email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 165 April Oxford’s Music Magazine 2009

Two’s Company...

Kate GarrettGarrettGarrett Barney Morse- BrownBrownBrown

The first couple of Oxford pop launch their new record label - interview inside Photo: James Dawson NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NIGHTSHIFT presents the OXFORDOXFORDOXFORD PUNTPUNTPUNT Wednesday 14th May 1 Night, 5 Venues, 18 Acts Quite simply the best showcase of unsigned local music of the year

Borders 6.15 Matt Kilford 7.00 Bethany Weimers www.myspace.com/matthewkilford www.myspace.com/bethanyweimers Purple Turtle Thirst Lodge 7.30 Pistol Kixx 8.30 Hearts In Pencil www.myspace.com/pistolkixx www.myspace.com/heartsinpencilmusic 8.15 From Here We Run 9.30 Dr Slaggleberry www.myspace.com/fromherewerun www.myspace.com/drslaggleberry 9.00 Beaver Fuel 10.30 Desert Storm www.myspace.com/beaverfuel www.myspace.com/experiencethestorm 9.45 Winchell Riots 11.30 Dial F For Frankenstein www.myspace.com/thewinchellriots www.myspace.com/dialfforfrankenstein Wheatsheaf Cellar 8.15 Phantom Theory 9.00 We Aeronauts www.myspace.com/phantomtheorymusic www.myspace.com/weaeronauts 9.00 Mary’s Garden 10.00 From Light To Sound www.myspace.com/marysgarden www.myspace.com/fromlighttosound 9.45 Response Collective 11.00 Spiral 25 www.myspace.com/theresponsecollective www.myspace.com/thespiral25 10.30 Black Hats 12.00 Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band www.myspace.com/blackhatshome www.myspace.com/theoriginalrabbitfootspasmband WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING? Get an all-venue Punt Pass. Only 100 available. £7 each (plus booking fee) from Videosyncratic on Cowley Road, or online from oxfordmusic.net

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

THE LINE-UP FOR THIS YEAR’S OXFORD PUNT has been announced. The Punt is the annual showcase of the best new unsigned acts in Oxfordshire. It takes place over the evening of Wednesday 13th May, featuring 18 acts across five venues in the city centre. The event features a wide range of musical styles, from acoustic folk to heavy metal, old- time jazz to psychedelia, math-rock to krautrock and indie to electronica. The full line up is: Borders: Matt Kilford / Bethany Weimers. The Purple Turtle: Pistol Kixx / From Here We Run / Beaver Fuel / Winchell Riots The Wheatsheaf: Phantom Theory / Mary’s Garden / The Response Collective / The Black Hats Thirst Lodge: Hearts In Pencil / Dr Slaggleberry / Desert Storm / Dial F For Frankenstein. The Cellar: We Aeronauts / From Light To Sound / Spiral 25 / The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band. Matt Kilford opens the Punt at 6.15pm at Borders, finishing off with SUGABABES AND SCOUTING FOR GIRLS will headline this The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band at the Cellar at midnight. Each year’s Cornbury Festival. The sixth Cornbury Festival, situated in the act will play for 30 minutes with bands’ sets staggered throughout the picturesque grounds of Cornbury Country House, near Charlbury, evening to allow punters to see as many new bands as possible. There takes place over the weekend of the 11th-12th July, featuring an eclectic are 100 all-venue Punt passes on sale for fans wanting to move line-up of acts that takes in pop, indie, folk and punk. between venues. They are on sale now, priced £7 (plus booking fee) Scouting For Girls headline the main stage on the Saturday where from Videosyncratic on Cowley Road or online from they’re joined by Former-Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri, Oxfordmusic.net. psychedelic popsters Magic Numbers, Britpop veterans Dodgy and Boy With the Punt previously having given early exposure to the likes of Least Likely To. Opening the festival will be local school band Young Knives, Goldrush, Little Fish and early incarnations of Foals and competition winners Relay. The Saturday also sees a second stage Jonquil, it’s a great way of discovering the most exciting new music in headline set from punk legends The Damned and folkster Teddy the area. The Nightshift website forum now has links to all the acts’ Thompson, plus Shortwave Set, I Am Kloot, Amy Lavere, Kingsize 5 Myspace sites. Visit nightshift.oxfordmusic.net. and The Love Trousers. Sunday’s main stage bill is topped by hitmakers Sugababes, who are joined by The Pretenders, Joe Jackson, Imelda May and Ava Leigh. The RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL returns to Firewater, Billypure and Back To Oxford Folk Festival stage features sets from Peatbog Fairies, Mary Charlbury again this summer. The The Border. Any Oxfordshire Coughlan, Eddi Reader, Coute Diomboulou, Three Daft Monkeys and free two-day live music event runs bands or solo artists wanting to local favourites Stornoway. over the weekend of 20th-21st June, play should send demos to Andy Tickets for the family-friendly festival are on sale now at featuring a wide selection of local Pickard at 2a Clarendon Court, www.cornburyfestival.co.uk or the credit card hotline on 0871 472 acts. Confirmed already are Death Charlbury, OX7 3PT by the end of 0420. Adult tickets, with camping, are £110, or £65 for under-16s. Of A Small Town, Jamie Foley, April. Visit Under-5s and over-70s are free. Day tickets are also available, priced Sextodecimo, The Bangalore www.riversidefestival.charlbury.com £55 for adults and £27.50 for under-16s. Torpedoes, Two Fingers Of for more details and festival news.

THE FIRST INDIE GUITAR COMPANY FESTIVAL takes place this summer at Crown Farm, Ascott Under Wychwood in West Oxfordshire, featuring a selection of blues, folk, indie and rock acts. The three-day, 7,000-capacity festival runs over the weekend of 24th-26th July and features headline sets from Mungo Jerry, Pigeon Detectives, British Sea Power and Teddy Thompson. Friday’s line-up is headed by Teddy Thompson on the main stage, along with The Blues Band and The Deborah Bonham Band, while the big top stage features sets from Diana Jones, The Robin Bibi Band, The Gary Fletcher Band, Maggie Bell & Dave Kelly and Dino Baptiste. Pigeon Detectives top Saturday’s main stage bill, where they’re joined by Starsailor, The Holloways, Complete Stones Roses and Terry Shaughnessy, while in the big top there are sets from British Sea Power, Blakfish, The Joe Allen Band and New Rising. The final day of the festival rounds off with a headline set from 60s pop stars Mungo Jerry, along with The King Blues, The Gathering and The Le Brocks, while the second stage features Paul Carrack, Thea Gilmore, Maggie Louise, Andy McKee and the British Blues Quintet. Tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced £79.99 for adults and £49.99 for children (plus £30 camping tickets). For more information, ticket sales and full line-up visit www.indieguitarfestival.com >>>MORE FESTIVAL NEWS OVERLEAF >>> NEWNEWSS UNDER THE OAK FESTIVAL host this year’s Out To Graze returns this summer after last year’s Festival at Marsh Farm, successful launch. The two-day mini- Shabbington, near Thame from festival takes place at North Aston Friday12th-Saturday 13th June. The (between Kidlington and two-day dance festival features tents Deddington) over the weekend of hosted by each of the clubs and 4th-5th September. Acts already includes sets from Krafty Kuts, confirmed include Jonquil, Baby Dogshow, Jewels & the Jacuzzi, Gravy, The Nominees, Robin Number Nine, Fridge & Bungle, Moffatt, Verona Kings and Modern Mackating and more. Tickets are on Clichés. Bassmentality will also be sale now, priced £40, from hosting a dance tent. A festival wegottickets.com, SS20, Baby website is under construction at Simple and others. Visit www.undertheoakfestival.com. www.outtograze.com for full details. THE WEEK THAT WAS (pictured), BRAKES, KARINE POLWART Meanwhile the organisers build up to AND DODGY have all been added to the bill for Wood Festival in May. the festival with a series of Oak In COWLEY ROAD gets a new live The environmentally-friendly festival, organised by Truck, takes place over The City gigs in Oxford. The first music venue this month with the the weekend of the 15th-17th May at Braziers Park, near Wallingford. Acts show is at the Cellar on Tuesday 21st opening of Café Tarifa on the site of already announced include Welsh language pop pioneer Meic Stephens, April, featuring Quadrophobe, the old Moonlight Restaurant (more Spiers & Boden, Stornoway, Jonquil and Danny & The Champions Of The Verona Kings, Robin Moffatt and We recently the Organic Burger Bar). World. Buy Gold. The new café is being run by Steve Tickets for Wood are on sale now, online from wegottickets.com, or from Irwin who ran the Port Mahon until Videosyncratic on Cowley Road, the Scribbler, the Inner Bookshop, it closed late last year and built up a Rapture in Witney, Baby John’s in Didcot and Mostly Books and Local great reputation for gigs. Steve Roots in Abingdon. For more information, visit www.thisistruck.com. hopes to host regular local gigs as Meanwhile, Truck have organise a series of events throughout April in the well as playing and selling local build up to Wood and the main Truck Festival in July. On Saturday 4th bands’ CDs in the café. All acts April Robin Bennett hosts a lyric writing workshop at Christchurch College interested in performing or selling as part of the Oxford Literary Festival, from 6-8pm. Also on the 4th is the their stuff, should contact the Tarifa Cotswold Spring Lager launch at Chipping Norton Town Hall featuring on 01865 256091 or email various Truck-related bands. Other events include a Wood Festival launch [email protected] party on Thursday 23rd at Oakford Social Club with Neil Halstead, The OXFORD CONTEMPORARY Loose Salute and Danny & The Champions of the World. MUSIC hosts its second Open FRANK TURNER plays a series of Session on Wednesday 8th April. The low-key local dates this month, concert features an eclectic array of previewing material from his A Black Man Coming’ as a mic session every other Sunday and download-only single this month. is looking for performers wanting to local singers, musicians and forthcoming album. The folk-punk The single, on Quickfix Records, is take part. Call Jess on 01865 composers, including this month’s troubadour will play two dates at the released as a fundraiser for Love 340502. April’s open mic dates are Nightshift cover star, Kate Garrett. Wheatsheaf (Tue 28th / Wed 29th Music, Hate Racism, the two acts the 12th and 26th. The singer is joined by acoustic nu- April), followed by two at the Cellar meeting at a LMHR benefit gig last jazz multi-instrumentalist Natureboy (Thu 30th April / Fri 1st May). All (pictured), melodramatic French pop four shows are sold out but Frank year. Visit www.myspace.com/smilex DECIBEL STUDIOS are offering a or www.myspace.com/mrshaodow for special 999 credit crunch-beating group Ensemble Azuz, acoustic returns to Oxford for a headline more details. Full review in next special offer in April. Bands can songsmith Kimwei and electronics show at the O2 Academy on month’s issue. book 58 hours of studio time for just chap Adam Percussion. The evening Tuesday 20th October. Tickets, £999 throughout the month. Call kicks off at 6.30pm and entry is £5 priced £10, are on sale now from RAPTURE IN WITNEY celebrates David on 01460 221541 or 07774 (£3 concessions). Visit wegottickets.com or the Academy www.ocmevents.org for full details of National Record Store day on 228440,or visit box office. th OCM’s spring season. Saturday 18 April. Oxfordshire’s www.decibelstudio.co.uk for more premier independent CD store is part details. Decibel are also offering half- SMILEX AND MR SHAODOW of The Coalition of indie stores that price Monday night rehearsal slots. SLIDE, SIMPLE AND release a rock mix of the local includes Rough Trade in London. BASSMENTALITY join forces to rapper’s single, ‘Look Out, There’s The day will involve live in-store AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into bands, signings, indie label freebies BBC Radio Oxford Introducing every and a series of limited exclusive 7” Saturday evening between 6-7pm on singles from bands including The 95.2fm. The dedicated local music Smiths, The Stooges, New Order, show plays the best local releases as Jane’s Addiction and Tom Waits. As well as featuring interviews with local part of Rapture’s celebrations, they and touring bands, a gig and clubbing will be hosting a gig and club night at guide and local demo reviews. The Fat Lil’s in Witney in the evening. show is available to listen to all week online at bbc.co.uk/oxford FLY MAGAZINE’S local website continues to offer more coverage of WE CURRENTLY HAVE A THREE- the Oxford scene, courtesy of MONTH BACKLOG OF DEMOS contributor Joby Mullens. The mini for review. If you have sent a CD or site features a regular blog from Joby, Myspace link and not yet been covering gig previews and reviews, reviewed, sorry, we will get round to it label features and news. Visit the site eventually as we work through the via www.the-fly.co.uk. pile. And if you’re sending a CD in the post, please make sure you’ve THE FLEUR DE LYS in Dorchester- paid the full postage – we’re sure as on-Thames has started a new open hell not paying for it.

A quiet word with Kate Barney Morse- GarrettGarrettGarrett && BrownBrownBrown what’s it like to work with such an array of musicians? BARNEY: “It was through Kate’s suggestion that I join the band back in 2006, and after playing with the band, plus a few pub sessions, I got a call from Simon asking me to do a recording session for the Imagined Village album. One session turned into a few more and I was then asked if I’d like to be part of the live touring band. Being a part of Imagined Village has been the marker for the start of my professional music career, as it’s since led to playing with the Eliza Carthy Band and Chris Wood, plus being given the opportunity to support Eliza on tour as Duotone. You won a Radio 2 Folk Award in 2008 for Best Traditional Track with Imagined Village and were nominated with Eliza Carthy for Best Original Track this year; how did that feel and has it changed things for you since? You also subsequently played on Jools Holland – how was that? “I’ve always have had lots of dreams and goals that I’d like to reach as a musician and before I joined the Imagined Village, I was hoping and working Photo: James Dawson towards reaching those goals. I didn’t expect though that I’d achieve one of them, which was to play on EVEN IN THE PANTHEON OF OXFORD’S Barney’s swooning cello playing adding a Later…. It was really a snowball effect since winning unsung music heroes, Kate Garrett and Barney melancholic gravitas to each song. Barney’s the Folk Award, culminating in probably the most Morse-Brown stand out. Duotone, meanwhile, carries a similar feeling of memorable IV performance of the summer at Between them they have done things most other isolation and an easy grace, closer to Nick Drake’s Cambridge Festival and being recorded for BBC4.” musicians only dream of, and, particularly in Kate’s pastoral winter-in-July ambience. case, have worked tirelessly to make Oxford’s music WHILE BARNEY HAS BEEN PLAYING WITH scene a better place. WELL KNOWN AND HIGHLY RESPECTED the great and the good of the UK folk scene, Kate’s not just on the local scene but on the national folk musical travels have taken her to equally exotic AS A TEENAGER IN HER NATIVE DORSET scene, Barney Morse-Brown has always split his places and alliances. The earliest of these was Kate played in a duo with PJ Harvey; in the early- time between his own projects and working with playing with childhood friend Polly Jean Harvey. 90s she was part of The Mystics, one of Oxford’s other bands. Duotone sounds like his most complete KATE: “Polly and I did music together at school best-loved bands, who signed to Fontana and toured solo material to date. and formed a duo supporting local blues acts that her the States. She also sang with all-female a cappella The cello in contemporary pop music tends too mum promoted. We were two moody gothic hippy act Trio Hysteria. Since then, in tandem with her often now to be used just to simply bolster the teens! We did Dylan and Michelle Shocked covers subsequent solo music career, Kate has worked at the sound, to give it a nominally orchestral feel, while and some of Pol’s early songs. We have a good laugh Ark-T young musicians’ project and founded the Barney uses it as a lead instrument; how does he feel about it now! Our art teacher recorded a demo for Oxford Young Women’s Band Project, offering he can change people’s perceptions of the us. Polly was older than me and went off to college, advice, encouragement, equipment and space to instrument? becoming part of Automatic Dlamini, her first band aspiring local female singers and musicians. BARNEY: People are often quite surprised by the with John Parish, and I think this was an inspiring Barney, meanwhile, a classically-trained cellist, has fact that the cello has more of a leading role in the new direction for her. We were out of touch for toured with Eliza Carthy’s band, won a BBC Radio 2 music that I write, and I don’t really approach this years but we went to her warm up show in Dorset Folk Award with The Imagined Village Band and with the desire to change people’s views of how the for her new record with John Parish a couple of performed twice on Later… With Jools Holland. cello should be used, just show them how it can be weeks ago and she was brilliant, so in her prime and Together, the couple have recently launched their adaptable by doing what comes naturally to me. her voice is dynamically amazing. Recently we have own record label, Garrett-Brown Music and last “Working with Kate, and playing in a duo together become very close again.” month they jointly launched their latest CDs – really opened my mind to the possibilities of what Despite growing up in Dorset and playing mostly Kate’s own ‘King Of The Birds’ EP and Barney’s the cello could do. She really started the ball rolling folk music, Kate moved to Oxford in the early-90s Duotone project debut CD, `In The Evening’. for me, getting me to improvise and step out of my and teamed up with Sam Williams to form The musical comfort zones. She also arranged a lesson Mystics, a band who have since earned almost KATE AND BARNEY MET A FEW YEARS AGO for me with Chas Dickie, a cellist who played on a legendary status in the city for their darkly at an Ark-T session Kate had organised, inviting the PJ Harvey track, ‘Plants and Rags’, from her album aggressivetake on psychedelic pop. innovative cellist to come and help inspire the “Dry’. He was the first, and probably only cellist I’d KATE: “I met Sam at a party in Dorset, we played young musicians. Since then they have married and come across who was really experimenting with the music that night and just kept on playing, I would go their musical lives have been closely interlinked. sound of the cello. That meeting got me even more up to Oxford for a week to do some writing with Garret-Brown Music is the logical conclusion of interested in improvisation and really started me off him and then back down to Dorset. I realised then at their partnership. on a new path.” 19 that I needed to experience city life. I borrowed Musically the pair, together and separately, lean You’re part of The Imagined Village Band (the some money from my grandad to buy a drawbars towards the folkier side of pop, Kate’s songs award-winning collective that has variously involved organ and got lent an acoustic guitar. Then began a elegantly wistful, full of longing and dreamy the likes of Billy Bragg, Afro-Celt Sound System’s steep learning curve to learn electric guitar; Sam and imagery, her voice pure and limpid, akin to Opal’s Simon Emmerson, Martin and Eliza Carthy and (Mystics guitarist) Woody really helped and I bought Kendra Smith or one-time 4AD starlet Heidi Berry, Sheila Chandra); how did you come to join them and some books! It felt great to be playing rock, great fun to be strutting around with a guitar in glittery says, we respect each other’s ideas. Music. Despite her ill health, Kate performed both tops! I couldn’t believe how loud it was at first!” solo and with her former Trio Hysteria bandmates What are your memories of those days now, and DESPITE HER ENVIABLE REPUTATION at a special launch gig for the new CDs last month how do you feel about The Mystics’ legacy? locally as a singer and musician, perhaps Kate’s in Oxford, an intense, emotional and celebratory “Going to LA for five weeks and playing Sunset most important work over the years has been with occasion. clubs was a mind-blowing experience. I remember The Oxford Young Women’s Band Project, KATE: “A life-threatening disease turns your when we first got to the beach house in Malibu something she remains passionate about. world upside down. You learn to let things go and where we would be staying, I took a bath, opened a KATE: “I worked on some similar projects in live in the present. I have been working so bottle of beer and lay there and thought my mum Dorset and Somerset in 1999 and realized that intensely for the last ten years, co-running the Ark had never been able to do this and had a bit of a there was nothing like it in Oxford. Finding T Music Project, teaching singing, and managing cry. It was the trip of a lifetime. The highlight was (Oxford author) Mavis Bayton’s book Frock Rock my music career. The thing that suffered was my playing the Viper Rooms: we were behind a curtain was a total eye opener and an inspiration too. I got time to write more music. Being unwell has given with lots of stage smoke and I was wearing a really serious about it when our Ark T music me time to replenish my imagination, read lots of leopard bikini and covered head to foot in silver project programmed the Youth Music stage for the books and get lost in new ideas. I’m just letting the paint, which I’d hunted for the day before in Cowley Road Carnival a few years ago and drew music flow now. It’s frustrating to not be able to do theatrical shops in Hollywood. That was such a bands from all around the county. When I did the many gigs but I do them when energy allows. Even buzz as the curtain went back. figures at the end I realised we had five females out though I can’t plan too far into the future I am “I’m proud of what we did; it’s tempting to think of 60 performers and thought, this has to change. enjoying promoting our music. I am archiving as what may have happened if we could have stuck it So we set up regular workshops, found out where all much music that I have been involved in as I can, out a bit longer, but then I would have had a very the girls were hiding and brought them in to record and releasing past projects on our label. Sam different life and I’m so happy that I am on this their songs. I hired industry women, MU reps, Williams and I are going to put up a Mystics path. I think the music still stands up. The bad session guitarists and professional engineers to Myspace site soon where people can look at memories don’t matter now, and they taught me a come and talk about their career paths and give footage and photos and buy the music. lot about the business.” workshops. It’s all about confidence, role-models “Barney and I have been overwhelmed by the and a safe space to develop their playing. The support and love of all our friends, it really MOVING ON TO KATE’S MORE RECENT project includes girls from many backgrounds, confirms your faith in community and humanity.” solo career, her debut album, ‘Vertigo’, was released some in care or outreach programmes from social back in 2000. services. I worked one-to-one with some girls on ‘King Of The Birds’ by Kate Garrett, and ‘In The Listening back to it now, how does she think her singing and songwriting and they produced such Evening’ by Duotone’ are both out now on new songs have moved on? honest and daring work about their experiences. Garrett-Brown Music. Kate plays the Northwall KATE: “Vertigo was a body of songs that I wrote The buzz for them was singing their songs to a Arts Centre in Summertown on Wednesday 8th during The Mystics. After the band broke up I was crowd for the first time or hearing themselves April as part of the Oxford Contemporary Music keen to produce something just the way I wanted it recorded. At the first launch, I was fine until the Fringe Festival Open Session. and was lucky to get to work with Jonathan night and then felt very emotional as I realised one Visit www.garrettbrownmusic.com Nesmith, initially in LA, and then to finish the girl was singing her beautiful songs having lost her www.thekategarrettband.com album with Will Gibson in Oxford. Mark Wood mum in a car crash when she was a baby; another www.myspace.com/thekategarrettband from the Mystics played loads of guitar, which was has been in 13 care homes since a child. Music can www.myspace.com/duotoneuk heaven. It was a struggle to get it done, I did really empower young people. whatever work I could like painting and decorating “It has to be said, to get the next few tracks done and pay the though, that things can musicians, then went to work again until I could go backwards very fast: afford the next bit. Stylistically, it still had more there are still far fewer rock influences and was more of that period. I feel instrumental players it’s important to just produce work of its time and who are female coming not to look back and be over critical. through and since we “The songs on the new EP have all been written stopped the project for in the last few years and are a return to my a while, there has been a acoustic roots. I’m really inspired by the craft and decline in numbers power of songwriting and the lyrics have become a again. Zahra from Baby lot more important to me. The forthcoming album Gravy is doing a great continues in this way, it’s more honest and direct, job of keeping the fires with my love of Dorset being a constant theme burning and will be and weaving folklore and country tales into restarting the contemporary songs.” workshops soon and How did the idea of Garrett Brown Music come including more MC and about? DJ elements. She has KATE: “It’s an idea we had been floating for a been a trainee at the sheaf while. We both come from self-employed families project and is now who are craftsmen, artists and instrument makers employed to work at and loved the idea of having our own cottage the centre. These industry that we can run and manage from home. projects are vital It’s a time where grass roots music-making is back everywhere, both the in abundance and the internet is a hugely beneficial boys and girls need tool to help this.” encouragement, the girls Are the pair musically in tune with each other? just a growing space KATE: “Very much in tune. Because we both write until they feel confident songs we can express our own visions through that to play with anyone.” music and it’s really all about making as much music as we can with different projects or together. IN MAY 2007 KATE I find Barney’s playing and writing an inspiration. was diagnosed with When we record our own individual music, each cancer. Since that time person is totally in charge of how they want it. We her health has do offer suggestions or production ideas to each fluctuated. Currently she other, but it’s their baby. is back in Dorset but BARNEY: “ Even though we often have different concentrating on styles of writing, there have been very few writing her album and occasions where we have disagreed and, as Kate running Garrett-Brown RELEASED sponsored by hot-coals growl adding earthy, gothic menace to MEPHISTO GRANDE such devotional lyrics. The entire album is equally restless, from the almost loungy jazz passages of ‘Seahorse Vs. The Shrew’ ‘Pig’ to the scatting and Birthday Party-like lurch (Refusés) of ‘Drainage Part 1’; from the gravel-gargling rendition of ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ to ‘Seahorse Vs. The Shrew’ features three the clamouring, chaotic ‘Sea Life Part 2’, they traditional gospel songs radically reinterpreted, operate almost a scorched earth policy, torching plus an elephant solo. But as anyone who’s the sacred terrain over which they ride with witnessed Mephisto Grande lately will attest, satanic abandon. Oh yeah, and not forgetting that that’s just par for the course from a band who elephant solo in the middle of ‘Sea Life Part 3’, feature not only the most startling vocal talent in that concludes with a particularly contemptuous Oxfordshire (and some distance beyond) but also a snort from Liam. man in gold lamé pyjamas who plays saxophone With Suitable Case For Treatment Liam and Pete and clarinet simultaneously. formed one of the most innovative and Mephisto Grande’s self-produced, self-released challenging bands in recent Oxford history. With debut album clocks in at a modest 31 minutes but is Mephisto Grande they’ve drawn together an staggering in its complexity, ambition and ensemble equally willing and capable of trashing individuality. Those places from where it draws The album opens with ‘Wade In The Water’, preconceptions and breathing fresh – if often inspiration – Delta blues, gospel, jazz remade as a swampy glam-rock stomp, Zac bleak and bruising – new life into music almost as improvisation, French pop – are hardly unexplored Gvirtzman’s wayward woodwind and brass old as the battle between good and evil itself. Did areas, but it’s where Mephisto Grande take them wandering over Peter Ward’s tumultuous rhythms, we mention the elephant? that makes them such a phenomenal band. Liam Ings-Reeves’ rough-diamond-dragged-over- Dale Kattack

tune that sticks in your head long after the CD trying to deflect criticism before it’s even THE FOLLYS has finished. launched. Have some bloody self-respect! ‘Maps To Nowhere’ As for the rest of the EP, it fair gushes with eager The thing is, Drunkenstein do themselves a bullishness but lets itself down either with a need disservice baiting us into hating them from the off; (Own Label) to showboat – ‘Don’t Let Them Down’ in they should simply let the music do the talking, Better known around Oxfordshire as a solo particular keeps stopping to wander off on some since ‘Red Shift’ creeps and crawls with inventively acoustic singer-songwriter of a more melancholy vaguely funky excursion when it should stick to skewed pagan malevolence, sneering vocals disposition, Trev Williams finds an outlet for his the job in hand, while Trev’s scalded cat vocal interweaving neatly over chunky powerhouse brasher, more aggressive instincts with The style can grate over a whole EP, particularly the funk-rock before meandering off at a complete Follys, a three-piece whose muscular r’n’b is clumsy ‘Thinking Of You’. ‘Hostile Town’ kicks tangent, while ‘Doktorr Black”s gothic fuzz rooted firmly in the pub-rock scene of the mid- in with plenty of attitude but pulls its punches manages to bury its Cluedo allusions enough to be 70s when a back-to-basics approach retaliated when total conviction is the order of the day. taken seriously. ‘Kool Aid’ is more awkward – against the excesses of prog and paved the way Dale Kattack pedestrian vocals failing to do justice to the for punk. atmospheric rock beneath. ‘Maps To Nowhere’ is a four-song EP that at We’ve always preached that bands should take once shows Trev does have an ear for a decent their music seriously but not themselves. tune but can be frustratingly inconsistent. DRUNKENSTEIN Drunkenstein seem to have taken such advice Highlight here by some distance is the title track beyond the call of duty, and it’s to their detriment. with its easy, hook-laden chorus and jangly thrash ‘The Independent Republic Their music is good enough to stand up in its own that strips away all the frippery and histrionics of right, but when a band seems as unable to believe in the other tracks. If it has a fault it’s that maybe Of Drunkenstein’ themselves as this, you wonder why you should Trev could rein in his vocal stridency, but it’s a take time to care. (Own Label) Dale Kattack With a name like Drunkenstein, and featuring both Snuffy from less-than-serious rockers Marconi’s Voodoo as well as a singer, James, who also plays with the equally less-than-serious Beaver Fuel, Drunkenstein have every potential to be a riot of wackiness of the sort best dealt with with a hefty dose of industrial pesticide. In reality, they’re a pretty serious bunch. One might almost say sombre. Would goth be going too far? Especially since a couple of the songs on this debut EP sound not a million miles away from Virgin Prunes or Sex Gang Children. But of course they go and ruin it all with one of those teeth-grindingly kerrazy band biogs that Myspace is littered with, plus a self-consciously self-deprecating narrative that introduces and separates the four songs here, as if desperately

VIDEOSYNCRATIC, 101 COWLEY ROAD, OXFORD, OX4 1HU. Tel: 01865 792220. LOCAL CDs - GIG TICKETS - COMICS - GRAPHIC NOVELS - T-SHIRTS - POSTERS - TOYS - DVD RENTAL April Every Monday THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. 6th THE DEBBIE GILES BAND (UK) 13th JOANNE SHAW-TAYLOR BAND (UK) 20th LIGHTNIN’ WILLIE & THE POORBOYS (USA) 27th THE HAMILTON LOOMIS BAND (USA)

Every Tuesday THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am 7th / 14th / 21st THE HOWARD PEACOCK QUINTET 28th THE ORIGINAL RABBIT FOOT SPASM BAND

Wednesdays 8th MIND BENEFIT GIG with LITTLE FISH / WITCHES / THE FOLLYS / ALPHABET BACKWARDS (acoustic) 15th TCT presents THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS 22nd TCT presents 1990s

Thursdays 2nd GIDEON CONN / SIX DAY RIOT / LUCKYFINGER 9th MOSHKA presents DR SLAGGLEBERRY / 13 GAUGE / SONGS FOR SHOWS 23rd BRAKES / THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME 30th MOSHKA presents THE HAND (featuring RACHAEL DADD) / ICHI / THE JOE ALLEN BAND / ALLY CRAIG

Every Friday This Reality Podcast – probably Oxfordshire’s best music podcast in the world – is BACKROOM BOOGIE expanding. One year old and already we’re too big for our boots! Funk, soul and R&B. 10.30pm-2.30am; £4. We are looking for a volunteer to review occasional gigs and tell us about which artists you’ve seen. You will have an opportunity to present your reviews on the Friday Early Shows podcast and write them up for our soon-to-be expanded website. 24th MELTING POT with KING OF SPAIN / VIXENS Includes entry to Backroom Boogie afterwards You don’t need to be an experienced reviewer or journalist (one of us is a writer/professional reviewer, so if you need mentoring then this is an opportunity to get some assistance). The only thing you do need to be is a gig goer. Saturdays 4th SIMPLE funky house with RIVER STARR 10-3am We are interested in the unsigned band scene rather than mainstream artists; 11th DJ SEX MACHINE / DREAMS & WHISPERS. 9.30-3am; £5 we would like to help ‘up and coming’ talent get coverage. 18th SOUL & REGGAE. 10-3am; £7 th Despite our significant listenership – 80,000 downloads peer week worldwide – 25 NU-SKOOL This Reality Podcast does not accept adverts or payments of any kind, we just do this for the fun of it. Sundays th If you are interested in joining a labour of love then drop us a line. 5 COMEDY CLUB with IVAN BRACKENBURY / CAIMH McDONNELL / SILKY. Door 7.45pm; £7.50/£6.50 Email: [email protected] 19th THE DAVID SHIRES BIG BAND 8-11pm; £3

http://thisrealitypodcast.com Coming Soon! Fri 8th May DAN REED / Thurs 25th June BLAZE BAYLEY gig guide

WEDNESDAY 1st STARSAILOR: O2 Academy – The original NIGHT PORTRAITS + INFARED + THE Radio 2-friendly indie balladeers return with the ELRICS: The Jericho Tavern – Dark-natured APRIL surprisingly critically-acclaimed fourth album, ‘All punk noise and new wave fuzz from promising The Plans’, still proffering their epic, piano-led local newcomers Night Portraits, plus Interpol and THURSDAY 2nd melancholy and anthemic miserablism. Idlewild-inspired indie rocking from Kent’s Infared BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon – GIDEON CONN + SIX DAY RIOT: The and spiky indie rocking from Elrics. Classic, funk, soul and r’n’b every week. Bullingdon – Cheesy, oddball electro-pop-cum- AMOROUS JAZZ: The Temple – Sheila Selway ORIGINAL RABBIT FOOT SPASM BAND: hip hop-cum-acoustic-lounge-pop from fronts her modern jazz combo every fortnight. The Cellar – Raucous old-time jazz played in Manchester’s quirky songsmith Gideon Conn, OPEN DECKS NIGHT: Fat Lil’s, Witney – All- punk rock style. Plus DJ Derek playing classic soul, somehow managing to come in halfway between comers DJ session. ska, rock’n’roll and reggae. De La Soul and a hyperactive Badly Drawn Boy. GET DOWN: The Brickworks – Funk, Latin, Expect quirky covers of Barry White and Outkast th Afrobeat and more. Thursday 9 along the way. London’s cutesy, offbeat folk-pop FRANCIE JONES + TREV WILLIAMS: The collective Six Day Riot co-headline. DAVID BYRNE: Cricketers Arms, Littleworth – 60s-styled pop SKINT & DEMORALISED: O2 Academy – in the vein of The Beatles and Dylan from Return to town for the south Yorkshire soul-pop The New Theatre Frankie, plus a set of covers, from Oasis to White duo, mixing up Arctic Monkeys-style earthy Stripes, from Trev. Purely and simply as frontman of Talking narratives with a brassy, lightweight pop froth that KEELING CURVE + HIGHER PLANE + MIKE Heads, David Byrne has earned his status as sounds like it might have escaped from an old Blow DIGNAM + HAMISH CURRIE: The Jericho bona fide musical legend, but his talents have Monkeys album, and the general feel of Robbie Tavern – Atmospheric, fiddle-lead folk-pop from spread well beyond even that sublimely Williams slumming it at a Wham! convention. But Keeling Curve, plus folkies Higher Plane. inspirational band, most notably his with a major record label deal under their belts and OSPREY + SWITCH 60: The Winchester collaborations with Brian Eno. Together the a debut album, ‘Love & Other Catastrophes’, METALLICA UK + SKULLTHRASH: Fat Lil’s, pair created 1981’s epoch-making ‘My Life In featuring Amy Winehouse’s backing band The Dap Witney – Tribute to Metallica, plus local thrash The Bush Of Ghosts’, an album well ahead of Kings, major league success seems a given this year. metallers. its time in its use of sampling and electronics WINNEBAGO DEAL + BUICK McKANE + as well as its world music influences and found BITCHES: The Cellar – Extremely welcome th sounds. Around the same time Eno produced return to live action for Winnebago Deal, warming SATURDAY 4 Talking Heads’ two finest albums, ‘Fear Of up for a tour support with Danko Jones and still THE SMITHS INDEED: O2 Academy – Tribute Music’ and ‘Remain In Light’, which expanded keeping the flame of whisky and gasoline-fuelled to Mssrs Morrissey and Marr. hugely on their initial punk-funk origins and garage-metal and roadhouse punk alive and fighting THE TRAVELLING BAND + STORNOWAY + have subsequently inspired generations of and set to release their third full-length album later THE JOE ALLEN BAND + AIDAN CANADAY: bands. Last year Byrne and Eno got back this year. Support comes from Northampton’s The Cellar – Lovely rootsy psychedelic folk-pop together to make the less experimental, spiky post-hardcore outfit Buick McKane and from Manchester’s Travelling Band, in the vein of gospel-influenced ‘Everything That Happens furious bass-heavy rock’n’rollers Bitches. Crosby, Stills and Nash; currently riding high on the Will Happen Today’, and it’s from these four THE SPIN: The Wheatsheaf – saxophonist and back of radio favourite ‘Delicate Icicle’. Stornoway albums that most of this current Byrne tour composer Mark Lockheart guests at the jazz club, provide suitably elegant folk-pop support, while set-list is derived. Always aware of visual having played with Loose Tubes in the 80s and delicately emotive rockers The Joe Allen Band and spectacle as well as music, much of the more recently worked with Radiohead and acoustic singer-songwriter Aidan Canaday complete performance features choreography, Stereolab. an impressive bill. particularly during the more experimental THE MOROSE BROTHERS + LAST CHANCE TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM 101: pieces, while many of Talking Heads’ classic + STONE SALOON + INVISIBLE VEGAS: The O2 Academy – Three clubs in one with indie and moments, from ‘I Zimba’ and ‘Houses In Jericho Tavern – Traditional Scottish and Irish electro at Transformation; trashy pop, glam and Motion’ to ‘Life In Wartime’ and ‘Once In A folk sounds from The Morose Brothers, plus 80s at Trashy plus hardcore, punk, and alt.rock at Lifetime’ are brought back to life. Whether classic roadhouse rocking from Invisible Vegas. Room 101. Eno himself - resident in Oxfordshire - will CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house club make an appearance is uncertain, although Community Centre night with guest River Starr, plus residents. he’s likely to be in the audience at least, but OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon whatever, it’ll be a concert like few others. YOU WEREN’T THERE BAND: The Chequers, SUNDAY 5th Headington Quarry - 60s psychedelic rock, HUNDRED REASONS + JOHNNY from Cream to The Creation and more. FOREIGNER + PHANTOM THEORY: O2 PROCEED + NEVER MEANS MAYBE: Fat Academy – Surrey’s original post-hardcore road Lil’s, Witney warriors just keep on keeping on, back on tour to promote new self-released album, ‘Quick The Word, FRIDAY 3rd Sharp The Action’, continuing down an ever more KLUB KAKOFANNEY with SOUL KID + melodic path after their abrasive 2002 debut, ‘Ideas MARY’S GARDEN + DRUNKENSTEIN: The Above Our Station’. Big, weighty choruses, chunky Wheatsheaf – Klub Kak mix and match with rock hooks and heartfelt screaming are the order of typical scant regard for taste or fashion, pairing the day and it’s a formula that’s helped the band horrible Jamiroquai-like funksters Soul Kid with the withstand the onslaught of American noise bands considerably more marvellous Mary’s Garden, over the past few years and become a genuine brewing up a billowing storm of gothic rock, plus bastion of UK underground rock. Excellent short, esoteric dark rockers Drunkenstein. sharp shock thrash-pop from Johnny Foreigner in GO: AUDIO: O2 Academy – Electro-tinged support, plus crunching riff-heavy heavy rock and emo-lite of the kind that makes Fightstar sound hardcore explorations from Phantom Theory. like Pantera from the band who have been seen MOTION IN COLOUR + CANNONS + supporting McFly and Scouting For Girls. EMPIRE SAFARI: The Mish, St.Clement’s – All-ages gig featuring lightweight emo rocking and pitching up somewhere between Rammstein and emotive acoustic pop from Motion In Colour, Sisters of Mercy. jangly indie rock from Cannons and strident fuzz- BORDERVILLE + THE LONG INSIDERS + rock from Empire Safari. DIAL F FOR FRANKENSTEIN + ROADHOUSE 5: The Wheatsheaf – Top-flight local bill of MONDAY 6th talent at the Sheaf tonight with goth-glam baroque MC LARS + FAILSAFE: O2 Academy – rockers Borderville kicking out an inventive twist on Bowie and Bauhaus, while The Long Insiders Another chance to see the witty, literary rap shimmy in with an elegantly cinematic brand of philosopher in action, over in the UK to plug new pop and Dial F For Frankenstein pile on the album, ‘This Gigantic Robot Kills’, his wordy, melodic hardcore pressure. incisive brand of hip hop, punk and electro now PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar – Live funk jam. finding him aligned with the emerging nerdcore rap movement. ACOUSTIC LOUNGE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Open mic session, all welcome. THE DEBBIE GILES BAND: The Bullingdon – Rocking r’n’b from the Guildford-based veterans, th playing covers of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie THURSDAY 9 Raitt and more, plus originals. DAVID BYRNE: The New Theatre – The th Talking Heads and world music legend performs his Thursday 16 TUESDAY 7 th assorted Eno collaborations – see main preview PJ HARVEY & PARTYSHANK Vs GLAMOUR FOR BETTER + HOLY THURSDAY: O2 Academy – Skylarkin club special with a guest DJ set from Massive TOYBOX: O2 Academy – Jerky electro-pop JOHN PARISH Attack’s Daddy G, plus residents Count Skylarkin party music from Reading’s Glamour For Better, and Indecision. possibly the only band ever to be inspired to get Brookes Union DR SLAGGLEBERRY + 13 GAUGE + SONGS together after seeing Test Icicles. Tonight they’re FOR SHOWS: The Bullingdon – Moshka club No other recent female artist, with the back in the company of London’s frantic electro- exception of Björk, has managed to sustain disco-punk duo Partyshank. night with ace math-metal explorers Dr Slaggleberry making out in brutally angular fashion. such a prolonged musical career that has been JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free weekly ROMANTIC KILLERS + FOXES! + THE HOT both commercially successful and artistically live jazz club. Tonight’s band are keyboard-led TODDIES: The Cellar – Grunge pop noise from challenging, varied and inspirational as Polly modern jazz outfit The Howard Peacock Quintet the headliners, plus a return to town for cutesy Harvey. 15 years after she released her debut single, 2007’s ‘White Chalk’ found Harvey th electro janglers Foxes!, set to release their new WEDNESDAY 8 single, ‘Who Killed Rob?’ this month and coming surprising everyone by completely ditching LITTLE FISH + WITCHES + THE FOLLYS + on somewhere between Apples In Stereo and Young her beloved guitars to record an album of ALPHABET BACKWARDS: The Bullingdon - Marble Giants. California’s sweet, sunshiney all-girl piano ballads. Over the years she’s worked Benefit gig for mental health charity MIND synth-surf pop outfit The Hot Toddies bring a little with artists as disparate as Steve Albini, Nick (postponed from last month) with the new-look Spector-esque magic to the party. Cave, Josh Homme, Thom Yorke and Tricky, Little Fish airing songs from their forthcoming SEAN STEWART BROOKES + LUCY ANNE adapting easily to every environment while debut album. Excellent, dark-hearted orchestral SALE + DESMOND CHANCER & THE LONG remaining very much herself. In as much as noise-pop from Witches; bullish pub-punk rock MEMORIES: Baby Simple – Contemplative anyone knows exactly who Polly Harvey is – from The Follys and an acoustic set from acoustic singer-songwriter Sean plus we small hours she remains one of the most enigmatic rock sunshiney pop people Alphabet Backwards. gutter jazz ensemble Desmond Chancer. stars around, giving away only as much of her OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC OPEN: MILE HIGH YOUNG TEAM + DEATH OF A self as she feels necessary. Tonight’s gig is part Northwall Arts Centre, Summertown – OCM SMALL TOWN + SEFTON: The Jericho of a tour to promote her new album, ‘A present their second open session, featuring an Tavern – Dramatic electro-folk rocking from Woman A Man Walked By’, a collaboration assortment of locally based composers and MHYT, plus dark-minded pop from DOAST. with long-time musical partner and sometime musicians, tonight featuring this month’s MODERN CLICHÉS + TWENTY FIVE TO producer John Parish, their first recorded work Nightshift cover star, Kate Garrett. The singer is NINE + RELOAD TO RADIO + SLAPDASH: together since 1996’s ‘Dance Hall At Louse joined by acoustic nu-jazz multi-instrumentalist Chinnor Social Club – Moddish indie-punk Point’. Throughout her career, Harvey has Natureboy, melodramatic French pop group from Modern Clichés plus melodic grunge rockers drawn in elements of blues, jazz, folk, punk Ensemble Azuz, acoustic songsmith Kimwei and Twenty Five To 9. and grunge and rarely stayed still creatively, electronics chap Adam Percussion. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford but at each turn her work remains immediately DEATHSTARS: O2 Academy – Black clothes, Community Centre identifiable, while she continues to be a black hair, black hearts – Sweden’s industrial-metal, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon reluctant feminist icon in rock music for her glam-rock, electro-goth weirdoes return to town, REVOLVER: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Metal, steadfastly independent spirit. hardcore, punk and classic rock club night. FRIDAY 10th BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Jazz dance, Afrobeat, Latin, Balkan, nu-jazz and world beats SLIDE: O2 Academy – The monthly house and club night with a live set from seven-piece Latin electro club extravaganza welcomes pioneering and soul groove band Manteca. producer and DJ Adam Freeland top its deck on the BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon eve of his first artist album in six years, ‘Cope’. GET DOWN: The Brickworks HARRY ANGEL + WE ROCK LIKE GIRLS DON’T + DESERT STORM + HARLEQUIN: th The Wheatsheaf – Alternately speed-freak goth- SATURDAY 11 punk frenzy or more contemplative Chameleons- GOLDEN SILVERS: O2 Academy – Funky, inspired pop from Harry Angel, with support from literate indie pop with nods to Sly Stone and Prince ace raw, grunged-out garage-punk duo We Rock as much as Squeeze and Blur from the London trio Like Girls Don’t and rifftastic metallers Desert who jointly won last year’s Glastonbury Unsigned Storm. competition and have subsequently been out on WHISKY BLITZ + TARGET 9 + KID ID + CALI tour with Mystery Jets and The Wombats as well as COLLECT: The Jericho Tavern – Trashy heavy signing to XL. rock and punk-metal noise from Whisky Blitz. MEPHISTO GRANDE + WHISKY BLITZ: The Chunky heavy rock from Target 9 and angular Wheatsheaf – More macabre missionary zeal, post-hardcore noise from Cali Collect in support. gothic bayou blues, warped jazz-punk virulence and THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE FRYER zombie gospel splendour from the mighty BAND + FILM NOIR + DES BARKUS: The Mephisto Grande, plus scuzzy punk noise from Magdalen Whisky Blitz. B’ has gone platinum so the “So Solid Juniors” tag indie janglers Gresham Flyers open the show. hasn’t done them too much harm. WAHALLA: The Cellar – Deep house and tech- JOANNE TAYLOR-SHAW BAND: The house with Asad Rizvi, Si Yeats et al. Bullingdon – Another chance to see the rising JONATHAN SEET: The Jericho Tavern – UK blues star, currently working to do for blues Sweetly dreamy, twinkling acoustic pop from what Duffy has done for soul, matching the recently relocated Canadian singer-songwriter American old-timers with a laidback and assured Jonathan Seet. style, coming on like a young, female cross YOU WEREN’T THERE BAND: The Chester between Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt and Arms Dusty Springfield, having been playing live around BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon her native Black Country venues since the age of GET DOWN: The Brickworks th 14, before being discovered by Eurythmics’ Dave OSPREY + TALC DEMONS: The Winchester, Saturday 18 Stewart and consequently touring in a supergroup Crown Street JENIFEREVER: made up of him, Candy Dulpher, Jimmy Cliff and Mudbone Cooper. SATURDAY 18th The Cellar HORACE ANDY: O2 Academy – The legendary th What is it with Scandinavian bands and glacial TUESDAY 14 Jamaican reggae singer hits town – see main majesty? We guess that being almost THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD: The New preview universally beautiful people living in some of Theatre – Theatrical tribute to the prog legends, the most stunning landscapes on the planet, tonight concentrating on ‘The Wall’, full stage Saturday 18th their bands are unlikely to start gobbing off show and all. about kebab shops and ringtones any time JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With The HORACE ANDY Howard Peacock Quintet soon. And so it is that Sweden’s Jeniferever th return to the UK to promote their second INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial and Monday 20 album, ‘Spring Tides’, still dreamily capturing darkwave club night. THE WAILERS the chilly magnificence of northern lands th with a Viking-like desire for exploration, only WEDNESDAY 15 O2 Academy with guitars and pianos instead of bloody great PAPERCUTS + SLEEPING YEARS: The Cellar Blimey, two genuine Jamaican reggae legends in big axes. Lush, glacial, shimmering, ambient, – The band formed by San Francisco songsmith the space of three days at the Academy, firstly chilling… all words frequently used in Jason Quever (formerly of Casiotone For The with an appearance from the pioneering singer conjunction with Jeniferever’s shoegazey Painfully Alone), finally set get a UK release for Horace Andy, whose career has spanned forty dream-pop-cum-post-rock soundscapes that new album, ‘You Can Have What You Want’, with years and almost as many albums. From his tilt in varying measures towards Sigur Ros, a wonderfully hushed mix of melancholy alt.pop, early roots work and recording at Studio 1, Mogwai, Ride and Mew. There’s definitely 60s psychedelia, folk and shoegazy ambience, Andy has helped initiate dancehall as well as something almost stately in the way their somewhere between Devendra Banhardt, Low and recording early dub with Mad Professor. Along epic songs slowly evolve and blossom, equal Galaxie 500. Support comes from Irish folk-pop the way he’s worked with luminaries such as parts tranquility and turbulence, the music starlet Sleeping Years, mixing up Bon Iver Dennis Brown, Jah Shaka, and most recently creating shifting patterns behind singer heartache with Elliot Smith-style contemplation. Sly & Robbie, as well as singing with Massive Kristofer Jönson’s softly broken-hearted THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS: The Bullingdon – Attack, which helped return him to voice, but for all the inherent melancholy, Nine-piece gothic gospel, surf-pop and folk-rock mainstream success. His most successful period they’re an uplifting, sometimes overpowering ensemble out of London with a ghostly mix of was back in the mid-70s when he worked with experience live. Lynchian atmospherics and Nick Cave-style grandiosity. producer Bunny Lee, including his timeless SCARLET HARLOTS + THE SCARLETTS + classic ‘Skylarking’. He remains as prolific THE EPSTEIN + JAKE FLOWERS + PHIL THE NOMINEES: The Jericho Tavern – Funky today as he ever was, but it’s for his massively MORRISSEY + JAZZMAN JOHN: The ska-punk from headliners Scarlet Harlots, plus influential falsetto voice that he’s most Jericho Tavern – Exotic country rocking and promising ska-punk noise from locals The recognisable. mariachi pop from The Epstein. Wistful acoustic Scarletts and indie rocking from The Nominees. Meanwhile the surviving members of The folk-pop singer Jake Flowers is amongst the AMOROUS JAZZ: The Temple Wailers (pictured) are back on tour, supporting cast. performing the whole of the legendary BASSMENTALITY: The Cellar – Ska, hip hop THURSDAY 16th ‘Exodus’ album, arguably the greatest reggae and old skool drum&bass club night with album of all time. As Bob Marley’s backing PJ HARVEY & JOHN PARISH: Brookes Gentlemen’s Club Dub and Drunke Uncle Bungle. band, the Wailers have been touring for over University Union – Polly and John get back to DJ SEX MACHINE + DREAMS & WHISPERS: collaborative ways for new album, ‘A Woman A 40 years and have some 250 million album The Bullingdon Man Walked By’ – see main preview sales under their belts. The current line-up FREIZINGER: Castle Mound (12-4pm) – The CANDIDATES + THE SCARLETTS + THE features a good smattering of those who played psychedelic flautist and wandering minstrel takes to GULLIVERS: The Cellar – Brash, energetic ska- with Marley, including original member Aston the old castle mound to repel the Norman invaders. punk from Scarletts and dreamy indie ambience ‘Family Man’ Barrett, plus Keith Sterling, DENNY ILETT Jr: The Winchester from Gullivers. Chico Chin and Nambo Robinson. Current lead CHEAP THRILLS: Fat Lil’s, Witney CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford vocal duties are taken by Elan Aticas. Early Community Centre reports suggest the band sound as good now as th SUNDAY 12 SKITTLE ALLEY OPEN MIC NIGHT: Stocks they ever did, and it’s a rare chance to witness HEARTS OF OAK + THE NEW MOON + SUE Bar, Crown & Thistle, Abingdon some of reggae’s most legendary figures. SMITH & PHIL FREIZINGER + THE OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon ISAMBARDS: The Magdalen – Acoustic session. ARC ANGEL + MIDNIGHT DRIVE: Fat Lil’s, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Fleur de Lys, Witney – Local metal and hardcore. Dorchester on Thames REGGAE REGGAE SUNDAY: The Cellar – FRIDAY 17th Double helpings of reggae, roots and dub. 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS + WHITE SAILS + GRESHAM FLYERS: The Wheatsheaf – th MONDAY 13 Characteristically quality indie noise at tonight’s N-DUBZ: O2 Academy – Slick, slightly Swiss Concrete promotion, with Brighton’s blokey manufactured young hip hop trio now out touring lo-fi fuzzsters mixing up various parts McLusky, in the big, wide world after years playing the school Pavement and Guided By Voices, while White Sails circuit. Still, they’ve earned their dues, won finds assorted Stornoway people teaming up with themselves a MOBO Award and debut album ‘Uncle local singer-songwriter Ulysse DuPasquir. Lively POLLY SCATTERGOOD: O2 Academy – BRICKWORK LIZARDS + OLIVER Quirky, occasionally away-with-the-fairies SHAW + 100 THINGS TO DO IN We are currently seeking a new artist/band to add electro-acoustic pop from Brit School DOVER: The Jericho Tavern – Eclectic to the roster, any genre welcome. Please send a graduate Polly, eschewing the flawless, plastic and exotic blend of 40s jazz, world rhythms, CD or myspace link to the following: r’n’b of her former classmates for a more hip hop and rock from Brickwork Lizards, RADIATE MGT individualistic approach, her unsettling little plus singer-songwriter Oliver Shaw. PO BOX 5038 girl lost voice akin to Kate Bush and Tori CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Amos at times. Her eponymous debut album Community Centre CHECKENDON is released this month. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon OXFORDSHIRE JENIFEREVER + BAYONETS + WISE YOU WEREN’T THERE BAND: The RG8 0AW CHILDREN: The Cellar – Oceanic indie Chequers, Headington Quarry [email protected] rocking from the Scandinavian wonders – see BEELZEBOZO + HEADCOUNT + Current Roster - Stornoway, Royworld main preview BEAVER FUEL: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Local A&R experience includes Willy Mason, DENNY ILETT Jr: The Winchester punk tyrants Headcount return from the SOUL & REGGAE NIGHT: The grave to show feeble-minded punk whelps Stereophonics, Daft Punk, the Spinto Band Bullingdon how it should be done. And how it should be NATIONAL RECORD SHOP DAY done is with equal parts Killing Joke, NIGHT: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Rapture Banshees, Therapy? and Adam & The Ants, Records celebrates the culture of independent with a hefty dash of extreme swearing. Job music shops with a night of bands and DJs. done. Considerable heaviosity too from Beelzebozo, while Beaver Fuel bring extra SUNDAY 19th fuzzy noise pop and rudeness to the party. THE DOORS ALIVE: O2 Academy – th Tribute to the dark-hearted 60s rockers. FRIDAY 24 THE DAVID SHIRES BIG BAND: The AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE Bullingdon TRAIL OF DEAD + MIDDLE CLASS RUT: O2 Academy – Return of Austin, Texas’ MONDAY 20th one-time venue-trashing great rock revolutionary hopes, still kicking out the THE WAILERS PLAY EXODUS: O2 garage-punk, art-rock jams, now going it Academy – Surviving members of the alone after leaving Interscope and having just legendary reggae supergroup perform the classic album and more – see main preview released their sixth album, ‘The Century Of Self’, not quite a classic in the vein of LIGHTIN’ WILLIE & THE POORBOYS: ‘Source Tags & Codes’ but still a blast of The Bullingdon – Another visit to the fresh, raw melodic American punk noise. Famous Monday Blues club for the Texas- Excellent support tonight too from Middle born, Pasadena-resident electric blues Class Rut, partway between Refused and guitarist, a big favourite on the UK blues circuit with his rocking blues, swing and Jane’s Addiction. MELTING POT with KING OF SPAIN + rock’n’roll that mixes up Otis Rush, Stevie VIXENS: The Bullingdon Ray Vaughan and Eddie Cochran. MEGAN GODWIN + PHIL KING + NIKKI st LOY + EMMA PAYNE: The Jericho TUESDAY 21 Tavern – Acoustic folk, jazz and soul from JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With a Brighton’s Megan Godwin. live set from The Howard Peacock Quintet. THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE QUADROPHOBE + VERONA KINGS + FRYER BAND: The Chester Arms – ROBIN MOFFATT: The Cellar – Under Swampy blues rock and psychedelia from The The Oak Festival warm-up show. Mighty Redox. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon WEDNESDAY 22nd HQ: The Cellar – Monthly drum&bass and 1990s: The Bullingdon – Classic Stones- hip hop club night. inspired rocking from the indie hopefuls – see GET DOWN: The Brickworks main preview FUSE: O2 Academy FIGHTSTAR + IN CASE OF FIRE + COVER ME: The Winchester, Crown LARUSO: O2 Academy – Charlie Street Simpson’s lightweight melodic post-grunge SNEAKY BONUS: Fat Lil’s, Witney – rockers play the first night of a UK tour to Rock covers from Foo Fighters to Hendrix. promote new album ‘Be Human’, out on their own label. Epic stadium rocking in support SATURDAY 25th 876084 from In Case Of Fire. GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar SANGUINE HUM + CHERRY BUT NO ACOUSTIC LOUNGE: Fat Lil’s, Witney CAKE + GEORGE CHOPPING: The Wheatsheaf – Another night of eclectic THURSDAY 23rd musical fun from GTI, with the return of BRAKES + THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER local prog-jazz man Joff Winks with his new SCHEME: The Bullingdon – Welcome band Sanguine Hum. Indie rock American return of Brighton’s almost semi-supergroup style from Cherry But No Cake, referencing Brakes (formed by members of Electric Soft Sebadoh, Pavement and Built To Spill, plus Parade, The Tenderfoot and British Sea caustic observational poetry from Devon’s Power back in 2005) and their exuberantly George Chopping. spiky blend of Pixies, Violent Femmes and MATHIAS EICK: The O’Reilly Theatre, Modern Lovers. Whimsical, sunshiney Keble College – The Norwegian trumpeter ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- and multi-instrumentalist, who has performed electro-folk from one-man-band Voluntary SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- Butler Scheme in support. with Chick Corea, and his band perform DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- WINTERMUTE: The Cellar – Taut, angular material from debut album ‘The Door’ rocking somewhere between Futureheads and THE REPEATS + MC SHUFFLE + FIXERS: 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 Minus The Bear from Leeds’ Wintermute. The Cellar – Poppy indie noise taking influences from the likes of Talking Heads and REGGAE REGGAE SUNDAY: The Cellar Battles as well as African dance from The Repeats. BIG BLUES JAM: Fat Lil’s, Witney FOY VANCE + IAIN ARCHER: The Jericho SILVANITO: The Jericho Tavern Tavern – Uplifting folk, soul, gospel and acoustic blues from Belfast singer-songwriter Foy Vance, MONDAY 27th variously likened to Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder GOMEZ: O2 Academy – After Ben Ottewell’s and Van Morrison. solo show at the Bully a couple of months back NU-SKOOL: The Bullingdon Gomez return to action as a full band. Having spent THE MATT SAGE BAND + MAPS & MAZES + most of the last few years touring the States, they ELLIE FLETCHER: Stocks Bar, Crown & set out on a UK tour to promote new album ‘A Thistle, Abingdon – Skittle Alley bands night New Tide’, their rootsy blues and folk-pop having with local folk and world music maestro Matt Sage. previously won them the Mercury Prize. th SHATTERED DREAMS + SLAPDASH + CANCER BATS + THE PLIGHT + SSS: O2 Monday 27 SECRET RIVALS: Folly Bridge Inn – Academy – Nasty bad men make horrid metal Lightweight grungy rock from Shattered Dreams, CANCER BATS: noise chaos mayhem - see main preview plus lively ska-punk from Slapdash and scuzzy THE HAMILTON LOOMIS BAND: The synth-punk noise from Secret Rivals. O2 Academy Bullingdon – Return of the young Texan DENNY ILETT Jr: The Winchester bluesman who was mentored by Bo Diddley, Firstly the disappointing news – Cancer Bats Clarence Brown and Albert Collins. A virtuoso were originally intended to play the Academy th SUNDAY 26 multi-instrumentalist as adept at piano, drums and as support to In Flames, but they went and SPEAR OF DESTINY: O2 Academy – Kirk blues harp as he is with his trademark Strat guitar, cancelled their tour. But still, Cancer Bats Brandon’s gothabilly rockers return after their and adding a funky dash to traditional Delta blues. alone is more than worth the effort of recent Greatest Hits tour. dragging your sorry corpse off the sofa and OPEN MIC SESSION: The Fleur de Lys, TUESDAY 28th necking several large casks of ale in pursuit of. Dorchester on Thames The Toronto outfit have been around for a INTERNATIONAL JETSETTERS + CAT while now, supporting the likes of Funeral For ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC SESSION: The Red MATADOR + THE LONG INSIDERS: O2 Lion, Kidlington A Friend, Rise Against and NOFX, but it was Academy – Excellent triple bill of local rising with the release of second album, ‘Hail talents with powerhouse ethereal indie noise from nd Destroyer’, that they started really tuning Wednesday 22 International Jetsetters calling at all stations Mary heads, picking up a 5K review in Kerrang! who Chain, Wedding Present and Cocteau Twins on subsequently named it as one of the best 1990s: The Bullingdon their stratospheric journey into sound. Darkly albums of 2008. The album features 1990s hail from Glasgow and have a habit of melodic new wave rocking from Cat Matador, plus contributions from members of Alexisonfire, sounding like any other classic rock band of elegantly cinematic pop from The Long Insiders. Rise Against and Billy Talent and finds the the last 40 years – solid r’n’b and rock’n’roll FOUR DEAD IN OHIO: O2 Academy – Epic band really honing their often anthemic brand courtesy of the Stones or even Modern psychedelic prog-rockers lean towards Black Rebel of blitzkrieg metalcore, low on subtlety and Lovers, all spiked up with a lyrically sharp Motorcycle Club and Black Angels’ gothic-garage innovation maybe but big on all-out singalong attitude and a fair dollop of scratchy post- rock noise. mayhem and ferocity. Tour support comes punk funk. So far, so…. well, unremarkable. FRANK TURNER: The Wheatsheaf – First of a from Leeds’ heavy duty amp-botherers The And yet they’re signed to Rough Trade and series of local, low-key shows for Frank to try out Plight, finding a middle ground between Thin boast Klaxons, Maximo Park, CSS and Beth a set of new songs, Oxford being his second home, Lizzy’s melodic hard rock and Black Flag’s Ditto as fans. Part of their cult success thus and backed as ever by members of Dive Dive. All venomous hardcore. far is doubtless due to their Glaswegian of the shows – two at the Sheaf, two at the Cellar, connections – frontman Jackie McKeown and are long-since sold out, following on from his bassist Jamie McMorrow were former Yummy recent sold-out Academy show. Another Academy LIDDINGTON: The Jericho Tavern – Epic Fur bandmates of Franz Ferdinand’s Alex headline show is planned for October. stadium indie noise from Inlight with nods to Kapranos, while drummer Michael JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Tonight’s Coldplay and Keane, plus ballsy 80s-style soul-pop McGaughrin was in highly-rated Glaswegian special guests are self-proclaimed “Kings Of Chav and Supertramp-meets-The Eagles rocking from band V-Twin previous to 1990s. Such roots Jazz” The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band, new Island Records signings The Yeah Yous. have heled them stand out from the pile from playing old-time standards with a punk rock Contemplative acoustic pop from Liddington. the off and with their new album, ‘Kicks’, attitude. AMOROUS JAZZ: The Temple produced by current golden boy Bernard WISHBONE ASH: Kidlington FC – The 70s mellow rock giants keep on keeping on, guitarist Butler, those muso endorsements might finally th Andy Powell now the only original member still THURSDAY 30 translate into genuine popularity. In fact it’s with the band. THE HAND + ICHI + THE JOE ALLEN BAND + 1990s uncomplicated rock’n’roll party sound THE JON FLETCHER GROUP: East Oxford ALLY CRAIG: The Bullingdon – Rachael that might steer them closer to the top – it’s Community Centre – The local folk luminary Dadd’s new band, The Hand, headline tonight’s everyman pop, all girls and bus rides, as at performs his traditional acoustic English songs with Moshka club night, proffering a mellow, home on Radios 1 and 2 as 6Music, the sort of Colin Fletcher and Jane Griffiths. atmospheric take on traditional English folk, plus authentic classic sound that’ll appeal as much excellent emotive acoustic pop from The Joe to the Q-reading massive as the toilet circuit WEDNESDAY 29th Allen Band and skewed Jeff Buckley-esque pop regulars. from Ally Craig. FRANK TURNER: The Wheatsheaf – Second THE DAYS + THE NOMINEES + PICNIC night of the folk-punk troubadour’s local pub venue NOW: O2 Academy – Classic soul rocking from residency. the Devon crew. MOTION TRIO: Wesley Memorial Church – FRANK TURNER: The Cellar – Another OCM present the world-renowned Polish accordion already sold-out low-key show from the punk- trio. folk troubadour. OFF-FIELD: Baby Simple – Leftfield noise from THE DELTA FREQUENCY + THE SCARLETTS Suicide-inspired lo-fi merchant Foetus 502, the + CAT MATADOR: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Alice Wishart String Trio and ‘psychic-laptop’ Monstrous electro-goth rocking from Delta chap Huey Neutron. Frequency, plus ska-punk from Scarletts and Clinic- INLIGHT + THE YEAH YOUS + meets-The Cure indie pop from Cat Matador.

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Nikki Sikk photography he sum of their parts. It’s a he sum of their parts. It’s , really. then t less shame because they’ve been together for ages and have obviously finely crafted their style and songwriting, but their particular blend of jangly rock’n’roll, blues, indie, pub-rock doesn’t work for me. The guitar parts are too frenetic and meander without really nailing anything, and the rest There’s get anywhere either. doesn’t nothing really wrong with songs like ‘Cut to the Chaser’ and ‘The Man from Del Monte’, they’re just not very memorable. On the plus side, the harmonies between guitarist Daz and bassist Tim are charming. The whole experience reminds me of watching a TV programme because it sounded great in the Radio Times, but finished then realising as soon as it’s that, while you were quite happy to sit through it, you were never engaged and can’t remember anything that happened. Like the second series of Heroes Kirsten Etheridge Art Attack by OFF THE RADAR / OFF THE RADAR OFF THE RADAR / OFF Tavern The Jericho Rosalita are an interesting there’s proposition. Visually, something of a shambolic swagger about them – and I’m not really sure white woollen about singer Kris’s overcoat, hat, grey jumper and the mockney voice he sings/talks/yelps in – but the music is far more tight. melodic 80s bass-led It has a punchy, and synth-augmented vibe, and quite a bit of ska in there there’s somewhere among the hooks. ‘Manga Girl’ is a nice slice of pop- punk punchiness – something The Faint might do if they lightened up a Mother Say’ Your Would bit. ‘What (a cautionary tale of a youngster going off the rails) is similarly is – joyously Attack’ sparky and ‘Art – about Neil Buchanan’s (“Not as good as Hart Beat… TV ain’t what it used to be”). All more fun, I’m afraid, than Off they probably On paper, the Radar. sound great. But therein lies the problem – they come over as far cry, “This is Overrated!” (oh my aching sides.). Overrated are a real party “This is Overrated!” (oh my aching sides.). Overrated are a real cry, the Richter scale, with some of band: loose-limbed blues that rocks seven on heard in a long time. They the best blues harp playing, by the singer, I’ve for flying hard to move out there mojo ‘til it’s easily ramp up the audience’s elbows and cider-waving fruggers. blues but a more energy Brain Dogs keep with the high Sunningwell’s and with a George Melly whacked-out, southern Baptist, double bass vibe, need is a Chocolate And is someone singing “All I skanky bossanova feel. been a long evening; maybe Jesus / It keeps me satisfied” over and over? It’s I’m just Pollacksed. Paul Carrera Sponsored ANGO / ANGO T

OP ames Benefield Gillespie’s set is well oiled, her band Gillespie’s managing the right combination of well rehearsed and spontaneous and her voice is unfalteringly strong and clear. Although a lot of the songs will probably be only recognisable to die- hard blues bands, or fans that own most of her fifty or so releases, she keeps things fun and uplifting throughout, and keeps a short, but democratic, leash on her band. She allows each of them complex and long (if self-indulgent) solos at the of climax, the clear standout show’s which is the lead guitarist, although the harmonica player displays admirable lung capacity. crowd- a well put together, It’s pleasing show delivered by a genuinely great veteran performer, accompanied by a great band. The long-haired guy dancing through the audience in a large pixie hat is good value too. J Jesus

TED / BRAIN DOGS TED / BRAIN and close friend of

it has tunes.

LIVE bloody hard work. a gig that goes on to midnight, that’s that, a lot of the set is uptempo; for are more peaks than troughs. Saying Blues’ is pretty excoriating), there stuff (her rendition of the ‘St Louis come from the more stripped down numbers. Although the highlights numbers. blues tunes and boogie woogie deliver two hours of fairly broad In wonderfully good voice, she Room. Night Blues in the Bully’s Back Night Blues in the Bully’s appearance at the Famous Monday men along for an intimate tonight she’s brought these merry tonight she’s with her London Blues Band, and These days she gigs occasionally even further back, Nortica, brings his new project to the stage with the MC’s even further back, Nortica, brings his new project Dana, dance’ to Black Sabbath. dancing, bassist Graham Barlow, usually seen tugging cables with Redox and usually seen tugging dancing, bassist Graham Barlow, Zeppelin CDs and told her to ‘dance, With the Klub Kakofanney crowd now feeling bold enough to get back out With the Klub Kakofanney crowd now feeling and roll if you force fed her Led and Gillespie could only get more rock music, dub and a deep love of all things King Crimson. It’s wildly eccentric, Crimson. It’s music, dub and a deep love of all things King Christ Superstar Angela, Dana ex-wife, David Bowie’s Brown and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, with a keen sense of world Brown and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, with Friesian cow as a coat), they are steeped in the experimental ways of Arthur experimental ways of Friesian cow as a coat), they are steeped in the star in the original cast of software wiz Miles Doubleday (who appears to be wearing the pelt of a software wiz Miles Doubleday (who appears to One-time girlfriend of Bob Dylan, way out of the building to escape, back to the stage. Fronted by local way out of the building to escape, back to the The Bullingdon band who could gently bring the audience, that has been trying to gnaw its band who could gently bring the audience, that DANA GILLESPIE After such extremes, equally avant-gardeners Non-Stop Tango are the only Tango Non-Stop After such extremes, equally avant-gardeners a live, breathtaking, experience it’s gig of the year. Genius. gig of the year. a live, breathtaking, experience it’s coming together as a whole. I’m not sure I’d buy it to play it at home, but as coming together as a whole. I’m not sure I’d tuneless imbroglio the more you’re sucked into the individual virtuoso layers tuneless imbroglio the more you’re sucked into initially appearing like an amateurish piss-take, the longer you listen to this an amateurish piss-take, the longer you listen initially appearing like Red Square are the sonic manifestation of a Jackson Pollack painting: Red Square are the sonic Global, a more consumer-friendly improvisation band, in the early-1990s. Global, a more consumer-friendly Telford have played together as Red Square since going on to form B So played together as Red Square since going have Telford clarinet and soprano sax, guitarist Ian Staples, and percussionist Roger clarinet and soprano sax, Tonight’s phenomenal set is the first time that Jon Seagroatt, on bass phenomenal set is the first Tonight’s post-everything. 1970s, before “everything” had happened, so now I guess they are post- 1970s, before “everything” Actually they were post-everything when they were (free) formed in the when they were (free) formed in Actually they were post-everything Like me, Red Square are post-everything and at war with the obvious. Like me, Red Square are The Wheatsheaf OVERRA RED SQUARE / NON-ST RED SQUARE FROM LIGHT TO SOUND / THIN GREEN OPEN MIC NIGHT CANDLES at the The Wheatsheaf FLEUR DE LYS. A conspiracist who believed in an Oxford track. “Honour thy mistakes as hidden clique would be appalled by tonight’s line-up, intentions,” as Brian Eno might counsel. To run every other Sunday, April dates include a mixture of promoter, reviewer, celebrated By contrast, From Light To Sound’s music 12th and 26th. 8.30pm start. musician and message board urchin, who are is impeccably put together, thoughtfully All singers, musicians, artists and performers nearly all in other local projects. Grand arranged and expertly, dynamically welcome. esoteric cabal or not, even our paranoid controlled. This band’s members may have Contact Details: The Fleur de Lys, Dorchester theorist would admit that it was a strong juicy CVs, but it’s still noteworthy how on Thames, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 7HH. evening’s music. naturally they’re playing together after only Thin Green Candles is the laptop work of a handful of gigs (some over-zealous guitar Telephone 01865 340502 one man, performed live with a further four volume notwithstanding). The rhythm musicians, who are presumably there because section particularly impresses, Mark Baker some undying Rock School niggle dictates bringing an unhurried bass authority from that you’re not in a real band until you have The Workhouse, and Mark “Evenings” real instruments, but who in reality just Wilden managing to make his drums brutal muddle along to some decent electronica. and cheeky simultaneously. They don’t quite Take ‘Good Dead’, a lively kick-drum have the compositions as yet to do such a thumper with some raspily distorted Kaoss band justice: sometimes their tracks squiggles sounding like an old acid house resemble offcuts and scrapings from their record played down a CB radio, to which the parent bands, squeezed together like a frugal live ensemble add little, aside from horrible ball of soap slivers, whilst at worst they headgear. In fairness, the occasional vocals sound like a melange of Audioscope-type are sweetly melodic, and the bass has a bands so obvious we can’t even be bothered fruitiness that the synthesised music can’t to type them. Go on, have a guess. capture, but the guitar is especially clumsy, So, two new bands which are entertaining frequently falling into default Pink Floyd and enormously promising, even if they arpeggios. Tellingly, on the final piece the might still have some developing to do. But band messes up, coming out of synch with we would say that, wouldn’t we? We’re in the laptop, and by necessity comes up with the clique. an intriguingly noisy solution to ending the David Murphy GEEZER AUDIO

Recording, Mixing, Production, Live Sound TESTAMENT Location Recording, Voice-overs O2 Academy 1988. Long hair, black skinny jeans and 1992 the line-up changes started, and with 01865 427901 enormous white trainers were the order of the those came some inconsistency. Fast day for any fan of thrash metal. Top it off forward to 2008/9 and the original line up Or with a Nuclear Assault shirt and you were sure (drummer excluded) have started to garner 07964 548240 to garner a few giggles in Our Price. interest again. The garb may be gone and almost everything Opener ‘More Than Meets the Eye’, from that was extreme about thrash metal has been their latest album, is a gallop through taken and surpassed by grindcore, and death- lightning riffs, skilfully executed solos, and metal, but several of the original thrash bands possesses a hook so huge you could hang an have stuck at it and are now enjoying elephant carcass on it. If Metallica hadn’t something of a renaissance. strayed into commercial territory, and then Testament were always the Aston Villa of the lost the plot, they may well have come up trash scene. They never quite broke into the with something like this. Older songs such as big four (Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and ‘First Strike is Deadly’, ‘Over The Wall’ and Megadeth) and despite some early success by ‘Into The Pit’ all sound particularly fresh and considerably more muscular than they did when they first appeared 20 years ago. Guitarist Alex Skolnik’s return to the group has given them a second wind and his refusal to allow speed to overrule melody in a solo is something that always gave Testament an edge. There are times tonight when his fretboard acrobatics put Eddie Van Halen to shame. A nod too to vocalist Chuck Billy, who’s distinctive voice covers these songs like a sheen of bubbling snot and who, with no sense of irony, stands centre stage playing air guitar on his mic stand through out the gig. The strength of the new songs, and the presence of fans who probably weren’t even born when ‘The Legacy’ was released, suggests that this is more than a nostalgia trip and gives credence to the idea that metal will never die.

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There’s morethana Adams styleofmodernsinger- with ahardertakeontheRyan that theybringtomind,combined while torealisethatit’s earlyU2 carefully withinthem.Ittakesmea to knowtheirartisticlimitsandstay passionate andthoughtful,theyseem breath offreshair. Unpretentious, Lights Action provideawelcome drummer. side, they’vekepttheexcellent could possiblyland,butontheplus more savageblowthananycritic VIT WINCHELL O / reminds me sometimes of Jim Morrison or slot into 4AD’s output in, ooh, 1992 or so. It’s THE SHAKER Richard Ashcroft, but the sound is really letting frustrating that they scupper themselves with them down. It’s difficult to hear Vincent or much bum notes, clashing vocals and an unsteady HEIGHTS of the keyboards. And so I will go away tonight performance, but if they can work up the The Jericho Tavern thinking I would really like to hear them again - glimmers of dynamic, skewed quality into but perhaps in a different venue. something more consistent, they could become Ever been given a present that was wrapped so Katy Jerome something to be reckoned with. beautifully, so divinely that you knew it had to Les Clochards, conversely, play with almost be something special? But when you opened it all scientific precision and correctness, but miss out that was there was just a pair of slippers and on providing any kind of emotional core to their some lavender hand lotion from Boots? That’s a VIC GODARD & music. Whilst pseudo-French accordion-led folk little bit how I feel tonight with The Shaker music would never strictly be up my musical Heights. Third song in to their set, and I am SUBWAY SECT / LES boulevard, it’s presented here with such grown- having to ask the sound engineer if I arrived on up safety that it’s irksome to say the least. the wrong evening. They sound nothing like CLOCHARDS / THE Music for a Sunday trip to Ikea. what’s represented on their website. I was No such problems for Vic Godard & Subway expecting acoustic, edgy folk rock like The GULLIVERS Sect, who admirably shuffle on stage to just get Delgados with a touch of The Cure, and instead on with it. What a pleasure to hear these songs am getting overdriven guitars, which often The Wheatsheaf played live, and played honest and true, by a drown out fellow band mates. So it’s not what I It shouldn’t be a surprise to read that one of the man who’s still not shy of playing a raw, humble expected but that’s okay. One mustn’t dwell. legendary lost jewels in punk’s crown, Subway set of songs that typify an effortless, unique The Shaker Heights are a little frustrating. Not Sect, are back, thirty years later, playing and sound. He always seemed to eschew the relentless because they sound nothing like their MySpace recording once again. Everybody’s reforming nihilism of punk, in the same way that page. I’m already over that. It’s that with almost these days. Soon there’ll be no new bands; just Buzzcocks did, and that can only help these every song a good idea emerges. A catchy riff, older and older incarnations of the same groups, thirty-year-old songs to sound fresh today. It the way the whole band gel together, the bass sustaining their careers with a revolving door can’t hurt that Godard’s guitar tone is a hair and drums really feeling a groove, but it never policy on replacement members. It’ll certainly away from the clanging metallic shock of Steve rises to the next level. Whether it’s a massive keep the pressures of originality under control, Albini, or that, especially in their keyboard- anthemic chorus, or a complete change in regardless of the inevitable diminishing returns heavy numbers, the band expose the direct line dynamics. A sinister starting ‘Wrecking Balls’ (I effect on passion and interest. Anyway, on to between late-‘70s punk and mid-‘60s garage. If think that’s what he’s singing) is definitely on the matter in hand. The Gullivers look young, criticism is necessary, it would be to say that the the right track. It’s angular and alluring with all but have been around for a few years, I believe. set should have been three or four songs shorter, the right makings of something special, but fails So it’s surprising that they seem nervous and but that’s about it. Vic Godard still has it, to get there. prone to slip-ups. They’re often on the verge of whatever it was that made the original Subway B ut I really do feel The Shaker Heights could sounding great and, indeed, the last couple of Sect so special. Finally, a reformed band that have much to offer. Lead singer, Vincent Coole, songs tonight see the elements fall into place to works. has a wonderfully rich yet vulnerable voice that create solid, atmospheric, epic music that could Simon Minter THE SCARLETTS / THE FOLLYS / LITTLE FISH / DRUNKENSTEIN SECRET RIVALS The Wheatsheaf Springing from the New Year musical wolves into the SXSW Media Circus. The Bullingdon void, it’s celebratory shows galore Exuding all the breathtaking Featuring a diminutive girl singer- rough’n’ready fashion, while the this month as Oxford’s artisans free confidence and hypnotic-chaotic keyboardist sporting a vast pair of drummer looks pathologically bored their sound offerings from winter stage presence you’ve come to WAG shades, dwarfed by two seriously up to the point they murder The hibernation. It’s a full house that expect from this city’s justifiably gangly guitarists, Secret Rivals look a Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind’, almost greets tonight’s springtime slew of hyped export, Juju channels bit of an awkward mess. Which is rescuing the whole episode with some new material; forthcoming EPs, label shattered soul to frenetic Juliette appropriate because they sound like pretty authentic back vocals. Where signings and summer in the air. Lewis licks with none of the an awkward mess too. But this is their The Follys do get it right, as on Drunkenstein, warming up for next graceless plagiarism of Adele and her charm: they’re a screeling, scraling ‘Maps To Nowhere’, they display an month’s CD launch, bring spears of ilk. Staccato syllables punctuate blast of shrill fuzz-punk that ability to write meaty, hook-heavy punky guitar, scenic soloing and heavy bop startling clap-response alternately sounds like Bis played at thrash-pop in the style of Nick Lowe gothic melodrama to the packed bar. percussion, mining leftfield indie PJ double speed with all the tunes filleted or Eddie & The Hotrods. Perhaps Tilting from hard rock Rocky Horror Harvey, sliding luxuriously into with a pick-axe handle and replaced they just need to learn that less is so highs to the musical bleak of darker pastures for ‘Devil’s Eyes’ by extra shouting, or Huggy Bear often more. breathy, adept texture: the band are with gloriously off-beat, discordant played at double speed, falling down a The Scarletts return us to that earlier ghoul-bop with vital guitar vocab. guitar. There’s a nod to the Velvet mountain while being eaten feet-first feeling of barely-organised musical Appropriately for a county Underground in ‘Die Young’, by rabid otters. It’s all so two- chaos with its attendant feeling of supergroup, there’s a cracking swathe knowingly artistic-self destructive, dimensional they’re virtually a fun. They’re new and still extremely of musical influences in evidence: deep drift rock popping between the cartoon and every song sounds the rough round the edges, but they from creeping bass pop-horror toms and snare off-shuffle. The set same as the last, but such is their occasionally pull off the difficult task crawling tension to jagged guitar closes to a heroes’ reception: encore frenzied simplicity we can’t help but of making ska-punk that doesn’t slasher-movie spikes. Had Aleister ‘You, Me and the TV’ delves variety enjoy them. sound like a watered-down sum of its Crowley ever founded a band, they’d with a Kinks-y, 60s rock’n’roll The Follys are twice as proficient but parts. They’ve got two good songs: rock sets like this. From divisive, closer. half as much fun. Their brand of ‘Fifteen At The Bus Stop’, a faux- jagged ‘9/8 Tune’ to the slick Rapturous reception at The trashy, bluesy rock from the mid-70s yobbish skank about underage grunge-razor ‘Red Shift’, dropping Wheatsheaf aside and whatever school of British r’n’b is solid and drinking, and the Libertines-esque evil funk lines into acid jazz; happens to the band in Texas, Little sometimes energetic enough, ‘Piss It Away’, either of which are uncompromisingly original, coating Fish were always too big for our frontman Trev Williams a picture of worthy of bigger name ska-punk The Doors’ instrumental freedom pond: driving new music out of a intensity itself as he makes strange bands. You feel for now, though, that with Zappa-esque humour. recession-tinted winter, tonight’s chicken noises, but the band can’t let a full set of such strong material is What better than melodrama to musical equinox riffs proof that its basic simplicity breathe, the guitar where they really need to be aiming; introduce Little Fish, here to play a there’s plenty to be looking forward parts too flowery and histrionic when the potential is definitely there. farewell gig before being flung like to this year. all they need to do is chug in Dale Kattack Oxford sheep amongst Stateside Liz Dodd Introducing….

Nightshift’s new monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under DESERT STORM Who Are They? Desert Storm are Matt Ryan (vocals); Elliot Cole (drums); Chris White (lead guitar); Ryan Cole (rhythm guitar) and Chris Benoist (bass). They formed in early 2007. Elliot, Ryan and Chris White parted ways with their previous band, 20/20 Vision due to the usual musical differences. They joined forces with Matt and Chris who they’d known since school and shared similar tastes in music. The band have just released their debut, self-titled album, which was recorded at Dungeon Studios. After a few local gigs Desert Storm have started to take their stoner-metal noise out of town. Their favourite other Oxfordshire band is: What do they sound like? “It’s a tough one but it would probably have to be the skull crushing The band’s debut album is a fresh take on classic hard rock sounds, from Led SEXTODECIMO!” Zeppelin, Hendrix and Black Sabbath to more hardcore elements and a If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: heavy stoner vibe throughout. From bluesy hard rock riffs, through old- “Well, since its such an influential album to the metal genre as a whole, fashioned roadhouse blues to high-octane psychedelic excursions, with especially stoner metal it would have to be the first Black Sabbath record.” everything beefed up big time with a classic metal heaviosity, solos and drum When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? salvos, while singer Matt’s great gravel-gargling roar is up there with “Friday 10th April at the Wheatsheaf, and also the Punt in May. Newcomers Killdozer’s Michael Gerald in its earthy, ogre-ish belligerence. Despite all can expect to witness a varied set of crushing stoner metal with a monstrous this, they paint from a pleasingly mixed palette, drawing in ambient textures groove and some experimental psychedelic trips.” and even tabla on occasion. Or, in their own words, “The scream of a Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: banshee resonating throughout the forest until the lush greenery peels back “There’s a lot of great venues to play in Oxford and bands to watch and of and reveals the harsh cracks in the desert skin of the earth.” course Nightshift and any other magazine that helps to promote local What inspires them? music. Least favourite thing is the fact that there aren’t enough rock/metal “Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Clutch, Metallica, Tool and Kyuss.” promoters about, and as Dr Slaggleberry said last month, there’s too many Career highlight so far: indie bands about.” “Playing at the Academy supporting Exit Ten last year and headlining the You might love them if you love: Purple Turtle in Camden, which was our first out of town show.” Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Killdozer, Mastadon. And the lowlight: Hear them here: “Having to play a few shows as a four piece on the odd occasion.” www.myspace.com/experiencethestorm

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as fellow local stars Winchell Riots, Collisions DEMO OF & Consequences will have a fight on their hands to get noticed, but with the right breaks THE MONTH there’s no reason why not, given the full- blooded accomplishment of these songs. Veering between tinkling piano and shredded FROM HERE WE RUN! fretboards, they emote with an epic sense of Even as do-gooding social worker types tell us abandonment, gentle guitar twinkles heading to give young bands more encouraging skywards as it all kicks off. Meanwhile both reviews, however crap they are, we point ‘Paths’ and ‘Ignite’ here twitch and convulse them towards the likes of From Here, We restlessly at the edges, preventing it all getting Run!, a bunch of teenagers who need no too comfortable and Keane-like. As we say, special dispensation, more than capable of they’ve got the chops, the only real obstacle bettering their elders with a rinky-dink form to making a success of it is the dozens of of almost gothic math-pop, with a demure other similarly-minded bands fighting for disposition and packed with understated attention. crescendos, discreet fuzz and tumbling drums that cascade around the young female singer with a voice filled with detached wonderment. THE RIVERS OF We’re not sure what the lass’s name is; it says Consuela on the band’s Myspace but then it SOUND also says the guitarist is called Papa Nbukto, Amid a stultifyingly long biog that seems to and a quick glance through the local phone list every single live music venue between here book suggests he doesn’t really exist. Anyway, and Guernsey, The Rivers Of Sound promise us that aside, FHWR! list the likes of Foals, This music that draws inspiration from the likes of Town Needs Guns and Don Caballero as Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen and inspirations but against the odds they’re not The Smiths, which tends to make us sit up and just another typical Oxford composite band wag our ickle tails like wee puppy dogs spying and sound more like we imagine All About Eve a tantalising bone. But, such is the enduring might have if they’d formed during the onset disappointment of life (which is why we’re of math-rock: they’re sweet, graceful in a such a bunch of goths who listen to those sort Bambi kind of way and full of potential. of bands in the first place), the reality is very ‘Arrows’ feels like it needs to get a bit of a little like that, and more like a watered down move on at times but ‘This House Is A House Editors on such heavy downers they forgot to Is A House’ is quite lovely and feels half its six bring their songbook along. ‘Weekend Call’ minutes – no mean feat. boasts a decent hook-laden chorus, but beyond that they’re simply treading water, hoping a vague sense of angsty longing will keep them afloat. They’re accomplished and professional MARK CROZER enough, but then so is our plumber and we Better known in Oxford now as mainstay of can’t imagine throwing ourselves ecstatically ethereal indie rockers International Jetsetters, and drunkenly around the room to the sound singer and guitarist Mark Crozer has long been of him replacing a faulty boiler. Although, furnishing us with his solo demos and this new thinking about it, he can be quite a laugh one finds him again at his most comfortable (unlike this lot) and those metallic banging when wrapped up in a dreamy fug of 60s noises he makes on the pipes do remind us not psychedelia and surf pop. Meshing sunshiney unpleasantly of Einstürzende Neubauten at West Coast pop with a shoegazing shimmer, times. Whoop whoop. Party on. songs like ‘Waiting For June’ waft in partway between Ride and Mary Chain’s airier moments and The Monkees at their most HELL SHRINE contemplative. It’s uplifting stuff, but lacks Is it fair to assume we know what to expect the substance and grandiosity of the Jetsetters, from a band called Hell Shrine? Come on, although ‘Here Comes The Storm’ captures they’re unlikely to be singing jaunty acoustic the lo-fi heavy distortion and dreaminess of ditties about blackbirds and larks now, are Flying Saucer Attack’s earliest, more primitive they? Yes, they’re a metal band. Well spotted. explorations. Unfortunately Hell Shrine appear to have written the most boring band biog in the history of rock music (choice quote: “Vocalist COLLISIONS & Dan Random saw an ad requesting a singer whilst practising with an old band. He called CONSEQUENCES the contact number. He spoke with guitarist Occupying a similar middle ground between Nick Wright who explained how his band were Coldplay et al’s Radio 2-friendly melancholy looking for a singer.” Blimey, imagine his and Biffy Clyro’s anthemic, downbeat grunge surprise), but, hey, they’ve got a singer called Dan Random which is worth an extra point but ‘The Grim Quagmire’ has much more from the start. Random by name, random by thump and grit to it, puncturing the monastic nature though, unfortunately. It’s hard to go reverie with a more traditional death-thrash wrong with metal, just so long as you play it guitar attack. Bleak old stuff really, and just hard, heavy and tight you’re 90% of the way what we need to take our mind off the horrors there. Too often though, the band doesn’t of approaching spring, baby lambs, Easter eggs seem to fit together, as if Mr Random is and all that bloody lawn mowing. Having bellowing from a different song sheet. The formed in the Gulf’s most liberal island state, guitars churn and chunder with pleasingly it’d be interesting to see how Hole Unveil heavyweight aplomb and the drummer kicks fared over the water in Iran. out a tumultuous beat at times but even when Dan’s growling and grunting with some kind of conviction something doesn’t feel right. A NOEL REID six-minute token slowie is nothing more than Noel Reid’s demo comes with a cover picture of a ponderous dirge topped off with a naked hermaphrodite with a scrawled drawing indecipherable moaning and it’s frustrating of a devil’s face transposed on top and that the closing number, which promises to be accompanied by a really quite unpleasant photo THE COURTYARD STUDIO a thunderous cacophony, peters out after a of a badly diseased finger. Not sure if we’re minute when it sounds like the dark place they supposed to be shocked or amused or both but it PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ should have been heading towards all along. all seems a bit infantile, like a toddler shouting 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE “poo bum willy!” in the middle of Tesco’s. And MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB talking of toddlers, most of them could CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION K-LACURA probably come up with music a bit more OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI More metal. Previously on this page we cohesive and challenging. Essentially it’s just FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI endeavoured to review tracks from K-Lacura’s five short passages of lo-fi distorted guitar and S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) Myspace only for some devilish glitch to get electronica and some muffled shouting that in the way leaving us with nowt but silence for seems to be aiming for a strange middle ground Residential facilities included. company. Still, everyone deserves a fair crack between base 80s American hardcore and www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com of (Satan’s) whip and here’s yer actual solid primitive synth-pop, but nothing like as fun, PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS CD, which is proper loud and angry. In fact K- challenging or inventive as that might suggest. ON 01235 845800 Lacura’s constituent parts seem to be It could have been great. The sort of stuff to bombast, rage and riffs. Theirs is chestbeating, give middle England a collective migraine-cum- thunderous metalcore, a high-octane approach nightmare, but instead is nothing more than that works hard to hide its formulaic sound mush. Mush with the odd globule of Daft Punk and structure. Dues are dutifully paid to dribbled in for extra flavour. In fact, it’s not far Killswitch Engage and, to a lesser extent, from the noise you might expect to hear if the System Of A Down, and by the end of the strange man-lady on the sleeve randomly demo they’ve near enough collapsed into a bashed her flaccid appendage against a keyboard cacophonous mess, so hard are they trying to repeatedly until it bled. But then, we think career towards the exit door, and, while never Throbbing Gristle did something similar, and far threatening to be original, it is a barrel of fun, better, back in 1974. even managing to sound like a container lorry full of girders spilling down a concrete stairwell at one point. An extra bonus point too for the cover picture of Christopher THE DEMO Walken from the climax of The Deerhunter drawn entirely in tiny birds and butterflies. DUMPER We’d love to see the same picture a minute later as blood pours from his skull, all delicately made up of tiny otters. INVISIBLE VEGAS Invisible Vegas have a name that suggests something otherworldly or horribly sleazy – HOLE UNVEIL the dark underbelly of all that glitz and Blimey – and yet more metal, though of a glamour – which makes it all the more very different hue to the last couple. Hole disappointing to hear their admittedly solid Unveil feature Oxford University student but wholly pedestrian thump and trudge. This Fahad Speninck, but originated in Bahrain. All is bluesy pub rock by numbers – numbers that that sand and heat obviously didn’t leave haven’t apparently changed for generations. them with a sunny disposition, since this is a Visit any roadhouse rock shack, from Kansas morbid, deathly affair in the extreme, more to Kathmandu anytime in the past 40 years akin to the metal noises coming out of and you’d hear this exact same noise kicking Norway than the Gulf. Having lost a member sawdust from the stage. Fair play, though, to tragically in a car crash last year the band are the band for being so impervious to the now a duo but make the noise of a full passing of time, the vagaries of fashion and orchestra – monolithic industrial grind, even the impatient tap, tap, tapping of our ambient doom and gothic death growl vocals fingers on the desk as we wait for them to that sometimes make way for almost classical finish and fuck off so we can get on with metal excursions. ‘Ashes’ is almost hymnal in listening to something a bit more its solemn contemplation and tends to go contemporary. Like a heavily bearded bloke in nowhere in particular over seven minutes, like a bearskin bashing a mammoth’s jawbone a lost black rain cloud in a clear Bahrain sky, against a nearby boulder.

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