Gilbert O'Sullivan Celebrating 60 Years of Music

Gilbert O'Sullivan is playing the New Theatre Royal on Wednesday 4 November, part of a series of concerts celebrating 60 years of music. He'll be joined on stage by guitarist Bill Shanley, so it's just the two of them up there.

If the name is familiar but the details are a bit hazy, it's worth a quick look back. Born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland, in 1946, he's been recording as Gilbert O'Sullivan since 1967. He broke through in 1970 with Nothing Rhymed and went on to score 16 Top 40 records, six of them number ones. Among them are 'Clair', 'Get Down' and 'Alone Again (Naturally)', which spent six weeks at the top of the US charts and earned him three Grammy nominations. Over 20 studio albums, he also picked up three Ivor Novello Awards, including Songwriter of the Year in 1973.

For a while, he was known as the 'Bisto Kid' — the grey flannel suit, flat cap, schoolboy tie, football socks and hobnail boots — before he moved into a more collegiate style. These days he lives in Jersey with his wife and two children, and he's still writing and performing. His songs are built on a distinctive percussive piano style and observational lyrics that lean on wordplay.

It's a long run of music to look back on, and this is one of the dates marking it. The show is at the New Theatre Royal, 20-24 Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth, on Wednesday 4 November, starting at 7:30 PM.