James Walsh & Ben Ottewell

A concert at The Live Rooms in Chester featuring James Walsh and Ben Ottewell, two singer-guitarists from the British indie and rock scene, in a pop, rock and indie programme.

James Walsh is the lead vocalist and guitarist of Starsailor, the band formed in Wigan in the late 1990s, whose debut album, Love Is Here, was released in 2001. Ben Ottewell is the vocalist and guitarist of Gomez, the Southport band whose debut album, Bring It On, won the Mercury Prize in 1998. Gomez's sound combines blues, folk and rock influences, and its records are built around Ottewell's distinctive voice alongside the band's wide-ranging guitar and percussion arrangements.

The evening brings together two musicians whose work has developed over more than two decades in the British guitar scene, so the programme will appeal to listeners who follow pop, rock and indie songwriting from the late 1990s and early 2000s onwards. Both names are rooted in the same generation of British bands, which gives the bill a shared reference point for those who have followed either group.

The Live Rooms is a venue in Chester that hosts concerts and shows, and it is the setting for this evening. Visitors to the city can find it as a regular stop for live music, with the bill offering a focused night of songs from two established British songwriters.