Phil Odgers & John Kettle – The Songs Of Phil Ochs – The Green Note (afternoon), The Aces And Eights (evening) London – 3rd March 2024

Billed as a launch gig for their new album. Far Rockaway, a lockdown project (remember them?) that took on a life of its own, the event sees two representatives from the premier league of the folk rock scene come together to create something altogether yet not completely different!

Phil (Swill) Odgers, front man for the legends that are The Men They Couldn’t Hang, plus John Kettle, guitarist for the more recently promoted Merry Hell may not be the most obvious partnership made on Folk n Roll Tinder, but when Swill swiped right to choose John, he made the right move as their relationship has blossomed and their joy was there for all to see.

But first, a little history.  For those of you unfamiliar with Phil Ochs, he is best known as a protest singer, coming out of the 60s scene but sadly taken from the world by his own hand in April 1976.  A powerful and lyrical writer, a complicated man, compared to Dylan at times (with whom he had a complicated relationship), beset by both anger and self-doubt and a destructive relationship with alcohol. 

From the start, we are offered the hope that those familiar with Phil Ochs will enjoy what they are about to offer, indeed it turns out there are fans from as far apart as Edinburgh, Southern France and Seattle, as well as the wish that the project will introduce more people to the work of an artist deserving of greater recognition. (check our review of Martyn Joseph’s Days Of Decision tribute to Phil Ochs from 2020).

It is also quite fitting and appropriate to the memory of Ochs that The Green Note has quite a crowded coffee house feel to it, despite serving some mighty fine own brand beer.

Having established the pedigree of the musicians it comes a surprise that the opener is delivered acapella by Phil, which makes sense in that there is an immediate focus on the words. Further introductions do acknowledge  the extent of Ochs’ lyricism as Phil (Odgers variety) demonstrates the lyric sheets required to prompt his memory – a three minute song can require 2 typed pages of words!

A little history and explanation are a welcome feature of the between songs links – so we are treated to an education as well as entertainment – all delivered with both respect for the man and his work but with the good natured and self-deprecating humour you may expect from both musicians.


We learn that Swill’s interest in Ochs came about from an early review of his solo work that offered a positive comparison between the two, resulting in further exploration and the inclusion of an Ochs original on his Ghosts of Rock and Roll album.  He is also at pains to point out that, while Ochs is best known for his political activism and protest songs, there was a much more sensitive, introspective side to his songwriting, reflecting the facets of his personality and so both the album and the set list are intended as a reflection of this.

While Phil Odgers is definitely the driver of the project, John is much more than a passenger.  A pattern emerges, when Swill relinquishes his guitar, the following song will be of the more intimate type and John’s guitar work reflects this, both sparse and intricate – accentuating the themes and moods.  Similarly, taken away from his usual surroundings, the richness and warmth of Phil’s vocals are there for all to appreciate.  For the more mid-tempo offerings, John provides counterpoints to Phil’s self-described strumming style and when they reach the belters – those songs, such as the protest classic I Ain’t Marching Anymore, John adds power to the proceedings, aided and abetted by percussive accompaniment via a stomp pedal – these are the songs where their combined musical heritage overlaps most obviously with the current material and their shared smiles say it all!

Of course there are the gentler songs, Celia and Changes, with John giving a shout out for Neil Young’s cover, just as Swill acknowledges Joan Baez for providing Ochs with the nearest he ever came to a much desired hit, with her cover of There But For Fortune a UK top 10 entry in 1965.

The latter exposes 2 tragedies of Ochs work, the personal tragedy of his passing but also the fact that nearly 50 years on from the time of their writing, the subject of his songs are still relevant.  These two themes are also manifest in the way that, even when the songs are more inward looking, they also carry within them universal and political resonance.

Basing a gig around an 11 track album (release imminent and hopefully reviewed on these very pages before too long) requires additional material and so we are treated to 18, finishing appropriately with No More Songs, time for a little fresh air, conversations and (positive) feedback from the assembled throng and an efficient load out in order to head for the second event of the day, brought about as a result of the original booking selling out over the course of a weekend.

~

Aces and Eights, the venue for the evening concert is intimate and interesting but is more obviously a rock venue – a darkly interesting basement where rock and roll dreams are born – again appropriate for a celebration of Ochs – influenced as he was by the likes of Elvis and Buddy Holly as much as the more obvious likes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.

In contrast to the earlier gig, John and Phil divided the set in two – giving more time for interaction with the crowd and more liquid refreshment – we might all be a little older and wiser but we all require some degree of lubrication.  They also seem to perform with a greater degree of freedom, relaxed in the knowledge that the concept works both in terms of the material and their musical partnership.

There are a couple of additions to the evening – Bound For Glory – written to honour Woody Guthrie and one that seemed to evoke more recognition – making it amazing that 2 men with such an accumulated musical history were playing songs that so few know, to their own audiences!  The final encore A Year To Go By gently draws the evening to a close with a reminder of the insight and humanity of a man who died at the age of 35 yet was able to foresee the unfolding effects of the passage of time well beyond that tender age.

At the end they are embraced by audience members, taking delight in thanking them for their delivery of songs they loved but never dreamed they would hear performed live.  If it could be considered a tribute, then in those terms it was a triumph and while never likely to garner the numbers that replicas of Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles might enjoy, there is something so enjoyable and compelling about spending time with two masters of their craft sharing their love and enjoyment of a largely unsung genius.  If you get the chance, go spend some quality time in their company!  The Phil Ochs Wikipedia is a good jump off point and if you do engage with Mr Ochs via Spotify (other streaming services are available) he won’t be able to complain about the income derived!

Let us not leave without a mention of Virginia Kettle, who offered short yet sublime sets at both venues.  Drawing on her more personal songs and with self-revelatory introductions to match, she soon had the crowd eating from the metaphorical hand – listening, laughing, and singing in all the right places.  Taking the opportunity to introduce two new songs – the lyrically majestic Dreaming Of Eden and the engagingly touching intimacy of Old London’ revisiting lost characters from her past and bringing them together in a manner both melancholy and hopeful.  As is her musical superpower, the audience were able to sing along from the second chorus and then repeat the trick as she finished with Violet, her solo tour-de-force from her Merry Hell incarnation!   Currently operating solo, with her Rolling Folk project (the ATB review incoming) and the aforementioned Merry Hell, performing largely different material at each, she will either need to put a brake on her creativity or submit to the process of cloning!

Between the participants and the sadly absent Phil Ochs, all human life was there, and we gloried in it.  Wonderful.

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube