The Clanger loves a laugh, so we jumped at the chance to meet Bedford’s finest ukelele-based comedy act, The Ouse Valley Singles Club (OVSC), to discover what makes Bedford so funny.
With songs entitled Bedford Rascal, Weekend Dad and Facebook Blues, singer and co-songwriter of the OVSC, Tim Barron manages to evoke modern life in all its glory.
“We’re like a musical, modern day William Hogarth,” declares Tim. “Our song Kicking Out Time is our Bedfordian interpretation of The Rakes Progress. We don’t write about the glamour of Bedford (really? – Ed), but rather the ‘warts and all’ side of life and that’s why people can relate to it and laugh at it.”
While training as an electrician, Tim began his show-business career with local band the Two Ton Beavers. But when the band split up, he realised that his inner show-off could not be suppressed. Am Dram followed and Tim was told those immortal Cowellesque words: ‘you could be a professional’. Redundancy from his electricians job followed and Tim realised that this was his opportunity to use the money to follow his dream…
to Loughton in Essex.
A contemporary theatre course at the East15 drama school was not only where he met his wife (and OVSC bass player Amy Martell), but also where he became inspired to take a show to Edinburgh.
In August 2005, Tim and his East15 course mates took a show to the renowned Fringe Festival. ‘Terrorist! The Musical’ became the toast of Edinburgh and provided the springboard for his next project – something that he’d been thinking about for a while – a show about a Gary Glitter tribute artist whose career ends when Paul Francis Gadd is arrested on child abuse charges. Tim and his co-writer/director Jessica Beck took ‘Up The Gary’ to Edinburgh in 2006 and then toured nationwide before heading to the New York Fringe Festival in 2008. Stardom beckoned!
By now, Tim was living in London and following his dream of acting. But the lure of Bedford proved too strong and he soon moved back to his roots. “When I was in London I was totally uninspired. I moved back to Bedford and material just started ‘Ousing’ out of me (see what I did there?). I was surrounded by my kind of people and the humour of Bedford provided me with the basis for the OVSC.”
“I write all the songs with my Uncle Sam – a veteran predator on the Bedford singles scene – so we had a wealth of experience to draw on,” explains Tim. “The Bedford Rascal song is based on me, but almost all the others use my various uncles as inspiration. Within English culture there is a strong history of humorous story-telling through music. From the Victorian music halls to the songs from the wars, through to Peter Sellers, Pete & Dud, the Barron Knights (no relation) and Ivor Bigun, we’ve always enjoyed a laugh through music. Shame Richard Digance killed it really.”
This heritage is at the heart of the OVSC and is a vehicle for Tim to spread the joy of Bedfordshire throughout the land. “I’ve been inspired by Shane Meadows’ work and his devotion to Uttoxeter and the Midlands. I wanted to do that for Bedford. Although each of our songs speaks of our town, they are universally understood because we’re singing about all nondescript part of the country.”
Tim and Amy can be seen at this year’s Bedfringe with a FREE show at The Place Theatre on Sunday 24th July. Performing songs from the OVSC ‘concept’ album ‘Aim Low & Early’, the audience will be invited to become honorary members of the singles club for one night only.
“We performed ‘Up The Gary’ at the first Bedfringe in 2005 and I take my hat off to James (Pharaoh) and the organisers for their dedication in building the festival up over the last five years. No-one expects a town like Bedford to have such a thriving Fringe scene, so we’re proud to be part of it.”
