One Foot In The Gravy

Introducing himself as a "versatile singer-songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire," John Shuttleworth, takes to the Shepherd's Bush Empire stage in London to showcase his unique brand of eccentric humour, mixing songs played on his organ with tales of life back home in the North.

His opening number, "She lives in hope, but she used to live in Barnsley..." sets the tone for this typically off-the-wall show, as he tells stories about small town Yorkshire and the absurd characters who populate it:

"I was coming out of Netto a couple of years ago. I'd just done a big shop and I saw this woman in a car. She was nutting the steering wheel. I thought 'blimey she's forgotten a major item off the list'. I looked again and I saw, in fact, that she was just trying to pull her seat forward."

With his affable, bumbling persona, Shuttleworth's most simple anecdotes send the crowd into rapturous laughter. Recalling a time he took his wife, Mary, out for dinner at the local carvery, he gets back behind his organ: "Mary had a little lamb/green beans and new potatoes/I had tuna and sweetcorn flan/we served ourselves, no waiters... Because it was a carvery."

And no Shuttleworth show would be complete without a mention of his old friend and next door neighbour, Ken Worthington. He even gives him a ring on stage and lets the audience listen in to their candid and enthralling conversation about shoes. But things turn a little darker as John reveals a little more information about Ken. "He tried to take his life in the canal. But he made the mistake of testing the temperature of the water. And yes, it was too cold for him." And it's a good thing it was, as his quirks provide a wealth of material, not least John's song about him getting a case of bad wind while out camping.

With good-natured buffoonery that will appeal to children, and whip-smart quips to tickle adults ("Some people haven't got a satellite dish up yet have they? If that's you, come on. You're sticking out like a sore thumb"), One Foot In The Gravy delivers a glorious celebration of synth-playing and twaddle-talking.