett, and “Bunsen Burner,” which became his second UK hit after a fan-led campaign. A 1977 appearance with Wild Willy Barrett on the BBC programme The Old Grey Whistle Test became a key part of his live history: during “Really Free,” he jumped onto an amplifier and crashed to the floor while the performance carried on. He later toured both solo and with Barrett, combining songs, comic monologues and physical routines. John Otway staged his 2,000th concert at the London Palladium and his 3,000th at the Royal Albert Hall.