email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 200 March Oxford’s Music Magazine 2012 ParParParParPartttttyyyyy Time!Time!Time!Time!Time!

SpringSpringSpringSpring OffensiveOffensiveOffensiveOffensive celebratecelebrate Nightshift’sNightshift’s 200th200th issueissue Interview with Oxford’s brightest young things, inside

plus A look back over 200 issues of Oxford music Introducing - JADA PEARL and all your local music news, reviews and previews NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255

Musically too Oxford has remained an incredibly vibrant city. Looking back on old issues we’d forgotten so many band names but the list of local success stories is quite staggering – from Foals, Stornoway, Dive Dive and Fixers to NEWNEWSS A Silent Film, The Rock Of Travolta, Youthmovies and Jonquil. Something we’ve always been proud of at Nightshift is our unstinting Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU support of new local acts, both through reviews in the magazine to putting Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] on the Oxford Punt each year to showcase what’s best among the new flock Online: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net of talents coming through. The flipside is we sometimes deal out the occasional critical thick ear to those in need of a lesson in quality control or musical taste but there you go: you can’t make an omelette without being a th HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE 200 ISSUE OF NIGHTSHIFT complete bastard sometimes.

How we’ve made it this far is anyone’s guess, but stubborness, blind A list of our personal highlights and lowlights over the past 200 issues might optimism, dedication to the cause and quite possibly being institutionalised just go on forever so, to avoid wallowing too deeply in nostalgia, we’ve and unemployable in the real world are all contributing factors. opted to pick our 20 favourite gigs by Oxford acts since 1995 – those shows In a way celebrating this 200th issue is slightly misleading. Nightshift may be that kept our enthusiasm at boiling point and set themselves in our 200 under its current name but in an earlier life and going under the name memories, hopefully forever. Of course there will be ones we’ve missed, but Curfew, we’ve been at it for 21 years and 245 issues. Never mind a card from again, short of compiling an exhaustive list, we simply couldn’t fit the Queen, an OBE might well in order. everything in.

So much has changed since the first issue of Nightshift hit the streets in July Anyway, short of sitting here blowing our own trumpet for all the 1995. For starters there was no such thing as the internet as far as most magnificent things we’ve done over the years, we’ll leave the nostalgia people were concerned. Gig listings were harvested by phone, there was no there. There’s a whole month of great gigs out there to enjoy and new bands way of simply logging on to one of any number of listings websites to find to discover. Which is where you come in: without people going out and out what was happening and if you wanted your demo reviewed you sent us a seeing live music, all those great venues will cease to be and the next cassette with a hand-written letter to explain yourself. Are we sounding generation of musicians will have nowhere to learn their trade and become suitably ancient yet? the next Ride, Radiohead, Supergrass or Foals. So do us a favour – go and see a couple of bands you’ve never heard of this month and give your ears a To cover all the stuff that’s happened over the past 200 issues we’d need a treat. In fact, go and get yourself an all-venue Punt pass for May 16th and bumper issue as thick as an Argos catalogue, but the printing bill would you can tick off a dozen or so of those bands in a single night. Don’t say bankrupt us. When Nightshift started out the two main venues in town were we’re not good to you. The Hobgoblin on The Plain (later renamed The Point; now The Cape Of And of course as long as there’s great music going on in Oxford Nightshift Good Hope) and The Elm Tree on Cowley Road (now a Chinese restaurant). will be here to write about it. Seriously, what else are we going to do? Get a Soon after we started The Zodiac was opened and for a few years Oxford’s proper job? No, we’re here for the long run. Or at least until the men in music scene was solid and reasonably secure, regaining some of the ground lost white coats carry us away, or our bank manager finally runs out of patience. in 1994 when The Jericho Tavern, The Oxford Venue and The Hollybush all closed. Of course The Point was to be closed down and the Zodiac is now an Cheers Academy but today the local venue scene is as secure as it’s ever been. Ronan Munro - Nightshift editor

TRUCK FESTIVAL is set to return this year, “We heard about the struggle that Truck had despite going into administration in 2011. gone through last year and then bumped into As reported in the online version of last month’s Robin at the UK Festival Awards. We were keen Nightshift, the running of Truck Festival has to see if there was anything we could do to get been taken over by the promoters of Y Not involved, so we sat down over breakfast the Festival in Derbyshire, which has run for six following day and got a feel for the situation. Y years and won Best Grassroots Festival at last Not has been fortunate enough to have enjoyed a year’s UK Festival Awards. The new organisers great couple of years and it seemed that we might hope to take Truck back to its roots as a local be in a position to help. community festival. “We’re looking at a `back to basics’ approach. We’re still working on stuff as it’s early days but I In a statement on the Truck website, Joe and think things will be more how they were in 2008: Robin announced, “We have always felt a great a great ticket price, a great site, great bands and a responsibility for the integrity and sustainability great festival. Truck built it’s reputation as a of Truck Festival, which grew so quickly and with leading festival on these elements and that’s what such enthusiasm from very humble beginnings in we want to see a return of. There’ll only be three 1998. Via Truck’s unique catering arrangements stages but they’ll be packed with only the best with the Rotary Club, tens of thousands of music. One of the things that’s gone down pounds have been raised for charities and good Gruff Rys at Truck 2011 particularly well is the return of the barn. causes every year, including last year, and many “We’re not trying to replicate Y Not, but there great bands have taken their first steps to “We are glad to say that, rather than finish for will no doubt be similar bookings in places. We’d international prominence. good or be in corporate hands, the festival in love to get someone like Bombay Bicycle Club, “However, after a notoriously difficult summer 2012 will go back to basics under the management but I guess we’ll have to see how it goes. The first of trading for Truck Festival, and festivals in of the Y-Not team. We feel they are the right step is to drop ticket prices. I won’t bore you general, we have decided it is time for us to step people to take on the event, give it a fresh start with the back end stuff, but we’ll make sure that down from our role at the event. and rebuild it over the next few years, and we the budget doesn’t get squandered on planning “During the 14 years of its existence, since we hope you’ll give them your full support.” inefficiencies. This means we can reinvest it into started it round our kitchen table, the festival has The dates for this year’s Truck Festival have a line up, sound system and festival layout that suffered various threats and disasters and taken on been announced as the 20th - 21st JULY at Hill gives the fans what they want.” a life of its own. We like to think it has brought Farm in Steventon. joy to a lot of people. It’s right for this tradition, Early Bird tickets for this year’s Truck are on with so many benefits to the community, to Speaking to Nightshift after the takeover, Y Not sale now, priced £59, from continue; a chance encounter with the organisers director Ralph Broadbent explained how he came www.truckfestival.com and the Truck Store of Y-Not Festival in Derbyshire has given it the to take over Truck and what local festival goers on Cowley Road. Thereafter tickets will revert opportunity to do so. can expect this year. to a standard £69 for the weekend. photo: Johnny Moto sponsorship.” the communityand tosecurecrucialfundingand attract helpandparticipation fromallpartsof can be,weuse the18monthleadtimeto “Inaddition,tomakeCarnivalthe bestthatit sense toholdonuntil2013. have reachedtheconclusionthatit makesalotof groups andpeopleconnectedtoCarnival and “We have consultedwithmanycommunity make Carnivalsomagical. even moreofthecommunity-focusedeventsthat Community Procession,musicperformancesand to returnin2013withtheSchoolsand and wecanbenefitfromalongerplanningperiod break, thecommunitycanfocusonallofthese Jubilee andtheOlympics. We feelthatbytakinga year, withmanyeventsaroundtheDiamond explained: “ThereisalotgoingoninOxfordthis Hole, chairoftrusteesCowleyRoad Works, statement atthebeginningofFebruaryJohn decision toputofftheeventuntil2013.Ina CARNIVAL THIS YEAR THERE WILLBENOCOWLEYROAD the Nightshiftforumon year’s This before. and youcan’tplayifyou’veplayedthePunt details. OnlyactsfromOxfordshiremayapply PUNT andincludebothphoneemailcontact 1ZU to Nightshiftat [email protected] emailing onlinemusiclinksto Punt circuit: Thepassesallowaccesstoallfivevenuesonthe from Foals’firstbandElizabeth. Little Fishand Yannis PhillipakisandJackBevan Stornoway, Fixers, Young Knives, A SilentFilm, provided earlyexposureforthelikesof venues inthecitycentre.PreviousPuntshave 20 ofthebestunsignedactsinOxfordacrossfive evening of This year’s OxfordPunttakesplaceacrossthe or are available,priced£8,from OXFORD PUNT ALL-VENUE PASSES FOR THIS YEAR’S until 10 LocalbandswantingtoplayatthePunthave Junction The Wheatsheaf Truck Store . Inbothcasespleaseclearlymarkyourentry th Marchtosubmitdemos,eitherby . Wednesday 16 Punt line-up The Purple Turtle onCowleyRoad. PO Box312,Kidlington,OX5 , havegoneonsale.100passes The Duke’sCut 15 willbeannouncedon th . Organisers tookthe th May March orsendingaCD oxfordmusic.net , andshowcases The Cellar . and The , The folkweekendrunsfrom Oxford FolkFestivallastyear. into thevoidleftbycancellationofThe THE OXFORDFOLKWEEKEND Fire Station dances andinformalmusicsessionsat with aseriesofconcerts,workshops,ceilidhs, Store Daycelebrationson April 21 their songlivein-store aspartoftheRecord Telecaster guitaraswell thechancetoperform winning entrywillwinanexclusive ACPG Fender Shop staffwillthenpicktheirfavourite andthe rough versionofitandsendtoTruck Store. the Oxfordmusicscene,pastorpresent, recorda local bandsandsongwriterstowrite asongabout of musicinOxford,TruckStoreare challenging To celebrate thevibrancyandillustrioushistory song-writers. documentary tolaunchacompetitionforlocal producers ofthe TRUCK STORE for morenewsontheband. the EdisonBrothers. Visit feature theworld’s first Wax CylinderDJsetfrom Half MooninPutneyon19 TheORFSBplayaspeciallaunchpartyatthe the originalequipmenttoplayiton. ever made,willsetyouback£25andyou’llneed most unusualitemsofOxfordmusicmemorabilia 90 years. A copyofwhatislikelytobeonethe cylinders havebeenproducedcommerciallyfor April asalimitedrunof25–thefirsttimewax the shop [email protected] or Winchell Riots’PhilMcMinn,isreleasedon19 month. ‘Greg’s GreatsRecordShop’,producedby BAND THE ORIGINAL RABBITFOOT SPASM www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk £46 (£40concessions;£30forunder-18s)from Tickets fortheweekendareonsalenow, priced Emily Spiers&TheTunesmiths. The Bees,ShortDragRoger,Skepticsand Trio, IanGiles,Boldwood,JamesBell, Telling Acts alreadyconfirmedincludeMawkin,Crucible number oflocalfolkgroups. problems. Thenewweekenderistheworkofa Festival wascancelledlastyearduetofinancial DespiteitsgrowingreputationtheOxfordFolk announced. Memorial Church releaseanewsingleaswaxcylindernext , the Ashmolean Anyone CanPlayGuitar hasteamedupwiththe andothervenuestobe www.rabbitjazz.co.uk th April, whichwillalso 20 , th The Wesley –22 . st /22 issettostep The Old nd nd April . Email , th single intheshoponFriday16 Finally, show at of anewremixalbumtheirsongsatlaunch THE HALFRABBITS performance times. or onlineatwww.raptureonline,co.uk for Saturday 3 their newalbum,‘PointOfGo’inthestoreon The Cellarlaterintheevening. perform anacousticsetaheadoftheirshowat through March.On Thursday 1 TruckStorealsohostsahostof April. podcast at bands. Theshowisavailabletodownloadasa featuring interviewsandlivesessionswithlocal the bestOxfordreleasesanddemosaswell on 95.2fm.Thededicatedlocalmusicshowplays Oxford Introducing Visit comes fromListingShipsand The CellarFamily. the showare£5inadvance;supportonnight Mendoza andMondayMorningSun.Ticketsfor Tamar, Contributors tothealbumincludeGunningFor AS EVER the band. bring aCDintotheshop!Deadlineforentryis1 nightshift.oxfordmusic.net about something and nothing–visit for bandmatesor simply haveabloodygoodrow other Oxfordmusicians andgig-goers,advertise local musicnewsaswellthechance tochat Nightshift’s onlineforumalsofeatures breaking sessions. podcasts, aphotogalleryandoccasional live also featuresinteractivereviews,interviews, online at Regularlyupdatedlocalmusicnewsisavailable regular updates. Follow them@pindropmusicontwitterfor well aslivestudioperformancesfromguests. international acts,oldandnew, youngandold,as Cunning playamixoflocal,nationaland www.thisisfakediy.co.uk Wednesday nightat8pmvia Radio. Thelocalpromoters’showairsevery Pindrop Musicshow Meanwhile,PindropPerformanceshostaweekly on Saturday24 show at GAZ COOMBES www.wegottickets.com/oxfork sale, priced,£16,from Tickets, ifthereareanyleftbynow, areon as sheetmusicthismonth. single, ‘Quiet As A Mouse’ asadownloadand Family Machine Supportfortheeveningcomesfrom Colbert. Charly, aswellformer-RidedrummerLoz Gaz’s livebandwillfeaturehisbrother release inMay. producer SamWilliams.Thealbumisduefor has beenrecordingwith‘IShouldCoco’ album he willplaysongsfromhisforthcomingdebut once againtopresentafullbandshowwhere teamed upwithBeardMuseumandOxfork out showsat The RotundainIffley, Gazhas solo debutinDecemberwithabraceofsold- www.halfrabbits.co.uk New RoseHotel,ListingShips, Tiger Robots With Soul Robots With The Cellar www.musicinoxford.co.uk ‘Here ComeTheBombs’ rd , don’tforgettotuneinto bbc.co.uk/oxford , while East OxfordCommunityCentre th Foxes! March.Havingmadehis on everySundaynightat9pm , whoreleasetheirnew onFakeDIYInternet

willbegivingawaycopies plays aspecialintimate . SebReynoldsandJames Saturday 17 playonSaturday10th. launches hisdebut . formorenewson . th st . Checkinstore , Jonquil Allo Darlin instore shows BBC th . Thesite , whichhe March launch The ’ . st a quiet word with SpringSpring OffensiveOffensive

someone so close to me that my life had changed irreparably, and then imagine crawling out of that hole. It was only when we all started imagining together and started writing as a band that it felt like what we were doing was in some way wrong. Exploitative or something. I remember feeling a bit sick about it. We have never been so deep into a subject, and the fact that it ended up being 14 minutes long was just because we were writing so much. We all found a connection to the track. The song started to be about the writing process itself, and us imagining the Kubler-Ross tragedy. Not only the tragedy she writes about, but also the tragedies of her own life. I spoke to the Kubler-Ross Foundation a few times and asked them if what we were doing was okay. We became so wary about treading on someone else’s story. ‘Write what you know’ just felt so restrictive.”

PERHAPS AS A REACTION TO such an elaborate project, subsequent Spring Offensive releases – last year’s ‘A Stutter & A Start’ and new “NOBODY WANTS TO MAKE quite like that. One person getting wrong with that, I guess. Moving on single ‘Worry Fill My Heart’ – have forgettable music. One day we think into your band, no matter how is always part of the process. It was seen a return to shorter, simpler but ‘fuck it, we play straight-up indie influential they are, probably isn’t right for us at the time though, and no less engaging songs; was ‘The pop’, the next we worry that we are enough, and it took another year afforded us the chance to put serious First Of many Dreams About working on something too dirgy and before we were first played on Radio thought into what we were doing. A Monsters’ a one-off concept or can self-involved. Maybe it’s that 1. Also, he can be a hard bastard; song like `Every Coin’, for example, the band imagine tackling big ideas balancing act and that self-confusion without going into too much detail, is not an ill-informed rant; Matt and like that again? that people like.” he sent us a furious missive that I saw a dystopian play at Latitude MATT: “We didn’t know elicited a grovelling apology from us. that mentioned muggers actually ‘Monsters’ was going to be such a SPRING OFFENSIVE GUITARIST Next time we were interviewed by forcing people to eat their wallets. It strange beast. It changed us, but we Matt Cooper is pondering the appeal him was a little cagey.” was a good idea, and with a good were so worried that people thought of his band in response to idea, writing a song can be quite we were pretentious or trying Nightshift’s suggestion that it’s their WHETHER THAT EARLY RUN-IN easy.” desperately to be different that we fine balancing act between simple with Tom Robinson served as a thought that we better do something melody and exploring the musical lesson learned, Spring Offensive SPRING OFFENSIVE’S NEXT a bit more straight up. Which I guess path less travelled. have never looked back since that move was as bold as it was is what `A Stutter and A Start’ was, It’s a balancing act the local quintet opening salvo. Local gig-goers and unexpected: a fourteen-minute but it still tells a story. An honest have been negotiating with fellow musicians were quickly rapt by concept single, ‘The First Of Many and personal one too. Yes, it’s not increasing returns, both creatively their fleet-footed take on math- Dreams About Monsters’, based on 14 minutes long, but we have no and in their popularity, for the past inflected rock, their experimental the idea of Swiss psychiatrist intention of being pigeonholed by two years, since they hit the ground sense of adventure never allowed to Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ grief cycle in our own work. It’s a different, maybe running with a debut demo that had dominate great tunes that stick her 1969 treatise On Death & even more difficult, challenge to 6Music’s Tom Robinson getting all around in your head, nagging away at Dying. condense a ‘big idea’ to just three frothy even before they’d played a you like the finest pure pop music. Here in literary-minded Oxford minutes and it to not feel empty.” proper local gig. Tunes like ‘Every Coin’ and ‘I we’re used to bands tackling The new single, ‘Worry Fill My “Tom Robinson’s enthusiasm was Found Myself Smiling’ from the recurring themes across an album Heart’, deals with dead-end jobs and pretty infectious, explains Lucas band’s debut album, ‘Pull Us Apart’, (notably Borderville) but fitting such the way life doesn’t always turn out Whitworth, Spring Offensive’s which really stamped their presence complex ideas into a single song was how you had hoped; how much of startlingly talented, startlingly tall on the local scene, earning them a particularly ambitious. that comes from personal vocalist. “We’d been playing place on the Oxford Punt in 2010, MATT: “I remember reading about experience and how do you tackle a together in garages and at school for and prompting Nightshift to declare the grief cycle and just thinking that subject like that with a fresh a couple of years, but never taking it that “everything they do feels airy it could make a pretty interesting approach? seriously, so when we put out our and alive.” structure for a song. I started reading LUCAS: “We don’t want to appear first track, and Tom came on and LUCAS: “We tend not to play any On Death and Dying and it just kind ungrateful, but we’ve all worked jobs said we’d restored his faith or of the songs from that record live of spiralled from there. Without where we’ve thought, `am I realising something like that, we had this anymore, as they don’t fit with being melodramatic, it was probably my potential here?’ So many people thought of, `yeah, people are going we’re doing right now or properly a little unhealthy. I wanted to we’ve met at shows, or our friends or to love us!’ In reality it doesn’t work express who we are. There’s nothing imagine what it was like to have lost family, are ending up doing Jonquil flattering, but if we sound for them in their country and they fantastically oppressive electro-grind something that they hate, and at the similar it has always been purely made a big effort to come and chat of Necro Deathmort, Spring moment it’s hard to get out of that accidental.” to us after the shows, which was Offensive’s fidgety, airy, at one cycle. You can’t go elsewhere, LUCAS: “Youthmovies were my really touching. We’re going back in point a cappella, performance felt because there isn’t anywhere to go, favourite band when I first came to April and we can’t wait.” like, well, spring sunshine after a but if you stay where you are then Oxford – I’d go and see them A sign of just how popular Spring particularly harsh winter. The sudden everything becomes so grey and whenever I could. I still love their Offensive have become in Oxford shift in mood seemed to really featureless. That doesn’t make for music and ethic, but as Matt says, it’s came when the band’s ‘secret’ show capture the imagination of the interesting music, so we make it into totally unrelated to what we do. I before Christmas sold out as soon as audience there. a panic attack. Likewise the b-side, love them independently of Spring it was announced. Does that give THEO: “That’s very flattering! But `Carrier’, is also about physically Offensive!” them an idea of how you’ve I reckon if anything the crowd were feeling something, and opting for It wasn’t simply Youthmovies’ progressed over the past two years? probably more confused by the shift that rather than suppression and music that provided some of those PELHAM: “It was certainly a than out-and-out into our set. I drifting around the same ever- initial sparks of inspiration for lovely surprise. Any progress we’ve think acts like Necro Deathmort and shrinking circles. People need an Spring Offensive. Their DIY ethic made has always felt wrenchingly Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club outlet. I mean, why do people go to and desire to organise their own slow at the time. For every success challenge people, sometimes in a gigs? Right now, we’re trying to tours and to play shows in unusual there are many failures, and it’s way that can make you want to share something exciting in settings has also rubbed off on them. pretty hard to see the wood for the evangelise about it on a diet of everything we do. It’s an obligation, Lately Spring Offensive have trees. However there are moments locusts and White Lightening. Our a compulsion.” performed at the Ashmolean and when something amazing happens – music perhaps doesn’t push people worked with performance artists a heaving album launch, a big-time to quite those extremes. But we’re GOING BACK TO THE VERY Curious Directive at Green Man review or an amazing support slot – kind of used to being billed with beginning, Spring Offensive formed bands that we sound absolutely at school in a rather different nothing like. What we’ve found is incarnation to the tight five-piece “So many people end up doing something that it’s never good to try and fighting unit we know them as change your set to suit the night. (alongside Matt and Lucas are bassist that they hate, and at the moment it’s hard Just do what you do.” Joe Charlett; guitarist Theo On the completely opposite end of Whitworth and drummer Pelham to get out of that cycle. You can’t go the gigging scale, you also played the Groom). elsewhere, because there isn’t anywhere to Rotunda in Iffley with Gaz Coombes PELHAM: “We were all in different at the end of last year; how was bands at school and they gradually go.” that? You’d worked with him before, merged in to one. We bonded as producer. musically over The Cooper Temple LUCAS: “That was a magical show. Clause and Hope Of The States, but Festival. that makes you feel like you’ve The atmosphere in there was we hadn’t the faintest clue how to MATT: “A lot of what we do stems made a quantum leap, like an event something else and it felt like a make music like that. It didn’t help from an interest in theatre. We all from a more successful future has special gig. When I was growing up that at that point it was really more wrote music for a theatre show in dropped in to the present. Then you in Argentina, we didn’t get much UK of a gentlemen’s club than a band. 2009, which went to Latitude play The Pig and Whistle the next music beyond the `NOW’ CDs, and I We had nine members, but we all Festival, and a lot of our day and you forget all about the good remember dancing around like an played the same instruments, so we backgrounds are theatre-based. We times. In the words of Les McQueen: idiot to songs like `Alright’ and had three singers, three guitarists, are pretty hooked on offering `It’s a shit business’.” `Moving’, so getting to know Gaz two bassists and two drummers in a audiences an experience more out of MATT: “We left it all a bit late to and playing a show with him is a rotating line up - one of the many the ordinary, whether that is a gig in be honest. It was a bit of a nightmare little surreal, really. He’s a lovely reasons we were terrible. We wrote a non traditional venue or being in fact. The day we sold all of our guy, and he’s worked with us on and recorded some awful songs, spent involved in a show like the Curious tickets, the first venue said ‘actually mixing our two forthcoming singles. huge sums of money printing up a Directive one, it just gets our rocks we have changed our minds’. It was a He knows how to get the best out of thousand copies of a dire EP (which off. little not-to-be-named shop on the us!” we still have in attics and under beds) “Green Man Festival was awesome Cowley Road. The next two weeks With a new single out this month and generally made all our rookie and the performance itself was crazy. were a frantic mess of phoning in and a steadily growing back catalogue mistakes while no one was watching. Writing for Spring Offensive doesn’t favours and lying to people, saying to their name, we wonder, finally, Looking back, we realise that all of allow us to be too off the wall but everything was all set and going just when we might hear a full Spring our friends were sympathetic liars being involved in all these other fucking swell. We were really happy Offensive album. who, against all common decency projects means that we get to meet with the show in the end. It’s all we PELHAM: “We’re pretty happy and good sense, told us to continue.” other like minded people and play wanted. We aren’t trying to break with where we are at the moment. music, in the case of Curious any barriers, we just think an unusual Getting a full-length album right is a UNSURPRISINGLY GIVEN THE Directive, dictated by the roll of a space makes for a more enjoyable big task and we tend to be a bit nit- city they’ve made their name in, dice.” show. It takes people out of their picky with what we put out. All early reviews of Spring Offensive THEO: “I think more bands should comfort zone a bit. In fact, looking bands are of course, but we probably made comparisons to local post-rock try it really – keeping out of venues, back on it that show felt really have an above average level of panic pioneers Youthmovies, comparisons working with non-musicians on special and we were so happy that and crises of confidence. We can’t they’ve long since outgrown but a shows, that kind of thing. If people came down to see us. A free wait for the day that we have the band who provided early inspiration anything it makes you realise how show was, without sounding like total time and resources to make an album for the fledgling quintet. many people are trying to stamp a martyrs, the least we could do for that we’ll all be proud of, but pushing MATT: “We all went to their last creative identity on a bit of public people after all the support we have the boat out always feels like a good gig at the downstairs at the O2, consciousness, and that you can be been given.” idea until you’re knee deep in acid. which was an incredible experience. I useful for each other.” Sorry, I may have fallen asleep remember thinking that there was Spring Offensive’s willingness to ONE OF THE MOST STARTLING watching Dante’s Peak last night.” something wrong with a band of that work at making it well beyond Oxford Spring Offensive shows Nightshift calibre and creativity splitting up. resulted in them touring across has witnessed was at last year’s Obviously it is more complicated Germany and Switzerland last year. Audioscope mini-festival where they `Worry Fill My Heart’ is released on than that, but it felt totally fucking JOE: “Getting to play over there were pitched in between two 17th March. Spring Offensive play wrong. That was my first real was an amazing experience. We were incredibly extreme bands, Necro Modern Art Oxford on Saturday experience of them, though. We spoilt with lots of the good stuff: Deathmort and The Victorian 10th March. Visit have always found that the sausage and beer. The punters love English Gentlemen’s Club on a www.springoffensive.co.uk for songs, comparisons to Youthmovies and that you’re a foreign band gigging highly eclectic bill. After the videos and gig news. th COVER200 Issue UP Nightshift front pages through the years

TWO HUNDRED ISSUES. Two hundred front covers. stuff on the cover, from good and bad news, to the most Two hundred months of the latest local music news or iconic acts to emerge from a scene that never fails to the latest new local heroes staring out at you from the deliver something special. counter or bar of your favourite shop or venue. So, we’ve compiled a collage of our favourite covers Nightshift didn’t start sticking big shiny pictures of over the years, whether it was the stories that changed bands on the cover until issue 100; before that, for the local scene for better or worse, the front cover debuts those of you too young and fresh-faced to remember, it of bands who were to go on to wider fame and fortune, was merely the latest news from the Oxford scene or simply excellent photos that we particularly love. accompanied by a succession of usually rather And since so many people ask us why Nightshift is still laboured puns posing as headlines. printed in black and white, the simple answer is, it’s Even so, over the years there’s been some pretty special cheaper than colour. Artistic statements don’t come into it.

July 1995. The first issue, with The Mystics’ January 1996. Oxford pop pioneers Ride August 1996. Radiohead play two sold-out Sam Williams on the cover announce they are to split shows at the Zodiac

December1996. The Shifty Disco singles club is October 1997. Radio 1 Sound City comes to June 1998. One-day local music festival launched with Dustball’s `Senor Nachos’ Oxford Oxstock takes place in Cutteslowe Park September 1998. The very first Truck Festival January 1999. The Samurai Seven sweep the October 1999. Rage Against The Machine play takes place. Nought headline. board at the Shifty Disco Awards a secret show at the Zodiac

January 2001. The Rock of Travolta lead July 2001. Radiohead’s 40,000-capacity November 2001. Bass/Six Continets close down Oxford’s new music revolution homecoming show in South Park The Point venue.

April 2002. The Young Knives prepare for The November 2003. Nightshift somehow makes it March 2004. Suitable Case For Treatment get Oxford Punt and Truck gears up again to 100 issues their first front cover 200th Issue

April 2004. Youthmovies’ first front cover, in October 2004. Winnebago Deal rock it up March 2005. Dive Dive hit the comeback trail their original, elongated guise

May 2005. The Young Knives’ make the first of August 2005. Fell City Girl are the hottest new September 2005. Now officially a four-piece, three full front cover appearances band in town Supergrass grace the cover again

November 2006. Foals’ first cover feature in February 2007. Rich Walters stakes his claim July 2007. Before they were Number 1 across any magazine as Oxford’s best kept secret Europe, ASF make their Nightshift cover debut November 2007. Little Fish make the first of April 2008. Jonquil make their pre-fame July 2008. The first of two - so far - cover their three cover appearances Nightshift debut showings for The Epstein

September 2008. Stornoway’s first time on the August 2009. Mr Shaodow’s second cover November 2009. The second of Borderville’s cover is a marine life concept collage feature finds him in full flow three cover features to mark their debut album

January 2010. Twenty years after their debut November 2010. A metal special helps reignite March 2011. Fixers cover debut finds them EP, Ride reconvene the local heavy rock scene ready for lift off A200th Issue NIGHT TO

BY ALL THAT’S HOLY WE’VE SEEN SOME GREAT SHOWS IN The Rock Of Travolta our time doing Nightshift. It’s what keeps us going – that adrenaline rush when you realise you’re witnessing something beyond a mere gig. A list of the truly great gigs we’ve witnessed since Nightshift started in July 1995 would run to pages and pages and be considerably less thrilling than the shows themselves, so, for brevity’s sake, we decided to compile a special Issue 200 Top 20 greatest gigs by Oxford artists in that time. Sometimes it was the excitement of seeing a new young band for the first time, tearing up the stage and promising to tear a whole in the sky, at others it was a band we already knew and loved playing the show of their lives. Every time, though, it was the unmistakable feeling that here in Oxford there is something very special going on. Read ‘em and weep.

Your Song sets. Beyond those though, the Dustball quartet’s joyously arch buzzsaw pop came planet. And then they shared a stage with The armed with a camp, bordering on sleazy, sense Rock Of Travolta. The six-strong local collective of theatre, and so it was only fitting they were playing only their second show, having played their finest show at the Playhouse debuted at Truck in the summer, and destroyed where they threw everything into the mix, a the headliners. Completely destroyed them in a riotously vaudevillian take on The Smiths, tightly-orchestrated display of electro-classical- Bowie and Adam & The Ants. It was a grand, hardcore instrumental rock that sounded like a ambitious plan and it worked. No other local act combustible fusion of Stravinsky, Shellac and could have carried the spectacle off with such Spinal Tap. To their credit Trail Of Dead aplomb. promptly invited them on tour with them. It was the start of a musical revolution in Oxford music, JOR – The Elm Tree the effects of which are still being felt today. February 2000 Radiohead The Club That Cannot Be Named provided us with so many great gigs over the years we could fill this list twice over, but of all their local metal shows this Bacchanalian bunfest took the biscuit. JOR were Oxford’s premier metalcore heroes, trailblazing a path for myriad others to follow in later years. Having toured around the UK they returned to their home town for an DUSTBALL – The Point intimate show that felt like carnage incarnate. October 1995 The band piled on the pressure as a beer-and- sweat-drenched crowd dived off the stage, the Prior to this live debut, Dustball had their bar or mates’ shoulders, emerging bloodied and decidedly lo-fi demo disembowelled in bruised at the end of the night with the sound of Nightshift, the review suggesting its only hellishly high-octane hardcore ringing in their redeeming feature was that Royal Mail hadn’t ears. It hurt, but by God it felt good. RADIOHEAD – franked the stamps on the envelope so we could use them again. Did they sulk or rant? No, they South Park July 2001 JOR simply turned themselves into a fiery furnace of Radiohead’s show at the newly-opened Zodiac rock and roll energy and blew the Point apart. in summer 1995 was possibly a greater Within moments of the trio’s unassuming performance, a sublime realisation of the band’s slunch onstage seasoned cynics were picking still unfurling potential, but this was The Event. their jaws off the floor as Jamie Stuart, Tarrant The Homecoming. A celebration of all the great Anderson and James Russell rampaged through things that had happened in Oxford music over twenty minutes of venomously joyous punk- the previous decade. 40,000 fans packed into pop that rampaged its way to a bruising climax South Park for a day of special guests – of Ash’s ‘Kung Fu’. “Fuck-off fast and including fellow Oxfordians Supergrass, Hester brilliant,” wrote Nightshift’s Mark Taylor. Thrale and The Rock Of Travolta – culminating in a spectacular show against blackening skies, THE BIGGER THE GOD – starting with the static hum of ‘The National Anthem’ and rising to an astonishing climax Oxford Playhouse THE ROCK OF with ‘Creep’ – the first time the band had June 1997 TRAVOLTA – The Zodiac played it live for years. At its magical high point the heavens opened just as Thom Yorke Perhaps the quintessential Oxford cult band, December 2000 sang “Come rain down on me”. It was a The Bigger The God were showmen beyond At the end of 2000 Texas’s …And You Will homecoming to rival any conquering Roman compare, doubtless remembered by many local Know Us By The Trail Of Dead were being emperor and Radiohead proved beyond doubt indie kids of a certain vintage for their sublime hailed as the most exciting live band on the they were the greatest band in the world. REMEMBEr Shepher Sam by photos

LAST NIGHT AT THE SMILEX – Truck Festival MEANWHILE BACK IN d, rphimages, Gerar rphimages, d, POINT – The Point July 2002 COMMUNIST RUSSIA – October 2001 Oxford’s own pocket-sized lovechild of Iggy Holywell Music Room Pop, John Lydon and Marc Almond, Lee Having provided early exposure for bands like Christian was always a heroic believer in the February 2003 Muse, Coldplay and Catatonia, as well as debut myth of the rock and roll martyr and faced with a UK shows for The Strokes and White Stripes, Poetic and pensive, The Russians always felt packed Trailerpark Tent he decided to take on either too fragile or simply too chaotic to work the legendary Point, run by the former Jericho Wood d al et the world, fighting with the front row, inciting a Tavern main man Mac, was shut down by some properly as a live band. Their albums were hail of missiles, screaming stuff about S&M and simpering Six Continents marketing shitheap delicately layered even as their guitars screamed generally playing at being a one-man riot in front called Rick Nicholls, who wanted to replace its with pain, so it needed a special venue to of his band’s confrontational cock-rock attack. sweaty uniqueness with yet another student capture the slow-burning atmospherics of He ended the set covered in blood and with a bar. The only way to go was with a party to which they were capable and this show at the broken nose for his troubles, vomiting at the side rival Ragnarok. The Rock Of Travolta, Arthur UK’s oldest live music venue brought out the of the stage as Tom Sharp hurled his guitar into Turner’s Lovechild?, Paper Sun, Comrade very best in the band, their songs-cum-stories the crowd where it was seized by a member of Duck and Dustball all played, while local rock building into howling storms of guitar and Lapsus Linguae who managed to knock out some heroes Vade Macum kicked out a whole set of electronic noise over – or under – which Emily decidedly Motley Crue-like noises before being Spinal Tap covers. The night ended with half Gray’s quavering narratives played out. The consumed by the mob. Pure punk cabaret. the musicians in Oxford up on stage bellowing band famed, in the days before the smoking ban, out a rousing ‘If The Kids Are United’ as a for playing tab-on, were forced to take a break beyond-capacity crowd sang along and turned Gunnbunny mid-set so they could all nip out for a quick fag, the pub upside down on the way out. The ciggies being not quite welcome even then in Point was gone but it went out in style. And such a hallowed setting. An amusing diversion Rick Nicholls? He got the sack shortly after but musically this was a serious triumph by a when his theme pub tonked. band that remains one of Oxford’s finest lost treasures. THE YOUNG KNIVES – THE OXFORD PUNT 2003 The Cellar March 2002 “There is genius here tonight,” went the opening – Various Venues May 2003 line of Nightshift’s review of Young Knives’ first If the Oxford Punt was like an annual grape show after changing their name from Ponyclub. harvest for local bands, 2003 was its vintage The trio, still barely known in their adopted city, year. Richard Walters, Suitable Case For were up on stage strangling hysterical pop songs Treatment, Ivy’s Itch and Sextodecimo were til they screamed, channelling influences as among some of the acts who have become part diverse as Pixies, Pere Ubu, Adam & The Ants of local music folklore, while Elizabeth were to and Television Personalities and making rock GUNNBUNNY / go on to later glory as Foals, Gunnbunny were music seem completely childish after years of exorcising their grunge demons ahead of everyone trying to act all grown up and sensible. ELIZABETH – The Zodiac becoming part of Fixers and a young Hugo They wore oddly sensible clothes, sang in December 2002 Manuel from Jonquil and Chad Valley was disquieting falsettos and bickered wittily Hippies and social worker types are forever making his first steps onto the local scene with between songs. In one truly bizarre moment, telling us to be nicer to young bands and always The Modern. But the two towering sets of the they broke off from the scritchy, scratchy ball of encourage them however dubious their musical night, even in such exulted company, came from musical wobbliness that was `Easy Peasy’ so talents. Which we always feel would be like Sexy Breakfast at Jongleurs, where they House Of Lords could chant Throbbing Gristle’s encouraging naughty puppies to foul the forever looked set to break out of the confines `Subhuman’ in all its deadpan nightmarish glory. pavement. Instead we reserve our undying love of a tiny stage that’s tilting like a wayward raft, Truly there was no other band in town, or for and purple prose for those magical moments while suggesting they were made to be playing many, many miles beyond, like Young Knives. when young teenage bands blow our minds as stadiums, and The Evenings at The Jam Factory, who came armed with dancing girls and The Young Knives completely as these two did. Elizabeth “used guitars as weapons, handling them with a deft took Neu! and Add N To (X) raving, breaking touch and letting their dysfunctional melodies down all barriers between band and crowd as hover and crackle in the air before crunching everyone in the venue reached some plain of down on their fretboards with and easy venom, euphoric bliss in unison. occasionally sounding like a teenage Captain Beefheart trapped inside Sonic Youth’s `Daydream Nation’”, went our review. The equally fresh-faced Gunnbunny, meanwhile, were “steaming along the road to garage metal heaven, fronted by a long-haired bruiser of a lad with a throat-ripping voice that sounds like hell erupting.” A decade later, where are those keen young teens? Well, Yannis Philipakis and Jack Bevan have long since conquered the globe with Foals, while Gunnbunny’s Jack Goldstein and Michael Thompson are all set to do so as Fixers this year. Way back then their talents were all Elizabeth too apparent. A200th Issue NIGHT TO SEXTODECIMO – the best part of a decade and a half, the place Supergrass set to be revamped as a shiny new Academy The Wheatsheaf venue after long-time promoters Nick Moorbath and Adrian Hicks sold up after March 2006 helping put Oxford firmly on the world’s music Back in November 2010’s metal special, map. And what better way to say goodbye than Nightshift voted Sextodecimo as Oxford’s get some of those bands who made the place greatest ever metal band. We’d already had the what it was to reform and kick out the jams one band on the front cover a couple of years before last time? So The Nubiles, Dustball and this particular gig but by this stage the band had Unbelievable Truth joined the stalwart likes of developed a sound so dense, dark, intense and, The Relationships and Winnebago Deal for a heck, LOUD that they almost rendered the term party to end all parties. People came from all metal obsolete. “Two-thirds of the crowd around the UK to pay their last respects to the evaporate as the band’s all-consuming grind place that had been part of their youth – and in spirals in on itself like a sonic black hole. more than one case, met their future spouse. Sextodecimo have travelled so far into rock’s Stuff, characteristically, broke and the night black heart they’ve emerged on the other side ended with a set from The Candyskins, into another world entirely. It’s like a proving, once more, that they are a pop band to radioactive fallout from Chernobyl has a formed whom all others should aspire. Oh sorry, there a band,” went the awed review; “worship seems to be something in our eye. SUPERGRASS - them,” it concluded. Years later we still do. The New Theatre Sextodecimo LITTLE FISH – May 2004 Thirst Lodge May 2008 While they might deny it, Supergrass are a great Like a living embodiment of the spirit of rock singles band – in the tradition of bands like and roll, Little Fish blew fiery fresh air into the Madness or Buzzcocks – and so, to our great local scene, Julia Sophie sounding like Patti joy, they celebrated their tenth anniversary with Smith’s long-lost daughter at times, howling and a Greatest Hits compilation and brought it all to sometimes screaming her lungs out in the life at what, in those days, was the only local pursuit of exorcising the demons in her soul, venue capable of housing everyone who wanted while behind her drummer Nez clattered his kit to see them. And so, from the bruising, ballsy with nonchalant brutality. This particular show rock strike of ‘Richard III’, through swirling, was the centrepiece of the 2008 Oxford Punt psychedelic pop nuggets like ‘Sun Hits The and such was the excitement surrounding the Sky’, to a cosy, acoustic take on ‘Caught By band that more people were crammed into The Fuzz’, with Gaz and Mick ensconced Thirst Lodge’s intimate confines than was onstage on an old sofa together, Supergrass decent and when the band hit the stage, a knocked out hit, after hit, after hit. A decade on certain graceful form of carnage was inevitable. from witnessing their first sparks of life down So tightly packed was the crowd it was all you at the Hollybush in Osney alongside The FOALS / DEGÜELLO – could do to stand and stare at the cathartic Nubiles, Supergrass appeared tonight as fully- garage-hewn pop explosion on stage. A band fledged pop stars, having lost not one ounce of The Wheatsheaf who seem to pour every last drop of that initial youthful flourish. September 2006 themselves into each performance, even by their own high standards, they excelled here Two astonishing local bands together; one THE FACTORY – The would go on to be one of the most acclaimed tonight. bands on the planet, the other would be Little Fish Bullingdon February 2005 remembered by an elite few, but tonight – along While local stars like Supergrass were able to with the astonishingly brutal Swarm – they celebrate their tenth anniversary in such style were united in showcasing the thrilling new and Radiohead have endured into their second paths rock music could barrel down. Foals, just decade together, some bands burned brightly for starting to explore their new math-disco sound, a few fleeting moments. None more so than The look like “a counselling group for musicians Factory, whose fractious internal politics saw unable to find anyone to keep up with them,” them rip themselves apart mere months after while “hitting the funk button and freewheeling they’d promised to steal the throne. Musically through a many-angled spazz-jazz math-rock and aesthetically inspired by The Velvet tumult of tightly-orchestrated chaos,” while Underground, The Stooges and The Doors, as Degüello “could, at times, give Swans a run for well as 80s drone bands like Spacemen 3 and their money in the sheer bloody brutality Loop, and fronted by the imperious vocal stakes”. Nightshift left the gig content that “the talents of Laima Bite, The Factory mined a future of local music is in such safe hands”. We groove so deep and so dark, light itself struggled weren’t wrong. to escape, “squalls of heavily-flanged guitars sweep everything from their path, swirling like a cyclone while the bass cuts a groove through THE LAST NIGHT OF anything that stands in its path,” went our THE ZODIAC – The review. Sadly they soon split; even more tragically they left no recorded songs to remind Zodiac May 2007 us of their brief glory. Never mind, we’ll never A night of very mixed emotions as we bade forget this astonishing show. farewell to the old girl, a home from home for REMEMBEr

STORNOWAY – The Bellowhead FIXERS – Truck Festival Sheldonian November 2009 July 2011 On a night that transcended the word ‘gig’, We didn’t know it at the time but this was to be Stornoway became the first band ever to play at Truck’s last hurrah – at least until it was taken the 550-year-old, Christopher Wren-designed over and hopefully set up for a few more years’ Sheldonian concert hall. Stornoway have always life – so it was fitting that it featured one of the been fond of unusual gig settings, from botanical great local band sets. Fixers are bat-mad psych- gardens to dinosaur museums and the odd pool pop crazies but they are also entertainers, never hall, but the grand, ornate setting of the content to knock out a few songs when they could Sheldonian suited them perfectly, the band dress up in daft costumes and pretend they’re playing virtually unplugged and backed for performing on Saturn. And so we had the much of the concert by the Oxford Millennium spectacle of Jack Goldstein garbed up like Captain Orchestra. There was an almost campfire Birdseye’s Hawaiian cousin, invoking the spirit of intimacy about songs like ‘On The Rocks’, bonkers? For a folk band? If you’d been at Truck Sun-Ra as Fixers stormed through all the best bits while ‘The Cold Harbour Road’ soared into the in 2010 you would have. It’s a cliché to claim a of their electro-rave-60s-dream-pop catalogue. For venue’s upper reaches like a cormorant above a band tore the roof off the place in a review but it all the silliness, this was classic pop fare – anthem bleak Hebridean beach. Every ounce of passion was as true here as it’s ever been. Except Truck after anthem after anthem, the sun beaming down and emotion was wrenched from the doesn’t have a roof, so Bellowhead tore the sky on a Steventon field transformed into a Californian performance where band and venue became one off the place instead, the folk big band, formed LSD commune party for forty minutes. and when it was over the audience, who had sat by local luminaries Jon Boden and John Spiers, in rapt silence throughout, rose as one for a unearthing classic songs from the past few Fixers roof-lifting ovation. Stornoway proved that rare hundred years and turning them into burlesque as rock shows are at the Sheldonian, they are dance anthems, Napoleonic shanties kicked out just as precious. with wild abandon, while Jacques Brel laments sounded as bold and brash as the drunken BELLOWHEAD – sailors they were written about. So spectacular and successful was Bellowhead’s Truck debut Truck Festival July 2010 that they were promptly invited back to Ever witnessed a packed Oxfordshire festival headline the following year. For who, on this field go completely and utterly stark-raving evidence, could follow them? RELEASED Sponsored by bands like Sweep The Leg Johnny, with a sense SPRING OFFENSIVE of awkwardness and oddity. Overall, it reinforces ‘Worry Fill My Heart’ Spring Offensive’s previous work, but perhaps doesn’t develop this as much as one might have (Own label) hoped. It won’t be surprising to see ‘Worry Fill My ‘Carrier’ reminds us rather strongly of Fell City Heart’ augmented with a variety of video and Girl in its vocal delivery style - simultaneously other presentational devices, as Spring Offensive urgent and weary - and through the idea of a are a modern, multimedia kind of band. They Múm-style soundscape being shaped into a pop don’t just let the songs speak for themselves; song. It’s a more interesting song than ‘Worry they’re too savvy for that, and have created a Fill My Heart’ in terms of texture, moving convincing, specific world in which to inhabit; through several sections, transmuting the one that comfortably houses them as their songs pomposity of prime Echo And The Bunnymen and personality slowly take shape. The ‘wimpy into something more delicate and naive. miserablists’ tag they’ve attached to themselves Both songs display a keen grasp of dynamics as part of this seems too harsh: over the past and contrast - these are cleverly-constructed year, previous single ‘A Stutter And A Start’ and songs that are equally confusing and familiar. As a series of exceptionally high-quality gigs in section, gently fractured guitars, and lyrics part of an evolving sound, they don’t stretch Oxford and beyond has confirmed that they’re a delivered in a conspiratorial and knowing style. Spring Offensive beyond what will be already step beyond an average, run-of-the-mill ‘local’ The sonic palette is filled out by dulled, angry familiar, but they’re certainly good listening, band. A sense of drama, aesthetics and moment guitar noise in the distance, tying together the and display a clean, sharp recording style that permeates their work, and this has generated sparse song construction and contrasting with suggests a band that is gaining an understanding something of a cultish, devoted following. sweeter, echoed strummed chords. It seems of how they want to sound, rather than ‘Worry Fill My Heart’ starts out as an influenced by, but not directly reverential to, the accidentally capturing what happens when they archetype of what is already their familiar sound lusher Foals sound of `Total Life Forever’ and play together as a group. - skittish rhythms, a light touch on the rhythm (subtly, at least) the more out-there sounds of Simon Minter

The addition of a Maybeshewill remix is, as with a full range of colours. with most remixes stuck on the end of an EP, They’ve pulled back a little on their earlier somewhere between an interesting curio for ‘tropical pop’ schtick, though it’s still present huge fans of the band, and a nonessential in places – ‘Mexico’ is just a bit too sugary. makeweight. Still, the production’s nice, with ‘History of Headaches’, though, is a lovely, some clever out-of-phase stereo double-tracking spacious song with a terrific break that makes a and vaguely Moderat-ish synth parts, though it break a minute from the end into a panoramic does make Gunning For Tamar sound a little too final furlong. ‘Getaway’ crowbars a guitar solo close to Enter Shikari for comfort. that’s almost Bryan Adams in amongst Oh yes, and we should mention that the interlacing piano and synth lines, and manages physical version, as befits a label well known to pull it off somehow. for the more esoteric formats on the market, Title track ‘Point of Go’ wanders off in the comes on a wristwatch. Our review copy was direction of Panda Bear, a reverb-drenched vocal sadly online only, so I can’t report on the hook repeating itself to fade over a Caribou- accuracy of said timepiece, but if their playing esque arpeggio, while ‘Run’ is the instant on the EP is any indicator, it’ll be Greenwich standout, some coruscating flourishes failing to Observatory-standard. conceal a fantastically-simple pop song at heart. GUNNING FOR TAMAR Stuart Fowkes It’s a record that sounds, above everything else, as if it was a joy to make, something that means ‘Time Trophies EP’ it’s going to soundtrack – deservedly – an awful (Alcopop!) lot of people’s summers this year. Everything about the ‘Time Trophies EP’ JONQUIL Stuart Fowkes sounds big. Immaculately recorded, with spot- ‘Point of Go’ on musicianship throughout, the songs speak of a band with ambitions far above the size of (Blessing Force) venues coming up on their upcoming tour. Jonquil have come a long way since their debut ‘Astronaut-Abort’ is the highlight here, a mini- ‘Sunny Casinos’ back in 2006. With all the epic in its own right, with a piano line twisting comings and goings in Oxford music in recent in and out of the guitar parts, and most of the years and the waves made by singer Hugo’s last minute dedicated to a satisfying meaty and Chad Valley project, alongside the rest of the meandering instrumental coda that does the Blessing Force movement, it’s easy to forget song justice in the finest manner. The earnest that Jonquil have been quietly excelling and vocals and energetic, muscular guitar lines sound reinventing themselves for well over half a pleasingly mid-90s, bringing to mind old decade now. Revelation Records bands like Texas Is The This latest chapter builds on last year’s ‘One Reason or The Movielife (there, and I did that Hundred Suns’ EP, but whereas that EP still had whole sentence without uttering the dread ‘e’ moments of whimsy and the occasional lack of word). substance, this full album sees them painting BRICKWORK SCOTT E COOPER LIZARDS ‘Homesick’ ‘Zaman’ (Own label download) Scott’s album was, he states, inspired by a trip (Wingnut Music) to Bude in Cornwall and “centres around the This 13-track debut album shows how, by theme of finding that spark in life to move mixing sounds as diverse as 1930s swing, forward”. Such romantic sensibilities are spaghetti western themes, and the deep tones of admirable but all too often difficult to live up Tom O’Hawk’s spoken word and rap vocals to, as much of `Homesick’ proves. with Tarik Beshir’s contrasting Middle Eastern Very much cradled in that safe, homely haven voice and beguiling oud playing , the genre- of folk-pop, Scott works hard to embellish hopping Lizards have brought something simple, acoustic ballads with everything from refreshingly different the local scene. seemingly token electronic bleeps and wibbles The tracks which are the most intriguing, (notably on the title track’s opening reverie) to ambitious and ultimately satisfying here are more fulsome and nuanced instrumentation – an those in which neither Western or Middle The band are into lighter 1930s swing, ballad almost jaunty piano line on ‘Sweet Nothing’, or Eastern sounds predominate but which have and crooner territory with ‘When She sparsely plucked electric guitar and gentle horns more of a balance between the two. Opener Whispers’, `The Things She Makes You Do’ on ‘Chant’. Sometimes this can leaven the mood ‘Uska Dara’ is a jaunty Turkish folk tune given and ‘ Happy As Can Be’, however, they show enough to add some variety across eleven songs, a dark twist by lyrics about possible their streak of black humour by following the but when it comes to the bit, it’s only the redemption from dancing with the devil that sunniest happiest track on the album with strength of the melodies and Scott’s ability to could be straight from Robert Johnston or Tom ‘County Jail’, a prison gospel blues piece that carry them matters. And this is where he too Waits. ‘Higher’, again about redemption, blends has them waiting to hang and go straight to hell. often falls short. a traditional Iraqi song with a mournful Western There are a couple of tracks here which seem ‘Chant’, for instance, promises to take the cello, Spanish guitar and melancholy trumpet too diverse even for this eclectic album: ‘The album to a higher level late on, but it ends up and works beautifully. The instrumental title Wall’, which sounds Japanese, and ‘Song For weighted down by heavy-handed harmonies and track ‘Zaman’ has a contemplative Middle Alice’, a very short keyboard solo. Overall a leaden chorus that drag it into the realms of Eastern feel, coupled with cool lounge jazz that though, `Zaman’ is a fine combination of fun the mundane, while album closer ‘I’m With hops over to what could be film music, while and fine musicianship, and benefits from having You’ paints a pretty pastoral picture that is ‘Sahara’ builds to an ecstatic Middle Eastern been lovingly produced so all the twists and never matched by the vocals and feels like an climax, underpinned by a Western turns are easy to hear. overlong plod along a deserted Cornish beach contemporary pulse. Colin May through a heavy drizzle. There are moments of hope: the Paul Simon- like ‘Best Of Me’; ‘There You Go’ with its simple brushed-snare rhythm and organ hum, your things / Your books and dreams,” she which lend it a far richer atmosphere, and the chirps angelically. It’s probably a metaphor for almost Arab Strap-like synthetic monologue something wholly evil, but seductive witch that is ‘The Waking Hours’ all reveal a stronger queen that she is, she’s got us thinking the side to Scott’s songwriting and singing, while whole business is as slight and pretty as an elf ‘Broken Sleep’ is the album’s strongest melody princess. It’s an illusion we’re more than happy and feels less emotionally detached than much to believe in completely. else here. Dale Kattack Elsewhere though, there’s a mood of indeterminate melancholy that permeates everything and when Scott croons “You’re ROBOTS WITH SOULS stuck in a cycle of self-obsessed yearning,” we wonder if he recognises the irony. Perhaps next ‘Droids That Bleed’/ year he might do better to go to Butlin’s on holiday instead of Cornwall. Rather than ‘Watch Out!’ pedestrian whimsy, he might return with a (Own label) songbook full of excitable jollity or, if our brief When the two members of Phantom Theory experience of the place is anything to go on, a THE FAMILY MACHINE announced they were both working on side barely-restrained desire to butcher every last ‘Quiet As A Mouse’ projects, lily-livered acoustica and woe-is-me human being on the planet. mewling were never likely to be on the agenda. Dale Kattack (Beard Museum) While guitarist/bassist Aaron Delgado has While we often have The Family Machine joined forces with former members of Dial F down as being as cosy as an old sofa and as For Frankenstein and 50ft Panda in Kill loveable as a shaggy dog, they can still spring a Murray, drummer Steve Wilson has opted to go surprise on us, albeit it a gentle one. it alone. This double A-side single sees him ‘Quiet As A Mouse’ teeters on the slenderest accessorising the primal heaviness of his main of acoustic guitar lines, sparse handclaps the band with bowel-loosening buzzing electronics. only rhythm track and Jamie Hyatt’s doleful ‘Droids That Bleed’ might pass for drawl entirely absent. His minimal vocal stomp-along glam round the Melvins’ house, contribution is an easy, crooning backing to the while it’s appropriate that ‘Watch Out!’ female lead which sounds like Laura Marling carries its own health and safety warning. A absent mindedly singing ‘I Saw Mummy little clunky, perhaps, but there’s enough Kissing Santa Claus’ to herself while baking promise here to suggest that Robots With fairy cakes or something. Except she’s not Souls could yet be the droids you’re looking baking fairy cakes. She’s breaking into your for. house. Quiet as a mouse. “I went through all Ben Woolhead gig guide

THURSDAY 1st alongside the likes of Joe Strummer, Ronnie Wood and Jack Bruce over the years. BAND OF SKULLS: O2 Academy – SKYLARKIN SOUNDSYSTEM: The Southampton’s blues-rockers launch their MARCH Cellar – Count Skylarkin’s monthly reggae, ska second album, ‘Sweet Sour’, having supported and dancehall celebration, tonight featuring a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on tour in the ALLO DARLIN’ + MOUSTACHE OF live set from Belgium’s Caroloregians, whose States and opened for Muse and The Dead INSANITY: The Cellar – Divinely deep-fried reggae funk has seen them backing Weather over here. Their studiedly dark-hewn heartbroken indie pop of the old school – see Trojan legends like Dave & Ansell Collins and form of melodic modern blues recalls The Kills main preview touring across Europe and the USA. Veteran and The Breeders as well as Led Zep and The CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Bristolian ska godfather DJ Derek enters his Rolling Stones. Community Centre – Oxford’s oldest and eighth decade in irrepressible form, spinning his ALLO DARLIN’: Truck Store – Elizabeth best open mic club continues to showcase local trademark selection of reggae, dancehall and Morris plays a low-key solo instore ahead of singers, musicians, poets and more every week. soul, alongside Count Skylarkin and Indecision. her band’s gig at The Cellar tonight. COLLISIONS + BLOODLOSS + K- MOTOWN’S GREATEST HITS: The New LACURA: The Bell, Bicester – Jambox metal Theatre – A night of classic soul and r’n’b. FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon – Classic Thursday 1st night with a double-header tour from electro- metal groovers Collisions and full-pelt soul, funk and r’n’b every Friday. ALLO DARLIN’ / heavyweights Bloodloss, set to release their COLLISIONS + BLOODLOSS + K- debut album ‘The Struggle’. Local metalcore LACURA + HAUNTED TRANQUILLITY: MOUSTACHE OF tyrants K-Lacura support. The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Jambox metal JAMBOX ACOUSTIC & OPEN MIC night. INSANITY: The Cellar NIGHT: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Tom SALEM RAGES + THE CELLAR FAMILY: Anyone hankering for a time when indie Muddle, Oliver Coates, Karl & Amie and Ellie The Port Mahon – Double dose of virulent bands still sounded like proper indie bands – Hanger play unplugged, plus open mic session. hardcore and punk noise with Liverpool’s Salem you know, stuck together with sellotape and OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Rages out on tour to promote their new single, unrequited love, flogging badly-photocopied ‘Our Halloween. Local firebrands The Cellar fanzines outside Talulah Gosh gigs and FRIDAY 2nd Family unfurl their tapestry of disgust in pinning photos of Clare Grogan over their support. beds – will be rapt with joy that Allo Darlin’ SETH LAKEMAN: O2 Academy – The WHO DO YOU LOVE?: The Duke, St are coming to town. And well they might, Devonian folk hero launches his latest album – Clement’s – Alt.rock, 60s garage, soul, new because they’re bloody brilliant. From see main preview wave, punk, surf and electro-pop DJ session innocuous beginnings – originally the band A NIGHT OF QUEEN WITH THE with Grizilla, Jens and Jim. was just Aussie-born Elizabeth Morris and BOHEMIANS: O2 Academy – Queen tribute. DISCO MUTANTES: The Library – Italo- her trusty ukulele – they’ve gone on to tour SMILEX + THE CELLAR FAMILY + DEER house, cosmic funk and rollerboogie session. the States four times and been a star turn at CHICAGO + DJ THEORETICAL + HALF DISCLOSURE: The Swan, Wantage End of the Road and Indietracks festivals. DECENT: The Jericho Tavern – Cult local Elizabeth lives in London now and has a full rockers Smilex return to action after a lengthy SATURDAY 3rd band of beardy blokes to back her but the lay-off, celebrating over a decade of JONQUIL: Truck Store – Instore tropical naïve, lovelorn pop dream continues. She riff’n’mayhem-based fun that’s seen them pop fun from the local stars, launching their can be twee and knowing at times (‘Henry mutate from blood and beer-spattered garage- new album, ‘Point Of Go’. Rollins Don’t Dance’) but the personal, noise to a more Guns’n’Roses-inspired rock SPEECH PROJECT: The North Wall, poignant nature of the songs marks Allo outfit; they’re never less than action-packed Summertown – Oxford Contemporary Darlin’ out as a successor to the likes of The and given his time off, frontman Lee should be Music’s spring season continues with composer Shop Assistants and The Flatmates, while up for some characteristically OTT onstage and producer Gerry Driver fusing folk on new single ‘Capricornia’, the first song to action. They’re joined by more recent local minimalism with recordings of spoken word be taken from forthcoming second album punk heroes The Cellar Family, whose spiky, passages from some of Ireland’s favourite folk ‘Europe’, Morris shows she’s possessed of sheet-metal post-hardcore recalls McLusky, At icons – including Shane McGowan and Christy a gorgeous, heart-melting voice that sounds The Drive-In and Fugazi; epic shoegazers Deer Moore. Catweazle Club host Matt Sage opens like a young Kirsty MaColl. Support at Chicago, plus aspiring local rapper and the show with his romantic 60s-inspired tonight’s Adventures Close To Home show beatmaker Half Decent. acoustic folk-pop. are Moustache Of Insanity whose geeky, lo- KLUB KAKOFANNEY WITH THE MARIANA MAGNAVITA + ANA SILVERA + fi indie pop sounds like a cross between MIGHTY REDOX + TORN LIKE GIL KARPAS: The Cellar – Brazilian-born Jeffrey Lewis and Weezer. COLOURS + LOST DOGS: The Wheatsheaf – Characteristically mixed bag of local siren Mariana Magnavita plays her first sounds from Klub Kak, tonight headlined by local show in some time, bringing a little bit of club hosts The Mighty Redox with their South American sunshine to the local acoustic enduringly popular blend of swampy blues rock scene, in the vein of Vashti Bunyan and Minni and witchy psychedelia. Bluesy soft rockers Ripperton. She’s joined by former English Torn Like Colours support. National Opera singer Ana Silvera, whose piano- THE WILL JOHNS BAND: The Bullingdon based song cycles explore fairy tales and folklore – Powerhouse blues-rocking from the UK with a poetic lyrical edge. Former-Oxford based veteran, inspired by Ry Cooder, Hendrix and songsmith Gil Karpas, meanwhile brings his Clapton, who mentored the guitarist in his soul-infused electro-acoustic funk-pop along in younger days, Johns having gone on to play support. Followed by Extra-Curricular. PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: Dexy’s or Geno Washington with their horn and O2 Academy – Weekly three-clubs-in-one hook-heavy sound, while bringing elements of extravaganza with classic and contemporary Trojan reggae and hip hop into the mix. indie at Propaganda; 80s hits and kitsch pop at ELLEN & THE ESCAPADES + TOLIESEL + Trashy and metal, hardcore and alt.rock at SAM LEWIS: The Wheatsheaf – Bittersweet, Room 101. harmony-drenched 60s-flavoured folk-rocking SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – House and from Leeds’ Ellen & the Escapades, sounding techno with Waifs and Strays, plus Simple like a Yorkshire-based tryst between Bob Dylan residents. and Kirsty MaColl. Support for tonight’s Coo NOT TOO SHABBY + DEAD SAINTS: Promotions show are local indie-Americana Folly Bridge Inn – Bluesy rocking from locals types Toliesel and London’s soulful country- Not Too Shabby, plus indie rocking from folk singer Sam Lewis. Manchester’s Dead Saints. FREE RANGE: The Cellar - Hip hop club MILLION FACES + K2: Witney Snooker night with Elro, Ctrl Alt Crash, Stranger, Club – Benefit concert for Oxfordshire MIND Teknikal, Elements and MC Macular. with local rockers Million Faces and indie rock WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Tavern covers act K2. – Weekly jam session. THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Red Lion, Friday 2nd Eynsham – Blues rock. THURSDAY 8th POWERTRAIN: The Swan, Wantage – Rock SETH LAKEMAN: CAVE PAINTING: The Bullingdon – covers. Elaborate, prog-tinged dream-pop from TREVOR WILLIAMS: Magic Café (1pm) – O2 Academy Brighton’s spaced-out soundscapists. Emotive acoustic balladry from local troubadour While it’s no longer appropriate to describe RIZZLE KICKS: O2 Academy – Brighton’s Trev. Seth Lakeman as the poster boy for new pop-rap duo enjoy their brief tenure as world- English folk music, he’s hardly reached elder th conquering chart stars on the back of their debut statesman level quite yet. It hardly seems SUNDAY 4 album ‘Stereo Typical’, part produced by eight years since the release of his Mercury- MATT CARDLE: The New Theatre – Biffy Fatboy Slim. Having kicked off their career nominated debut ‘Kitty Jay’, possibly butchering X-Factor winner Matt heads off on rapping over Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen because Lakeman has been such an ever- tour to promote his debut solo album,‘ Letters’, samples, the Brit School-produced pair create a present figure on the UK’s live scene since, keeping one eye on the fame clock. Tick, tick, goofy, toddler-friendly mix of hip hop, ska, now an established festival crowd-puller. st tick… funk and mariachi that sounds like a 21 Like Pentangle in the 60s and The Pogues in BEARD OF DESTINY + MOON LEOPARD Century update of 90s acts like Kid’n’Play and the 80s, Lakeman brought a freshness and + PENNY & PHIL + SQUEEZY PHIL: PJ & Duncan. attitude to traditional folk music while Donnington Community Centre (6pm) – PINEY GIR + DENNIS HOPPER remaining steeped in its often ancient Free live acoustic session. CHOPPERS + OLY RALFE + RICHARD history. Growing up in Devon he sang about WARREN: The Jericho Tavern – Kansas pop the ghosts of Dartmoor and the English Civil MONDAY 5th kitten Piney returns to her spiritual second War, while songs like ‘Solomon Browne’ home – see main preview KRISSY MATTHEWS & HIS BLUES update the classic seafaring tragedy tale with CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford BOYS: The Bullingdon – The British blues a real emotional hit. His new album, ‘Tales Community Centre scene’s hot new talent comes to The Famous From The Barrel House’, which he recorded DOGSTATE + STILLPOINT + and produced by himself, and comes out on Monday Blues. Matthews, barely out of teens, RUBBERTONES: The Bell, Bicester – is already being heralded as the best young his own Honour Oak label, pays homage to Jambox rock night. Devonian miners, mariners and craftsmen, blues guitarist in the country, having played OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon alongside Robben Ford and Joe Bonamassa recorded as it was in the workshops and even down the mines at Morwellham Quay. SHARK DENTIST + OXFORD UKULELES: th The Port Mahon – New ukulele-based music FRIDAY 9 A powerful singer and talented guitarist, it’s night. RAE MORRIS: The Jericho Tavern – when Lakeman picks up the fiddle that he Blackpool’s fast-rising blues and jazz songstress, really dazzles, with a style as close to Roy TUESDAY 6th whose smooth, emotive piano-based balladry Williamson or even John Cale at times as, recalls Joss Stone and Edie Brickell at times. say, Dave Swarbrick, emphasising its HAIGHT ASHBURY + GRUDLE BAY: The CHARLY COOMBES & THE NEW BREED droning, psychedelic capabilities. And live Cellar – Shoegazy psychedelic folk from + AIR CAV: The Bullingdon – Soulful, 70s- he is always, always, a superb performer. Haight Ashbury, plus chilled-out electro-pop styled rocking from Charly and his band, back in and indie funk from Grudle Bay. local gigging action after a South American tour OXFORD IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA: Ethiopian funk collective The Fontanelles, and set to release their new single, ‘Sub-Divider’ Old Fire Station – Oxford Improvisers bring playing tribute to the great Fela Kuti. this month. Support from Manchester’s darkly their expansive orchestra to the live stage for a FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon atmospheric popsters Air Cav, whose string-led night of freeform virtuosity. DOGSTATE + STILLPOINT + drone-pop recalls 4AD’s 80s output as well as JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free live jazz RUBBERTONES: The Wheatsheaf, Spiritualized’s more considered moments. every week at the Bully’s Jazz Club, tonight Banbury – Jambox rock night. LIANNE LA HAVAS: O2 Academy – Former with guests Alvin Roy & Reeds Unlimited. ANYONE CAN CUE UP CDs: The Duke, St Paloma Faith backing singer Lianne has found SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James Street Clement’s – In tribute to Jon Spira’s Anyone herself championed by Jools Holland before Tavern – Weekly open jam session. Can Play Guitar film, the Duke hosts an entire she’s even released a record and counts Gary OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon evening of local music from assorted guest DJs. Barlow and Bon Iver as fans. Not surprising If they play Xmas Lights’ ‘The Threat Level Is th really given her smoky, passionate soulful voice Orange’ in its entirety we promise we’ll dance. WEDNESDAY 7 that sounds like a young Erykah Badu at times, You may want to look away and stand well THE MILK: The Jericho Tavern – her tales of broken romances set to a classic soul clear, mind. Chelmsford’s young soul rebels bring their Stax and jazz soundtrack. MARK McCABE + OXYGEN THIEF: The and Motown-inspired r’n’b to town, riding high BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar - Latin dance, Port Mahon on the back of anthem-in-waiting ‘All I Wanted Balkan beat, world breaks and nu-jazz club PLAYMAKERS + EMPIRE AFFAIR: The Was Danger’, coming on like a modern day night with a live set from eleven-strong Swan, Wantage HODGE PODGE: The Bullingdon – WEDNESDAY 14th Festival fundraiser with live bands and DJs. ANTHRAX + DIAMOND PLATE + OPEN MIC SESSION: The Hollybush, OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE: O2 Academy Osney – The thrash-metal titans return to town – see ELECTRICHEAD: The Swan, Wantage – main preview Rock covers. PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar - Full band ROOF THIEVES: Magic Café (1pm) – jam session with The Phat Sessions Collective, Rocking blues. plus an open jam session. Kid Fury spins a th selections of funk, hip hop and soul tunes. SUNDAY 11 WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Thursday 8th McFLY: The New Theatre – What with Tavern Harry winning Strictly Come Dancing and PINEY GIR / DENNIS Dougie triumphing on I’m A Celebrity… th McFly’s pop career looks set for a revival this THURSDAY 15 HOPPER CHOPPERS year, the enduring boy-band-with-guitars still LAZY HABITS: The Cellar – Hip hop- / OLY RALFE / able to pack out Wembley Arena despite infused jazz from London’s eight-strong disappointing sales of their most recent collective who have supported Mos Def, RICHARD WARREN: albums. Soulwax and The Specials in recent times, as HAWKHURST: The Bullingdon – Female- well as stealing the show at venues as The Jericho Tavern fronted folk-rock from Abingdon’s Hawkhurst. diverse as Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and London’s Jazz Café, bringing a An exceptional bill of country-flavoured OPEN BLUES SESSION: Cricketers decidedly cockney slant to their fusion of music courtesy of Coo Promotions tonight. Arms New Orleans jazz, soul, rap and 50s big Kansas-born, London-based songstress Piney bands. Gir should be no stranger to local audiences th MONDAY 12 ROOM 94: O2 Academy – Hertfordshire’s after over a decade of gracing the Oxford THE STRANGLERS + MIKE MARLIN: O2 soul-crushingly generic landfill sound makers scene, in particular as a regular at Truck Academy – The Men In Black return, now return to town, apparently not having taken Festival in her myriad guises (her debut solo into their sixth decade together, and showing the hint last time. album ‘Peakahokahoo’ came out on Truck no sign of giving up any time soon. Back in the STUKA SQUADRON + DEDLOK + Records and was produced by A Scholar & A 1970s their aggressive form of pub saw them AGONYST + SAVE THE SAVIOUR: The Physician). From her early synth-pop roots simultaneously adopted by the burgeoning Bullingdon – A bunch of vampire Luftwaffe she moved into full-on country mode with punk movement and shunned by its prime pilots inspired by classic Iron Maiden? That’ll The Piney Gir Country Roadshow, but movers, either for being too old or having a be London’s Stuka Squadron, then. Classic latterly seems to mix styles up, possessed of keyboard player, or just being a bit too metal dressed up in WWII uniforms, replete a sugar-coated voice that suits ebullient pop yobbish for the art set. Over the course of 20 with fangs and air raid sirens. To quote songs like new single ‘Outta Sight’ perfectly, or so Top 40 singles and 17 Top 40 albums, Maximus in Gladiator, “Are you not while she can knock out a wistful torch song they’ve moved far and wide from those punk entertained?”. Seriously ‘eavy punk-tinged with equal ease. Joining her is Ben Nicholls, beginnings. While ‘Get A Grip’ and ‘Peaches’ thrash-metal support from local behemoths whose Dennis Hopper Choppers project has confirmed their image as violent misanthropes, Dedlok and Abingdon’s post-hardcore crew expanded from a solo concern to a full-on ‘Golden Brown’, ‘Skin Deep’ and ‘Always Save The Saviour. band with the recent addition of Acoustic The Sun’ are among the most beautiful pop CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Ladyland’s Pete Wareham and Eno sidekick songs to grace the charts. Of course the current Community Centre Leo Abraham. New album ‘Be Ready’ Stranglers line-up is hardly the classic HITCHCOCK BLONDE + THE BRINK + features the gorgeous, shimmering single incarnation, singer Hugh Cornwell having CLIPPER: The Bell, Bicester – Jambox rock ‘Good To Me’, and his mix of mariachi, surf departed, amid scenes of characteristic night. and country-folk augments his rich baritone violence, as far back as 1990 and things have OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon perfectly. Also on the bill are Ralfe Band never been quite the same, but with JJ Burnell, frontman Oly Ralfe and Richard Warren, Jet Black and Dave Greenfield soldiering on th formerly of Heavenly sigings Hybirds and with current frontman Baz Warne, plenty of FRIDAY 16 Mute signings Echoboy, as well as a touring old classics will get an airing THE BIG TEN INCH: The Cellar – Count member of Spiritualized and Mark Lanegan’s VIRGIL & THE ACCELERATORS: The Skylarkin’s monthly celebration of jump blues, band. Bullingdon – Wales’s blues-rock power trio rockabilly and swing, tonight with The Congo hit the road ahead of the release of the follow- Faith Healers and Greg Butler – see main th SATURDAY 10 up to their 2010 debut album ‘The Radium’, preview GRUDLE BAY + MY GREY HORSE + JESS SPRING OFFENSIVE + BLUE ON BLUE: their high-octane sound in thrall to Hendrix, HALL: The Jericho Tavern – Daisy Rodgers Modern Art Oxford – Single launch show The Blues Breakers and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Music Night with chilled-out electro-funk from this month’s Nightshift cover stars, plus soundscapists Grudle Bay alongside Stratford’s sweetly pensive electro duo Blue On Blue – th TUESDAY 13 indie rockers My Grey Horse and emotive and see main interview feature KASSIDY: The Jericho Tavern – Big- quirky songstress Jess Hall. FOXES!: Truck Store (4.30pm) – Instore hearted, even bigger-riffed folk-rocking from MOON MOTH + EYES FOR GERTRUDE + janglefest from the one-time local popstrels Glasgow’s anthemic Kassidy, out on tour to TANUKI SURF: The Wheatsheaf – Chili ahead of their Cellar show tonight. promote debut album ‘Hope St’. Peppers-inspired funk-rocking from Moon FOXES! + THE FAMILY MACHINE + OPEN MIC NIGHT: Cornerstone Arts Moth, plus support from Rugby’s female folk- COUNT DRACHMA: The Cellar – Former- Centre, Didcot pop duo Eyes For Gertrude. Oxford-turned-Brighton-based janglers Foxes! JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Live jazz ROBOTS WITH SOUL: Truck Store – return to their ancestral home to launch their from The New Jazz Collective at the Bully’s Single-launch instore show from Phantom eponymous debut album, evoking the spirit of free weekly jazz club. Did we mention jazz? Theory drummer Steve Wilson’s one-man 80s indie in effusive style. Local indie INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial, drone-rock machine RWS. dreamers The Family Machine support. EBM and darkwave club night. STEM + BEARD OF DESTINY + Followed by Extra-Curricular. SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James STEAMROLLER + SUPERLOOSE + DAVE PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: Street Tavern & JEREMY: The Hollybush, Osney – O2 Academy OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon Fundraising gig for Wittstock free festival. TWINKLE & THE SLUTS + THE BRINK + dark-hearted post-punk types Half Rabbits PRIMER: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – launch their new remix album with a free give- Jambox rock and metal night with away to everyone who comes to the gig. Their Birmingham’s sleazy female-fronted goth- serrated mix of The Doors, Sisters Of Mercy rockers Twinkle & The Sluts. and Chameleons comes topped with some HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES: The suitably apocalyptic lyrical themes. Joining Chester Arms them are alternatively pensive and bulldozing FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon post-rockers Listing Ships and marvellously EMPTY VESSELS + HUBRIS: The Swan, misanthropic post-hardcore tigers The Cellar Wantage – Ballsy blues-metal rocking from Family. Followed by Extra-Curricular local faves Empty Vessels. BLACK HATS + THE SCHOLARS + MATT MIDGLEY: The Jericho Tavern – th SATURDAY 17th Ahead of the release of their new single, ‘Kick Friday 16 In The Doors’, (an understandable sentiment KILLING JOKE: O2 Academy – Welcome THE BIG TEN INCH given Jim Morrison’s abject loathsomeness as a return to town for the industrial-strength post- human being), Black Hats give away free copies punk behemoths – see main preview with THE CONGO to the first 15 people through the door at THE HALF RABBITS + LISTING SHIPS + tonight’s gig. The spiky power-pop trio are FAITH HEALERS: THE CELLAR FAMILY: The Cellar – Local joined by shimmering synth-rockers The Scholars. The Cellar Wednesday 14th SNORKEL: Modern Art Oxford – Sub- Continuing to prove that the past is the aquatic explorations into jazz, afrobeat and dub future and classic dance music can never die, ANTHRAX: from the London-based collective at tonight’s even if the people who made it have long Oxford Contemporary Music show, fusing since passed on, Count Skylarkin’s Big Ten O2 Academy experimental psychedelic repetition with Inch celebrates the best jump blues, When Anthrax played at the old Zodiac intense polyrhythmic grooves. rockabilly and swing every month. Tonight’s back in July 2005 it felt slightly unreal to UNHINGED SOUND SYSTEM: The party is particularly special since it have such a titanic band playing such Bullingdon – Drum&bass with Mzone, Mark welcomes to town for the first time The intimate confines. Seven years on and even EG and the Unhinged crew. Congo Faith Healers, a band whose with the Academy being double the size, it PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: reputation on the festival circuit in particular still feels a bit strange, given that the band O2 Academy is growing and growing. Steeped in swampy are as popular now as they’ve ever been, CLARE FREE: Bowyers Arms, Radley – Creole blues and voodoo music, the band’s having spent much of the last two years Local blues guitarist. blend of skronking brass, rockabilly playing a rolling Big Four show as part of THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Cricketers, rhythms, primal rock’n’roll guitar and Latin Sonisphere. Those shows brought together Temple Cowley American beats harks back to another age, the four bands who rejuvenated metal’s MAEVE BAYTON & IAN WYCHERLEY: while still sounding fresher than most crumbling dynasty in the 1980s, Metallica, Magic Café (1pm) – Quirky blues and balladry. modern rock or dance music. Unsurprisingly Slayer, Megadeth and of course Anthrax. Imelda May and Mark Lamarr are already Since their formation in 1981 they’ve sold SUNDAY 18th big fans and the band’s debut album, ‘Juju in excess of 10million albums worldwide Mix’, was produced by Chris Kimsey, KLUB KAKOFANNEY ACOUSTIC and become one of the most influential rock famed for his work with The Rolling Stones. SESSION: The Wheatsheaf (2.30-7pm) – bands of the past 30 years. In that time So go get your finest whisky bottle and best An afternoon of acoustic acts, hosted by Phil they’ve undergone myriad line-up changes dancing shoes. Just to make sure the vintage Freizinger. and a multitude of singers, the only constant dance party goes with a real swing Bestival’s being guitarist Scott Ian. From their early Black Dahlia grandmaster Greg Butler will th skate-punk-influenced racket, through MONDAY 19 be manning the decks, armed with his classic albums like ‘Spreading The Disease MATT TAYLOR & THE MOTIVES: The trademark crates of vintage shellac 78s to and ‘Among The Living’ and a genre- Bullingdon – Contemporary blues with a spin dancefloor tunes from beyond the edges breaking collaboration with Public Enemy virtuoso touch from the acclaimed guitarist who of time. Come closing time you won’t want on ‘Bring The Noise’, Anthrax have rarely has played with Gary Barlow, Belinda Carlisle, to be back in the 21st Century. lost their grip, surviving the vagaries of Jamie Cullum and Joe Bonamassa as well as fashion by sticking relentlessly to their guns part of Snowy White’s Blues Project, and who TUESDAY 20th and retaining a sense of humour missing has been hailed as a natural successor to Eric SPIRITUALIZED: O2 Academy – Jason from they compadres. With Joey Clapton’s throne. Pierce prepares for psychedelic lift-off again – Belladonna now back in the fold and Charlie JOAN BAEZ: The New Theatre – Without a see main preview Benante and Frank Bello still solid, it’s close doubt a musical – and political – legend. Baez’s JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – The Hugh to the classic Anthrax line-up on show 50-year musical career has seen her release some Turner Band provide the live sounds at tonight. And they’re gonna rock. Like 30 albums, moving from the early-60s folk tonight’s Jazz Club. bastards. revolution scene (along with then boyfriend SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James Bob Dylan) through a career that’s taken in Street Tavern gospel, blues, rock, and country. Her OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon collaborations read like an A-Z of rock’s great and good through the years, from Paul Simon to st Bruce Springsteen, while her tireless WEDNESDAY 21 campaigning for civil rights, anti-war and CHRIS REA: The New Theatre – The environmental causes would be enough on its gravel-voiced blues-rock veteran airs old hits own to secure a place in the history books. from his 80s heyday, like ‘The Road To Hell’ OXFORD UKULELES: The Port Mahon – and ‘On The Beach’, as well as songs from his Live music from Sheik Anorak, Colin Webster, new album, ‘Santo Spirito Blues’. Mark Holub and Lunatic Toys. WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street OPEN MIC & JAM SESSION: The Tavern Ampleforth Arms FREE RANGE: The Cellar - Hip hop club. THURSDAY 22nd FRIDAY 23rd CHIMAIRA + REVOKER + NEOSIS + LOS CAMPESINOS!: O2 Academy – BLACK SKIES BURN: O2 Academy – What’s this? Los Campesinos! do sad and Ohio’s metalcore types hit the UK in support sultry? Well, sort of. The expansive twee-pop of their sixth album, ‘The Age Of Hell’; outfit’s recent fourth (fourth? Jeez, where they’re joined by Welsh Roadrunner signings does the time go?) album ‘Hello Sadness’ was Revoker and Switzerland’s electronic concept their break-up album, adding a darker, more metallers Neosis. romantic edge to their shouty indie euphoria. BEAVER FUEL: The Bullingdon – Scuzzy OLD SKOOL ACADEMY: O2 Academy – indie with a toilet humoured delivery from the Like what it says on the box, a night of old local rockers. skool dance hits, with live sets from Shades Of CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Rhythm and Liquid, plus DJs Osprey, Marty Community Centre P and more. LOSER TOKEN + EAST END PROMISE + THE DOWN & OUTS + KOMRAD + TENTH LISTEN: The Bell, Bicester – TENTH LISTEN: The Cellar – Benefit gig Jambox rock night. for the Oxford Wheels Project, raising money OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon for a new skatepark in town. Liverpool’s singalong punks The Down & Outs headline, with support from fiery local tech-core th th monsters Komrad and melodic noise band Tuesday 20 Saturday 17 Tenth Listen. Followed by drum&bass club SPIRITUALIZED: KILLING JOKE: night HQ. MATT WINKWORTH: Cornerstone Arts O2 Academy Centre, Didcot – Camply oddball cabaret pop O2 Academy Jason Pierce is a man obsessed by love, from Mr Winkworth, injecting a light-hearted If they appoint a Composer In Residence for death and God. The man who launched his sense of the ridiculous into his Brecht and the apocalypse, chances are Jaz Coleman musical career with the seminal Spacemen 3 Weill-inspired music hall. will get the job. He formed Killing Joke back back in the mid-80s with the slogan Taking LOSER TOKEN + RYKER SEAR + KAOS in 1978 with Paul Ferguson, Kevin ‘Geordie’ Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To, + TURNING DAYS: The Wheatsheaf, Walker and Martin ‘Youth’ Glover, and himself nearly died in 2005 when he Banbury – Jambox rock night. ostensibly to create music for the end of succumbed to pneumonia and a collapsed INVISIBLE VEGAS + THE JUKES: The days. In that aim they’ve been pretty much lung, has ploughed a singularly spiritual Swan, Wantage – Rocking roadhouse blues on the nail, their eponymous debut album furrow ever since, those major themes never from Invisible Vegas. redefining post-punk rock and inspiring a far from the surface of his music, which itself FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon legion of bands, from Nirvana, Big Black and is as grand as those themes would suggest. Nine Inch Nails to Lamb Of God, th Spiritualized have always been a pretty Rammstein and Ministry. Their brutish SATURDAY 24 linear continuation of the sound that industrial dance came with a Wagnerian GAZ COOMBES + THE FAMILY Spacemen 3 created: a narcotic-fuelled blend stomp and live Coleman was – and remains – MACHINE: East Oxford community of 60s garage rock, krautrock, Sun Ra- a shamanic figure, invoking demons few Centre – After last December’s solo live debut inspired jazz, southern soul and gospel that’s mortals can begin to comprehend. Over three at the Rotunda in Iffley, Gaz Coombes returns woven with masterful artistry into a decades and fourteen albums Killing Joke with a full live band – including brother beautifully hypnotic wall of sound which have undergone myriad line-up changes but Charly, and former-Ride sticksman Loz veers between mournful paeans to love and with the sad death of Paul Raven, the Colbert – but an equally intimate setting, to death to sky-touching improvised original line-up reconvened and together play a set of songs from his forthcoming solo cacophonies. Such grandiosity reached its recorded ‘Absolute Dissent’ in 2010, an album, ‘Here Come The Bombs’, his new pinnacle with the massed horns and strings album that sounds every bit as potent as songs taking a left turn from Supergrass, with masterpiece that was ‘Ladies & Gentlemen, their earliest offerings. Of course the music a more electronic, sometimes krautrock- We Are Floating In Space’, which Pierce press hated them back in the day and inspired sound. We’ve heard it. It’s bloody played in its entirety at the Royal Albert Hall commercial success was modest, but the great. Support comes from The Family back in 2009. The long-awaited new album, band’s influence has grown if anything and in Machine, launching their excellent new single, ‘Sweet Heart, Sweet Light’, is out next month recent times they’ve been awarded Lifetime ‘Quiet As A Mouse’. and promises a more stripped-down and and Innovation awards by the likes of GUNNING FOR TAMAR + JUMPING poppier direction, but live Spiritualized’s Kerrang! and Classic Rock Magazine, as SHIPS + DEER CHICAGO: The Cellar – power remains undiminished, and with a few well as appearing at festivals as diverse as Rising local math-rock faves Gunning For choice Spacemen 3 classics always snuck in ATP and Sonisphere. And when Killing Joke Tamar launch their new wristwatch-based amid the extensive back catalogue, there are hit the stage tonight – 26 years after they single on Alcopop! with support from few better ways to completely lose yourself provoked a riot up at the old Polytechnic – labelmates Jumping Ships, the effervescent for a couple of hours. by God, you’ll know you’ve been hit. Brighton-based indie rockers set to release their new single ‘Standard Bearer’ for Alcopop! Epic shoegazing rockers Deer THE BOOTLEG BEATLES: The New Chicago open the show, riding high on the Theatre – Reliably extravagant tribute to the acclaim afforded their debut single, ‘Lantern Fab Four. Collapse’. Followed by Extra-Curricular. PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: BLACK SKIES BURN + CRYSIS + O2 Academy DEDLOK + OVERLORD + SOMNUS: PULL UP: The Bullingdon – Lovers rock, The Wheatsheaf – Quintruple helpings of reggae, dancehall and r’n’b, including a live PA all that’s good and heavy in life, courtesy of from former-Tradition singer Paul Dawkins, Buried In Smoke, including extreme best known for his lover rock anthem ‘To Love death-cum-thrash brutality from Black Skies Someone’. Burn, punk-infused thrash merchants PAUL DUGGAN: Magic Café (1pm) – Dedlok and new thrash kids on the block, Crysis. Mellow café sounds from the blues pianist. SUNDAY 25th PETER & THE WULF + JESS HALL + SHRUTI PROJECT + TREVOR OPEN BLUES SESSION: Cricketers WILLIAMS: Isis Farmhouse – Acoustic Oxford Punt 2012 Arms session. OPEN JAM SESSION: The Swan, MOON MOTH: The Swan, Wantage Wednesday 16th May Wantage st MONDAY 26th SATURDAY 31 PROSPEKT + RED SEAS FIRE + THE MITCH LADDIE BAND: The Twenty acts - five venues - one night RISEN IN BLACK + THE CRUSHING Bullingdon – Electric blues from north + EMPIRE DIVIDED: O2 Academy – eastern guitarist Mitch at tonight’s The year’s best showcase of new Oxford music Skeletor dish up another molten night of Famous Monday Blues, inspired by John metal with progressive local faves Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix The Purple Turtle, The Cellar, The Wheatsheaf, Prospekt mixing technical virtuosity with and who has been out on tour in support The Duke’s Cut, The Junction sludgy riffage somewhere between of Walter Trout. Opeth, Rush and Meshuggah, while Risen In Black thunder in between death and ALL-VENUE PUNT PASSES th TUESDAY 27 thrash metal and The Crushing add a dash ON SALE NOW of panto theatre to their old-school JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With Only 100 available. £8 (+booking fee) thrash. The New Jazz Collective. from oxfordmusic.net or Truck Store SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with Street Tavern SECRET RIVALS + VOODOO RAYS OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port + AGS CONNOLLY: The Wheatsheaf Want to play? Mahon – Characteristically mixed bag of styles at email music links to [email protected] this month’s GTI, with synth-pop- or send us a CD, to Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. th infused indie rioters Secret Rivals now Please clearly mark all emails and demos PUNT and WEDNESDAY 28 picking up plays on Sky Sports as well GOOD OLD BOYS: The Wheatsheaf include full contact details. as plaudits in NME and beyond, coming Deadline for submissions - 10th March – 50s and 60s r’n’b from the London in somewhere between The Cure’s sultry veterans. pop and the girl-boy clarion calls of Bis PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar - Live and Huggy Bear. They’re joined by east band and open jam session. London’s Voodoo Rays, named after one THE OXFORD RECORD WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street of the greatest dancefloor classics of all Tavern time but sounding more like a collision DVD & CD FAIR between Pink Floyd and Sonic Youth, and th OXFORD TOWN HALL THURSDAY 29 local country-folk singer Ags Connolly, th CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford with his Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers- SATURDAY MARCH 10 Community Centre inspired campfire storytelling. SIX BULLET CHAMBER + IMPERIAL LEISURE: The Cellar – 10am- 3:30pm EVERYTHING BUT ARMS + Skronking, horn-heavy ska-rocking from Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie, all other genres. LIBERATION ACT: The Bell, Bicester London’s party faves Imperial Leisure, Accessories/memoriabillia/books. – Jambox rock and metal night. back in town after their appearance at Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Arcane Festival last autumn. Followed by www.usrfairs.co.uk Moon Fresh Out The Box. OUTPUT: The Cellar MOON MOTH + BILLY RAY CYPHER + DAVE OATES + BEARD th OF DESTINY + CHILLUM: Café FRIDAY 30 Tarifa (5-8pm) – Quickfix present a late JAGUAR SKILLS: O2 Academy – afternoon / early evening of unplugged Return to town for the ninja-obsessed live music, including Witney’s Chili hip hop DJ with his eclectic mixing skills. Peppers-inspired funk-rockers Moon As ever… HoooOOO! Moth. THE GRACEFUL SLICKS: The PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM Wheatsheaf – Garage-rock and 101: O2 Academy pyschedelia 60s style from The Graceful SIX BULLET CHAMBER + Slicks. EVERYTHING BUT ARMS + THE 876084 THE MIGHTY REDOX: The Chester REAPER: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Arms – Funky blues, swamp-rock and Jambox metal night. psychedelia from the local stalwarts. CLARE FREE: The Fox Inn, Middle SLIDE: The Bullingdon – House club Barton Slide teams up with the Red Bull Music LOST CHIHUAHUA: The Swan, VENUE PHONE NUMBERS Academy to present a night of house and Wantage – Rock covers. techno. O2Academy: 0844 477 2000 (ticketweb) BASSMENTALITY: The Cellar - The Bullingdon: 01865 244516 Future dub with Iration Steppas. The Wheatsheaf: 01865 790380 The Cellar: 01865 244761 The New Theatre: 0844 847 1585 The Jericho Tavern: 01865 311775 Fat Lil’s: 01993 703385 Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is the 20th of each East Oxford Community Centre: month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm) or email listings to 01865 792168 [email protected]. All listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be The Port Mahon 01865 790970 reproduced without permission strongest moment of the set, which promises better things to come and LIVE when they let the synths fully dominate the guitars they sound so much more like an original act. There’s little risk of Wild Swim’s music falling on the wrong side of the originality line. There are reference points for sure, but more in the spirit with which they tinker with pop than in their actual sound: Japan and The Associates spring to mind for fleeting moments as the quintet spice up their electro-heavy sound with almost operatic, often eastern motifs and the way they let songs shape-shift unpredictably reinforces comparisons to such maverick pop talents. They touch bases with Radiohead and Talking Heads too, but again, more in their approach to melody and rhythm than their actual sound, unafraid to gambol off towards pastures new lest the – now sizeable crowd – get too comfortable. Fidgety electric piano passages are cut through by odd guitar shapes and embellished by shifting textures, but always, Wild Swim photo by Marc West Swim photo by Marc Wild always the centrepiece of the band is singer Richard Sansom’s WILD SWIM / GRUDLE BAY / INCHTIME powerful but idiosyncratic voice, Modern Art Oxford one that can switch from portentous, even pompous, to Pindrop Performance host Seb and subtly dubby beats merge with and full-bodied than their softly fragile in the blink of an eye. Like Reynolds thanks the initially the visuals and as Rutger Hauer trippy recorded work so far. At the band’s surging songs, there’s a sparse crowd for making our way plays out his role as sci-fi’s times they remind us of former lack of histrionics for all that through the snow to get to greatest noble savage Inchtime’s Oxford faves The Egg, with their power and on the few occasions tonight’s show but it’s scant effort starlit ambience washes through us almost jam-band-like dynamics, when the band do slip down a gear compared to Inchtime who has like a gentle blizzard of sonic snow. while elsewhere they’re closer to and sound a little ponderous, his come all the way from Australia to The Bladerunner visuals have, of Trophy Wife’s slightly woozy voice takes hold even more. play to a dozen hardy souls. course, been provided by Grudle indie-funk, but often you feel Tonight we’ve merely braved His laptop-based sonic Bay, who last month declared it they’re lacking in the melody snow to be here tonight. The way moonscapes are appropriately their most indispensable album. department, even as they ratchet up Wild Swim are going, it might not played out in front a of a projection Live the duo expand to a full four- the grooves. It’s encouraging that a be long before people are crawling of Bladerunner. The undulating, piece band, complete with drummer, new song, not far off Wild Beasts’ over broken glass to witness them. gently shifting electronic patterns and thus they’re far more aggressive rarefied space-pop, is the Dale Kattack

JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW / than he thinks. Although his band are hardly harming his case any time soon, there is no ROB BRAVERY denying who the star of the show is. Whilst the inevitable camera-phones and gawping mouths O2 Academy rightly come out for McMorrow’s chilling cover Despite the O2 Academy being fit to burst, has the venue as loud as it would be empty, and of Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’ (of tonight’s atmosphere is still light and cheery, justifiably so. You feel it’s telling that, at first, it LoveFilm fame), we alike can’t help but merely mostly thanks to support act Rob Bravery’s Ed is difficult to decipher whether some sort of stand and stare as he gives such belters as ‘If I Harcourt-like smooth vocals and Jamie Cullum- Auto-Tune device is being used, such is the Had a Boat’ and ‘From the Woods!!’ the epic like piano jangling. quality of the lead man’s vocals and his backing finale they deserve. Time and time again there is It is a shame, then, that despite his credentials, band’s harmonisation. This chemistry is evident a slight pause just after he finishes doing his bit, he is yet another support act that is barely throughout, and not only from the music they time that is needed to digest what we just given a second thought, the crowd seemingly and their instruments produce – they all look experienced before we show the man how much giving the singer-songwriter as much attention happy, as if they’re as comfortable as they he is appreciated. as they would a CD provided to fill the would be rehearsing just amongst themselves. As if this isn’t enough, McMorrow even gives awkward silences that occasionally spring up in McMorrow is even chipper enough to admit he us a new song; the good news is that it makes conversations that apparently cannot wait a thinks of himself as “the Elvis of the indie-folk you think twice about whether he was joking couple minutes. world’. when he referred to himself as ‘the Elvis of the But as soon as James Vincent McMorrow Although he says this purely for comedic effect indie-folk world’, the bad news is that (at the projects a single syllable, it is evident that what (one senses he is in a particularly jovial mood time of writing at least) we don’t know when was Rob Bravery’s weakness is the headline this evening), you cannot help but feel he is far we can get our hands on it. act’s gain; within seconds the bearded Irishman closer to reaching the iconic status he refers to Nick Beaver M83 O2 Academy M83’s latest album ‘Hurry Up ‘Steve Mcqueen’ for example. We’re Dreaming’ has not exactly Fortunately for Gonzalez the been welcomed with open arms. material he’s picked from ‘Hurry Although it is true that the double Up…’ is infinitely more exciting in album feels a little overlong and a live setting that the record bloated there are a number of fine suggests. ‘Midnight City’s siren moments to be found and Anthony synths and 80s sax solo seem to Gonzalez seems to have done a fine make perfect sense at full volume job at picking these out as tonight’s and become a forceful call to the set concentrates firmly on his latest dance floor. Yet it’s down to album rather than heading way ‘Saturdays = Youth’ to provide back into the past just to pacify tonight’s high points. ‘Skin Of The older fans. Night’ is stunning, with Kibby Once the mind-bending, seemingly perfecting a beautiful siren call for endless intro-tape fades away M83 the verses that doesn’t sound a launch into the phenomenal million miles away from Kate Bush syncopated synth attack of ‘Intro’. in her pomp. ‘Couleurs’, Where Zola Jesus handled the vocal meanwhile, is reworked into a full- duties with Gonzalez on the album, on dance anthem which finds the tonight it’s down to Morgan Kibby band members attempting to start to make the song soar, which she the dance once again. It’s quite does with considerable ease. It’s tricky after the beguiling ‘Skin Of perhaps Kibby’s presence that The Night’, but such is the forceful means that the majority of nature of the reworking that the tonight’s set is drawn from ‘Hurry dancefloor is quickly heaving once Up…’ and ‘Saturdays = Youth’ again. It’s a shame that the only (she co-wrote a lot of the material early M83 track that gets the nod on these albums). Interestingly, tonight is ‘Teen Angst’, but Gonzalez takes something of a perhaps Gonzalez wanted to prove back seat tonight, leaving Kibby to that ‘Hurry Up…’ isn’t the stinker take on the role of fronting the many believe it to be. On tonight’s band. It’s not entirely surprising as performance, you’d have to say her voice lights up every song that that he has a point. it graces – ‘Kim and Jessie’, and Sam Shepherd

FINK / RACHEL SERMANNI O2 Academy Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel attention to the lyrics. Sermanni douses folk melodies with Opener ‘Biscuits’ fuses a heartbeat intricate turns layering them under drumbeat over dark lyrics that pitch-perfect vocals, both drifting serve to remind anyone who’s through octaves with ease. Her spent a grey day in October playful nature is evident, both in pushing paper in an office of the style and content, especially in the futility of it all. Elsewhere likes of ‘Pirate Song’, which boasts ‘Blueberry Pancakes’ manages to the opening line, “I pulled the plug musically convey the euphoria of and travelled down the drain pipe”. love, combined with depression of In entirety her set ranges from the its end, subtly flicking back and poignant and melodic ‘Sleep’, which forth between styles. The music gives a nod back to more and subject become one, each traditional numbers, to the dark and feeding and drawing from each angry riffs of ‘The Fog’, culminating other. ‘Fear Is Like Fire’ drifts out into a varied and diverse offering of the ambient realm into that leaves a hungry lust for more. heightened rock but it follows a Meanwhile Fink, the artistic alias similar pattern, word and music of long-time Ninja Tunes signing bound together, each completing Fin Greenall, exudes brooding and complementing the song. ambience, cramming his set with Whilst each song brings individual sombre rhythms and hypnotic subtleties the night seems to drift vocals. At times I find myself lost into one, all sense of time and space in the old fashioned desk lamp back removed. The trippy elements of drop, mind wandering to anything Fink’s music seems to transfix the but the music. It’s clear within audience, until glazed eyes seem minutes that the power of the set is commonplace and I leave having firmly placed in the melodies and experienced a cocktail of emotion- sweeping refrains. The sound ridden moments which linger on draws you in, eliciting an emotional long after the set is drawn to a close. response even without full Lisa Ward Photo: Johnny Moto pool player, smackingthe whiteupthetable in They’re alsowrong, ofcourse.Likeadesperate They’re confident andaudacious;welikethat. Artclasssink, before launchingintosomething. “It’s avery, very, verynicesong”,announce but thegigisunsalvageable. A trumpetaddsalittleJames-esque flourish, Portsmouth SinfoniaplayingFranz Ferdinand. from theiratonalchuggingguff, that’s likethe contentious racepolitics. Anything todistract for once.Lightshow;dancinggimps; Jukes, youwishitwereaboutsomethingelse, name wouldhaveit. Watching abandlike The It’s All About TheMusic,asthepromoter’s The Bullingdon AR NUCLEAR SKYLINE/ lack ofpolishcomplementstheir barely ayearold.Theircheerful Who’s Felixareayoungband The Wheatsheaf VIENNA LIVE TCLASSINK/ DITT O / THE JUKES YELLOW prominently tolettheirown Cure influencesareworntoo meaty butloosesound,thoughthe VER everyone exceptFoals,let’s behonest),but convincing when tryingtobeFoals(asis atmospheric pop. They’reattheirleast highly polishedmelodic setofenergetic, Very NiceHarryshineinthis company, witha better. public, sogoodonyou, Artclasssink. Nowget belief. We feelmusicians about thisband,notleasttheirevident self- song home. Yet there’s somethingloveable the incomprehensiblevocalyelpstodrag end upmuddledafteraminuteorso,lookingto Psych? Funk?Skank?Shoegaze?–buttendto blind hope,theyshootatvariousstyles– Y FEVER/ NICEHARR WHO’S FELIX should the setprogressesintoquieter struggles athighervolumesbutas identity through. The singer’s voice Y/ growupin Blake’s 7 some neatdelaypedaluse,anddrizzleitwith when theycreatemorespaceinthemusic,with David Murphy time. sure they’llcome upwithsomething,given shirt andashinydoublebass,though. We’re very interesting. They’ve gotaBlackFlag T- prowess. Currentlyit’s brashandballsybutnot memorable tobalancethelackof musical spirited fun,ofcourse,butlacking inanything hopping, inexperiencedpunkband. Good grunge act,buttheysoundlikeanyotherclod- rockabilly bassisthasgatecrashedateenage NuclearSkylinelookexcitinglylikeagreasy mean, Harry? unfurl. Very promising.DoyouknowwhatI McNeill’s lithe,clearvocallinesachanceto impressive, dynamicsongs,allowingSam synths,theyboastsomereallyquite Art Lagun recession. escapism, particularlyintimesof for thiskindoftorchsong there isundoubtedlyanappetite unshowy contextofKlubKak,but incongruous inthecheerfully All thisstylishnessissomewhat single iscatchyandwell-crafted. ‘Snowbound’, fromtheirnew Del ReytoPortishead,but clear referencepoints,fromLana stage atGlastonbury. There are gig wasontheBBCIntroducing Huw Stephens.Infacttheirsecond BBC, including Tom Robinsonand surprisingly turnedheadsatthe their strongsenseofstylehasnot maybe inBerlinratherthan Vienna, Conjuring upsmokynightclubs, they’re anintriguingproposition. and misleadingbuteitherway sci-fi blues’isequalpartsaccurate their owndescriptionof‘voodoo gear. A vocalsandkeyboardsduo, Vienna Dittobringthepacedowna After thisadrenalineoverdose suitably wowed. quiet ambition,andthecrowdis permanent smilesthatmayhintat upbeat, thebandwearing variety butthesetisrelentlessly work onmoremusicaldepthand need tofindtheirownvoiceand storytelling lyricalstyle.Theystill particularly inthewordy, Arctic MonkeysorevenTheJam, sensibility withmorethanahintof Thisismarriedwithanindie compositions. and infectiouslydanceable which emergesinhisguitarsolos Nigerian DeleisabigFelaKutifan, they seemeagertograsp.Half- opening upgiggingopportunities Adeweyo hasjustturned18, show. SingerandguitaristDele stars oftonight’s KlubKakofanney Yellow Feveraretheundoubted a secondlook,induecourse. be enoughpotentialheretowarrant picks upconsiderably. Theremay keyboard-led territorytheinterest NEW NOVETA / LISTING SHIPS / JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL / MANACLES OF ACID ABANDON / MUSTARD & THE Modern Art Oxford MONOCLE “Is it art or just a load of arse?” is an the side of the room the pair go, oft-asked question and tonight we returning to wrestle each other as The Wheatsheaf get a literal dose of the latter with scant clothing blurs into flesh and Tonight is a Gappy Tooth processional gait, and despite the the supposed former in the form of the room is filled with an Industries night at its best, vocals jarring live instead of being New Noveta, a performance-art side increasingly sickly mixture of over- showcasing a raggle taggle line up of mixed back and wonderfully droned project of Maria & The Mirrors ripe melon and seafood. It feels like evolving troubadours from beyond as on the CD, this is a performance who have replaced their full band an overstretched build-up to the county and beyond the country. to close your eyes to and savour, as selves tonight. something truly astonishing, but ten Missing members, going it alone or it breaks down every resistant Ahead of their promised minutes later it’s all over. The strobe trialling a new project, they each bulkhead in your body. confrontational performance, local stops flickering, house lights go up, perspire and unfurl their own keen Jon Cohen is reverse engineering electro-squelchers Manacles Of the promoter calls for a round of spirits and ultimately entertain us in himself. A true veteran of every Acid do exactly what they promise applause from a confused, numbed that “glad you came; glad we came” worthwhile band on the Montreal with their name, rebooting 80s acid crowd and New Noveta begin the Oxford way. scene, most notably the late-90s house with an authentically rough- process of cleaning up their mess. Wiltshire’s Mustard & The incarnation of The Dears, he has hewn analogue edge, while Listing So… are we stunned and shocked Monocle are a sprightly young spent the subsequent years casting Ships wage a war of attrition on by such a challenging display of bunch, with a cartload of interesting off the concepts and traditional themselves, grinding juggernaut rule-breaking art attack? Well, no, Mumford-style folk-rock tunes and formulaic mores of music making, bass, sheet metal guitar and not really. It’s little more than one an inoffensive demeanour. Maybe as which inevitably brings him to his brilliantine synth lines against each step up from nude female mud- they are, tonight, without their own ground zero and singularity of other in a shifting sea bed dynamic wrestling, and one step down from a keyboard player, they could add a self. Surrounded by a DIY steam that occasionally sinks into food fight in a crèche; the music real life fiddle player to go alongside punk of loop machines and personal ponderous doldrums before rousing sounds like an out-take from an old the lemon twist of Chris Difford- electronica, he has me from the itself in a storm-tossed release of Atari Teenage Riot bootleg and style vocals, instead of the guitarist moment he asks everyone at the pent-up tension, climaxing with the given the disorientating effect of the playing the descant part; then start to shush up and take a second thunderous ‘100 Gun Ship’. strobe, a couple of times the perhaps the promising ‘New New to listen to his gong. From then on And then things get a bit strange and spectacle looked like nothing more Song’, which gets people up and every full-on, clattering, funky silly. Stripped half naked, New than two drunkards trying to hang dancing, would really take flight. rumba-based anti-folk song, like Noveta have covered the venue floor their laundry on a line to dry. Still, it Now living and working in a studio ‘Midnight Train’ and ‘My Weakness with industrial polythene and does add new meaning to the in Reading it’s good to see Umair Is My Strength’, comes topped and proceed to smear each other in pieces question, “can I have some more Chaudhry back in town, debuting tailed with a great piece of spoken of fruit and fish to a soundtrack of bass in my monitor please,” and we the first live performance of his life philosophy, as it crescendos with short-circuiting electronic mayhem, wander into the night wondering if Abandon project. Whenever his his frequent, kneeling, sallies into the while a strobe casts the crazed New Noveta have just invented work on the brilliant limited edition audience, the loops pumped to full spectacle in a disorientating light. chubstep. ‘Monsters EP’ is discussed, words OMD max, and the Zen war of Back and forth to the pile of food at Dale Kattack like bleak, doomy and gothic ceaseless action and timeless inevitably crop. Here, with just a recreation that’s going on inside of bassist and his own chiming guitar him, compels everyone who rejoices BABYBIRD and laptop, I’m more impressed by in their own spiritual safaris to envy the magisterial nature of it all, epic his itinerant gusto. O2 Academy in its slow motion Sigur Ros-like Paul Carrera Stephen Jones is a man riled – so These mini sagas are punctuated by much so that it seems he’s built a some heated chat and banter with career on it. It could almost have the audience. ‘Cornershop’ is been deliberate that his band “dedicated to our government for became best known for an often slowly destroying life”, and the misunderstood song - the gloriously sinister ‘Bad Old Man’ anticipation of which hangs in the is dedicated to Louis Walsh, not far air tonight like a dirty plastic bag off the luminaries it was rumoured caught on a washing line. to be about at the time. The mid-late 90s expansive guitar “Everything’s written from a sound is still in evidence, but the happy place; I’m not a tortured music largely feels secondary to artist!” Stephen insists, somewhat Stephen’s lyrics and voice. He belligerently, and his encore is carries the words’ emotions announced by an acerbic “I’ve just masterfully, his weariness picking found my happy pills backstage!” its way carefully between anger, Stephen complains that resentment and resignation. “someone’s got Gorgeous

Tonight’s journey takes in self- Tourette’s” after only three songs, Jon Cohen photo by loathing (‘Goodnight’); hope and but the band do eventually play despair (‘Send Me Back My that huge hit, and even the Dreams’; ‘Unloveable’), via arrangement seems reluctant. He musings on parenthood (‘Like almost spits his parting shot – Them’; ‘I Love Her’). Songs like “You wouldn’t want me to sing ‘Drug Time’ aren’t subtle, but that to you if you knew the real aren’t mawkish either. The mood meaning of the words” – suggesting conjured by the repetitious, the hecklers have hit a nerve about Paul Carrera menacing insistence of songs like a misunderstanding of Babybird in ‘Back Together’ and the internet general. There has long been far stalker tale ‘www.song’ seems more to them than that, though. effortless. Kirsten Etheridge DR SHOTOVER Bicentennial Special - Interview With The Ham Squire Ah, you’re the cub reporter from Sports Goth Weekly? Ms Cripley, you say? Charmed, I’m sure. Are you old enough to be out at this time of night in a den of iniquity like the East Indies Club bar? Mind you, many of us have been here for the last 200 years, and it’s amazing how young we all still look. Must be something to do with those, ah, Transylvanian transfusions we keep getting from our medical colleague Nurse Feratu, or is it the gentle pickling induced by our “special” club cocktails? Talking of which, my dear, why don’t you pull up a pew and catch the eye of Bedingfield our cadaverous bar steward… then you may ask me some questions, after the correct libational niceties have been observed. Line MARCH ‘em up just there, yes, that’ll do fine. Oh, and get one in for our Esteemed Editor, why don’t you? He is the eerily-smiling fellow in the monocle and long dark cape, just further down the bar. He wears the latter so that the Every Monday blood of innocent young bands THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES whom he has slaughtered doesn’t show, you know… The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. [wheezy laugh/cough]. Now, 5th KRISSY MATTHEWS & HIS BLUES BOYS (UK) ask me anything, ANYTHING. 12th VIRGIL & THE ACCELERATORS (UK) Just don’t expect me to 19th MATT TAYLOR & THE MOTIVES (UK) remember much after the 80s. 26th THE MITCH LADDIE BAND (USA) / POPLAR JAKE (UK) Yes, that’s 1880s. Now, where were we? [The background music gets Every Tuesday louder – a semi-Teutonic THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB female voice over flanged guitars: “Waiting for the Night Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am Shift… Waiting for the Night 6th ALVIN ROY & REEDS UNLIMITED Shift”... as Dr S talks 13th / 27th NEW JAZZ COLLECTIVE animatedly into the ear of the 20th THE HUGH TURNER BAND doll-like Ms Cripley in a darkened corner of the East Wednesdays Indies Club bar… the lights begin to fade…] Every Wednesday – front bar open from 5pm “Excuse me while I adjust my helmet” - Next Month: Boozy & Dr Shotover cosies up to Ms Cripley in The Banshees the Aleister Crowley Memorial Room Thursdays 8th CAVE PAINTING / support 15th STUKA SQUADRON / DEDLOK / AGONYST / SAVE THE SAVIOUR 22nd BEAVERFUEL / support 29th Local bands night

Every Friday* FUNKY FRIDAY Funk, soul, boogie and R&B. 11pm-2.30am; £3. *except 30th – SIMPLE & RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY present A NIGHT OF HOUSE & TECHNO

Friday early shows 2nd WILL JOHNS BAND 9th CHARLY COOMBES & THE NEW BREED / AIR CAV

Saturdays 3rd SIMPLE – house & techno with WAIFS & STRAYS / residents 10th HODGE PODGE – festival fundraiser with bands & DJs. 9-3am 17th UNHINGED SOUND SYSTEM – drum’n’bass ft. MZONE / MARK EG / UNHINGED CREW 24th PULL UP – lovers rock, reggae, dancehall, r’n’b withlive PA from PAUL DAWKINS. £8adv/£10door 31st SELECTA - drum’n’bass

Sundays 11th HAWKHURST – folk night

Join us on Facebook: Backroom @ The Bully Introducing….

Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under JADA PEARL Who is she? Local r’n’b, soul and acoustic pop singer Jada Pearl, 25, has been a presence on the local scene for a few years now, usually adding a sprinkling of soul to other acts’ music, notably GTA, with whom she earned a Nightshift Demo Of The Month back in 2008. She’s been a singer since the age of eight, and recording since she was 14, inspired by her mother, also a singer, attending stage school and graduating in performing arts. Possessed of a tightly-controlled, wide vocal range, her talents have seen her working with producers such as Fuzzy Logic. Her debut single, ‘All My Love’, was released on a London-based indie label last year, while her new Her favourite Oxford act is: single, ‘Like That’, is released this month. “I guess the ones that we can all look up to that have made it big are What does she sound like? Supergrass and Radiohead; they are examples of real music in a way that Jada’s rich, soulful voice is a pretty versatile instrument, so she can turn they were a group of local musicians that came together and created some her hand to a variety of styles: last year’s ‘All My Love’ was soulful funky amazing original material, and so close to home.” house, while her latest, ‘Like That’, is darker, a brooding, pensive dubstep If she could only keep one album in the world it would be: piece based around the piano riff from Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ part “Back in Black’ by Amy Winehouse” that provided the theme to The Omen. Within the song Jada switches When is her next gig and what can newcomers expect? between playful to strident, while elsewhere she’s capable of Mariah Carey- “My next gig is in London, I’m afraid. Newcomers can simply expect to like acts of vocal acrobatics. see me in action, and see what I’m about.” What inspires her? Her favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: “Life, books, conversations and personal experiences. All help me to be “Favourite has to be the diversity. The least is that we don’t really have a creative and get in a zone. Amy Winehouse inspired me in the subject lot of music venues.” matter in her songs: very personnel and story telling. What I take from You might love her if you love: her is liberation.” Minnie Ripperton; Beyoncé; Amy Winehouse; Mariah Carey; Ms Career highlight so far: Dynamite. “Getting the first funky house song that I wrote signed.” Hear her here: And the lowlight: Facebook/jadapearl. A selection of videos, including ‘All My Love’ are on “Being booed off stage when I was 17.” Youtube.

This month in Oxford All Our Yesterdays music history 20 YEARS AGO changed their name to Radiohead. Wonder what 5 YEARS AGO became of them. Oxford’s close association with Aylesbury raised its Whoa, spooky. Guess who’s on the front cover and head again in Curfew’s March 1992 interview with the main interview exactly five years on? Yes, it’s the band Blood Oranges, who no-one could really 10 YEARS AGO Goldrush again, who by this time have become an decide which town they actually came from. Not The main news in March 2002 was the established cult concern over in the States, both in that it mattered too much since they sounded a lot announcement that Mindsurfer, Miazma, South their own right and by touring as former-Ride man like The Chameleons, which instantly made them Sea Company Prospectus and some young scamps Mark Gardener’s backing band. In March 2007 they great. Which was a bonus since their interview called The Young Knives were the first batch of were set to release their third album, ‘The Heart Is reveals little other than they liked football and were names to be confirmed for that year’s Oxford Punt. The Place’. Robin Bennett spoke of the magic incapable of having a band photo taken with the The main interview was with Goldrush, who, as well mushroom influence on the new record and the guitarist’s eyes open. Still, it was a classic piece of as running Truck Festival and Truck Records, had affect of supernatural forces surrounding the band reportage compared to a mini feature on Chinnor recently signed to Virgin and were fresh from and Truck Festival. metallers World Gone Crazy, whose pearls of supporting Elbow and recording a session for Steve In local music news the Oxford Folk Festival wisdom included the claim that they “don’t like to Lamacq’s Radio 1 show. They waxed lyrical about announced Eliza Carthy and Spiers & Boden as be categorised.” Crazy times, dear reader. Elsewhere their shared love for The Band, Neil Young and The headliners, while Young Knives were set to play there was good news on the local venue front as The Handsome Family, while Robin Bennett pondered the their biggest hometown gig so far at Brookes. Sadly Pennyfarthing re-emerged as a home for gigs possibility he might the alt.country Fred Durst. Nick Simmons, landlord of the Victoria in Jericho (albeit temporarily), while the Arena nightclub on The Candyskins released a posthumous ‘Live At was found dead, putting an end to live music at the Cowley Road started hosting live music, courtesy of The Zodiac’ album, while ebullient local faves The pub. Previous Nightshift cover stars Belarus split up. one Spike Holifield, bass player with Sinead Samurai Seven released their first single for four Long-time Nightshift favourite Richard Walters O’Connor, later to become sound engineer at the years, ‘Lucky Pierre’. released his ‘Pilot Lights’ EP and there were releases Academy. The Arena is now a block of flats. Electric Soft Parade, American Head Charge, Clinic too from Smilex and The Sad Song Co. the solo Curfew’s main live review this month was from and Will Haven were the big names coming to town, project of Unbelievable Truth and Dive Dive Ride’s show at the Apollo, while coming to town in while local bands treading the boards included drummer Nigel Powell. The month’s gig highlights March were perennial pub rock faves Dumpy’s Marconi’s Voodoo, Caliber, Smilex, Mackating, included Tilly & The Wall, Charlotte Hatherley, Rusty Nuts; American hardcore heroes Action Centre Negative and Coma Kai. John Cale and Unearth at the Zodiac, with Idlewild Swingers (still regarded as one of the greatest gigs In the demo pages “skin-stripping, hellbastard, and Bright Eyes playing up at Brookes. ever at the old Jericho Tavern) and Ipswich’s indie vicious, brutal and nasty” metallers Faith in Hate Ragged, lo-fi punk-metallers Randall Flagg were darling Bleach – previously Ride’s tour support. were top of the pile, while the hapless Touched Demo Of The Month, while Juxstar occupied the In the demo pages newcomers Sevenchurch were sounded like “Sting with a large cotton wool ball up Dumper spot for their “polished, glossed-over starting to show the world a whole new level of each nostril, holding a conversation, Johnny Morris wedding reception rock,” the review concluding that doom, while one curio from that issue was an advert style, with a hippo, to the tune of Toto’s `Africa’.” the band’s song `Chocolate Pie’ was “more like a stating that a local band called On A Friday had Actually, that sounds pretty awesome. shit sandwich.” Some things never change DEMOSDEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day at Silver Street Studios in Reading, courtesy of Trojan Horse Recordings. Visit www.trojanhorserecordings.co.uk

the plot, the overriding lesson of the song DEMO OF (“I’m pretty sure when I told you I loved you, I was holding a drink”) echoing that other THE MONTH former-Candyskins Cope chap Mark in his bleak Nine Stone Cowboy guise. We hit rock bottom (subject-wise – we’re really quite UNPUNISHED enjoying this, truth be told) with ‘Drunken Stroll’, which digs deeper still into the more MONSTERS desolate corner of melancholy and comes up As any fool knows, what dangerously talented smelling of day-old Shiraz and regret, a young rockers really fantasise about is being, relentlessly downbeat piano-led slice of self- oh yes, Gary Numan. And so it is that Gus hating reflection. By contrast, demo closer Rogers, formerly singer with Dial F For ‘Love Is So Blind’ is positively jolly, very much Frankenstein and lately frontman with the in the vein of Roddy Woomble’s folkier equally excellent Kill Murray, turns in this excursions. The five songs here maybe don’t surprisingly un-rocking electro demo, which hit the raw nerves of pop’s finest arch opens with the track ‘Negative Capability’, in miserablists, but Paul has a pleasingly desolate which Gus morphs into Gaz, only not the usual sense of melody and an enticingly emotive Gaz of ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ and ‘Cars’ voice that convinces you his tales are from the hitmaking fame and fortune but the Gaz of the heart rather than random pages ripped from early-90s when he decided to try and be Prince The Big Book Of Pop Angst. for a couple of albums (y’know, just before he decided it was more productive to try and be Trent Reznor, a man who, just to confuse THE SHAPES matters, had started his career trying to be More melancholy here from The Shapes (well Gary Numan in the first place). So anyway, Gus heck, it is the depths of winter and as we sit makes a pretty decent Gaz-as-Prince, here going through the demo pile the Met particularly vocally, the acid squelch of the Office has just issued a Level 3 cold weather synths mixing with funky beats. Thereon in, warning, which means they expect people to Unpunished Monsters tread an oddly beguiling drop dead from the soul-chilling conditions), path between knowing 80s pop fetishism – though compared to Paul Brennan they’re ‘Neon Lung’ feels like a warped tribute to approaching barrel of laughs status. Opener Kraftwerk, albeit via LCD Soundsystem – and ‘Baby You’re Strange’ is a downbeat, country- a somnambulating form of spaced-out and tinged lullaby led by a delicate mandolin chime, spooked electro soul. Demo highlight is ‘Moon the overriding Dylan and Band stylings cut Dance’, which sounds like the last smoochy through with a softer 80s pop feel, not unlike COLDROOMS dance at the robot disco seen and heard Lloyd Cole. The song’s problem is that it COLDROOMS through the haze of several glasses too many doesn’t sound like it can decide whether it’s of whatever it is they serve up at robot discos. royally fed up or maybe in the mood for At times you’re transported unapologetically shaking off those blues and popping down the RECORDING AND REHEARSAL STUDIOS back to some long-lost early-90s rave but for pub, so it leaves in a strange middling no-man’s all its electro trainspotters’ fantasy spot-the- land. ‘Getting It Right This Time’, by contrast FULLY EQUIPPED RECORDING reference approach, it’s a wonderfully lives up to its title and finds The Shapes in far * AND PRODUCTION STUDIO coherent exercise and a salutary lesson that bouncier mood, cute female backing vocals some bastards get all the bloody talent. giving it a much sweeter pop feel, and while it * LARGE LIVE ROOM hardly knocks planet pop off its axis, it’s damn near impossible to dislike. Unlike cheesy demo * 3 FULLY EQUIPPED REHEARSAL ROOMS PAUL BRENNAN closer ‘Queen Of The Scene’, which is by-rote TEL: 07823770079 or 01865 863044 feelgood pub rock with the lamest of blues edges This CD is entitled ‘True Love Waits’, so we that might be an old Del Amitri cast-off or opened it and thought, for one giddy moment, something The Beautiful South thought up we’d been sent the new Tom Waits album. when Paul Heaton wasn’t around to exercise Curse these teasing local pop people. While he some quality control. might not sound like he’s just ingested a bottle of whisky and an entire tobacconist’s like Mr Waits, Witney-based singer-songwriter Paul ZAOS Brennan exists in almost as dark a place as old A sharp change of musical style now, though Tom. Each way you look there are tales of, the mood remains less than chirpy, as local usually alcohol-affected, heartache and death-groove metallers Zaos take a disenchantment. ‘Stay With Me Tonight’ is a sledgehammer to any notion of romantic self particularly maudlin acoustic lament, Paul’s doubt or morning-after regret, their singer, sleepy-eyed singing style reminiscent at times Mike Goodson (Garlglax The Destroyer to his of both Candyskins’ Nick Cope and Idlewild’s World Of Warcraft chums) instead genuinely Roddy Woomble. ‘When I Told You I Loved sounding like a badly hungover Uruk-hai You’ is even more funereal, a lost-love affair vomiting last night’s dinner (twelve pints of with the demon drink again a central player in heavy and a razorblade and sprout vindaloo) proudly down the nearest lav. It’s great, grim stridently soulful fashion they sound like a super-heavy stuff, but never relentlessly so – punked-up, speed-addled shoegaze band trying the guitar takes proggy detours, while to punch their way out of a locked room. A wall piledriving drummer Rob Hembrow varies the of effects-heavy glissando rises and falls paces enough, Mr Goblin Tonsils up front turbulently on ‘Day I Decided To Change’ while gargling ever more hellishly the slower things Lex hollers with great gusto and the end proceed. Opening track `Metamorphic product reminds us of All About Eve if they’d Disarray’ has the merest hint of Faith No More ditched the gothic fairy whimsy and started at their heaviest about it but soon we’re knocking out blues power ballads sometime grinding and pillaging our way through yer around 1986. ‘Dolls House’ is more jagged and actual Meshuggah territory, growling, less strident but again the overdriven nature of screaming and blast-beating a path through the song and the polish which coats it makes it most people’s notions of musical subtlety. feel like The Sundays if a major label marketing Great stuff then, though a small part of us drone had replaced all their idiosyncratic charm secretly hopes all three of Zaos work in a call with stage school technical perfection. centre dealing with complaints about insurance ‘Studying Napalm’ is the best song here, the policies or council refuse policies and speak to vocals more soulful, almost conversational by customers in the same voices they perform comparison, while the band seem more at ease with. In fact it should be the law that all call simply rocking out. Traps have got something centre employees speak like this. That’d stop here, and you feel they’d make more sense live the tedious moaning bastards from complaining where a bit of volume and a few rough edges just cos their bins didn’t get collected on time. would take it all to a higher level, but for now, it feels like a decent band in need of less polish. LEST WE FORGET Metal of a very different density here from Lest We Forget who feature two classically- THE DEMO trained musicians in their ranks. It shows to an extent since, technically at least, they’re more DUMPER accomplished than many fret-mangling heavyweights in town, but sadly they’re not nearly as exciting as four-to-the-floor vomit JANE DOE goblins like Zaos. It takes them two and a half Well, here’s an appropriate name for a band. songs to even get halfway to anything like full Jane Doe manage to be both lifeless and throttle, opener ‘So It Begins’ being a scene- anonymous, incapable or unwilling to commit setting instrumental overture, while ‘All The themselves to any musical style or infuse Empty Promises’ feels ponderous, like all the themselves with even the barest semblance of pieces have been carefully and correctly attitude. Instead they’re a cipher of a rock assembled but someone’s forgotten to charge band, seemingly placed on this earth to occupy the batteries. Vocally in particular, it sounds that void where landfill indie and soft-centred limp; a decent growler might have made the hair-metal might meet if they could only most of the pensive guitar arrangements realise how much they have in common (utter instead of adding to the feeling it’s all going stinking shittiness to be precise). On a good day, nowhere in no great hurry. ‘When Angels Fall’ squinted at from a certain angle, your brain does up the ante considerably, but while our perhaps befuddled with the remnants of last attention is at last pricked, what’s on offer is night’s Rioja, ‘Stand Together’ might pass as a pretty standard metalcore fare, dual growly/ modern day protest anthem, although if the clean vocals and plenty of chance for the lead Occupy protesters adopted anything like the guitarist to show off his chops, but it’s lily-livered fortitude displayed here they’d THE COURTYARD STUDIO wandered off message by the long overdue end deserve every baton round and teargas pellet the PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ capitalist system could muster. Onwards they as a desire for histrionics overcomes any sense 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE flounder without a single original thought in their of cohesion or malice, and come the equally MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB collective head. We got a bit giddy at one point overlong ‘Death Us Do Part’ the horrendously CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION nasal lead vocal is turning the whole thing into thinking they’d snuck a subliminal mobile phone OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI something approaching a pastiche of metal’s ringtone in the middle of one particularly FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI supposed menace. In fact it’s dangerously close laborious congealed sausagemeat of a song but it to the sort of spandex-ripping power ballad turned out to be an actual phone call and we S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) bands like Poison inflicted on metal’s battered spent five minutes answering some call centre Residential facilities included. dronebot’s customer survey questions rather than reputation in the 1980s. Time to stick Zaos www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com back on the stereo and quick. listen to any more of the innocuous slopbucket shitemongery herein contained. But, dear reader, PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS there is an especial treat in store for us before ON 01235 845800 TRAPS it’s all over and we’re finally free to throw If Lest We Forget’s vocalist sounds like he’s ourselves under the next passing refuse truck. A letting the side down with an apparent lack of cover version of Arcade Fire’s ‘Keep The Car effort, maybe he could take some lessons from Running’ that serves to suggest Jane Doe either Traps singer Lex, who, if nothing, else, sounds have a grasp on the irony of their chosen name, like she’s busting a gut to get as much emotion or else they’re so dumbfuckedly delusional a into every line as is humanly possible. Which is future weighted down at the bottom of Oxford highly admirable but it feels like there’s too Canal with their identifying features chopped off much disassociation between her and the rest of or filed down is the only decent option in a the band. While she’s bellowing it out in civilised society.

Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1ZU. Or email song links to [email protected], clearly marked Demo for review. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact address and phone number. No more than four tracks on a demo. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo.