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DATE
11 MAR 2013, MON
TIME
7.30pm
(1hr 30mins, no intermission)
(1hr 30mins, no intermission)
VENUE
Concert Hall
PRICE
$40*, $60**, $80, $100
Limited concessions for students, NSFs and senior citizens: $25*, $45**
Exclusive savings for Mosaic Friends and other packages available
SYNOPSIS
“Gilbert O’Sullivan has finally taken his rightful place as one of the country’s top singer/songwriters… A great evening – a great concert from a great performer.”
– Bristol Evening Post
– Bristol Evening Post
He was the superstar who topped the UK and US pop charts in the 70s with songs of endearing tunefulness, unabashed sentiment and existentialist musings. Today, British singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan continues to be regarded with tremendous affection and his songs remain well-loved around the world.
Gilbert O’Sullivan was born Raymond Edward O’Sullivan in 1946 in Ireland. He moved to Swindon, England with his family when he was 12 and became an amateur boxer and art student at the Swindon Art College.
But he had another love – music – and after a brief stint as a band drummer, he started writing his own songs. Two singles released under the CBS label got little attention. Undeterred, he sent a demo tape to MAM’s Gordon Mills, the man behind Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, and the result, his first single under MAM, Nothing Rhymed, became a UK Top Ten hit in 1970.
More hit singles and a debut album Himself followed. But it was 1972’s bittersweet Alone Again (Naturally) that sealed his fame, topping the USA charts for six weeks and garnering three Grammy nominations. Soon after, he got his first three British number one hits with Clair, Get Down and LP Back to Front. Gilbert was named "Songwriter of the Year" at the 18th Ivor Novello Awards, embarked on an 18-city UK tour and a USA tour, performed sold-out concerts, clocked another UK Top 10 hit with Why Oh Why Oh Why and in 1974 won a second Ivor Novello award.
Unfortunately, a few years later, Gilbert fell out with Mills and, in 1980, rejoined CBS, releasing two albums and six singles to little success. A lengthy legal battle with Mills led to a five-year hiatus. While he re-emerged victorious, he had by then drifted into obscurity. In 1991, he was involved in another lawsuit, this time against rapper Biz Markie for sampling Alone Again (Naturally) without permission. While Gilbert’s win set a new benchmark for protection against copyright infringement, his past chart success proved elusive.
The 2000s, however, have seen Gilbert enjoying a career revival with The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan returning him to the UK Top 20 in 2004, Gilbertville (2011) enjoying success in the UK and Japan where he has a devoted following, and well-received performances at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival and London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2009.
Gilbert is still writing, recording, performing and touring with success. His latest compilation album, Gilbert O'Sullivan: The Very Best Of - A Singer & His Songs (2012) entered the UK album charts at No.12. His latest concerts have received rave reviews for his undiminished voice and “…the enduring quality of his work - the sheer tunefulness, lyrical gymnastics and wit” (Daily Post, March 2012). Come, sit back and enjoy.
