JUMPING John Otway is on his way to The Artrix and the speakers at the venue must be getting rather nervous by now; that is, if speakers can get nervous, which they probably can't.

A singer, songwriter and comedian, Otway first achieved notoriety with an eye-watering performance on the legendary Old Grey Whistle Test.

A spokesman said: "Otway, ever the showman, decided to jump on to the amplifier of his colleague during a performance of Bob Lind's Cheryl's Going Home.

"Unfortunately for Otway, he misjudged his leap and sent Wild Willy Barrett’s amplifier tumbling as he crashed down straddling the box under the amp.

"Even in the days before Twitter, the buzz around his performance eclipsed every other performance on the show."

A former protégé of Pete Townshend and John Peel, Otway has been denigrating himself for years, defining his failure by the fact that he's managed only two chart singles in three decades.

He had his second success, "Bunsen Burner", in 2002, after he told his network of supporters that he would like another hit as his 50th birthday present. ‘Bunsen Burner’ reached number nine, after 10,000 ordered the single at stores around the UK.

Now the man himself is back on tour and will be performing in his inimitable style at Artrix on Saturday February 4.

Tickets from www.artrix.co.uk or on 01527 577330.