email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 162 January Oxford’s Music Magazine 2009

zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba AlphabetAlphabetAlphabet BacBacBackwkwkwardsardsards zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba GET HAPPY! with Oxford’s new pop joybringers interview inside photo: Emma Sainsbury NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255

NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] Online: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net

THE OXFORD PUNT 2009 takes lives for so long. We will miss it.” place on Wednesday 13th May. The A farewell gig is planned from one annual showcase of unsigned Oxford of the most stunning local live bands is now in its 13th year and bands. In the meantime Xmas Lights local acts can apply now to be part electronics wizard Umair Chaudhry of this year’s event. This year’s plays his debut show with his MAGAZINE will play a special warm-up show at the O2 Academy on Punt will feature some 17 acts Monday Morning Sun project at the Tuesday 10th February. The new wave legends are reforming after 27 playing across five venues in Oxford Wheatsheaf on Friday 16th January, years for a handful of dates in London, Manchester and Glasgow. The city centre. The venues involved are alongside Witches and Governors original line-up of the seminal band, Howard Devoto, Barry Adamson, Borders, the Purple Turtle, Thirst (Of California). Dave Formular and John Doyle are joined by Devoto’s former- Lodge, the Wheatsheaf and the Luxuria bandmate Noko on guitar, who stands in for John McGeoch, Cellar. WAKESTOCK FESTIVAL will who died in 2004. Magazine were a major inspiration for the likes of Bands or solo artists wanting play not be happening this summer, it The Smiths and Radiohead, releasing four studio albums between 1978 at the Punt should email a Myspace has been confirmed. The three-day and 1981. Tickets for what will be a legendary night are on sale now (or similar) link, clearly marked music and wakeboarding festival from the Academy box office. Here at Nightshift we can barely start to Punt, to took place for the first time last July describe how excited we are. [email protected], or send in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in a CD, again clearly marked Punt, to Woodstock, and despite a number of THIRST LODGE are looking for The first gig is on Saturday 17th Nightshift at PO Box 312, organisational problems and poor bands and promoters to play January. Acts interested should Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Please ticket sales, it was hoped it would regular or occasional nights at the contact them via include a daytime phone number return again this year. city centre venue. Anyone www.responsecollective.co.uk and email contact Meanwhile, Cornbury Festival interested should contact Rob on The only rule for bands that they will take place over the weekend of 01865 242 044 or at DON’T FORGET TO TUNE into must be unsigned and from the 11th and 12th July at Cornbury [email protected]. BBC Oxford Introducing every Oxfordshire. The deadline for demos Country Park, near Charlbury. Last Saturday evening between 6-7pm is the 15th March. year’s event was headlined by Paul THE RESPONSE COLLECTIVE on 95.2fm. The dedicated local Simon and Crowded House. host a series of monthly electronic music show plays the best Oxford XMAS LIGHTS have split up. The showcase gigs starting this month. releases as well a featuring local avant-metal heroes who graced THE CELLAR hosts the regional The band are inviting local interviews with local and touring the front cover of Nightshift in heats of the 2009 Red Stripe Music electronic bands and artists to take acts, a demo review and a gig and October last year and released their Awards on Saturday 7th February. part in their shows at the Jericho clubbing guide. The show is debut album the same month, The winners of various heats will Tavern. Response Collective will available to listen to online all week posted a message on their eventually play at the final at the play at each show as well as DJs. at bbc.co.uk/oxford. noticeboard that read, “It is with Kentish Town Forum in May with great sadness we announce today a major festival slot and a record that Xmas Lights are having to call deal part of the prize. To enter, Dr Shotover: They’re a Crazy Mob it a day. Much as it would be nice to bands must be over 18. Sign up or Yes, it was a RIOT, I can tell you - sports goths, greboes, flower punks, glam say we have had massive fallings check out details at skinheads and psychedelic tweedies partying like it was 1899... and that was out and punch-ups for the sake of www.redstripe.net. just the ladies! Actually (ahem) I spent much of the evening IN the Ladies, now the drama, the truth is far more dull. Banbury rockers The Keyz, you mention it... I was after all dressed as Hattie Jacques in “Carry On Orthodontist”. What’s all this about? Try and keep up, shortarse - why, the East For many members of our band the meanwhile, have won £15,000 to Indies Club Xmas Knees-Up, of course. So... what DID Figgy Sturgess put in financial and time commitments spend on recording and releasing an that punch? All his strength, that’s what. Under these Raybans I am still became too much and, for want of a album via the website sporting a shiner that would get me instant admission to the panda enclosure at better term, life got in the way. We www.slicethepie.com. On the site Beijing State Zoo. Apparently he mistook me for his mother the late Duchess, and panicked. Never mind, eh... least said, soonest mended and all that. I am are very proud of what we have over 10,000 unsigned bands have not one to hold a grudge... especially now that I have emptied half an industrial- achieved over the last few years, posted songs anonymously, which sized tube of tyre glue into the miscreant’s Brylcreem dispenser. What did I do touring the country, playing with are then scouted and reviewed by with the rest? Why sniffed it, obviously. Can’t remember a thing about Boxing great bands and great friends and fans, with the bands attracting the Day. Oops, talking of Boxing Day, here releasing an album that we honestly best reviews winning the prize comes Figgy Sturgess could not be more proud of. With all money. Listen to The Keyz at the amateur pugilist that in mind I guess we could not be www.myspace.com/thekeyzuk himself. Modelling, it more gutted than we are right now. must be said, quite an INTERESTING new We intend to see all this out in style BORDERS in Oxford city centre hairstyle. Quick, however, and whilst we are unable are looking for bands to play instore Bedingfield, make mine to honour our touring commitments shows in the coming months. Due the swiftest Loch Peatie (for which we are hugely sorry) we to the nature of the bookstore, acts you’ve ever served, and then lock me in the will play one final gig in Oxford that need to be on the mellower side of pantry before the we are organising at the moment. things and they are particularly surreally-coiffed Look out soon for a new band from looking for classical, jazz and bullyboy spots me... If Umair and a new project from acoustic groups as well as brass all else fails, slip this tin of Brasso into his drink. James and Dave in the new year, bands, pianists and mellow or Yes - ALL of it. Toodle and in closing, thanks so much to chilled-out bands. Anyone pip! everyone that made being in this interested should email Georgia Next Month: What A Boxing Day - Dr Shotover squares up to band such an amazing part of our Waite at [email protected]. Bunch of Sweeties Figgy Sturgess A quiet word with AlphabetAlphabet BacBackwkwardsards

EVEN MISERABLE CAREER STEPH: “We genuinely really curmudgeons like Nightshift get enjoy playing, whether as a band on happy sometimes. Once in a while stage or just having a jam together. we even like to dance, and if it’s not We’re all such good mates, and I a pretty sight, it proves we can still think that always helps make a nice have fun. Recently we’ve been atmosphere on stage. If you’re spotted jigging merrily at Alphabet having a giggle then chances are Backwards gigs. Here is a band that other people will too.” could make Mr Grumpy himself PAUL: “I think it’s something happy. that comes naturally when we’re playing; it’s a ‘moment’ kind of ALPHABET BACKWARDS ARE thing: you just get lifted up and simply a happy band. They play carried away by it. I think it helps happy songs and you watch them make the live show special, and up on stage making their own fun when the crowd pick up on it and and you can feel that happiness get involved then it sets a great exuding from the stage. Their fun is atmosphere, you can see everyone’s infectious. Not like some fake having a good time.” forced fun wackiness, just the warm JAMES: “I see it as a trust issue. I glow of wellbeing and a clutch of know exactly what everyone else is sweet-natured pop songs full of going to do, so I can just relax and swirling Toytown synths, enjoy it a lot more. I know Paul will sunshiney female backing vocals and always hit the same fill and Josh frontman James Hitchman’s will always hit the same riff. Being effervescent joy de vivre, blokish in a band is not about individuals; (but never laddish) charm and it’s about how everyone works effusive lyrical whimsy. together for the good of the song. I Take your pick from the think one reason we work so well cartwheeling, carefree ‘80s Pop together is because we all appreciate Video’, the simplistic space-age jog this. I imagine all the best bands and of ‘My Friend Annie’, or, best of the ones that will be around the the lot, the rousing acoustic thrash- longest share this love of cum-synth pop bubble of ‘Polar performing, due to the enjoyment of Bear’, a song that has become the song. In Oxfordshire I guess something of an anthem for local Jonquil and Youthmovies have that fans who’ve started turning up in ethic too.” increasing numbers to the band’s You’ve quite quickly got shows since the start of last year. photo: Emma Sainsbury yourselves a decent local following What melancholy there is to be had and there’s an inclusive feeling about is fleeting and swiftly washed away SINGER AND SONGWRITER for playing live. He recruited Cats your shows; do some bands alienate in the buoyant swell of good vibes. James formed Alphabet Backwards Kill Children bandmate Josh Ward their audience or give out too much after he left his previous band, Cats on bass and long-time friend Paul attitude? ALPHABET BACKWARDS ARE Kill Children and started to write Townsend on drums. This pair JOSH: “I think each band has its unsigned and have yet to release any and record songs at home. respectively knew singer Steph own thing, and that’s only a kind of CD, but you feel, as they JAMES: “I’d been in a couple of Ward (Josh’s sister) and keyboard positive. I think that our music emerge into a bright, shiny new bands before I started Alphabet player Bob Thomas, and so the lends itself more to just kidding year, that it’s only a matter of time Backwards, most recently Cats Kill band convened for the first time in around. The clubs in Oxford attract before people coming knocking. Children. I was in them with Josh, an Oxfordshire pub in the middle of familiar faces every time, and so I They’ve already impressed Radio our bass player. It was great fun nowhere, initially just as something definitely think that we get to know 1’s Huw Stephens and 6Music’s but, I always wanted to do social to do in the evenings, before them all like they get to know us – Steve Lamacq enough with their something different, so I got a lift the band realised a lot of people we all pretty much know what to early demos to get some airplay. In with my friend to PC World about really loved what they were doing. expect from the night, and it’s 2008 Alphabet Backwards played at three years ago and got a computer always a good laugh.” both the Oxford Punt and Truck and some music software. Then I TALKING TO ALPHABET STEPH: “We don’t pretend to be Festival, attracting some of the started writing songs and sending Backwards, you get the same feeling anything we’re not, and I think that biggest crowds of any band at both out demos to anyone that wanted of easy just-in-it-for-the-crack lack helps. It’s nice to just be yourself events. They regularly pack out them. The response I got was of attitude as you do from their up on stage, and I think it’s quite local venues like The Wheatsheaf, pretty positive, including an fizzing, frothing, unfettered live often acknowledged and gets a good gig goers attracted to their interview with Steve Lamacq on his shows. response from people.” irresistibly hook-laden form of pop, BBC 6 show. When the producer There’s a feeling of genuine warmth BOB: “50 Cent has a bit of an that sounds like no-one else really rang me I thought it was a friend and happiness coming from the band attitude problem, I think. He can’t but might sit comfortably alongside winding me up and stuff, I had to when theyplay; is that something really be bullet-proof can he?” the likes of Get Cape, Wear Cape, double check with her.” they nurture, or is it a natural joy of Fly, Ben Folds, Ooberman or Noah From this early success James performing? What other bands do THE JOY OF ALPHABET & The Whale. decided to get a full band together they feel share that approach? Backwards isn’t just in the upbeat feel of the music and the onstage JAMES: “We always send demos ebullience. Lyrically there’s a out with sweets. We gave the guys charming whimsy in James’ songs, from Truck Festival a big pack of with little references to anything glacier mints when we handed over from clone towns to pick’n’mix – our CD. Luckily from there people little observations and throwaway like Huw Stephens and Tom asides that fill each songs with Robinson have given us plays on personality and underplayed the radio. Which, even though there humour. are more and more places to access JAMES: “I like to write with a sort music these days, is still one of the of childlike playfulness, while best places to get heard.” trying to focus on more adult JOSH: “It’s really odd – Radio themes, if that makes sense. The Oxford was an interview that I more you wrap something up in a couldn’t make, but listening to it big box and bow the easier it is to back was still seriously weird. January have a darker meaning. Actually, interviews in general feel “I’m not entirely sure what kind of strange, and when people take lots lyricist I am. I guess I try to tell of photos it’s still difficult to know Every Monday stories. Writing lyrics should, in my how to react... the interview just opinion, be quite a fast process. If after our Truck set just set the tone THE FAMOUS MONDAY BLUES they do not come in pretty much for things to come, I think. We all The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. one sitting then I find it gets harder toppled off a hay bale all at once!” 5th EASY TIGER (UK) and harder to get right. JAMES: “That bale of hay could th “`Polar Bears’ has a bit of a theme have been the end of us.” 12 THE MIGHTY REDOX (UK) of throwing ice cubes in the sea to 19th RESERVOIR CATS (UK) cause the temperature of the sea to THIS BEING THE START OF A 26th MEMO GONZALEZ & THE fall thus stopping the polar ice new year, and Alphabet Backwards BLUESCASTERS (USA/Germany) caps from melting and therefore being the freshest new band in saving the polar bears – whose town, what can we look forward to numbers are apparently increasing. from them in 2009? A full release of Every Tuesday However, the song itself is all some kind would surely cement about people’s perceptions of their growing reputation. Ady THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB global warming being wrong and Foley from local label Vacuous Pop Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am just doing their bit to look is an avowed fan. th th th fashionable. I am not 100% sure JAMES: “Ady is an awesome guy 6 / 13 / 27 THE HOWARD PEACOCK everyone that bought one of those and very important to the local QUINTET special carrier bags that said `I am scene. Without people like him, 20th THE HUGH TURNER BAND not a carrier bag’ or something like Alan Day, Autumn from Coo Coo that on it really cares about the and Joal at the Wheatsheaf, to environment. I try and do my bit name but a few, doing what they Wednesdays but I am also a little bit rubbish do, the scene we are very lucky to ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX REGGAE NIGHT when it comes to recycling and that be part of would not happen. with LORNA ASHER & WAYNE McARTHUR lot. Everyone is a bit hypocritical, “It’s the start of a new year, so 27th TCT presents SKY LARKIN / PULLED you know. Then there are other hopefully we can continue with the songs about just getting drunk and momentum we have got and keep APART BY HORSES having nervous sex but hey, we are moving further and further a field. all human, right? I sometimes like We have been discussing the Thursdays to see how much I can get away possibility of a release in the th with as well before causing offence. Spring with a London based label 15 MOSHKA presents THE HALCYONS / Just about having a bit of cheeky called Kittiwake Records. We’re COGWHEEL DOGS / PETE THE TEMP fun, really.” hoping to play a few festivals this 29th MOSHKA presents THE MARMADUKES / James still performs solo Alphabet year; playing Truck last year was LES CLOCHARDS Backwards gigs; does he feel a so amazing. I hope we get the separation between these and the chance to do it again this year but, band gigs? who knows. I guess Glastonbury Every Friday JAMES: “They are two very would be great and Bestival. We different things. I mean I only do it shall have to see. When you write a BACKROOM BOOGIE if the full band aren’t all free. It can song or paint a picture you can Funk, soul and R&B. 10.30pm-2.30am; £4. be nice though, as it offers me a never just do what you want with chance to play other songs that it. You always have to rely on would not necessarily fit into a live other people and what they think. Saturdays band vibe. Given a choice though, I We love writing the songs that we 3rd MELTING POT 2009 LAUNCH PARTY with would always rather have the full write as a band and hopefully we band live.” will continue to enjoy what we do. THE BLACK HATS / THE SWAMIS / DJs til JOSH: “I love the solo gigs, I suppose any success will be 2am. £5 because I get to be an audience down to how hard we work and 10th / 17th / 24th / 31st – To be confirmed member – that’s another thing about how we are perceived and if people the social aspect, is that we all turn like the way we sound.” out for a chance to see each other.” Sunday It’s also the quality of the songs Alphabet Backwards play at the 27th MTV SKINS TOUR with PAPER HEROES that has earned Alphabet Backwards Jericho Tavern on Wednesday 14th / JOSH & FRAN. 8PM. £5 their airplay so far. How did that January. Visit www.myspace.com/ come about and how do they feel alphabetbackwards for tracks and hearing themselves on the radio? gig dates. Sponsored RELEASED by Things dip a bit on tracks like ‘Use Me As A NATUREBOY Pillow’, wafting aimlessly through a ‘Under Your Window’ supposedly dream-like trance, while ‘All Of The Reasons’ is too self-consciously whimsical. (Natureboy) But as ‘Under Your Window’ reaches its title The work of musician and songwriter Dave track near the end and you start to feel the Nobel, Natureboy finds a great balance between crunch of fallen leaves under your feet, you’re DIY homeliness and musical ambition. ‘Under charmed by the Simon & Garfunkel-styled Your Window’, Dave’s third album, was wistfulness of it all. And as the album floats recorded in his garden shed but involves a host through the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young-like of guest musicians (including jazz singer Alice psychedelic rootsiness of ‘Love Is All We Have Russell and local folk hero Jon Fletcher), Today’ it’s easy to get captured in its easy, myriad instruments, and a keen sense of attitude-free reverie. ‘Under Your Window’ is arrangement that belies its humble origins. locked very much in the middle of the road Natureboy describe themselves as “nu-jazz”, scheme of things and its whimsical nature can reallythey’re more in the tradition of 60s be off-putting at times, but it’s also a very acoustic pop and folky psychedelia, the album McCartney’s orchestral, harmony-heavy style complete album from a local musician with the decidedly laidback and almost unstintingly of pop, while `If You Need Someone To Love’ vision to create something ambitious on a carefree until its final quarter when the casually swoons and coasts closer to Mungo Jerry. With bedroom budget, and you feel that with the summery mood turns to more autumnal deft use of everything from fiddle, to trombone right break into Radio 2’s playlist, a wider, reflection. Tracks like album opener `A Beautiful or electric piano, Natureboy take in elements of appreciative audience is his to grab with both Thing’ and especially `Up The Hill’ are full of traditional country and jazz; the sweet, piano- hands. Beatles-y flourishes, the latter steeped in Paul led `Butterflies Appear’ is a particular highlight. Ian Chesterton

spindly abandon, the guitars now spangle and shimmer on ‘The Ghost Of Mr Minton’. THE GULLIVERS shimmer, softly circling around the singer’s Still, twenty years on from their debut single, ‘Ambulance’ plaintive yelp that sounds like a boyish Robert The Would-Be-Goods is still very much the Smith. The three tracks on this new EP are all Jessica Griffin Show. These days the playful (Own Label) similarly-minded and paced and by the end you whimsy is replaced with a more reflective, It’s always interesting to hear local bands kind of wish they’d shift up a gear, but stoical melancholy, the musical equivalent of a changing and developing over time; in The ‘Ambulance’ carries a similarly distracted lovelorn European heiress gazing through net Gullivers’ case the Bicester three-piece are whimsy to Life Without Buildings and its curtains, sighing at the rest of the world now a completely different band to the dreamy ambience can be gently hypnotic. outside having fun. These are love songs and scrappy indie-punks that played the Oxford Ian Chesterton lost love songs, but sung from a distinctly Punt back in 2007. For a start, they’ve world-weary point of view. Occasionally, it expanded to a four-piece, recruiting a keyboard feels like being lectured to about heartache by player. And long gone are the spirited nods to a well-meaning aunt, and the band dips too The Libertines et al, which made for a fun but long into a languid comfort zone towards the limited experience and in comes a new moody THE WOULD-BE- middle of the album, but when it works, it’s sense of contemplation and a darker sense of completely charming, Jessica’s clipped, purpose. Where once they thrashed with GOODS received English pronunciation a rare joy in ‘Eventyr’ contemporary pop, and on ‘Sad Stories’ in particular she can sound like a lighter, more (Matinée) chipper Nico (if such a thing were possible). Guitarist Pete Momtchiloff is, without a There is still some playfulness to be had, shadow of a doubt, a local music legend. As part although the ennui of ‘Baby Romaine’ – with of Here Comes Everybody, Talulah Gosh and its none-too-subtle steal from Blondie’s ‘In Heavenly, he is one of the local scene’s The Flesh’ – is the highlight here. godfathers. These days he plays with local As the 80s indie kids grow up, so their lives francophile popstrels Les Clochards and in and stories change. Whether or not many of Jessica Griffin’s long-running Would-Be-Goods, the class of 1987 are still listening to obscure where he’s joined by former-Monochrome Set jangle bands is anyone’s guess; more likely drummer Andy Warren and Thee Headcoatees most of them are too up to their ears in bassist Deborah Green. It’s an indie mortgages and nappies to find the time. But underground pedigree that never disappoints in for those romantic nostalgists left behind The the twee jangle-pop stakes, Pete often revisiting Would-Be-Goods offer succour and sweet his mid-80s heyday on tracks like ‘Temporary home comfort. Best Friend’, or providing an elegant surf Dale Kattack

Selected Oxford releases are now available on the ground floor HMV Oxford supports local music Open Sundays 11-5pm & late Thursdays till 7pm. 10% student discount every day OXFORD PUNT 2009 Wednesday 13th May 17 band, 5 venues, 1 night. The best showcase of unsigned music all year Want to play?

Email Myspace links to [email protected] (clearly marked `Punt’) or send a demo to Punt, Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU

Bands must be unsigned and from Oxfordshire Deadline for applications is the 15th March gig guide

Every Monday WEDNESDAY 7th JANUARY ETHIOPIAN REGGAE NIGHT: The THE FAMOUS Bullingdon MONDAY BLUES: THURSDAY 1st THURSDAY 8th OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon The Bullingdon CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford The quietest month of the year for gigs is a nd Community Centre – The long-running all- good time to reflect on some of those heroic FRIDAY 2 comers club night continues to host all manner underdogs of the local scene who put on a KLUB KAKOFANNEY with THE of singers, musicians, poets, storytellers and steady stream of live music that falls under TALIBAND + SUPERLOOSE + MOON performance artists. many people’s radar as they flock to the LEOPARD + FREI ZINGER & CHRIS SKYLARKIN: The Academy – Weekly soul, latest cool new thing. The Famous Monday HILLS: The Wheatsheaf – Klub Kak into reggae and ska extravaganza with Count Blues celebrates its 25th anniversary later the New Year with old-fashioned metal noise Skylarkin’ and live bands. this year and continues to attract some of from The Taliband plus a supporting cast OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon the best touring acts from around the UK, including two bands that, in typical KK style, the States and Europe. January’s line-up is are impossible to find any info at all on. Aw FRIDAY 9th something of an Oxford special with the first heck, just go along. Klub Kakofanney is great. three Mondays of the month featuring local BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon FREAKISHLY LONG MIRRORS + EUREKA blues-inclined bands. On the 5th there’s 60s DUGOUT Vs SKYLARKIN: The Cellar – MACHINES + MOLOTOV SEXBOMB + and 70s-styled rockers Easy Tiger taking in Soul, rare groove and funk with Count SECRET RIVALS: The Wheatsheaf – elements of southern rock, blues, honky Skylarkin and Indecision. Quickfix Presents night with Witney’s tonk and full-on stadium-rock blowouts. GET DOWN: The Brickworks downbeat indie rockers Freakishly Long They’re fronted by local veteran Ady Davey Mirrors, plus Black Hats side project Molotov along with something of a local supergroup, rd Sexbomb, Leeds’ power poppers Eureka including drummer Tim Turan. Tim of SATURDAY 3 Machines and local indie punkers Secret Rivals. course used to drum with The Mighty TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM THE MIGHTY REDOX + PETE FRYER Redox, who play the Monday Blues on the 101: The Academy – Weekly three-clubs-in BAND + FILM NOIR: The Magdalen – 12th, proffering a blend of swampy blues one extravaganza with contemporary and Monthly residency from the swamp-blues rock, 60s folk-rock, psychedelic strangeness classic indie and alternative sounds at crazies and chums. and plenty of hoe-down mayhem that Transformation, 80s pop and trash at BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon – refuses to bend to any current trends – but Trashy, plus metal, hardcore and punk at Classic funk, soul and r’n’b club night. what else would you expect from a band Room 101. CHANTELLE PIKE: Isis Farmhouse, Iffley featuring Klub Kakofanney stalwarts Phil MELTING POT with THE BLACK HATS + Lock – Dark-hearted acoustic pop and show- Freizinger and Sue Smith? The Monday THE SWAMIS: The Bullingdon – Mixed tune extravagance from local songstress Blues’ resident soundman Tony Jezzard bag of bands as ever at tonight’s Melting Pot Chantelle. leads his own good-time electric blues-rock with taut, super-sharp noise-pop headliners GET DOWN: The Brickworks – Soul, funk combo, Reservoir Cats on the 19th, proving The Black Hats, falling midway between The and Latin session. even Oxford’s most sardonic man knows Jam and Young Knives. Support comes from TEMPLARS + I AM THIEVES + CAV OK + how to conjure a good time, while the final Buckinghamshire’s bluesy acoustic rockers THE SHAKELLERS: The Jericho Tavern – session of the month, on the 26th, sees the The Swamis. Stornoway-style folky pop from Templars, return of Tex-Mex blues giant Memo REGGAE REGGAE SUNDAY: The Cellar with support from full-on Led Zep-inspired Gonzalez (pictured) with his lively blend of rockers I Am Thieves, Essex pomp-rockers Cav swing and r’n’b. SUNDAY 4th OK and local grungey popstrels The Shakellers. BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Live jazz SIMON & MICHAEL DAVIES’ ACOUSTIC dance with 10-piece London funk outfit SESSION: The Temple – New weekly Maracatu do Norte, plus DJs. acoustic night with the Law Abiding Citizens duo. SATURDAY 10th MONDAY 5th WE ARE THE OCEAN: The Academy – London’s post-hardcore shouters head off on EASY TIGER: The Bullingdon – First their first national headline tour in support of Famous Monday Blues gig of the new year their forthcoming debut album. with local 60s and 70s-styled rockers Easy TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM Tiger taking in elements of southern rock, 101: The Academy blues, honky tonk and full-on stadium-rock COO COO CLUB with THE MEDICINE + blowouts. MOUNTAIN PARADE + DUOTONE: The th Jericho Tavern – Local folk stalwarts Matt TUESDAY 6 Sage and Colin Fletcher come together as The JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free weekly Medicine, with support from delicate, sweet- live jazz club with The Howard Peacock natured old-world folkies The Mountain Quintet playing lively, funky keyboard-led Parade, plus cellist Barney Morse-Brown’s solo jazz. project Duotone. BALKAN BASEMENT: The Brickworks – best two-piece noise-rock bands go head to Balkan beat, gypsy dance and drum&bass. head. Sadly Nightshift favourites 50ft Panda LIVE BANDS NIGHT: The Temple are bowing out, tonight being their final gig, so let the sound of their alternately angular SUNDAY 11th hardcore and classic 70s rock racket ring long and loud in your ears. Their mantle will SIMON & MICHAEL DAVIES’ ACOUSTIC doubtless be taken up by newcomers Phantom SESSION: The Temple Theory whose bludgeoning hardcore and spacious melodic rock promises much for the th MONDAY 12 new year. THE MIGHTY REDOX: The Bullingdon – MOSHKA presents THE HALCYONS + Swampy blues rock, 60s folk-rock, psychedelic COGWHEEL DOGS + PETE THE TEMP: strangeness and plenty of hoe-down mayhem The Bullingdon – Ballsy organ-led torch Sunday 18th from The Mighty Redox at tonight’s Famous songs and squelchy electro-dance-rock from Monday Blues session. Halcyons headlining tonight’s Moshka club. FRANK TURNER: Off-kilter folk-pop from Cogwheel Dogs in th support. The Academy TUESDAY 13 CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Somehow Frank Turner has become JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With The Community Centre something of an honorary citizen of Oxford. Howard Peacock Quintet. SKYLARKIN: The Academy It might, in part, be due to his regular visits THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME: The OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon to our venues, including appearances at Academy – Stourbridge’s one-man and his Truck Festival, but also due to his backing machines troubadour Rob Jones brings his th band being mostly made up of local punk- idiosyncratic electro-folk sound to town, mixing FRIDAY 16 pop heroes Dive Dive. Whatever, he’s very Jim Noir-style eccentric storytelling with Noah SWISS CONCRETE with MONDAY welcome. The Bahrain-born, Eton-educated & The Whale’s whimsical summer pop bounce. MORNING SUN + WITCHES + Turner has made the unusual but not INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial GOVERNORS OF. (CALIFORNIA): The unprecedented journey from hardcore punk and darkwave club night. Wheatsheaf – Doomladen electro-industrial screamer to folk singer over the past decade, ambience from Monday Morning Sun, from his days in Million Dead to his more th featuring former-Xmas Lights chaps Umair mild-mannered, but no less politicised WEDNESDAY 14 Chaudhry and Marco Ruggerio. Excellent dark- DUKE SPECIAL: The Academy – modern day incarnation. His solo acoustic hearted pop from Witches, plus hyperactive career was well underway before Million Dreadlocked DIY balladeer Peter Wilson melodic hardcore in a Blood Brothers vein continues his bid for unlikely Radio 2-endorsed Dead split, Turner finding many of his songs from Birmingham’s Governers. working better stripped of their noise, and pop glory with a warm, witty blend of FRESH OUT THE BOX: The Cellar – downbeat crooning and lush, orchestral pop, his debut solo release, ‘Campfire Punk House and breaks club night. Rock’, was as much a perfect description of not a million miles removed from one-time FIRST EDITION: The Jericho Tavern mentor The Divine Comedy. his music as it was a title. Since then he’s BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon managed to mix love songs and social ALPHABET BACKWARDS + THE GET DOWN: The Brickworks COLOURS + BABY GRAVY: The Jericho commentary on his two albums, ‘Sleep Is For The Weak’ and ‘Love, Ire & Song’, in Tavern – Heartwarming electro-jangle pop from th this month’s Nightshift cover stars, with SATURDAY 17 much the same way as his most obvious support from Reading’s epic stadium-pop THE GULLIVERS + WE AERONAUTS + antecedent, Billy Bragg. Along the way he’s hopefuls The Colours and brattish electro-punk THE DACOITS: The Wheatsheaf – Dark- toured with the likes of Biffy Clyro, The scrappers Baby Gravy. hearted goth-pop spangle from The Gullivers, Holloways and most recently The Levellers, PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar – Live funk launching their new EP tonight. Support comes reaching out to an expanding new folk jam. from Oxford-Brighton orchestral folk-pop audience while retaining his old hardcore collective We Aeronauts and Faringdon’s glitzy following, no mean feat. Tonight is Turner’s th garage-rockers The Dacoits. biggest Oxford headline show yet, but THURSDAY 15 RESPONSE COLLECTIVE: The Jericho already it looks like the venue will be 50ft PANDA + PHANTOM THEORY + Tavern – New monthly night of electronic packed, and his reception will be as DESERT STORM: The Cellar – A night of music, with live bands, DJs and visuals. rapturous as for any home-grown heroes. big beats and bigger riffs and two of Oxford’s Tonight local electro-funk soundscapists The Response Collective mix up hip hop beats, th synth ambience and cinematic samples. MONDAY 19 TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM RESERVOIR CATS: The Bullingdon – 101: The Academy Good-time, hard-rocking electric blues from ATTACK! ATTACK!: The Cellar – Leftfield local guitar vet Tony Jezzard and crew at the rock and electro sounds from Vacuous Pop and Famous Monday Blues. Abort, Retry, Fail? DJs. JOHN TAMS & BARRY COOPE: Nettlebed LIVE BANDS NIGHT: The Temple Folk Club – Traditional English acoustic folk from six-times BBC Folk Award winner Tams SUNDAY 18th and musical partner Coope FRANK TURNER: The Academy – The emo th screamer-turned folk firebrand continues to TUESDAY 20 spread the word of truth – see main preview MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE + BRING KATE GARRETT, BARNEY MORSE- ME THE HORIZON + BLACK TIDE + IN BROWN & FRIENDS: Isis Farmhouse, CASE OF FIRE: The Academy – Kerrang Iffley Lock – Lovely, sweet-natured folk-pop package tour with Little Jimmy Urine leading purity from local singer Kate, along with headliners Mindless Self Indulgence in their cellist Barney. ritualistic electro-hip-hop-punk carnage, SIMON & MICHAEL DAVIES’ ACOUSTIC indulging in his usual genial pastimes of drinking SESSION: The Temple his own piss, setting fire to his pubic hair or simply inviting members of the audience to FRIDAY 23rd punch him. Still, he’s learned his trade THE WINCHELL RIOTS + BROADCAST supporting Rammstein, Iggy Pop and Marilyn 2000 + THE VOLT + ANY COLOUR Manson so he knows all about evil rock and roll BLACK: The Academy – The local new wave- showmanship. There’s screaming hardcore noise inspired pop heroes play as part of this year’s from Sheffield’s Bring Me The Horizon in Academy Live Tour, bearing their epically- support, plus Florida thrash-metallers Black proportioned, but intimately arranged souls in Tide and rising pomp rockers In Case Of Fire. the style of Sigur Ros, Muse and Echo and the JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Live jazz Bunnymen. Joining them are London’s with The Hugh Turner Band. twinkling acoustic rockers Broadcast 2000, KAPOW: The Cellar – Indie and electro club Bath’s angular indie, folk and ska rockers The night. Volt and Glasgow’s electro-grunge duo Any Tuesday 27th st Color Black. BUZZCOCKS: WEDNESDAY 21 STORNOWAY: Isis Farmhouse, Iffley Lock ETHIOPIAN REGGAE NIGHT: The – A suitably far-from-the-madding-crowd outing The Academy Bullingdon for Oxford’s premier proponents of Peerless proponents of pop-riddled punk idiosyncratic celtic-flavoured pop, with a great, since 1976, Buzzcocks have been no THURSDAY 22nd exotic mix of unusual instrumentation and epic sense of literate songwriting. strangers to Oxford venues since their ESCAPE THE FATE: The Academy – Las BORDERVILLE: The Cellar – Reliably reformation in the late-80s, but tonight’s gig is Vegas pretty boy post-hardcore rockers, vaudevillian glam-goth rocking from Borderville, a bit special even by their high standards. discovered and mentored by My Chemical launching their new EP. Following on from countless other rock Romance out on tour in support of new John PETE FRYER BAND + THE MIGHTY greats, the Manchester legends are performing Feldmann-produced album, ‘This War Is Ours’, REDOX + HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES: their first two classic albums in their entirety. and having a bit of an edge on their metalcore Ampleforth Arms The band’s debut, ‘Another Music In A peers by dint of having a former singer, Ronnie SEVASA + AUDIO POLLUTION + HEARD Different Kitchen’, set the punk-pop Radke, currently banged up for assisting a OF COWS + NOBLE ROGUES: The benchmark almost beyond reach from the murder. Sadly, not the murder of Boys Like Jericho Tavern – “No-nonsense” Oasis-alike very start when it was released in 1978, Girls. rockers Sevasa headline a night of, well, no- featuring sublime Buzzcocks cuts like ‘Fast KING & THE OLIVE FIELDS + BEACONS nonsense, no-frills, Oasis-alike rocking. Knock Cars’, ‘Sixteen’ and ‘I Don’t Mind’, as well + SAL’S PARADISE: The Purple Turtle – yerself out. as more ambitious new wave tracks like First night of the new Team Games live music BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon ‘Moving Away From The Pulsebeat’. Its club, with London-based folk singer and banjo GET DOWN: The Brickworks follow-up, `Love Bites’, released the same player Philip Serfaty’s King & The Olive year, was less abrasive but featured the Fields, plus delicate, thoughtful acoustic folk th band’s signature tune, ‘Ever Fall In Love’, as from Beacons and psychedelic folk from SATURDAY 24 well as classic tracks like ‘Sixteen Again’ and Teeside’s Sal’s Paradise. WHOLE LOTTA LED: The Academy – Led ‘Love Is Lies’. Buzzcocks might well be SKYLARKIN: The Academy Zeppelin tribute night. considered as one of the great singles bands of LES CLOCHARDS + AZUT: Baby Simple – IVY’S ITCH + ASTROHENGE + all time – up there with The Jam and Blondie Great homely but exotic Gallic folk-pop from NIKOWSKI: The Wheatsheaf – Great in that respect – but those early albums are as Les Clochards. virulent angular grunge-goth-hardcore noise good as anything from punk’s original ECLECTRICITY: The Cellar – Electro, from Ivy’s Itch, plus spaced-out psychedelic revolution, and with Pete Shelley and Steve bassline and fidget house club night. drone noise from Astrohenage and Steve Reich- Diggle showing no signs of mellowing with CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford inspired fidget rock from Nitkowski. age, it’s another spectacular step back into Community Centre TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM history for rock nostalgists everywhere. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon 101: The Academy LIVE BANDS NIGHT: The Temple SUNDAY 25th MTV SKINS TOUR with PAPER HEROES + JOSH & FRAN: The Bullingdon – All-ages tour with scrappy indie-punks Paper Heroes, plus winsome acoustic’n’beats flamenco duo Josh & Fran. ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC SESSION: The Red Lion, Kidlington SIMON & MICHAEL DAVIES’ ACOUSTIC SESSION: The Temple MONDAY 26th MEMO GONZALEZ & THE BLUESCASTERS: The Bullingdon – Return of the 300lb Tex-Mex singer, bringing his lively brand of Texan roadhouse blues, swing and r’n’b to the Famous Monday Blues - see main preview TUESDAY 27th return to town with their tightly-angled Fugazi and Unwound-inspired post-hardcore noise. BUZZCOCKS: The Academy – The punk PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar legends play their classic first two albums in their entirety – see main preview th JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With The THURSDAY 29 Howard Peacock Quintet. ARCHITECTS + MISERY SIGNALS + A MIS-SHAPES: The Cellar – Indie club night. TEXTBOOK TRAGEDY + REMEMBER THE CHAOS: The Academy – Virulent WEDNESDAY 28th metalcore attack from Brighton’s ever-touring rising stars – see main preview SKY LARKIN + PULLED APART BY SKYLARKIN: The Academy HORSES: The Bullingdon – Now this could MOSHKA presents THE MARMADUKES + get confusing. Not the regular Thursday ska and LES CLOCHARDS: The Bullingdon – reggae club night with Count Skylarkin and Downbeat alt.country rocking from The chums but Leeds’ fast-rising garage-pop Marmadukes at tonight’s Moshka, plus a bit of fireflies, newly signed to Wichita and kicking it Gallic pop flourish from Les Clochards. out sparkly and spiky. Pulled Apart By Horses NITKOWSKI + SHIELD YOUR EYES + HREDA: The Cellar – Math and post-rock th Thursday 29 leftfield sounds. ARCHITECTS: CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Community Centre OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon The Academy Saturday 31st And so Architects’ mission to tour the th world without stopping continues ahead of FRIDAY 30 EQUITRUCK: the release of their third album, ‘Hollow BOYS LIKE GIRLS + THE METRO Crown’, later this month. The Brighton- STATION: The Academy – Or Boys Who The Jericho Tavern based metalcore cult heroes haven’t let up Sound Like Big Girls’ Blouses. Somewhere in Arranged to fall equi-distant in the calendar on the live side of things since their Wrongland this Boston band were labelled between Truck Festivals, Equitruck reaches inception five years ago. This month-long punk-pop. If this is punk then Jimmy Eatworld its third outing, again showcasing a selection UK tour follows on from extensive trips are Discharge and Sum 41 are The Exploited. of the local and unsigned acts you might across Europe and the States (where they Really, the only thing being exploited here are expect to find playing the various smaller toured with Suicide Silence) and is their 12-year-old girls’ purses. stages at Truck each summer. This year’s biggest headline tour to date. Previously BRICKWORK LIZARDS: The Wheatsheaf headliners need little introduction, since they’ve supported Sikth and Bring Me The – Whisky-sodden late-night gutter jazz in the Little Fish are the hottest band in Oxford – Horizon. The Architects’ way with things is vein of Tom Waits from Brickwork Lizards. and beyond – at the moment, having signed an unrelenting, full-pelt mix of crushing THE OUTCAST BAND + JESSE GAMAGE to Linda Perry’s Custard Records – a riffage, urgent fury and an epic sense of + FRANCIE JONES + ELENA DANA: The subsidiary of Universal – last year and have melody that just about manages to defy the Jericho Tavern – Billowing folk-rock from the just completed recording their debut album music’s inherent brutality. Certainly since headliners. with her in LA. With singer Julia Heslop set Sam Carter replaced original vocalist Matt BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon to be the new Patti Smith, they look Johnson, the anger levels have gone up a GET DOWN: The Brickworks unstoppable. A solid supporting cast couple of notches. High-grade support HQ: The Cellar – Drum&bass session. includes excellent up and coming local new comes from two rising metal bands, highly- wave trio The Black Hats, partway textured US-Canadian tech-core outfit st between The Jam and Young Knives; Misery Signals, whose ambient leanings mix SATURDAY 31 theatrical electro-goth thrash-pop merchants well with their more ferocious side, and EMMY THE GREAT: The Academy – Sweet- The Delta Frequency; former-Morrison Vancouver’s A Textbook Tragedy, who natured anti-folk and acoustic pop from Hong Steam Fayre chap Reid Morrison; Leeds’ release new album ‘Intimidator’ in the UK Kong-born, London-based songstress Emmy, all Who-inspired power-poppers Eureka this month. set to release her debut album, ‘First Love’ Machines; punky female-fronted guitar pop following on from tour supports to Get Cape, outfit The Last Army; indie rockers Wear Cape, Fly, Martha Wainwright and Vultures; angular post-hardcore manglers I Mystery Jets as well as making her name on the Am Thieves and riffs’n’beats heavyweights boutique festival circuit, including last year’s Phantom Theory. With a couple more acts Truck. still to be added. A good selection of new GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with LOST music, and all in aid of Truck-favoured TRANSMISSION + GLOCKENSPIEL + charities. ROPETRICK: The Wheatsheaf – Reliably eclectic fare at tonight’s GTI show with epic indie rockers Lost Transmission injecting exotic Cat Matador. eastern influences into their soaring guitar EQUITRUCK: The Jericho Tavern – anthems. Dreamy folk-rock support from Marking the mid-point between main Truck Ropetrick and lo-fi tapes’n’effects Festivals, the annual mini-fest showcases a experimentation from Aylesbury’s selection of local and underground acts – see Glockenspiel. main preview SPIRAL 25 + CAT MATADOR: The Cellar – TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM Doomladen narcotic psych-rock from Spiral 25, 101: The Academy in thrall to the drones and dirges of Spacemen 3 LIVE BANDS NIGHT: The Temple and Loop. Similarly dark-hearted rocking from

Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is the 20th of each month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm) or email listings to [email protected]. All listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without permission Foals photo by rphimages LIVE

FOALS / YOUTHMOVIES / JONQUIL The Academy Tonight we really are watching the crème de la crème of the Oxford music scene. The Academy, long-since sold out, is raving with teenagers and ten year-olds accompanied by lost parents stuck helplessly in a dark corner, filled with uncontrolled testosterone and dyed 80s-styled hair, checked shirts and mini skirts with leopard leggings. This could be a review about fashion, attitude and all the paraphernalia that comes with a set where Foals is involved but I will refrain – I am sure you get the picture. Jonquil, like Youthmovies, long-time friend of Foals and justly rewarded with such a prestigious support slot are young, vibrant and fun. Their members are sound multi-instrumentalists, challengers in the technical spectrum of things and a real pleasure to watch. It pays off being on tour for so long in countries like Germany and Spain. Their repertoire and skills are precise, tight and bouncy despite the band’s tendency to static pose. Their music is jolly and eager, the sort you would listen to merrily in a summer festival tent or while downing a few pints at the pub, but with a fresh, youthful twist. And it shows – the audience warms up, sings along, claps and springs in full delight. We’ll give Youthmovies the benefit of the doubt for tonight’s performance, mainly because we’ve have seen them a few times before and know what they are capable of achieving. Sharing a brass We sense the audience is not particularly keen but their unstoppable contagious energy, guitar swings, player with Jonquil and fronted by original Foals Youthmovies are saved by frontman Andrew’s hard beating pedals, and quirky moves galore, singer Andrew Mears Youthmovies have released a guitar flying straight into the public, with a especially considering they must have played the string of records of genuinely high-quality subsequent mass sense of euphoria. same songs for so long. Yet this gig is as much progressive rock. This is, however, no ordinary Tonight is Foals’ last gig of the world-wide tour their doing as the public’s - their music and attitude definition of ‘progressive’. This is refined mind- and it is a proper homecoming event. With the gig allows for the audience to be freely both viewer and splitting maverick music with awkward pop shapes, sold out, they were forced to play an additional participant (although there are no stage invasions difficult to grasp if you don’t listen carefully or show the previous night. But this is no Camden nowadays). Fans jump, cry, push, bounce, shout in press rewind-play again. Sadly we don’t get what we Crawl or pre-‘Hummer’ Cellar shindig anymore. ecstasy and blend in like a sea of dismembered hope for tonight. With the bassist missing – They have come a long way and it is obvious. bodies and are, gracefully, left satisfied with a full- stranded 100 miles away – and the PA working Their sound is supremely controlled, upbeat, quick- rounded repertoire of real tripping sweaty sound against them, the band have to make do, turning to paced and so much tighter they really could not waves. experimental noise and growling ambience. perform any better mathletics. You’re struck by Liane Escorza

THE SAW DOCTORS

The Academy dancing, whilst fuelling themselves classics but also intermingling covers It’s this time of year when everyone fluids. In fact, it’s only after the with alcohol, as if someone has of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ and the begins to dread the office Christmas support band have finished that the decided there’s a free bar. Meanwhile, Sugababes’ ‘About You Now’. This party. For some reason the notion of crowd seem to lose some of their the more sophisticated audience combines with a quick shift at the spending an evening with colleagues inhibition, surging towards the members are also beginning to let go, end, which sees singers Leo Moran in a setting outside the ordinary stage. Like any party it’s somewhat with behaviour only otherwise and Davy Carton swap their seems to breed insecurity and that slow to start, the band spanning observed at football games, including microphones and guitars with exact same vibe can be felt upon back over 20 years, beginning with off-key singing, dodgy dancing, drummer Eimhim Craddock and entering the Academy for The Saw a couple of lesser known songs. Yet lustful looks from the ladies and at keyboardist Kevin Duffy Doctors tonight. three songs in everything changes. times what look like tears of joy in respectively and an extended edition An eclectic audience stand, trying to It’s almost as if someone has the eyes of the most macho of men of ‘Hay Wrap’ makes it a cracker of ignore the possibility that at some invited Slade along for the night, (though no doubt they will assure a concert. Leaving me only to point they may have to make eye slowly people start singing along to you that was simply due to the lack surmise that as with any good contact with the equivalent of the songs with lyrics that are of air conditioning). Christmas party, anyone who office junior or the senior manager, annoyingly catchy. In an unfathomable set, the band attended will have plenty of stories by ensuring their mouth remains A quick glance around shows the reel out hit after hit, not only to tell about this gig. occupied with the consumption of youngsters buoyantly singing and producing some of their best-loved Lisa Ward THE DELTA FREQUENCY / THE DEPUTEES / THE VICARS OF PHANTOM THEORY TWIDDLY / THE HALCYONS The Cellar The Wheatsheaf Two-piece bands are nothing new or ditch all sense of irony and be so “Crisis? What crisis?” Despite a synth noises, natch. unusual in Oxford but it’s always over the top. No band ever likes spate of small venue closures, and As most enlightened sociologists and pleasing to hear just how much noise being called goths but, for all their the recent ruling that all British historians have observed, all the such basic line-ups can produce. appearance might deny it, the music journalism must contain the phrase major movements in rock history Following a similarly riffs’n’beats- possesses all the camp, frenzied “credit crunch” every hundred can be reduced to the desire to dress led path to 50ft Panda, Phantom theatricality of Marilyn Manson at words, The Wheatsheaf is crammed up funny. Here The Vicars Of Theory also prove that a little his mid-90s best. That The Delta before nine o’clock. Such is the Twiddly score highly, decked in a imagination can go a long way, Frequency features guitarists with power of Klub Kakofanney, who variety of elaborate Catholic crunching through a trashy, shouty histories in The Rock Of Travolta effortlessly fill venues with a vestments. They also rack up points opening thrash before opening and Smilex explains much of their startling mixture of trendies and for slapping out rocking swamp surf themselves up a bit, exploring showmanship but it’s as much down hairies, of preening youths and - if that’s not an aqueous paradox - Queens Of The Stone Age’s to singer Matt’s Pete Murphy-like hoary old men, despite the fact somewhere between Dick Dale and condensed melodic noise before vocal performance. Amid clouds of their lineups look like they were The Cramps, which could soundtrack hurtling into nasty, raw grunge with stage smoke that turns the band into worked out on the back of a an ecclesiastical Tarantino flick a no-prisoners hammer-and-tongs little more than silhouettes, guitars beermat the night before. If you (Pulpit Fiction, anyone?). Of course, approach, the drummer propelling fizz and spit, sequencers pulse don’t love the Klub, you’ve either every single riff and trick is everything along apace without ever magnificently and the whole thing not experienced it, or you’re shamelessly nicked, but no matter really seeming to move very fast. powers along with a doomy pomp hollow inside. how many unoriginal sins The Vicars But then, as soon as you’ve got and circumstance that could shame The Halcyons, featuring members commit, they’re great fun, and why them pinned down as Mudhoney- Spinal Tap if it weren’t so seriously of Amberstate and The Mile High pontificate when we can dance like infatuated hardcore purists, they’re good. Set closer ‘Charge Me Up’ Young Team, play two sorts of tune, goons? getting all spaced out with a gigantic sums up everything that’s great either ballsy torch songs smothered The Deputees struggle to follow the stadium rock guitar sound, while about them, a monstrously robotic in fruity organ and vox humana idiosyncratic supports, and their always teetering on the point of thrash with a distorted android voice keyboards as heard through a giant vivacious guitar pop sounds too chaos. Easily one of the most chanting “You’re fucking with the filter stamped “1987”, or excellent straightforward, even when they co- promising new bands around town. man machine” as industrial metal squelchy dance rock numbers, which opt a B-52s bounce. Sadly, the vocals After something of a hiatus The noise and smoke billows around the could easily be the theme to some let the team down too, alternating Delta Frequency offer a none-too venue. Rock and roll is meant to be lost Logan’s Run spin off mini- between a distended groan and the gentle reminder of what made us theatre. Good to know some bands series. It’s a hugely promising set, sound of Eddie Izzard’s “small yappy love them first time round. There haven’t forgotten as much. and our only criticism is that they type dog”. This is a pity, as the just aren’t enough bands prepared to Dale Kattack can come off as a clinical take on songs themselves are well-turned and day-glo hedonism, like the bands in thoughtful, evinced by a Flying the bar on Buffy; with a little Burrito Bros cover, but tonight the polishing they could produce an quality compositions get lost in a JOLIE HOLLAND / SAM AMIDON insistent but spacious muso-pop slightly flaccid performance: it’s like eeriness, like the bands in the bar on The Vicars Of Twiddly in reverse. The Academy Twin Peaks. But with more silly David Murphy Sam Amidon, a Texan folk whatever, it’s okay, you know?…” songwriter based in New York, should and my personal extra bonus would stick to just playing music with other be: “and this dinosaur should be bands and forget about narrating called Sam Amidon”. THE WEDDING PRESENT / THE soliloquies while harassing Irish fiddle There is no denying that Jolie tunes. Mind you, his story telling is Holland, also a Texas-bred PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART cracking funny and extravagant at Americana singer-songwriter, has a the same time, but he doesn’t seem wonderful voice, one that serves as The Academy to handle multi-tasking well and the an additional instrument to her The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart They don’t need to do this, as most victimized, out of tune, out of synch guitar – confident, strong and are the band on everyone’s lips in the people here tonight cheer as much strumming of guitar and banjo in- relaxed. Her lyrics are meaningful, underground pop world at the for songs from this year’s ‘El Rey’ between is agonising. Never mind his personal and nostalgic, mixing moment, and quite rightly so. They set. In ‘Spider-Man on Hollywood’, five solo albums and the raving prayer and poetry with specialise in short, sharp pop songs, ‘The Thing I Like Best About Him Is reviews in every music magazine, recrimination. But good lyrics are which bring to mind early Jesus & His Girlfriend’ and ‘Don’t Take Me tonight is not his night and even if never enough. Despite the promise Mary Chain, in a more well-rounded Home Until I’m Drunk’ they have Jolie Holland ‘helps’ with the fiddle, of ‘a perceived space between way, and all those legendary buzzsaw three songs that easily stand up I would like to force him to write his ancient and modern’ and a ‘multi- guitar bands of the mid-80. On tracks against the rest of their back narrative like this: “… and so in faceted and powerful’ craft, she fails like ‘Come Saturday’ and ‘Everything catalogue. outer space we have these amazing to captivate for long and hold the With You’ they have the early My Tonight’s high points include toys and the toys are mini dinosaurs allure after her first three songs. Bloody Valentine vim and vigour and ‘Brassneck’ and ‘My Favourite and the dinosaurs are the first toys in The backing band doesn’t offer are pretty much approaching fuzz Dress’, but it’s the frenetic cover of space and you turn them on by much musically, just a simple pop heaven. Girls At Our Best’s ‘Getting clapping so you go like, clap! and average supporting beat and tune And so to The Wedding Present. It’s Nowhere Fast’, that first appeared they start going like crazy, going like that resembles more an impromptu a much-changed line up from the on ‘George Best’, that blows the whooaaarrrr, and then you want to studio rehearsal performance than a band’s 80s glory days, but it has roof off. When it comes to the turn them off because they are all serious professional repertoire. And always been Gedge’s band, so it finale they go with ‘Boo Boo’ from going weird and you realize there is it doesn’t help either when each doesn’t matter. I had high hopes for their latest album, a song that starts no stop button and like the only way song is paced 6/8 (please!), Jolie’s this, having seen them for the first like Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’ and takes to turn them off is by strangling permanent posing cries ‘boring!’ time in 13 years at the Indietracks you places you never thought the them which is morally wrong, so it’s and Sam Amidon’s fiddle jolts a festival this summer, where they blew Wedding Present could go. Tonight like what?! I mean, if I kill them it’s random accompanying melody. me away, much to my surprise. And they prove that they are one of the wrong but then it’s like you have to Timeless? Ancient? No, just they proceed to do the same again few bands that it was worth their make up in your mind that you are outdated. tonight, opening with ‘Kennedy’ and while reforming, and then some. just turning them off and like, Liane Escorza firing out a smattering of oldies. Russell Barker Sonic Youth doing ‘Mote’ in a dank underground basement. I like them when they’re weird – songs that stop when you least expect it, and volume that can be described as ‘pummeling’ filling the room with noise and groaning chunks of powerful sound. I don’t like them when they go trad heavy metal, and introduce ridiculous

Isis photo: Alice Wanatabe hysterio-vocals and widdly-diddly solos into the mix. Isis, on the other hand, surprise me by being not particularly heavy metal – of any kind – at all. Now, I’d convinced myself that recordings of theirs that I’ve heard in the past were crushing, mayhemic affairs, but what’s this? A set of polite gents awkwardly making their way through weak-kneed post-rock songs, as heard through a teenaged emo’s bedroom wall? it’s all I-don’t-want-to-do-my- homework moany vocals and clichéd structures, pseudo-metal posturing and not unexpected ‘surprise’ musical ISIS / TORCHE corners. They play at an impressively loud volume, and that alone is enough The Academy to sustain my attention for a third or Have indie kids always liked heavy ornate beard-wearing misanthropes, metal? Because the modern indie kid so of their set. But once you’re used metal? Aren’t they supposed to be at and instead the place is pretty does seem to like this stuff, and they to that, it just seems to get a bit, well, home on cold nights, wearing their jammed with hip young gunslingers seem bonkers for Torche, with their boring. And that is truly surprising to stripy tees, drinking pop and wearing thick-rimmed glasses, oppressive, down-tuned guitar, me, as I had secretly hoped to be listening to The Fat Tulips? Or am I shuffling their way through the double kick-drum strain of gloomy, returning home afterwards with some just out of touch? For tonight, at crowds in their own special doomy rock. They’re pretty great – destroyed, or at least severely what is ostensibly a heavy metal gig expensively-dressed-down way. Me mixing up Smashing Pumpkins-esque harassed, faculties. Them indie kids (but more of that assumption of included. Did early-90s indie lead to vocal style, in the main, with the are loving it, though. I guess I am out mine later), there’s a severe lack of grunge, which led to noise and then sonic barrage of prime Loop, all of touch. long hair / body odour / black leather / drone, creating an appetite for played through with the attitude of Simon Minter

BLACK HATS / MEPHISTO GRANDE DEDLOK / THE CRUSHING / / THE GULLIVERS / I AM THIEVES JUNKIE BRUSH The Jericho Tavern The Bullingdon The compulsion to watch fourth alt.pop that touches on the lighter It’s mid-December and, day-glo interspersing classic metal riffery and division football in the pouring rain, side of gothy new wave and full of Winterval decorations aside, daylight thrash power chords with banter of coupled with a bout of sinusitis that likeable awkwardness. We’re left has become a distant memory. What such quality it reveals Jack Black for left your reviewer feeling like a herd unsure, though, whether frontman better was to celebrate the now near- the pretender he is: ‘Pile of Skulls’ of android rats was trying to tunnel Mark’s strange vocal yelp sounds like constant darkness than to showcase delivers a slice of Dio worthy metal, out of his skull means we miss the Robert Smith impersonating Frank some of Oxford’s great hardcore and showmanship and good old fashioned majority of the Winter Warmer Spencer or vice versa. metal talent? Tonight The Bully guitar solos, ripping riffs by the root weekend mini-festival, but even those What to say about this Mephisto welcomes metallers and punk rockers before descending into heavier few hours we do catch are enough to Grande set? Put it this way, we alike with open arms; the floor’s passages. unearth a good handful of new bands offered them a Nightshift front cover practically begging for a circle pit. Finally Dedlok, at risk of being well worth watching in the coming feature the moment they left the Junkie Brush, local alt-punkers, rip thoroughly upstaged whether they months. stage. We’ll have to save the best of into a gasping, jagged punk rock- take themselves seriously or try to I Am Thieves are straight-down-the- the long, flowery words we wrote meets-Velvet Revolver set. While the rival their comedy predecessors. It’s a line balls-to-the-wall power rock, down for that treat but if you can leaping guitar lines and riff-heavy blisteringly uncompromising set, with hefty nods to all things Led imagine The Magic Band intoxicating proficiency shriek metal, vocally the however, that brings the night to a Zeppelin, but also an intense 60s The Birthday Party at a Baptist band lean towards second-wave close; an earsplitting guitar assault psychedelic twist which finds them gathering in a Parisian free jazz café, stateside hardcore, pitching from with an intensity that splits quickly spaced out and drifting before they fronted by a man with a voice like Circle Jerks to Dead Kennedys on into paranoid claustrophobic riffing, crunch down once more and come on rough diamonds being dragged over ‘Small Mercies’. It’s claustrophobic on ‘Believe’, with the confident self all MC5 with a garage rock stomp. hot coals, you can get one hundredth noise with all the rounded rock’n’roll awareness of Suicidal Tendencies. Not every song hits the spot and of their wayward glory. swagger of Black Label Society; tight A fine metal sandwich, then. The their tempo changes are awkward to Which is a bloody hard act to follow, riffs delve into heavier, Converge- earnest intimidation of reference- say the least, but it’s mostly big, hairy so respect to The Black Hats for esque mayhem on the punishing heavy punk feeds into aggrandized, fun and the singer has a simply managing to battle their way through: ‘Sickening’. Artistically multi faceted self-deprecating humor, all without immense voice. their frenetic power pop, full of the band string tempos all over, with missing a double kick beat. Closing Bicester’s Gullivers have changed a flowing 60s melodies and Maximo desert rock-style leaps into distortion. with Dedlok, meanwhile, serves to lot since last we saw them. Gone is Park-style spiky intent, is so tightly A change of direction, if not of pace, remind us that while heavy metal is the spindly indie-punk and in has disciplined and irresistibly anthemic, for The Crushing. Surreally close to a necessarily subject to parody, played come a new female keyboard player it’d take some army to hold them scene from one of J.R.R Tolkein’s well it should still have enough and singer. The result is an amiable back. nightmares the band stay in character venom to make your ears bleed. spangle and jangle of 80s-styled Dale Kattack throughout as jaded metal warlords, Liz Dodd BEN OTTERWELL THE HOLD STEADY / The Bullingdon THE MARK INSIDE Disappointingly, when Gomez’s sort-of front seems to rattle underneath the simple chords, man Ben Otterwell plays this solo, stripped creating something almost tribal. Although a The Academy down, acoustic-only gig, it’s to a half-full few recognisable Gomez songs, like `Bring It Overdosing teens getting frisky in the first aid tent: no bi- venue. Although Gomez themselves don’t On’, are played, the real pleasure of the gig is weekly Daily Mail scare tabloidism, scenes like this form part receive as much attention as they did in their the intimacy of the occasion. Ben also of the convoluted tapestry tonight’s alternative heroes, The late-90s heyday, this gig proves the music is announce that Gomez will release a new Hold Steady, sketch out on stage. From quoting Jack Kerouac still vital and refreshingly different. album during the spring, and he plays a to slicing addled anecdotes with pseudo Catholic Americana- Shambling on to the stage in a scruffy hoody handful of tracks from it. Although they lack nostalgia, the band have cornered the market on intelligent and with even scruffier hair, Otterwell the immediacy of some of the other college-pop-rock. performs a set lasting well over an hour to a material, there’s potential to be growers. Support band The Mark Inside drum up a confident, rather too-polite crowd. There are some It’s a solid evening of bluesy acoustic rock. wholesome alt rock backdrop; part Placebo, part U2 unusual choices; he incorporates lesser- The pace does flag at times; certainly the resounding-guitar. All-American in delivery and references, the known album tracks, b-sides and even a lack of variety in the presentation of the band guide a generous audience into a packed, near-decade- Jackson Browne cover into the performance. material doesn’t do some of the songs any straddling set by the headliners. Ripping quickly into the most ‘These Days’, sung by German chanteuse favours. Even so, it’s a shame there aren’t recent album, ‘Stay Positive’, The Hold Steady drop into bop- Nico and featured in the film The Royal more people here, and that those who are are ballad ‘Sapphire’, fusing worldly wise New York pessimism with Tenenbaums, takes on a quiet, but strangely less than enthused. An obviously hazy teenage optimism. The band, a line-up of family-friendly cathartic quality, a million miles away from disappointed, and embarrassed, Otterwell contradictions, works because every element - from guitar Browne’s, or indeed Nico’s, version. slumps back off the stage, but I hope he through folksy harpsichord into considered, textured vocals - is Otterwell plays a mean guitar; the bluesy knows he gave the audience a good gig, as remarkable and as humble as any other. Lead singer, be- riffs and stomps are accentuated by his whether they appreciated it or not. spectacled Craig Finn, alternates dancing across the stage like a stripped down approach. His husk of a voice James Benefield hip English teacher on acid - with meditating into the microphone; his compassionate, gentle delivery of knife edge vocals - on ‘Southtown Girls’ and ‘Citrus’ in particular - warm MOTION IN COLOUR and misleadingly naïve: “I’ve had kisses that make Judas seem sincere”, Finn boasts, in one post-modern love song. The Academy Harder numbers, like the anthemic ‘Massive Nights’, throw Motion In Colour might be the band’s name imaginative and threatening to steal the Husker Du choruses over Zeppelin guitars, prompting a mass but this is really all about singer and guitarist show. The songs tend towards the earnest and singalong that stretches into the encore; the band even slip Adam Barnes. Before his backing musicians angsty, the bigger rock sound failing to ignite into a Sex Pistols reference at the end, wearing their subtler even take the stage he’s opening his set solo and always sounding better on the folkier punk-references on their 50s jitterbug-rock sleeves. Drooping and acoustic, offering a sweetly pleading material, like highlight ‘Mountains’. chords and a rising bass propel the benign prophets into ‘First ballad that’s deft enough to fall into the Jeff As Adam trundles though another solo song Night’, all bluesy-Americana meets AC/DC swagger, with none Buckley camp but a little too saccharine to the rest of the band sit uncomfortably of the compromise of style or intelligence all too common to really tug your heartstrings. When the rest of onstage before they return for ‘Ballad Of A American college imports. the band do emerge they fill out Adam’s Little Bird’, which gets the mums and mates Hold Steady are the new Beat Poets, immersed in sex, drugs songs and add a more propulsive dynamic in the crowd swaying happily along and it and heartbreak. Lyrically and musically the band without detracting too much from his soft- feels like a Christian pop anthem, a call to compassionately reflect on all three without tilting into self- centred songs. ‘Just Brief’ is almost emo-ish, “spread the word”. But perhaps we’re just importance – songs are funny enough to credit teenage angst and we wonder why he has to adopt a mid- interpreting the positivity with too hefty a sung by rockers in their late-twenties, avoiding the pitfalls of Atlantic accent when he proves his more dose of cynicism. contemporary emo. Stay Positive, Finn advises; and if this is natural singing voice is up to the task in It’ll be interesting to see how a wider Oxford what all-American rock is capable of, it shouldn’t be too hard. hand, if lacking a little in range. audience takes to Motion In Colour, given Liz Dodd The thing to remember is that Adam, and his their unchallenging nature and almost band, are all still in their mid-teens, and Boyzone-like soft centre at times. The real they’re not the finished product yet. test will be hearing what Barnes and his band Drummer Oli McVean looks like a real talent, are creating a year from now. though, solid, dextrous and sparingly John Leeson

APOCALYPTICA The Academy It’s long been acknowledged that classical foot-on-the-monitor headbanging as they music and heavy metal share a common bow through Metallica’s ‘Fight Fire With 876084 taproot of construction. Separated by Fire’, a typical track that they first made electricity and different instruments, but still their novelty act name with in the 90s. Such cosy polyphonic bedfellows. covers are dotted throughout the set as Of course metal got foisted with its pseudo- familiar touchstones for the audience to sing satanic veneer, making the two almost along with, but it has to be said that on this comically incompatible, but let’s face it, new world tour, the band’s own compositions those old time composer dudes were really are very much to the fore and carry a deeper the rock stars of their day, right? Still, it does emotional complexity. Pieces like ‘Graze’ seems fitting that Apocalyptica, from and the epic ‘Betrayal’ display astonishing Finland, where the main keepers of the flame musicianship and put to death any question of the various cores of metal live, should be they are a one dimensional act. But then, the most commendable and full-blooded what other band today can have a sell out attempt yet, to morph the two genres crowd singing along to a classical rendition of together, with just four cellos and a maniac ‘Seek and Destroy’, then moshing like ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- drummer. It takes a couple of numbers before crazies to Grieg’s ‘In the Hall Of The SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- you stop chuckling at the incongruity and Mountain King’. As the Terminator might DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- Spinal Tap-ness of it all. Huge steel sculptures say if he saw them, “I’ll be Bach”. 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 of cellos, formed as skulls, backdrop their Paul Carrera photo: Nikki Sikk Photography Holywell MusicRoom CHRISTIAN WALLUMRØDENSEMBLE surprisingly, disappoints. The firstpiece At tonight’s concert the playinginitially, and expression inmore unusualways. qualities ofimprovisation havetofindtheir through-composed, sothatthose essentialjazz and toypiano. And themusic ismainly pianist whosometimesswitches to harmonium drummer whoalsoplaysglockenspiel; anda taps deepintohiscountry’s folkmusiclegacy;a experimentation ofStockhausen; a violinistwho Muslim calltoprayerandtheelectronic techniques tovariouslyevokeJapaneseflutes,a but atrumpeterwhousesunorthodox unconventional -nodoublebassorsaxophone, such agroup.Forstarttheinstrumentationis composer/pianist Christian Wallumrød, arejust Norwegian Wallumrød Ensemble,basedaround the culturalspectrum.BilledasNordicjazz, interesting practitionersworkingontheedgeof but failsmiserablywhenappliedtothose which doesitsjobwellenoughmostofthetime ‘Jazz’ isoneofthoseterms,abitlike‘Art’, draw upon influencesas diverse asBaroque emotive pieceslike ‘EliasSong’and‘Bris’,they harmonics of‘Lichtblick’ tomoredirectly compositional material. Fromtheeerie textures, oftenworkingfromthe sparsest evoke therichestandmostsubtle sonic and attentiveaudience,theyaregiven spaceto no PA oramplification, butwithanappreciative Holywell MusicRoomareideal for them.Using sound. Inthisthewonderfulacoustics ofthe concentrated, detailedbeautyandstrangenessof - quintessentiallyabout,andthatisthe radar andtappedintowhatthisgroupisvitally as ifthemusicianshavesuddenlyfoundtheir something alittleextraordinaryhappens...it’s navel-gazing. Buthalfwaythroughthatpiece promises littlemorethansomuchminimalist ‘Horseshoe Waltz’, withitsplodding chords, atmospheric gestures.Eventhesecondpiece, instruments addsomenonetooconvincing phrase, pacingsoporificallywhiletheother follows arepetitiveanduninterestingpiano Steve Thompson scene remains. important andinnovative theNordicmusic offers anoutstanding confirmationofjusthow group’s 2004album,‘A Year fromEaster’, compositions andsoundscapes, most fromthe Tonight’s programmeofminiature integrity. the samecommitment,concentration and individual musicians,thentheir playing carries Johansen arenotquiteasstunning Wallumrød andpercussionistPerOddvar challenging soloalbums.IfChristian equally renowned,andalsowithastringof Hardanger instrument,while Arve Henriksenis fiddler, extraordinaryonthe8-string Økland isprobablyNorway’s premier folk effacing groupofoutstandingmusicians.Nils Simplyputthequartetisamodest,self- avant-garde. darkest dissonancesofthelastcentury’s choral music,ancientfolktraditionsandthe Art Lagun said thataboutCliffRichard.Fiftyyearsago. doesn’t seemtobeonthecards,butthenpeople forties. Orthirtiesforthatmatter. Longevity they couldpullthisoffwhenhittheir game plan,orjackingitallin. There’s noway the ultimatepartybandthatseemstobetheir on theiralreadyconsiderablesuccesstobecome heading downanarrowingpath;eitherbuilding Thebandareclearlyambitiousandseemtobe orange perm,dayglojumperandpinkleggings. Ringwald toemergefromthewingssportingan 80s Bratpackmovie. You halfexpectMolly much likeitwasliftedfromthesoundtrackofan minutes but,likemostoftheirsongs,soundstoo bouncy andcheerful,almosttoolongatthree Doo-like cartoonquality. ‘Dayglo’ isridiculously entertainment, givingthebandapleasingScooby Martin providethenon-stopvisual audible. Singer/rappersJarvis Anderson andSam an Oscar, issofarbackinthemixthatit’s barely with enthusiasticabandonthatsurelydeserves recorded, whiletheguitar,playedbySimonKatz by thekeyboards,butthey’remostlypre- show isunconventional;themelodiesarecarried infectious newsingle‘InThisCity’.Thelive straightforward good-timeoptimism,suchasthe introspection Iglu&Hartlyprefer sometimes getlostinself-doubtand the RedHotChiliPeppers.ButwhereChilis into rap,drawinginevitablecomparisonswith with an80stingeandafondnessforbreaking ago). IgluandHartlyareanenergeticpopband the filmstudios(whoabandonedplaceyears interesting musicscenethat’s nothingtodowith American culture,butit’s alwayshadan synonym tosumupallthat’s wrongwith Hollywood,Californiamaybethedefault for? up toexpectation,butisn’t thatwhatreality’s to seelive. Almost inevitablyrealityfailedtolive band onthetellyanddecidedthatthey’dbegreat impulse review, havingcaughttenminutesofthe Honesty demandstheadmissionthatthiswasan IGLU The Academy AND HAR TL Y Introducing….

Nightshift’s new monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under THE DELTA FREQUENCY Who are they? Matt Garnham on vocals; Phill Honey on guitar and programming; Tom Sharp on guitar; Alan Brown drums and Jason Warner on bass. Phill previously formed local heroes The Rock Of Travolta, while Tom also plays with Smilex. Matt was a friend of Phill’s from years ago; in their teens they’d been in a Christian rock band and done acid together. Sometimes both at the same time. “Alan used to play in a band called The Invisible, but we never saw them.” They played their first gig at the Zodiac in March 2006. “We were quite excited about until we realised we were supporting the lame Snow Patrol clones ‘Battle’ and not ‘Battles’ like we originally thought.” Their first CD got ‘Demo Of The Month’ in Nightshift and they played The Punt in 2007 support act when we came on...” What do they sound like? Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: Frenzied, theatrical electro-goth mayhem with several large brass knockers “Tristan and the Troubadours. Lovely tunes and nice hair.” on. Our review of their first demo hailed their “OTT sense of rock and If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: roll theatricality”, particularly ‘High Five’, which “tries to find a meeting “Just one album? That’s too hard. We’ve narrowed it down to a few: ‘OK point between Underworld and The Birthday Party but not afraid to add a Computer’, ‘Siamese Dream’ or ‘The Fragile’. Or Queen’s Greatest Hits. hefty dash of Motley Crue to the mix”, as well as regular set closer There’s no beating Freddie and big Bry.” ‘Charge Me Up’, “a squall of grunged-up guitars and synths.” Or in their When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? own words, “We’re like that fly in the room that contaminates everything Equitruck at the Jericho Tavern on Saturday 31st January. “Newcomers can it touches. We’re like a fungus that grows in the marshes of your psyche. get a free handjob off Matt behind the bins outside afterwards.” Or simply put: on my iPod we’re inbetween Deftones and Derek & Clive. Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: What inspires them? “Favourite is all these dedicated boys and girls in great bands who turn up “Wrestling, Shania Twain’s hemline, crisps, the esteemed Admiral Ackbar and play in venues around the city week after week after week. and The Two Ronnies.” “Least favourite is those megalomaniacs at Greene King and their General Career highlight so far: Zod-like quest to turn every pub and venue in Oxford into places that have “Playing the Punt and getting demo of the month in Nightshift. And all the ambience of an airport departure lounge.” getting a signed photo and Christmas card from Officer Crabtree out of You might love them if you love: Allo Allo wishing the `bond a marry crustmouse’.” Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Bauhaus, Trans Am. And the lowlight: Hear them here: “A spankingly bad live review in Nightshift. They were still booing the www.myspace.com/thedeltafrequency

Whatever happened to… those heroes pop. They were also the first Oxford band Nightshift’s editor ever saw – playing at the Polytechnic Student Union Bar. WHEN? ‘Red Skies’ was released in 1985 and sold over 4,000 copies, reaching the Indie Top 20. Chatshow toured across the UK, alongside All CHATSHOW About Eve and Play Dead, as well as supporting the likes of New Order. A follow-up, ‘Shake It Down’, followed by ‘Kings Of Confusion’, were released WHO? Oxford goth heroes from the mid-1980, a time when black was very on a local label. The former fared well but ‘Kings’ coincided with the demise much the dominant colour of the local music scene, with the likes of Play of indie label distributor Red Rhino and the single was lost forever. Dead in the ascendancy. Chatshow’s original, short-lived line-up featured Subsequently the band signed to Chappel Music and its in-house record label guitarist Jon Burton (brother of Candyskins guitarist Nick) and vocalist Steve Ideal. However, after one single release, ‘Noisy Bad Thing’, the company Thompson, and this incarnation supported Play Dead on tour. Shortly was bought out by Warner Brothers, leaving the band without any label afterwards bassist Alex Keyser joined the band along with a drum machine, and backing. They continued to tour, very successfully, headlining the Marquee, it was this line-up that recorded the band’s first single, ‘Red Skies’, at Dungeon Electric Ballroom, Nottingham Rock City and Manchester Ritz, but the Studios. Later on they would recruit a drummer, Mick Stupp. frustrations brought about by label problems took their toll and they split in WHAT? As we say, early on, and at their best Chatshow were unabashed 1987. goth, sitting squarely between the ferocious punk scream of The Birthday WHY? In a time well before Oxford bands would start to take over the Party and the dark, industrial crunk of Killing Joke. In their later months world, Chatshow were one of the very first to tour outside of the city. In they moved away from this hard-edged sound into a more billowing power- fact they were far more popular in northern England and the Midlands than they were in Oxford (although they, for many years, held the record attendance for a gig at the Polytechnic); in doing so they set the scene for The Candyskins and others to follow. And sales figures of 4,000 for that debut single are astonishing compared to today when a band would be lucky to sell a tenth of that figure. WHERE? Guitarist Jon had always been a sound engineer and post-split (and following the theft of all his guitars) he started working as one full-time. Currently he is working for The Prodigy after a tour with James Morrison. He now lives in Sheffield. Alex moved to Corsica and works as a production manager, including recently with Hard-Fi and Groove Armada; Alex joined Britpop faves Echobelly for their first album; Tommo was last heard of living in Brighton, while Mick lives in London and was last heard playing with Grand Drive. HOW? Currently it’s pretty much impossible to hear Chatshow anywhere. The records are rarities and there appears to be no online ability to hear them. So, if you’re the proud – perhaps oblivious – owner of one of their singles, get it up on Last FM pronto and let the rest of Oxford hear a forgotten but very significant local band. DEMOSDEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day’s recording at Keynote. Call 01189 599944 to claim your prize and get special deals for local bands!

DEMO OF line of “Fifteen on the bus / But you’re eighteen at the bar”, surely a place on the THE MONTH next Skins soundtrack must be in the offing? The song itself is a spiky, riotous chunk of punk noise, effusively scrappy and 50ft PANDA sounding suitably like a scuffle at a late- It’s such a simple premise and yet it works night bus-stop, possibly in Wheatley as an a treat: one chap thrashes his drums like evening of strong, cheap cider takes hold. In the proverbial flight of stairs falling down a fact its general messiness simply flight of stairs while the other fella accentuates its perfect encapsulation of a wrenches a slampit of ugly grunge-core chaotic teenage Friday night. The rest of the riffage out of his guitar. And that’s it. Why demo isn’t up to that standard, dropping in God’s name would you need anything down a notch, remaining energetic but too more? Thing is, over the course of four lightweight and the hometown accents can tracks which extend over 24 minutes, 50ft sound incongruous, although the Clash- Panda might run the risk of getting stuck in looting ‘Piss It Away’ is raucous fun. But a rut, but it just never happens, balancing still, one great song is more than most bands their attack like a fleet-footed prize fighter ever write. crossed with an armoured jeep stuck in fourth gear hurtling precipice-wards with faulty breaks. Possessed of more crunch TWENTY FIVE TO 9 than the entire US mortgage market, 50ft “We love to rock out!” proclaim Twenty Panda are a punishing but enticing mix of Five To 9, which may be a cliché but does classic thrash metal and DIY punk clatter. tend to beat “We like to sit in the dark and Crank this up to full tinnitus-inducing feel sorry for ourselves because girls don’t volume and give your head a well-deserved like us”. “We want to know what important one-way trip to Oblivionsville. And don’t people think of us,” they continue. You hear go suing us or them when you can’t hear that? That’s us – important people, so bow fuck all the next day. down and lick our shoes, lowly scum. We fucking rule this town. Finally, Twenty Five To 9 tell us they “really want you to party with us at one of our shows”. Got that? TERMINAL STATE We’re important and we’re invited to their A follow-up demo to last year’s ‘Ebola party. You cannot imagine how glamorous Cola’ offering from Wadham College student and hedonistic our lives are. Just so long as Gianni Vesuviano, whose name we still like Twenty Five To 9 isn’t the band’s bed time. very much for reminding us of cool stuff like Can’t be, can it – they’re punk rock. Okay, volcanoes, or perhaps a wild-haired Italian punk rock of the So-Ca variety, all beefy striker. Like his previous effort it’s an powerchord chugging, a bit of emo polish occasionally disconcerting mix of frantic and yelping and the odd bit of Youthmovies- electronic beats, even more frantic synth style fancy footwork. It’s meaty, spirited squiggles, really, really frantic guitar riffs, stuff with enough hooks to hang a family- none of which, independently or combined, size batch of coats on, and it’s fun enough, appear to have any set sense of direction but it does tend to sound like about ten but busy themselves necking as many thousand other bands of a similar ilk, uppers as they can before the cops arrive, although with a bit more vim and a lot less all the while imagining a gabba disco version whining than most. of industrial rock pioneers Skinny Puppy. It’s not pretty and you wonder as to just how off your trolley you’d have to be to be THE SHANKS able to dance to it, but part of you wishes Sometimes, as if watching an obese man someone would sneakily burn it onto a with bad joint problems waddling slowly whole batch of Leona Lewis albums just so along a busy pavement while necking a the gullible mouth-breathers who buy that bucket of Pringles and fried chicken, you sort of guff might suffer some kind of rectal want to grab a band and shout at them to get haemorrhaging the moment they press Play. a bloody move on. So it is with The Shanks, a not unpleasant five-piece from north Oxford who sound alternately like an old THE SCARLETTS pub blues band and an old pub blues band You’re always on slightly dodgy ground trying to be Radiohead. On ‘Alive’ an playing ska-punk, especially if you hail overly-earnest singer with a strained but from rural Oxfordshire, but in ‘Fifteen On gravelly country-blues voice negotiates the The Bus’ The Scarletts might just have a bit jangle and strum and occasionally over- of an anthem on their hands. With a strap- indulgent soloing of his guitarist and you feel he – and the band – might drop into absolutely no apparent desire for something dark and meaningful but then he commercial success. Banbury’s Zube Sultana gives up and starts muttering and mumbling fixes us with a downright weird five-track and sounding as out of breath as that fat fella demo that threads elements of folk, country we mentioned earlier. The Radiohead stuff rock, classical guitar doodling and acid-fried comes on ‘Perfect Daze’, but again they’re pop together, often all at once in a decidedly too busy navel-gazing and lack any sense of haphazard fashion, to the extent that a direction and their best effort comes with couple of tracks here sound like someone’s demo closer ‘Fly’, which has more grace accidentally recorded two separate songs about it, almost touching on ethereal and onto the same piece of tape. It makes for a epic but resigning itself to drift with little weirdly directionless listening experience but apparent purpose. Frustrating stuff, but the mess is cleverly constructed and soon nothing a few lines of industrial-grade meth- you’re wrapped up in its strange charm. amphetamine and exposure to some old Bolt One minute it feels like you’re hearing a long Thrower albums wouldn’t sort in an instant. lost Phil Spector Christmas song through the crackle and distortion of a dying radio, the next you’re staring out to sea to a THE COURTYARD STUDIO LOUIS BARABBAS & soundtrack of a King Creosote-style shanty, PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ THE BLACK tinkling piano and accordion hum mixing with the vocal mantra. The entire demo feels 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE VELVET BAND like it exists in a warm, disorientated lysergic MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB fug, but reading Zube’s decidedly out-there CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION Think we’re a bit late with this one since blogs on his Myspace, we get the feeling he OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI it’s a Christmas song, albeit not the sort to thinks nothing of dropping a couple of tabs FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI have young children laughing merrily of acid into his morning cuppa each day. S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) around the tree. In fact in Louis Barabbas’ world the only things hanging from Residential facilities included. Christmas trees are likely to be sinners www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com with nooses round their necks. Here we PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS find Santa checking his list to see who has THE DEMO ON 01235 845800 been naughty and who has been nice, necking a bottle of sherry as he does so, DUMPER and discovering pretty much everyone has been a bad boy or girl. All this with the CYBERWHORES sneering, snarling festive goodwill of a bad- tempered Nick Cave, the mood only As a rule of thumb a good way of getting us slightly leavened by the female “Ho ho ho” on side from the off is to under-pay on your backing vocals. Replete with banjo and postage so we have to stump up an extra scraping fiddle, it’s a great vaudevillian quid for the unbridled pleasure of hearing spit’n’sawdust folk dirge and might have your demo. For extra brownie points you sat well on the soundtrack to Bad Santa. could also sellotape your CD case so firmly Really, kiddies would be better off knowing shut it requires the intervention of a Santa didn’t exist than have to face up to specialist explosives unit to get into it. And this grim reality. if all that sounds like a right laugh, you could really go to town and go to all the effort of making music so utterly, irredeemably SHIT PICTUREBOOK that the reviewer can’t even laugh or shout Describing themselves as a three-piece at it, merely sit glum-faced in resigned electronic audio-visual act, Picturebook are despair at the fact that as the world heads more a straight-down-the-line electro-disco towards a crisis of natural resources, beast, albeit quite a timid one. This one-song precious electricity and oil was wasted so offering shuffles in somewhere between crazy pranksters like Cyberwhores can Pussycat Dolls and Daft Punk, glossy if inflict their puerile excuse for a sense of slightly anodyne female vocals doing their humour on us, with a wacky, lo-fi electro best to sound bored over the top of some paean to anal rape in prisons (oh, our aching digital squelching and a solid, thumping beat. sides) called ‘Make You My Punk’, and a Nothing really wrong with it as such, but it staggeringly hilarious pastiche of ‘Lady in doesn’t seem to offer anything new to the Red’ about female Muslim suicide bombers. world of polished chart fodder. Their line-up Sorry, did we say staggeringly hilarious? We does boast a violin-playing singer, though, meant wretchedly tedious. Actually, what so it’ll perhaps be more telling what they’re really annoys us about all this is that they so capable of live. obviously want to end up in the Demo Dumper so they can wank themselves into a self-satisfied froth and brag to their equally ZUBE SULTANA lobotomised mates about how wacky they By contrast, few things make us happier are. And we’ve bloody handed it to them on than hearing someone making music with a plate. Well done. Now fuck off.

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