email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 140 March Oxford’s Music Magazine 2007

A Trip Into The Psychedelic Heart Of GoGoGoldldldrushrushrush Interview inside

NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected]

PASSES FOR THIS YEAR’S OXFORD THE HOLLYBUSH IN WITNEY is set to re- PUNT are on now available. A limited number open as a live music venue from this month. of 100 all-venue passes, priced at £7, are on sale The Hollybush changed hands in August last online from oxfordmusic.net or in person from year and it was feared its Pit venue was closed Videosyncratic on Cowley Road and the QI for good but the new owners are keen to re- bookshop on Turl Street. launch the music nights. Any bands or acts, THIS YEAR’S OXFORD FOLK FESTIVAL The Oxford Punt, now in its tenth year, takes including folk, blues and soul artists, can send takes place over the last weekend of March place on the evening of Wednesday 9th May demos to George Boullin at 35 Corn Street, and features headline sets from Salsa Celtica across six venues in the city centre, featuring Witney, 0X28 6BT. (pictured), Eliza Carthy and John Spiers and nineteen of the best new unsigned acts in the Jon Boden. county. The event kicks off at Borders in BELARUS (pictured) have split up. The The festival, now in its fourth year, runs from Magdalen Street at 6pm and takes in the Purple Farringdon-based band who had built a large Friday 30th March through to Sunday 1st April Turtle, the Wheatsheaf, the Music Market, the local following and had, for the last couple of with live music, ceilidhs and workshops QI Club and the Cellar. Any bands or solo artist years, been managed by Andy Ross, former happening in venues across town, with the still hoping to take part must submit a demo manager of Blur and the man behind Food main acts performing at Oxford Town Hall, as (including contact details) to The Punt, PO Box Records they released a single, ‘Standing In The well as the traditional street parade and 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU before the 15th Right Place’ on One Iota Records last year. buskers. Other acts confirmed include The March. The final Punt line-up will be Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, John announced on the Nightshift website shortly Renbourn and Robin Williamson, Daughters of after. Previous Punts have seen early gigs by the Elvin, John Kirkpatrick and Indigo Moss. likes of The Young Knives, Goldrush, Weekend passes (priced £54) and day tickets Winnebago Deal and Fell City Girl. are on sale now from Tickets Oxford at the Playhouse on 01865 305305 or online at THE ZODIAC looks set to close for major www.ticketsoxford.com. Visit rebuilding and refurbishment in the middle of www.oxfordfolkfestival.com for more details. May. The venue will hopefully re-open in Meanwhile the Friends of Oxford Folk September with a completely new layout, Festival (or F-OFF as its charming acronym including a 900-capacity downstairs concert goes) has been set up for anyone wanting to hall. The upstairs venue will have a 400 help support the festival. Email capacity while there will be a smaller bar venue [email protected] for more incorporated into the downstairs plans. The details. Zodiac has been in need of major work for There will be two warm-up concerts before sometime but last year’s takeover by the the festival. On Sunday 18th March Fairport’s Academy Music Group has enabled the huge Chris Leslie and Ric Sanders headline at the costs of the work to be made available. Holywell Music Room with support from Radio 2 Young Folk Award finalist Wilber, THE YOUNG KNIVES play their biggest while on Thursday 22nd singing legend June local headline gig to date when they perform at OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC are Tabor performs at the Oxford Playhouse with Brookes University Union on Sunday 25th hosting a series of music debates in February support from Mark Emerson and Andy th March. Note that this is a change from the and March. The first debate, on Sunday 25 Cutting. Tickets for both shows are available original publicised date (5th April). The band February, features a panel including Billy Bragg from Tickets Oxford. are currently on tour in the States and will and Fun’Da’Mental’s Aki Nawaz on the subject This year’s Cornbury Music Festival takes play a series of UK shows before taking time of the personal and political power of music. place over the weekend of the 7th and 8th July th off to write and record new songs. Tickets for On Friday 9 March author and songwriter at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury. Line-up the show are on sale now from the Brookes Maeve Bayton, along with local singer and and ticket details are due to be announced box office on 01865 484750. musician Kate Garrett, will debate how music sometime this month. Visit changes women’s lives and features a set from www.cornburyfestival.com for news. Last all-girl band Queen Spleen and a showing of the year’s event was headlined by Robert Plant, film Women Rock by Sue Okumbe. The final The Pretenders and Texas as well as featuring debate is on Thursday March 22nd when stages organised by Truck, the Oxford Folk conductor Ivor Setterfield discusses how music Festival and Charlbury Riverside Festival. changes people’s lives, drawing on testimonies After last year’s enforced break, Charlbury from people involved in Blackbird Leys’ Singing Riverside is back this year. The free weekend Estate project. All the debates take place at festival takes place on the 16th and 17th June Ruskin College on Walton Street. For more with the line-up due to be announced shortly. details email [email protected]. Visit www.riversidefestival.charlbury.com for details and a survey A BENEFIT GIG for ROSY (Respite Nursing For Oxfordshire’s Sick Youngsters) at Romanway last month raised over £3,500 for run of 100 DVDs of the night are on sale now, the charity. The gig, organised by Studio 45, priced £10 – call George Hedge on 01865 featured the cream of local hip hop, r’n’b, soul 375251 or Cheryl Lee on 01865 774806 for and jazz acts, including Jada Pearl and Zuby, more details. and featured a guest appearance from Boston- based Def Jam signing Danielle Scott. A limited FORMER-EAT frontman Ange Doolittle’s eponymous band visit the Port Mahon on album is worth, either before or after they hear Saturday 28th April as part of a Swiss Concrete it. Says Nigel: “It’s possibly foolish, possibly club promotion and the gig has already sold out. financial suicide, but since everyone downloads Swiss Concrete are also planning a two-day live and pirates and generally fails to value the music festival at the Port over the weekend of music they buy nowadays, I’m hoping this will 30th June / 1st July, as well as hosting a reunion make some people at least think about what gig by pioneering local hardcore legends Callous they’re getting, and for how much. Or not.” You on Saturday 22nd September. can read Nightshift’s review of the CD on page 6. We got our copy for free. THE VICTORIA in Jericho is closed until further notice after the death of landlord Nick OXFORDBANDS.COM is relaunched this Simmons shortly after Christmas. The Victoria month with a new slim-line look. The online hosted Friday night live music sessions which local music resource site will continue to feature have been running successfully for over two the most extensive database of Oxfordshire years now. bands and artists, plus news, reviews and gig listings. VINYL FRONTIER on Cowley Road is set to shut at the end of March. The second-hand AS EVER don’t forget to tune into The store, which specialises in dance music, is Download every Saturday evening between 6- having a half-price sale from now until it closes. 7pm on BBC Radio Oxford 95.2fm. The local With the closure of Massive Records and The music show, hosted by Tim Bearder and Dave Polar Bear in the past year and with Avid Gilyeat, features a wide range of new Oxford THE FALL play a two-night stand at the Records set to go at the end of 2007 when its releases, interviews and reviews as well as a gig Zodiac on Tuesday 3rd / Wednesday 4th lease runs out, Oxford will be left without a guide (read straight out of Nightshift by what March as part of a UK tour to promote the single independent music shop. appears to be an android with pretensions to band’s 26th studio album, `Reformation Post Shakespearian acting) and a weekly local demo TLC’. Tickets for each gig are £16 but fans THE SAD SONG Co. release their second vote. You can listen to each Download show all wanting to go to both gigs can get a special album, ‘Poignant Device’, this month. The solo week at bbc.co.uk/oxford discount double ticket for £25. Tickets are project of Dive Dive and former-Unbelievable available online from wegottickets.com or in Truth drummer Nigel Powell, SSC recorded the THE DEMO PILE here at Nighthsift is slowly person from the Zodiac box office. album at Marillion’s studio and supported the becoming more manageable but we still have a Other gigs at the Zodiac in April include band at their fanclub convention in Holland two-month backlog of reviews. If you’ve sent a Clutch (Sat 7th), Deathstars plus Mortiis recently. The CD is available to buy online at CD in and it hasn’t been reviewed, it will be in (Thu 12th), Midlake (Fri 13th), 65 Days of www.thesadsongco.com and Nigel is giving due course. If we had more adverts we could Static (Mon 16th), Camera Obscura (Thu people the chance to pay whatever they feel the afford more space for reviews etc. etc.... 19th) and Will Haven (Fri 27th).

Corner Cowley / Marsh Road 01865 776431 thethe portport mmahonahon March Live Music in March Every Tuesday – Shush Open Mic – Come Sing / Play / Listen. 8pm FREE; All Welcome 1 - Ali & Co 15 - Deadbeat Sounds Every Wednesday – Folk Session – Come Sing / Play / Listen. 8pm FREE; All Welcome 2 - Oxford Folk Club 16 - Oxford Folk Club 3 - The Green 18 - Joe Allen & Thu 1st Grinning Spider presents Brickwork Lizards / Seven Years On / Back Pocket Prophet / Clark Wiseman 8.30pm £4 4 - Ade Payne Angharad Jenkins Fri 2nd Closed to public from 8pm Private Party 6 - Dirty Boys presents 21 - Poetry Night Sat 3rd ‘Exposure’ with SMILEX / MONDO CADA / APE HAS KILLED APE 8:30pm £4 - Superheroes vs Supervillains fancy dress (free goody bag for every costume) The Youngs Plan + 22 - Poetry Night Sun 4th Electric Jam - come jam with the house band, The X Men. 8pm FREE Liddling + The Blitz Cartel 23 - Oxford Folk Club Mon 5th Kill Henry Sugar - Eric Della Penne will be at The New Theatre tomorrow playing guitar for Joan Baez, but tonight he plays solo at The X. 8.30pm £3 7 - Friends with 24 - Myanalog presents Thu 8th Wheatley Park Soul Band 8.30pm Fri 9th Gammy Leg presents Amberstate / Whiskycats / Grant & Roxy /Simon Benefits, Gunkata, The Foxes! + Onions for Eyes Davies 8.30pm £4 Menus and Sybarites 25 - Pindrop Sat 10th Wittstock Fund Raiser - The Gs / Prohibition Smokers Club / Reverend Moonshine / Jeremy Hughes / Kevin Winters 8.30pm £4 8 - Collision and Performance with Lind Sun 11th Tunez NOT Trident Benefit Gig 7pm - In aid of the Oxfordshire Faslane Consequences + You in Optical + SJ Esau + 365 campaign featuring: from London Peace Not War artists, local Oxford poets, including sexy sappho poet Sophia Blackwell, pagan-folk band Motion + Stray Day Birdrib (5pm-8pm) Spiderwoods, and peace and justice stalwarts The Sea Green Singers 9 - Oxford Folk Club 26 - Juxstar + Amy Bee Thu 15th Acoustic Evening with Jessica Goyder / more TBC 8.30pm Fri 16th Grinning Spider presents The Ruins / The Corvids / Feck / Ally Craig / 11 - The Enigma Project 27 - Swiss Concrete Dan Austin 8.30pm £4 Sat 17th The Inflatables - Best Ska Reggae Soul Band in Oxford 8.30pm £4.00 + Where I’m Calling presents King Kool + Mr Sun 18th Electric Jam 8pm FREE From + The Wookies + G & Rich + Violet Violet Mon 19th Zena James Quartet with Geoff Castle on piano (founder member of National Jazz Youth Orchestra, and featuring Mike Bradley on drums - one of the Les Natrels 28 - Moiety + Oliver Shaw UK’s top jazz drummers, currently on tour with the Rat Pack musical in New York 13 - Garrett Band + 29 - Blind Pilots and Paul Jefferies on double bass. 8.30pm £8 or £12 with dinner. Call for bookings. Fri 23rd Ann Duggan 8.30pm £4 Laima Bite 30 - Oxford Folk Club Sat 24th Fundraiser for Silver Stars 14 - Oxford Folk Club 31 - Caminus Mon 26th Jazz Jam TBC Thu 29th SelectaSound presents - 8.30pm £4 Fri 30th Slidewinder - Farewell to Oxford gig plus JJ Soul / James Thorn 8.30pm £4 Book your band into play at Oxford’s best small music venue! Sat 31st The Taste (excellent indie rockers from Germany) / support 8.30pm £4 82 St Clements, Oxford. Tel: 01865 202067 A Quiet Word With Photos: Megan Jones photography GoGoGoldldldrushrushrush

LIKE KINDLY AND GENTEEL mistakes and not repeating them. country uncles, it’s easy to take The fact is, the core of Joe, myself, Goldrush for granted. In their Garo and G have been a team for almost decade-long lifetime they’ve seven years, and it’s difficult to furnished us not only with a alter that. Nick who plays with us succession of small but perfectly now was born in Oxford and his formed bucolic pop gems, founded part-time status allows him to do a quietly successful independent many other things. Hamish leaving, record label of quality and Joe being in New York and G distinction and of course given working full time meant Garo and I birth to and carefully nurtured the spent a lot of time in Garo’s sheds best small live music festival in the moulding songs on the piano and country. guitar and formulating a coherent Perhaps it’s because of the success album with Pedro and our of the latter two – Truck Records American co-writer Danny Black. and Truck Festival – that Once we’d disassembled the band Goldrush’s music sometimes gets we could reassemble it correctly overlooked, at least in the UK. and it’s now operating at its peak, Over in the States, where the band perhaps for the first time.” have spent a sizeable portion of the ‘The Heart Is The Place’ sounds last few years, touring both as like Goldrush but there’s a definite Mark Gardener’s band and in their move on. How much of this is due own right, they are accorded greater surrounding the band: “By the remains an integral part of the to a new outlook and how much respect, both for their DIY time of the last Truck, when our band. helped by working with James aesthetic and because their music small village became Woodstock However, after spending months Rutledge? taps into a very American vein of for a weekend, we were spending slogging around the States with “A self-fulfilling prophecy - I rustic spirituality. all our time building stages and the Mark Gardener and signing to US knew James could give us an record was still being worked on. I label Better Looking, they finally overview and broaden our musical SO ANYWAY, CONSIDERING noticed things creeping in - other caught back up with City Slang and horizons while focusing the sound this it was a very real pleasure to worlds past, future and ended up enjoying a successful of the band, and he did. Working listen to Goldrush’s new album, supernatural, magic realism. These European tour with Nada Surf, with James definitely freshened ‘The Heart Is The Place, their third were literary influences I could no playing to over 1,000 people a our approach.” and the follow-up to 2005’s longer avoid: a character, or series night. You seem to have discovered a ‘Ozona’. From its grandly of characters, seemed to move Most recently Goldrush teamed new love for psychedelia and prog; symphonic intro – of which through the songs in a ghostly up with producer James Rutledge is that a fair assumption? Spiritualized would be proud – way. Our music was no longer set (aka Pedro), whom Robin knew “We have always loved through the soaring psychedelic in America, it was in our own from his days working at HMV in psychedelia, it has just not always swirl of songs like ‘Every One location and our own minds.” Cornmarket Street. It was James’ made it onto the records. Mid-60s Of Us’ and ‘The Story Of The Mushrooms, then. input that led to a renewed burst of Beatles, Hendrix and so on have City’, to more off-kilter moments creativity that became ‘The Heart always fascinated us, mostly in the such as ‘Heaven’s My Destination’ SINCE THE RELEASE OF Is The Place’. freedom with which they operated and ‘Sun In Your Eyes’, the album ‘Ozona’ Goldrush have come close and their wide-ranging interests is fresher, more ambitious and to quitting altogether as events NIGHTSHIFT SPOKE TO outside music, from art to clothes.” more positive than anything seemed to be echoing those of a Robin – one of the most influential Songs like ‘Every One Of Us’ they’ve recorded before. At heart it couple of years previously when figures on the Oxford music scene sound as joyful and uplifting as is still the Goldrush of classics like they were dumped by Virgin over the past ten years, as singer, Goldrush have ever sounded… and ‘Same Picture’ and ‘Let You Down’ Records after the release of debut festival organiser and record label this after a period of band burn- – all faltering vulnerability and album, ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’. boss – while Goldrush enjoyed a out. introspective longing – but now ‘Ozona’ was due to have been three-week tour of Germany. When “Well, we have been knocked Goldrush come armed with prog released across Europe on German we last talked to him it was around down a few times. To get up again tendencies and a belief that they label City Slang but due to the time of ‘Ozona’ and he you have to really fight and want can go out and really touch the contractual problems between the described how the band had almost to do better, and so not getting it sky. label boss and EMI the album was split up in the wake of leaving right first time can make you Goldrush frontman and songwriter delayed; effectively the band spent Virgin. At the same time Jef left the stronger and more positive second Robin Bennett puts the the year on hold. Since then band. Did he feel events were or third time round. We have all had psychedelia down to certain Goldrush have parted company repeating themselves in a way with many opportunities to do other mushrooms that grow in the fields with guitarist Hamish, while the loss of Hamish and Joe moving things but haven’t because we around the band’s studio on the site founding member Joe Bennett – to New York? How has the band know we have it in us to do of Truck Festival in Steventon. He brother of Robin – has moved to regrouped since? something special. When a tune like also points to new influences New York to live, although he “They key to success is making Every One Of Us comes out you sit back and go, wow, we can still “There have been moments on the do it, and with more confidence beach in San Diego when we’ve than before.” thought it might be nice to not go home. In fact Joe is quite settled in PREVIOUS TO TEAMING UP Brooklyn, which is also an with James Rutledge, Goldrush had inspiring place where we have gone into the studio with Dave many close friends. Many US Fridmann, the producer responsible bands are very self-sufficient like for myriad brilliant albums by us, making their own records and Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, putting together their own tours, two bands to whom Goldrush owe whereas there has been a culture a musical debt. What is James like here of ‘rock stardom’ where to work with compared to David musicians are helpless idiots. If Fridmann? Wayne Coyne or Anton Newcome March “They’re similar in their can plug in their own gear, I’m sure meticulous attention to detail and I can too.” appetite for different sounds. Dave Every Monday is a very experienced engineer OBVIOUSLY TRUCK FESTIVAL THE FAMOUS MONDAY whereas James came from a is still a huge part of Robin’s and musician/sampling background, Goldrush’s life. It is a festival they NIGHT BLUES using an engineer for the mixes. As created from very modest The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. £6 James is the same age as us, we had beginnings that has grown into an 5th STEVE ARVEY a more equal relationship. With established and highly-respected 12th PAUL LAMB & THE KINGSNAKES Fridmann we kept thinking, oh my national event, along with the likes 19th KING EARLE BOOGIE BAND God it’s Dave Fridmann, for the of the Green Man Festival, th first day or two at least. We are eschewing corporate sponsorship 26 COLIN JOHN BAND with BEN WATERS trying to work out a way to do and big name acts in favour of a some recording with both together, homeliness and eclectic musical Every Tuesday which would be very exciting.” vision. This year’s Truck will be As well as the personnel side of the tenth; with no announcement THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB things, how have Goldrush changed yet of the line-up or tickets going Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am over the years, musically and as on sale, we wonder what the future 6th ALVIN ROY – album launch people? of the festival might be. Where can 13th THE TOM GREY QUINTET “We are older and wiser, but have it go from its recent successes and 20th HUGH & STU managed to retain a love for music how hard is it going to be to keep th despite operating within the music its identity? 27 THE TOM GREY QUINTET ‘industry’. I believe musicians will “I have been taking steps to have to overlap into business to protect the legacy of Truck and to Every Thursday survive in future and the ‘industry’ return it to its original concept of folks who make no contribution an artist-run community that GET FUNKED other than to mutter disapproval promotes creativity of all kinds- Electromash, bastard pop, broken bass. 9.30-2am. £3 and wave spreadsheets will be back you will hear more about this very in accountants and banks where soon. We want to take the Trucking Every Friday they belong.” concept from two days a year to BACKROOM BOOGIE ‘The Story Of The City’, the lead 365. But rest assured Truck track and highlight of the new Festival at Hill Farm will be the Funk, soul and R&B. 9-2am Free B4 10pm; £4 after. album, sounds like the best song same as ever, in fact slightly (30th – with guest AIDAN LARKIN) Goldrush have ever written. smaller in size than last year but of “That one’s about Oxford. I have a the usual excellent standard.” 9th early show with DICORA + support. 8-11pm £3 love/hate relationship with the And where do Goldrush go from 23rd early show TBC place, though the more time I here? spend away the more I start to “Berlin! We will be spending a lot Saturdays develop affection for it, especially more time running Truck, promoting rd walking round the colleges where `The Heart Is The Place’, and 3 SIMPLE with ROB DA BANK (Radio 1 / my grandfather lived after putting together a plan for the next Sunday Best) + residents – Funky House. 9-3am emigrating from New Zealand. He album. Pedro’s just done an amazing 10th OX4 – Drum’n’bass. 9-3am was one of the Inklings with remix of `Can’t Give Up The 17th ST PATRICK’S NIGHT SPECIAL with Tolkien and CS Lewis! `Can’t Give Ghost’, which could be a pointer to HENRY MARTIN’S GHOST + DJ. 8.30-3am £6 Up The Ghost’ makes me feel an even further-out and euphoric th emotional whenever I hear it. It’s sound for the next one.” 24 SKA NIGHT featuring TEN TON probably a long way from most PEANUTTHE SMUGGLERS ANY + DJs. 9.30-3amDAYS people’s idea of what we sound ‘The Heart Is The Place’ is out 31st SOUL NIGHT with DJ TONY NANTON. like.” now on Truck Records. Goldrush 9-3am play an album launch party at CD single `MONDAY MORNING’ HAVING SPENT TO SO MUCH The Jericho Tavern on at Polar Bear Records, Cowley Road time in America, is there any desire Thursday 8th March with support Sundays th for all of Goldrush to follow Joe’s from Danny George Wilson and 4 LIVE STAND-UP COMEDY with BRENDAN lead and leave the UK behind and The Ruins. DEMPSEY (Ireland)www.theanydays.com + ROBIN INCE (The Office) + move there permanently? If you Check out www.goldrush.mu for CAIMH McDONNELL plus compere SILKY. 8pm. £7/6 could transfer one thing from the band news. www.myspace.com/theanydays American music scene into the UK Go to www.truckfestival.org for (check websites for local gig dates) what would it be? news on this year’s festival. Sponsored RELEASED by ‘Iceskaters’, the lead track on Richard Walters’ LOOPY latest EP. A brush-stroked snare rhythm gives an eerie feel of feet trudging through deep snow ‘This Year’s Evel while Richard’s languidly wracked voice softly adds greater depth to its intense white bleakness. Knievel’ It’s only when you sit down and listen to (Own Label) songs like this, and even more so to ‘We Have Perennial purveyors of nominally cheery Your Head’, which closes the five-track CD, jangle pop Loopy return, half a year on from that you realise how clumsily most balladeers their risible attempt at a World Cup single, handle the raw state of human emotion. There’s with a full-length CD, attempting to cajole a nothing complex or difficult at work here, just nation of misery guts to Think Positive and simple, stunning twilit songs of sadness, some sing along to their Crowded House-style autobiographical, others simply stories, such as harmonies. “It’s gonna be beautiful and ‘Elephant In the Room’. Richard’s voice, limpid wonderful and everything’s alright!” as spring water, a slight quaver adding a So they say. So why does ‘This Year’s Evel hundred weight of wonder to everything it Knievel’ leave us feeling strangely touches, is so strong, even its timorousness, RICHARD WALTERS depressed? Perhaps because so much of the that the stark instrumentation – piano, cello, album sounds like The Beautiful South ‘Pilotlights EP’ acoustic guitar – seems to exist merely as a without their saving grace – Paul Heaton’s wraith-like presence at the margins. (Big Scary Monsters) sardonic wit and worldview. Instead they Not just an EP, ‘Pilotlights’ is a genuine jangle, plod and harmonise through forty Global warming? Pah, you could freeze the treasure. minutes of bluesy guitar pop with a resolute Atlantic with the chill emanating from Dale Kattack lack of sunshine in their hearts, but equally with no apparent emotional hurt or weary cynicism. THE SAD SONG Co. Even the soft-centred ballad, ‘Friday In Firenz’, sounds like it’s straining every ‘Poignant Device’ sinew to summon even an ounce of despair. (Own Label) Conversely, when they aim for good-time rousing stadium pop, as on ‘Happiness “Honestly, I reckon you’re going to hate it,” in Marillion’s studio and he’s supporting them at Road’, all that tumbles out is watery middle- announces Nigel Powell, the man behind The their fanclub convention, we remain open- aged contentment. Sad Song Co. of this his second solo album. minded. Because talent shines through, even And that’s perhaps the crux of Loopy: they “But at the same time I’ve always valued your when it’s wearing a big flouncy prog-rock frock just sound like a band content to exist as a opinions”. You see, children – here’s a chap and going on for ten minutes at a time with lots part-time hobby, scared to commit who knows we speak the truth, however of different bits in each song and even a themselves musically or lyrically to anything painful it might be at times. And he knows a Mellotron flourish for pure, unrefined 1970s too dangerous, like a local FM radio station thing or two does Nigel, since in his time he’s effect. And anyway, prog is the new punk: just endlessly pumping out ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. been part of Unbelievable Truth and Dive Dive ask Radiohead and Muse, the former of which And really, when Loopy proclaim that as well as being, along with Loz Colbert, the Nigel comes close to on the sprawling `Domestic they’ll be our Evel Knievel, you have to best drummer Oxford has produced. And so, Drama’ with its edgy ambience and more changes smile at the irony of it all. even though he tells us this album was recorded of direction than `Paranoid Android’. Sue Foreman As you’d expect with that moniker, Sad Song Co. isn’t a barrel of laughs, but neither does it – for the most part – sit with its head in its hands. There are shimmering, simmering moonlit piano sonatas (‘Dressing Down’) and imposing, driving rock (‘I Love Joy’) to stand against the less elaborate acoustic laments like ‘Rescue’. There’s a softness and easy grace to songs like ‘The Healing’, but whether he’s playing it quiet and considered or showboating shamelessly while hammering his kit like John Bonham, Nigel’s muscular production and inventive musical prowess keeps things succinct and interesting. Now then, where did we leave that old Ramones bootleg? Dale Kattack Selected Oxford releases are now available on the ground floor HMV Oxford supports local music Open Sundays 11-5pm & late Thursdays till 7pm. 10% student discount every day SMILEX DR SHOTOVER: No Relief ‘Flimsy Fickle Fashion (Fuck Off And Die)’ Well, as I’m sure you’ve (Quickfix) gathered over the years, my little sweetums, it’s Ooh, I say: Smilex in rude word living under a rock for the last few always Red Nose Day shock. They’ll be stripping off and years? Oh yes, ROCK we said. round these parts... Go climbing the speaker stacks next, Smilex do indeed rock. Big beefy easy on the soda, the wee urchins. Anyway, this ‘ere power chords, angry shrieking Bedingfield! Ahem, where is a download-only single from vocals and the feeling that even was I? Ah yes - Comic Quickfix Records and features though you can’t see it they were Relief. I believe it’s called Smilex fundering and frashing frotting their guitar amps as they that because it’s so furiously about flimsy fickle recorded this song. That it weighs bloody PISS-POOR. fashion and its foughtless in at one minute and 48 seconds Some of the post- followers. Fuck yeah. suggests they perhaps peaked a modernists in the club bar You know what Smilex sound like little too soon. File under fun. think we should celebrate by now, surely, or have you been Dale Kattack the life and times of that suave Yorkshireman Bill Nelson and declare RED UNDER SPIRIDON CLOAKS NOISE Day, where everyone has to turn up `Remains Of the Day’ in slightly crumpled 1930s Lou does his bit for Comic Relief (Attack! Attack! Attack!) suits looking serious while Oxford/Portsmouth-based one- `Remains of the Day’ dwells on a spouting incomprehensible Futurist slogans... this could be followed by woman paragon of cheesy electro- smoking pile of human bones in a WHITE NOISE Day, when Lou Reed’s ‘Metal Machine Music’ will be grind and political horror Jenny Baghdad market square while a looped and conversation will consist of sarcastic remarks, preferably Sparks returns for her first release huge squelching synth bass pounds while wearing dodgy eye-shadow... Ah yes, talking of St Louis of Reed, in nearly two years, though she’s a Eurodisco pop melody into the have you got your ticket for John Cale at the Zodiac? A splendid chap in still swimming in the same murky ground. Continue into the darkness his way, Mr Cale, even though he has apparently GIVEN UP musical waters we last found her in. and `Metal Into Flesh’ finds tanks DRINKING... speculation is rife as to whether he will be bringing a This two-track EP continues her and civilian bodies don’t mix as string section and performing the whole of “Paris 1919”... when I last obsession with the ground-level well as Throbbing Gristle and saw him he was certainly drunk as a pickled egg and shouting in front of human horrors of war, sampling Harold Faltermeyer. Genuinely a rock band... but that was about twenty years ago... Now, where were both chilling news footage and the unpleasant but clever too. we? Ah yes, RED WEDGE Day - good idea, Mr Bragg. best and worst of 80s pop. Dale Kattack Next month: Maggie Maggie Maggie - out out out! DELICIOUS MUSIC OXFORD PUNT 2007 Live In March Sat 3rd BIG BAD CITY + Friends With Benefits + Wednesday 9th May Contract Sun 4th ELECTRIC ECLECTIC JAM & Open Mic/ One Night, Six Venues, Nineteen Acts Free Entry The best showcase of new Oxford music of the year. Sat 10th SNAKE EYES + The Wish + Sand Creek Massacre Borders, QI Club, Music Market, Purple Turtle, Sun 11th ELECTRIC ECLECTIC JAM & Open Mic/ Wheatsheaf, Cellar Free Entry Tue 13th TUESDAY NIGHT BLUES CLUB with Want to play? GREEN ONIONS (Unpeeled) + Blue Mama + The VIPs Send demos to: The Oxford Punt, Sat 17th DRUG SQUAD + Sleepless + Blue Mama PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Sun 18th ELECTRIC ECLECTIC JAM & Open Mic/ Free Entry Sat 24th HIP HOP NIGHT with Nonsense + Chris Want to see it all? Martin + Mr Shaodow + Robin Hoodz + Devilish (OT All-venue Punt Passes now on sale from Crew) + Retrofire oxfordmusic.net Sun 25th ELECTRIC ECLECTIC JAM & Open Mic/ QI Bookshop (Turl Street) Free Entry Videosyncratic (Cowley Road) Tue 27th TUESDAY NIGHT BLUES CLUB with (100 only; £7 each - plus booking fee where applicable) GREEN ONIONS (Unpeeled) + Blue Mama Sat 31st VAN DIEMANS + Akermysts + Moocher

DEMOS to: DMR LTD 99 St ALDATES – Punt line-up announced 18th March online at T 01865 242784 M 07876 184623 nightshift.oxfordmusic.net FOR BOOKINGS email [email protected] gig guide Sponsored by

THURSDAY 1st SATURDAY 3rd THE ANSWER + WINNEBAGO DEAL: The TILLY & THE WALL: The Zodiac (upstairs) – Zodiac (upstairs) – Wild’n’hairy retro rocking of MARCH Sublime 60s-styled sunshine pop – see main an authentically 70s variety from Ireland’s The preview Answer, sounding an awful lot like Thunder at for one night, featuring acid folk, world punk and I WAS A CUB SCOUT + LINDA’S NEPHEW times. Recently nominated as Best New British cabaret from inventive local collective Inflatable + THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS: The Zodiac Band in Kerrang! and out on tour promoting last Buddha, plus folk-ska fusion from festival faves (downstairs) – Lo-fi synth-punk-emo-disco from year’s ‘Rise’ album. Local full-throttle garage- Demon Barbers.. Nottingham two-piece I Was A Cub Scout, metal behemoths Winnebago Deal support. BRICKWORK LIZARDS + SEVEN YEARS recently signed to XL after shows with PORT MAYHEM with INFLATABLE ON + BACK POCKET PROPHET + CLARK Babyshambles. Local indie rockers TTNG BUDDHA + DEMON BARBERS: The Zodiac WISEMAN: The X, Cowley – Soul, hip hop, support. (downstairs) – The monthly live music club Egyptian folk, jazz and classical sounds collide in SMILEX + MONDO CADA + APE HAS night moves from the Port Mahon to the Zodiac the coolly esoteric world of Brickwork Lizards, KILLED APE: The X, Cowley – Full on and headlining tonight’s Grinning Spider club night. foaming at the mouth glam-punk craziness from Saturday 3rd Support comes from Swindon guitar-pop types Smilex at tonight’s eXPosure club night. More Seven Years On, Christian metallers Back Pocket than able support from heavyweight grungers TILLY & THE WALL: Prophet and Kicks frontman Clark Wiseman. Mondo Cada and electro storytellers Ape Has HARRY ANGEL + MR G & RICH + MORPH: Killed Ape. The Zodiac The Hobgoblin, Bicester – High octane grunge- THE GREEN: The Port Mahon – Dark, Do you want to be happy? Like really, pop from Harry Angel, plus electro-rock from debonair indie rocking. really sunshiny, hug-a-stranger, gleaming Mr G & Rich. BIG BAD CITY + FRIENDS WITH white teeth happy? Then here are Tilly & THE QUARTERFINALS + BO DECCA + BENEFITS + CONTRACT: The Music The Wall to help you along. Anyone – and COLOUR: The Cellar – New wave-styled Market – Delicious Music local bands night. everyone – who saw their last gig at the heavy rock from Quarterfinals with support SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house club Zodiac will have left the venue beaming like from local newcomers Bo Decca. night with special guest DJ Rob Da Bank, him the cat who got, not just the cream, but also OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY: off of Radio 1. the family hamster. Hailing from Nebraska, The Music Market THE QUARTER-FINALS + HOLIDAY IN Tilly & The Wall’s secret weapon is tap ALI & Co: The Port Mahon VIETNAM + BLUE RIDERS: The dancer Jamie Williams who stands in for a CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Wheatsheaf – Heavyweight indie rocking from live drummer, clacking out the rhythms on a Community Centre Quarterfinals, plus krautfunking psychedelia and specially amped-up podium. It’s a novel OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon synth-rocking improv from HIV. idea but just one of the many great things TWIZZ TWANGLE BAND + VIGILANCE MELTING POT with CONNECTING BLACK SPECIAL + THE ANYDAYS: The FLIGHT + RAY + HIP ROUTE + ARCHIVE about the band who mercilessly steal pop Jericho Tavern OF EVERYTHING: The Jericho Tavern – gems from the 60s, from The Shangri-La’s to nd Good mixed bill of up and coming unsigned the sweeter side of The Velvet Underground. FRIDAY 2 bands at tonight’s Melting Pot. Liverpool’s Musically minimal, songs come to life JOSH PYKE + GODWITS + WHERE I’M CALLING FROM: The Zodiac – Jauntily electro-rockers Connecting Flight have supported through handclaps, vocal harmonies from Oceansize and Art Brut recently, while Ray’s singers Neely Jenkins and Kianna Alarid and bittersweet acoustic pop from the Sydney, Australia singer-songwriter in the vein of Evan languid, sweeping pop recalls House Of Love Jamie’s gleeful tap dancing. They smile, and Chris Isaak. they laugh, they treat the audience like old Dando and Elliot Smith. REPUBLIC with LISA LASHES: The Zodiac LEE DAVIES: Temple Bar friends and everyone with a soul smiles right REDOX + PETE FRYER BAND: The back at them. So there you go: choose life, – Techno club night with pioneering hard house and trance DJ Lisa tonight’s guest on the decks. Romany, Bampton – Swamp-rock and festival choose Tilly & The Wall. The summer starts OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon funk from Redox, plus eccentric blues rocking here. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon from Pete Fryer and chums. th KLUB KAKOFANNEY with THE DRUG SUNDAY 4 SQUAD + BLACK HATS + LAGRIMA + AIM + SUNNYVALE NOISE SUB- MAURO: The Wheatsheaf – Energetic ska- ELEMENT: The Zodiac (upstairs) – The band punk with a pop edge from Drug Squad at project of Manchester trip hop producer, label tonight’s Klub Kak. owner and sometime rap DJ Andy Turner, Aim BENEVA + BO DECCA + FRANK RAPTURE: have been producing hip hop-based electronic The Jericho Tavern – Harmonic pop in the vein albums since the 90s, with last year’s ‘Flight of Ben Folds and Beautiful South from 602’ the smooth, cinematic culmination of their Coventry’s Beneva, plus support. trippy electronic evolution. Local electro-post- THE DUGOUT: The Cellar rock juggernauts Sunnyvale provide viciously MARK BOSLEY: The George & Dragon, inventive support. Sutton Courtenay – Home-coming gig for the JACK PENATE: The Zodiac (downstairs) – local troubadour. South London rockabilly jangler and recent tour support to The Maccabees, coming on traditional folk sounds with bluegrass, blues and somewhere between Jamie T, Billy Bragg and cajun. The Farmers Boys. KILL HENRY SUGAR: The X, Cowley – Joan DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM Baez’s guitarist Eric Della Penne plays a solo SESSION: The Music Market show at the X prior to his big night at the New ADE PAYNE: The Port Mahon Theatre tomorrow. ELECTRIC JAM: The X, Cowley – Open jam TUESDAY 6th session with in-house band The X Men. JOAN BAEZ: The New Theatre – The queen th MONDAY 5 of the 60s folk revival plays her first Oxford gig CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY + SHUFFLE: in three years, her last visit was part of 2004’s The Zodiac – Former-Ash guitarist, now an Oxford Folk Festival. Along with Bob Dylan, established talent in her own right – see main Baez spearheaded the folk revival of the 1960s, preview helped lead the civil rights protest movement and STEVE ARVEY: The Bullingdon – Acoustic continues her humanitarian work through to the and electric blues-rock from the Chicago-based present day. Musically an inspiration for guitarist, renowned for his reinterpretations of virtually every female singer-songwriter of the classics by The Rolling Stones, Chester Burnett last 40 years and a proper legend. and others. THE BLOOD ARM: The Zodiac – LA new MARTIN SIMPSON: Nettlebed Folk Club – wavers on the up’n’up after praise from The Long-standing English folk stalwart and Strokes and Franz Ferdinand as well as support renowned guitarist and banjo player, mixing up to Killers and We Are Scientists. They tick all the Friday 9th right post-punk boxes (Fall, XTC), but replace th the sharp-elbowed guitar attack with a piano lead THE HOURS: Monday 5 for a woozy, drunken feel on rocking anthems CHARLOTTE like ‘Suspicious Character’. The Zodiac JAZZ CLUB with THE ALVIN ROY: The In a time of MySpace-fuelled instant HATHERLEY: Bullingdon – Free weekly jazz club, tonight cultdom, it’s good to come across a new featuring Alvin Roy launching his new album. band who have earned their spurs. In The The Zodiac THE YOUNG PLANS + LIDDLING + THE Hours’ case with bells on. The band are Charlotte Hathereley didn’t just add an BLITZ CARTEL: The Port Mahon Antony Genn and Martin Slattery. Both enormous dose of unrefined beauty to Ash, CATO STREET CONSPIRACY + KING played together in Joe Strummer’s FURNACE + THE COURTESY KILL + NOT she also lent the band a sweet pop edge to Mescaleros until the singer’s death. Previous MY DAY: The Wheatsheaf – Rousing their effervescent punk deluge. Although in to that Genn was part of an early Pulp line- politicised metal in the vein of System Of A her time with the band (she joined in 1997 up as well as one of its later incarnations, as Down and Bad Religion from north London’s well as keyboard player in Elastica (in fact it after a brief spell with Nightnurse and left Cato Street Conspiracy, plus loud and hairy was him who legendarily joined the band for good at the start of 2006) Charlotte funk-rock from King Furnace. stark naked on stage at Glastonbury in 1995, wrote barely a handful of songs for Ash SHUSH OPEN MIC NIGHT: The X, Cowley having ingested most of the world’s supplies (notably b-side and cult favourite ‘There’s A ACOUSTIC NIGHT: The Hobgoblin, of drugs beforehand and was subsequently Star’), her solo career suggests her talents Bicester were much underused. From her debut VERTIGO: The Cellar – Indie club night with taken on as a proper band member). Beyond outing, ‘Kim Wilde’, a homage to her live sets from local krautrocking electro stars The that and some production work with childhood idol, through to new album ‘The Evenings, plus Econoline and National School. U.N.K.L.E, he’s played (and lived) with Deep Blue’, she’s more than adept at a OPEN MIC NIGHT: Mango’s Robbie Williams and counselled Pete hook-laden bubblegum pop gem, her sweet, WEDNESDAY 7 th Doherty, having come close to death after years of extreme drug abuse. Now, having dreamy voice at home with early-80s- MANDO DIAO + ALTERKICKS: The Zodiac lost a whole decade of his life, and all of his inspired pure pop or heavier, big-riffed indie – Scuzzy Swedish rockers, exploring classic 60s teeth, he’s back. Slattery, meanwhile, played power rock. She quotes Pixies as her major pop with a fair scraping of indie fuzz. with Black Grape, but remains a more sober influence but there are echoes of The Go- RICHARD JAMES + LITTLE EIFFEL: The influence. Musically The Hours are a Go’s and even Scritti Politti in her Wheatsheaf – Solo gig for Gorky’s Zygotic wonderfully melodic band, the gorgeous, deceptively simple songs. And of course, as Mynci frontman Richard James, launching his more than a few people have pointed out, new album, ‘The Seven Sleepers Den’, a graceful ‘Back When You Were Good’ a she’s an absolute babe. A result on every gorgeously lysergic blend of bucolic pop, Welsh particular highlight, while debut single, ‘Ali count. language folk, devotional country and In The Jungle’, is equally inventive and psychedelia. catchy. The Hours’ debut album was FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS + GUNKATA + financed by artist Damie Hirst and features THE MENUS + SYBARITES: The Port James Godson (who played with Gloria Mahon Gaynor) as well as Motown legend Jack 10CC: The New Theatre – Graham Ashford and suggests the excessive character Gouldman’s on-going 70s soft-rock torch bearers traits that drove Genn to drug abuse are now roll out the hits once again. being channelled in far more positive FOLK SESSION: The X, Cowley directions. HIT&RUN: The Cellar – Hip hop and drum&bass club night. of the band, singer Jeffrey Moriera, guitarist OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House Ryan Primack and drummer Chris Hornbrook, OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar remains as does their melodic, eloquent take on th THURSDAY 8 metal. ‘Opposite Of December’ remains a POISON THE WELL: The Zodiac (upstairs) – landmark of sorts for modern hardcore and Rare chance to catch the Florida hardcore giants, tonight’s gig should be little short of mayhem. over in the UK to promote their fourth album, JAMES YORKSTON + NANCY ‘Versions’, after signing to Ferret Records, having ELIZABETH CUNLIFFE: The Zodiac left Atlantic after ‘You Come Before You’. As (downstairs) – Charming, witty and unassuming ever line-up changes have afflicted the band and folk from the old school Scottish troubadour and they now sport two new members, but the core Fence Collective member, a master of romantic FRIDAY 9th Voltage’ and ‘Gay Bar’) garage rockers outta Noo THE HOURS: The Zodiac – Back from the Yawk in the slipstream of The Strokes and White brink majestic pop from veterans Antony Genn Stripes, but more recently a stale one-trick pony and Martin Slattery – see main preview whose gig at Oxford Town Hall back whenever SLIDE with ANDY WEATHERALL: The was one of the most miserably wretched Zodiac – The legendary producer and remixer spectacles Nightshift has had the misfortune to shows off his new minimalist house DJ sound at witness. But hey, things change (not least the Oxford’s premier monthly house club night. band’s line-up, on a pretty regular basis); they GAMMY LEG PRODUCTIONS with might be brilliant and we’ll hang our heads in WHISKYCATS + GRANT & ROXY + shame. Worth catching Ping Pong Bitches, mind. SIMON DAVIES: The X, Cowley – Lively Spiky synth-punk action. Gotta be good, no? blues, jazz and rock from Manchester’s DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM Whiskycats with support from Grant and Roxy, SESSION: The Music Market an odd mix of stand-up comedian and author and SALSA SUNDAY: The Cellar – Live Latin winsome songstress, plus folk-cum-bossanova dance with Salsaneros. th from Simon Davies. MONDAY 12 Saturday 17th OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon PAUL LAMB & THE KINGSNAKES: The CIVILIAN + ARC ANGEL + GOOD Bullingdon – North-East blues harpist with a IDLEWILD: Brookes MOURNING: The Wheatsheaf – A night of 30-year career on the European blues circuit to metal and emo from the Quickfix crew. his name. Blues, boogie, swing and jump from University Union DICORA: The Bullingdon – Local bands night the man and his dancefloor-friendly band. Music press flavours of the month come followed by Backroom Boogie. PEGGY & PJ: Nettlebed Folk Club – Fairport and go but genuine quality stays the course. ROB LEVER + JESSICA GOYDER TRIO + bassist Dave Pegg and Little Johnny England Twelve years and six albums into their THE HEARTWEAR PROCESS + lifetime, Idlewild just keep on getting better. ROYWORLD: The Jericho Tavern – Acoustic th New album ‘Make Another World’ has its folk-pop from local singer Rob Lever, with Sunday 18 support from Oxford/Barcelona-based singer work cut out to equal 2002’s superb ‘The Jessica Goyder, mixing gentle bossa nova into her Remote Part’, but in songs like its title track BRIGHT EYES: sweet, soulful jazz-pop. Reading’s Heartwear and ‘Once In Your Life’, it does the Process lean towards Nick Cave in their darkly- Brookes University business. From their spiky indie-punk inclined rock, while London power-rockers origins (once described as the sound of “a Royworld open proceedings. Union flight of stairs falling down a flight of BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Live jazz Such is the fanatical following that Bright stairs”) to their more sweeping and melodic dance club night. Eyes have acquired it’s fair to assume this incarnation (exemplified by the glorious REDOX + PETE FRYER BAND + REV gig will have sold out in about 25 seconds. ‘You Held The World In Your Arms’), MOONSHINE + JEREMY HUGHES: The The band, fronted by Omaha singer- Idlewild have managed to bridge the gap Magdalen songwriter Conor Oberst plus regular between cult status and commercial success. SATURDAY 10th collaborators Mike Mogis and Nat Walcott Their departure from Parlophone doesn’t RICHARD SWIFT + RICHARD along with a rotating cast of Nebraska indie seem to have hindered them either, now VANDERVELDE: The Zodiac – Brooding, luminaries, have achieved a phenomenal signed to Sanctuary offshoot Sequel. Songs earnest balladeering from American singer- level of commercial success since their is what count though, and Idlewild have songwriter, treading similar musical ground to breakthrough album, ‘Lifted Or The Story Is those in abundance, their heroic pathos Rufus Wainwright and Ron Sexsmith. In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The obviously inspired by the likes of REM, THE G’s + JEREMY HUGHES + REVEREND Ground’, particularly given the band have Nirvana and Sebadoh but having long since MOONSHINE + THE PROHIBITION remained on indie label Saddle Creek learned to soar in its own right. More than SMOKERS CLUB: The X, Cowley – throughout. Oberst, not surprisingly a just survivors in rock’s fickle waters, Fundraiser for Wittstock Festival. poster boy for disaffected girls (and plenty Idlewild are simply one of the best bands SNAKE EYES + THE WISH + SAND of boys also) across the States, deals in tales these isles have produced in the last decade. CREEK MASSACRE: The Music Market – of loving girls too much as well as well- Delicious Music local bands night with metallers observed critiques of America’s right wing, early-hours confessionals, plying songs from Snake Eyes and more. all delivered in a fragile, country-tinged form recent album ‘Year Of The Leopard’. OX4: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass club night. of pop that owes something to Woody COLLISIONS & CONSEQUENCES + YOU SKULL THRASH + RANDALL FLAGG + Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain. IN MOTION + STRAY DAY: The Port SHE CRIES: The Wheatsheaf – Heavy rock Mahon – Piano-led pop in a Keane and Before the 2004 American presidential night with thrash metallers Skull Thrash and this elections Oberst joined REM and Bruce Coldplay style from Collisions and month’s demo of the monthers Randall Flagg. Consequences, plus emotive pop from Lincoln Springsteen on the Vote For Change tour and BASSMENTALITY: The Cellar teens You In Motion. refuses to play any venue owned by Clear BACK JACK TABAC: The Duke, LES CLOCHARDS + CLARK WISEMAN: Channel. Bright Eyes’ new album, St.Clements – DJs Van Mule and Jason King QI Club – Downbeat 80s indie jangle with an ‘Cassadaga’ is released this month and spin a selection of classic soul, funk, blues, 70s exotic Gallic pop edge from Les Clochards, with features contributions from M.Ward and and rock. support from local singer-songwriter Clark Sleater Kinney’s Janet Weiss among others REDOX + PETE FRYER: Crawley Inn, Wiseman in a Tim Finn vein. and tonight’s gig, one of only two UK Witney HEADS WE DANCE + DOG SHOW + th shows, will be more like a religious HAMMER Vs THE SNAKE: The Cellar – A SUNDAY 11 experience than a rock gig. night of electro-rock at the Big Hair club with ENIGMA PROJECT + WHERE I’M New Wave synthists Hammer Vs The Snake CALLING FROM + WOOKIES + LES plus Leeds’ electro-glamsters Heads We Dance. NATRELS: The Port Mahon – Post-grunge OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY: rocking from Reading’s Enigma Project at The Music Market tonight’s Swiss Concrete club night. Local new CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford wave sweeties WICF support along with Community Centre Newbury’s bombastic popsters Wookies and OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon weirdo alt.rockers Les Natrels. WHEATLEY PARK SOUL BAND: The X, ELECTRIC SIX + PING PONG BITCHES: Cowley The Zodiac – Initially great (‘Danger! High guitarist PJ Wright team up for a night of blues, FECK + DAN AUSTIN: The X, Cowley – folk and rock. Post-hardcore and krautrock from Corvids at TUESDAY 13th Grinning Spider’s club night, plus support from JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY local melodic indie gliders The Ruins and Jeff QUINTET: The Bullingdon Buckley-via-Sonic Youth aceness from Ally Craig. KATE GARRETT BAND + LAIMA BITE: The OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon Port Mahon – Jazz-tinged pop and folk from BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon Kate Garrett, plus sublime gothic soul from FRESH OUT OF THE BOX: The Cellar – Laima in support. House, beats and breaks with Evil Nine. th SHUSH OPEN MIC NIGHT: The X, Cowley SATURDAY 17 DELICIOUS MUSIC BLUES CLUB: The IDLEWILD: Brookes University Union – Music Market – With UK Blues Brothers Sweeping pop majesty from Edinburgh’s tribute act Green Onions, plus Blue Mama and favourite sons – see main preview The VIPs. JOHN BUTCHER with THE OXFORD INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth and IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA: The industrial club night. Jacqueline Du Pre Building – Leading WEDNESDAY 14th saxophonist Butcher, responsible for the Monday 19th OXFORD IMPROVISERS: The Port Mahon landmark ‘13 Friendly Numbers’ album, teams – Saxophonist Pete McPhail is the special guest up with the leading lights of Oxford’s improv JOHN CALE: at tonight’s Oxford Improvisers residency. scene. FOREVER LIKE RED + THE PLAUDITS + STEVEN SEAGAL & THUNDERBOX: The Zodiac ONE DOLLAR PEEPSHOW: The Zodiac – Oxford Town Hall – Ponytailed action hero and Re-arranged from January. As a principle Emotive, floaty soft pop from London’s Jeff aikido black belt Seagal goes back to his Delta player in The Velvet Underground, the arty Buckley-inspired crew, recently signed to Echo. blues roots with his new album, ‘Mojo Priest’, foil to Lou Reed’s rock’n’roller, John Cale’s having earned his guitar-playing spurs HANGMAN’S JOE: The Music Market – legend is secure, but ever since the release of accompanying the likes of Bo Diddley, BB King Classic rock action. those two epoch-making albums, ‘The and Albert Collins. Probably not wise to heckle – FOLK SESSION: The X, Cowley Velvet Underground and Nico’ and ‘White have you seen what he does to baddies? PHONIK SESSIONS: The Cellar – Live Light, White Heat’, Cale has done plenty to ST PATRICK’S NIGHT SPECIAL with jazz, funk, soul and Latin jam session. prove he was the real innovator in that band. OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House HENRY MARTEN’S GHOST: The Bullingdon – A night of lively traditional Irish Over the course of 40 years he’s released 25 OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar solo albums and 20 soundtracks as well as th folk from the local stalwart. THURSDAY 15 THE DRUG SQUAD + SLEEPLESS + BLUE producing some of the most important DIATRIBE + THE BLITZ CARTEL: The MAMA: The Music Market – Ska, punk and albums of recent times (notably Patti Cellar – Cure and Smiths-inspired rocking from pop from The Drug Squad, plus blues from Blue Smith’s ‘Horses’ and The Stooges’ debut). Diatribe at tonight’s Big Hair club, plus feverish Mama. Describing himself as “a classical composer, indie punk thrash from The Blitz Cartel. ABORT, RETRY, FAIL? With dishevelling my personality by dabbling in ELLA CANAVAN: QI Club – Grimly gothic ANAMANAGUCHI + DENY THE rock ‘n’ roll”, Cale has always surpassed the scuzz-pop from recent Nightshift demo of the ACCIDENT + GEORGE PRINGLE: The boundaries that separate those musical monthers making a lo-fi racket with its heart in Cellar – The electro club night goes American worlds, his classical training and early time Nick Cave’s sandwich box. with New York’s Anamanaguchi bringing their spent playing with La Monte Young and OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY: synth power pop alongside California’s DTA’s John Cage lending him an experimental edge The Music Market trippy, dubby, downbeat pop. Local lass George that has stayed with him throughout his JESSICA GOYDER: The X, Cowley – Sweet, Pringle brings the quintessentially English laptop career. ‘Paris 1919’ (released in 1973) bossa nova-tinged acoustic pop from the Anglo- vignettes and musings. remains Cale’s solo masterpiece but all along Spanish songstress. MELTING POT with A SILENT FILM + the line he’s remained a versatile innovator, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford BUTCHER BLUES FOUNDATION + alternately dark and threatening – and Community Centre JONNY RACE + THE DIRT: The Jericho remarkably confrontational for such an OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Tavern – Superbly orchestrated power rock th established figure – and playful and FRIDAY 16 from A Silent Film, heading unstoppably romantic, his skill with viola and piano DEGUELLO + SEXTODECIMO + MONDO onwards and upwards. Raw and heavy blues- easily matched by his wonderfully rich rock from Butcher Blues Foundation. CADA + JECANE: The Music Market – A Welsh singing voice. Tonight’s gig, in ECHOBEAT: Temple Bar night of noise beyond compare as the mighty, support of new album, ‘Circus Live’, is a SLAINTE: Red Lion, Yarnton – Irish folk monstrous Sextodecimo return to tear a new hole rare chance to see not just a legend but one band. in the very fabric of the universe with their of the single most important figures in beyond-metal death sludge. They’re evenly NORTHERN SOUL & MOTOWN NIGHT: musical history. matched with ferocious hardcore urchins Pressed Steel Social Club, Cowley Deguello and uber-grunge maniacs Mondo Cada. INFLATABLES: The X, Cowley – Classic ska, Seriously, seriously nasty fun. soul and reggae covers. WILBER: Holywell Music Room – Oxford ILL EASE + DATA.SELECT.PARTY + THE SUNDAY 18th Folk Festival warm-up show from the Fairport Convention chaps. LATE GREATS: The Wheatsheaf – More BRIGHT EYES: Brookes University – quality leftfield sounds courtesy of Vacuous Pop DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM Lovelorn loveliness from Conor Oberst and his SESSION: The Music Market tonight with New York one-woman band Ill Ease Omaha chums – see main preview mixing up art-punk confrontation with rootsy ELECTRIC JAM: The X, Cowley TOWERS OF LONDON: The Zodiac – th melodies as Elizabeth Sharp kicks out live Risible, third-rate Motley Crue tribute from Piles MONDAY 19 rhythms over guitar loops. Spiky new wave pop of Shite, earning themselves a few months stay JOHN CALE: The Zodiac – Re-arranged gig for in the style of The Cure and XTC from of execution after Donny Tourette’s “hilarious the former-Velvet Underground legend – see main Data.Select.Party, plus scuzzy, spindly post- antics” in the Celebrity Big Brother house. Guest preview punk from Sussex’s Late Greats. appearance by Jo O’Meara unlikely. THE KING EARL BOOGIE BAND: The BASSMENTALITY: The Zodiac – Live dance JOE ALLEN & ANGHARAD JENKINS: The Bullingdon – Blues and jug band originally club night with sets from London’s ska-hip hop Port Mahon – Highly-promising local acoustic formed by ex-Mungo Jerry blokes Paul King and fusion band Imperial Leisure, plus trippy funk duo with singer and guitarist Joe teaming up with Colin Earl, subsequently offering service to all and rock from returning local talents Jaberwok electric violinist Angharad Jenkins in the vein of manner of 60s and 70s rock refugees, including and jazz-funk from Tonic. Damien Rice and Mike Scott. former members of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band CORVIDS + THE RUINS + ALLY CRAIG + CHRIS LESLIE & RIC SANDERS + and Status Quo. TANGLEFOOT: Nettlebed Folk Club – OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House NINE-TON PEANUT SMUGGLERS: The Canadian power folkies. OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar Bullingdon – Traditional 60s-style ska from Sir nd ZENA JAMES QUARTET: The X, Cowley – THURSDAY 22 Bald Diddley’s Smugglers, plus ska DJs. Top quality jazz night featuring National Jazz THIRTEEN SENSES + LUKE TOMS: The NONSENSE + CHRIS MARTIN + MR Youth Orchestra founder Geoff Castle (piano) Zodiac – Rampaging gabba hardcore and SHAODOW + ROBIN HOODZ + DEVILISH plus top UK jazz drummer Mike Bradley and industrial death disco from Thirteen Se….. Oh + RETROFIRE: The Music Market – Paul Jeffries on double bass. okay, not really, but you can live in hope, eh? Delicious Music local hip hop night, including th TUESDAY 20 JUNE TABOR + MARK EMERSON & ANDY ace new rapper Mr Shaodow. JAZZ CLUB with HUGH & STU: The CUTTING: Oxford Playhouse – Former FOXES! + ONIONS FOR EYES: The Port Bullingdon Oxford Uni student, Oxford Folk Festival patron Mahon – Sweet 80s-styled indie jangle from SHUSH OPEN MIC NIGHT: The X, Cowley and a woman with a justifiable claim to be the Foxes! in the grand tradition of Heavenly et al. OPEN MIC NIGHT: Mango’s queen of English folk music, June Tabor here CHICKS WITH DECKS: The Cellar – Indie, WEDNESDAY 21st plays a warm-up gig for the Folk Festival, new wave, electro and punk club night. MULES + BODECCA + TWAT TROT TRA offering sparse and sombre reinterpretations of CHRIS THOMPSON: Temple Bar th LA: The Zodiac – London-Oxford polka punks traditional songs. SUNDAY 25 play their first Zodiac headline show: an THE HALF RABBITS + SUNNYVALE THE YOUNG KNIVES: Brookes University energetic fusion of new wave tension and Eastern NOISE SUB-ELEMENT + FIGMENT: The Union – The Knives headline their biggest local European gypsy dance that at its best sounds Cellar – Dark new wave rocking in the vein of show so far as part of a UK tour before heading like a hoe-down showdown between Jacques The Chameleons and Bauhaus from The Half back into the studio to write and record the Brel and The Pop Group. Rabbits, plus earth-scorching electro post-rock follow-up to ‘Voices of Animals and Men’. FOLK SESSION: The X, Cowley from Sunnyvale. PINDROP PERFORMANCE with LIND HIT&RUN: The Cellar THE GULLIVERS + SAMUEL BEER: QI OPTICAL + SJ ESAU + BIRDRIB: The Port Club – Ska-tinged indie punk from Bicester’s Mahon (5pm) – More leftfield and experimental Gullivers in a similar vein to Larrikin Love and sounds in a sedate setting from the Pindrop Monday 26th The Maccabees. people. This afternoon’s show features local OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY: psychedelic popster and soundscapist Lind UNEARTH / JOB FOR The Music Market Optical, with support from new Anticon CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford signing SJ Esau and rising avant-hip hop talent A COWBOY / Community Centre Birdrib. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon BLACK UMFOLOSI: The Zodiac – Lively rd DESPISED ICON / FRIDAY 23 Township dance and gumboot stomping from DAATH: The Zodiac THE DRESDENS: The Music Market – The South Africa’s multi-arts troupe. two Bens from Winnebago Deal team up with DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM You want metal? You got metal! Times four. Jack out of Gunnbunny for a dose of seriously SESSION: The Music Market In big, fuck-off chunks with armour plating incendiary garage punk rocking, instilled with the BEARD MUSEUM with THE KICKS + and a side order of METAL. Unearth’s US spirit of Action Swingers, AC/DC and VINCE FREEMAN + GG + JASON KING: and European tour in support of new Motorhead at their most ferocious. Hold on tight The Purple Turtle – Banbury’s Kicks headline album, ‘III: In The Line Of Fire’, brings to something solid else you’ll be swept away. tonight’s Beard Museum, brothers Lee and Clark them to the Zodiac as one of a few UK WEDNESDAY THE THIRTEENTH + Wiseman owing a fair bit to the brothers Finn dates, their darkly orchestral metalcore an McQUEEN: The Zodiac (upstairs) – along the way. equal to Killswitch Engage, their mix of Confusingly-monikered frontman with THE INDIGOS + BACK POCKET thrash, hardcore and old-fashioned guitar Muderdolls, Wednesday 13th (named after the PROPHET + THE LOYAL TROOPER + harmonies inspired by Iron Maiden through daughter in The Addams Family and The WHISTLER: The Jericho Tavern – to Pantera. Joining them at this carnival of Munsters’ address) brings his OTT panto goth- Selectasound gig featuring Birmingham new carnage are Arizona’s Job For A Cowboy, a horror rocking back to the Zodiac in support of wavers The Indigos, plus heavy rocking from guttural, lava-gargling hellstorm of speed last year’s ‘Fang Bang’ album. BPP and summery guitar pop bounce from The and death metal, the similarly-minded KATE NASH: The Zodiac (downstairs) – 19- Loyal Trooper. Student newcomers Whistler Despised Icon, out of Montreal, with their year-old London singer coming on like a sweeter- open proceedings. full-on grinding guitars and blastbeats, plus natured, folkier Lily Allen, but treading closer to MONDAY 26th Georgia sextet Daath, recently signed to the likes of Goldfrapp on ace new single UNEARTH + JOB FOR A COWBOY + Roadrunner and harking back to early-90s ‘Caroline’s A Victim’. DISPISED ICON + DAATH: The Zodiac – death metal, with all its accompanying OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon Heavy goings on with a four-band bill of trappings: the evil that lurks within the BABY GRAVY + TELEGRAPH + American and Canadian ultra metal – see main human mind, ancient evil, a bit more evil for ANALOGUE: The Wheatsheaf – Oddball preview good measure. In short it’s a great night to electro-punk pop from Baby Gravy, somehow THE COLIN JOHN BAND with BEN cleanse your soul, and maybe slaughter finding a meeting point between Le Tigre, The WATERS: The Bullingdon – Classic blues- some of your best friends in an orgy of Human League, Lee Perry and Hawkwind. rock from the Ohio-based singer and guitarist, sonic violence. Go on, treat yourself. THE LOW COUNTRIES + PORT ERIN + tonight joined by renowned blues pianist Ben AGENTS OF JANE + COLEY PARK: The Waters, fresh from his local show with Chris Jericho Tavern – Local bands night. Jagger. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon JUXSTAR + AMY BEE: The Port Mahon – SATURDAY 24th Slick MOR rock from the headliners. THE SOUNDS: The Zodiac – Swedish rockers FEAST OF FIDDLES: Nettlebed Folk Club mixing 70s punk with 80s pop, previously tour JAZZ JAM: The X, Cowley support to Foo Fighters and The Strokes, out on TUESDAY 27th this headline tour to promote new album, ‘Dying GOOD SHOES + VINCENT VINCENT & To Say This To You’, produced by Jeff THE VILLAINS: The Zodiac – Jerky, jangly Saltzman, also responsible for The Killers’ ‘Hot new wave indie rocking out of London Town, Fuss’. eschewing Libertines-style crappiness in favour THE ACADEMY IS: The Zodiac – Blah blah… of more Jam and Buzzcocks-inspired noise. Fueled By Ramen… blah blah… anthemic punk- KING KOOL + MR G & RICH + VIOLET pop… blah blah… probably sold out already… VIOLET: The Port Mahon – Swiss Concrete blah blah… somebody fetch the shotgun… blah club night with former Big Audio Dynamite chap blah… Dan Donovan bringing his new band King Kool to town. Electro-indie rocking from Mr G & Rich OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY: plus shouty gossip rock from Violet Violet. The Music Market FEAST OF FIDDLES ACOUSTIC: BLIND PILOTS: The Port Mahon Nettlebed Folk Club CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford DELICIOUS MUSIC BLUES CLUB: The Community Centre Music Market – With Green Onions and Blue OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Mama. FRIDAY 30th SHUSH OPEN MIC NIGHT: The X, Cowley OXFORD FOLK FESTIVAL with UKULELE DELICIOUS MUSIC JAZZ NIGHT: Bar ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN: Oxford Milano, Pizza Express Town Hall – Opening night of the annual folk th WEDNESDAY 28 festival, packed with ukulele-fuelled fun – see MOIETY + OLIVER SHAW: The Port Mahon main preview – Acoustic night. MAGPIE LANE: Holywell Music Room FOLK SESSION: The X, Cowley GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House MESAPLEX + SUNSHINE REPUBLIC + OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar CHARLOTTE ROSE: The Zodiac – Excellent THURSDAY 29th triple bill of new talent at tonight’s GTI. Former THE BEAT with NEVILLE STAPLES: The Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia people Zodiac (upstairs) – Former Two Tone heroes Mesaplex crunch out some alternately glitchy return to town after last year’s Bullingdon gigs, and soaring electro-rock with a nod to Kraftwerk Fri 30th March – Sun 1st April this time teamed up and kicking out the old hits along the way, while Sunshine Republic mix up and classic ska and reggae tunes. drones, feedback and psychotic screaming into OXFORD FOLK THE TWANG + RIPCORD: The Zodiac monolithic passages of noise; Swans, Mogwai (downstairs) – Swaggering, laddish groove-rock and Godspeed all contribute to their wall of FESTIVAL: Various from Birmingham’s The Twang, mixing up Stone sound and set-long tracks with titles like Roses, The Clash and The Streets into an earthy ‘Celebrity Fat Cunt’. Delicate acoustic Venues brew. songstress Charlotte Rose provides some aural Four years in and the Oxford Folk Festival SKYLARKIN with DJ DEREK: The Zodiac respite for more sensitive souls in the audience. goes from strength to strength. This year’s (upstairs) – Skylarkin’s monthly ska, reggae and OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon event finds Oxford Town Hall giving itself soul extravaganza with the Bristolian DJ. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon over to three days of traditional English as ELLA CANAVAN + BIG BAD CITY + THE KAIKO + THE SHAKER HEIGHTS + well as more exotic world sounds, while BODECCA: The Jericho Tavern SEA + FRIDAY ISLAND: The X, Cowley – there are concerts, workshops and ceilidhs Selectasound presents a night of new local bands, SLIDEWINDER: The X, Cowley – Live blues. st across the city as well as street including lo-fi doomsters Ella Canavan. Funk- SATURDAY 31 performances and a grand parade. This rock from Big Bad City, fronted by none other OXFORD FOLK FESTIVAL with SALSA year’s headliners are Scotland’s Salsa than current Miss UK Ellie Glynn; stripped- CELTICA + JOHN SPIERS & JON BODEN Celtica, an eleven-piece fusion band mixing down White Stripes-style rocking from The Sea. + FERNHILL + LUKE DANIELS + JOHN up south American dance with British folk; THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS + JONQUIL + KIRKPATRICK + MORE: Oxford Town Hall Eliza Carthy (pictured) with her band The THEO + GEORGE PRINGLE + HOUSE OF – First full day of the city-wide folk festival – Ratcatchers: one of modern English folk BROTHERS: The Cellar – Emo-tinged power see main preview music’s finest fiddlers and singers backed up rocking from local favourites TTNG, with THE DAUGHTERS OF ELVIN: Holywell by an all-star band that features new folk support from esoteric pop types Jonquil, Music Room – A night of mediaeval music as luminaries Spiers and Boden, who feature in hypnotic guitar noise from Theo, digital musings part of OFF. their own right this weekend; The Ukulele from George Pringle and the return of former- WOODPECKER BAND: Brookes University Orchestra of Great Britain, reinterpreting all Murder Of Rosa Luxembourg people House of Union – Ceilidh with local faves. Brothers. INDIGO MOSS: The Cellar – Nu-folk manner of genres on ukuleles, plus Oxford’s starlets perform as part of the OFF, mixing up own Magpie Lane who perform at The bluegrass, rockabilly and jangle-pop. Holywell Music Room. Other attractions HIGH & MIGHTY: The Zodiac (downstairs) – include a giant ceilidh session with local One-time local metal favourites reunite. stars The Woodpecker Band up at Brookes, VEDA PARK + STORNOWAY + quirky singer-songwriter Luke Smith, AMBERSTATE + MOIETY: The Wheatsheaf mediaeval troupe The Daughters of Elvin, – Launch gig for Veda Park’s ‘What’s It Like squeezebox maestro John Kirkpatrick and Being You?’ album. The band’s soft-centred 70s- Welsh folk heroes Fernhill. In fact, there’s so styled rock comes with support from celtic- much going on you’d have to be tinged rockers Stornoway as well as trippy jazz- omnipresent to catch even half of it. For a popstrels Amberstate. full programme of events, visit INFLATABLE BUDDHA + MATT SAGE & www.oxfordfolkfestival.com. Weekend and THE ORCHESTRA OF LOVE + THE day tickets are available online at CONSCRIPTS: East Oxford Community www.ticketsoxford.com or on 01865 305305. Centre – Benefit gig for Frontiers charity, in particular their work in helping Bulgarian STILLMAN + DANIELLE HELMS: Burton orphanage House Of Butterflies. World folk Taylor Theatre – Multi-instrumentalist Chaz sounds with a theatrical punk edge from Craik mixes up Radiohead, Doves and Nick Inflatable Buddha, plus lush, harmonic folk-pop Drake in his Stillman project, with support from from Matt Sage and crew. local singer-songwriter Danielle Helms. CAMINUS: The Port Mahon SOUL NIGHT: The Bullingdon – With DJ VAN DIEMANS + AKERMYSTS + Tony Nanton MOOCHER: The Music Market – Delicious THE TASTE: The X, Cowley – German indie Music local bands night. rockers on tour.

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

NME AWARDS TOUR Brookes University Union NME are calling it New Rave, but no one tonight seems convinced, not the bands, all who mock the term from the stage, nor even the kids down the front sporting glo-sticks around their necks. They know that what they’re watching is simply an old-fashioned rock show. And anyway, what self-respecting rave starts at 7pm – the time New Young Pony Club hit the stage, well before most people have even got through the doors. And so we miss all but the last echoes of their coolly stylised 80s electro-funk. Spirits are quickly lifted by Leeds’ Sunshine Underground Band. Their initial burst of yelping and buzzing sounds worryingly like Arctic Monkeys with a firecracker up their collective backside, but as the heavyweight funk bass takes hold, underpinning Craig Wellington’s vocal acrobatics, bits of metal get bashed and the intensity slowly but surely builds throughout the set, shrapnel shards of The Music, The Clash and even Teardrop Explodes invade the party vibe and an up-for-it crowd pogos towards a climax that sees Wellington stand astride his monitor like a true rock god. And promptly fall over. Sao Paolo’s CSS are the main reason we’re here: the five-girls, one-boy electro-popsters have rarely left our consciousness since ‘Alala’ wedged its way in a few months back. They arrive on stage wearing burkas before spiritedly hurling themselves into the cheerleader chant of ‘CSS Suxxx’, but it quickly becomes apparent that their sound engineer is either deaf or on a mission to sabotage the party, such is the lack of power coming from the same PA that Sunshine Underground Band had just threatened to melt. A shame because CSS are such a joyously pure pop band, being pilled off his skull in a field off the M25 than listening to Pulp’s especially when they’re belting out love songs to alcohol or getting ‘Sorted For Es and Whizz’. It’s like listening to Kasabian without the smoochy on ‘Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above’. Their bulldozing funk or any of the tunes. It’s not even an entertaining triumph energy is as infectious as their tunes: both possessed of a childlike of style over substance: there is no style and each stomping stadium rock irresistibility. chug that leaps in ungainly fashion from the stage is as average as the last. We came with no preconceptions about Klaxons; a number 2 debut Acid house was a musical revolution; this isn’t even musical evolution. album suggests it’s not all NME hype. But you wonder if the editor who Stop waving your hands in the air and hang your heads in shame. acclaimed this lumpen indie rock show New Rave has ever came closer to Victoria Waterfield

MR SHAODOW JAMIE T / DEM NUDES The Music Market Brookes University Union Tonight’s Delicious Music hip rapping style is full of confidence Despite the claims of the headline colloquial tongue that comes over as hop night exposes Oxford’s music and clarity with a sometimes act that Dem Nudes are “the best much refreshingly honest as it does scene to a still rarely seen side of machine gun-like staccato delivery band in London”, to these ears they idiosyncratic. The band (guitar, local music; it also heralds the and a neat line in self-deprecation. sound like fourth-rate Clash bass, drums, turntables, keyboards) arrival of a young man who could He sometimes looks like he needs copyists, and are rightly paid very keep up with a loose and guitar- become a genuine local star. to relax a bit more but given this is little heed by the large crowd here heavy take on light, fun hip-hop, Mr Shaodow – real name Elliot – one of his first Oxford shows tonight. sounding like anything from Arctic is a London-born Brookes law that’s not surprising and he’s Moving swiftly on to Jamie T, the Monkeys-tinged urban cheekiness student with a fresh, laying his rapping and rhymes mood quickly changes from to thunderously bass-driven disco. individualistic take on rap. His pretty bare with only the most frustrating low-quality punk to What keeps the performance fresh opening number exposes minimal electro back-up, samples invigorating knockabout indie-hip- and engaging is the sheer charisma of everything that’s great about him: kept to a bare minimum. hop. In the months that have passed Jamie T; he interacts with and leads `There’s A Black Man Coming’ is There’s a moment of earnest since T last performed in Oxford the audience with the enthusiasm of both socially astute but equally romance when he comes on like LL (downstairs at the Zodiac), he’s a good mate and the quick wit of an witty and warming: “Look out Cool J, but it’s when he’s making scored a top ten hit with ‘Calm old professional. In a very similar there’s a black man coming / more political observations he’s in Down Dearest’ and garnered way to how Lily Allen represents a People in wheelchairs get up and his element and he leaves the best increasing amounts of attention in collision between hip-hop, dance start running”. Throughout a half- to last, ‘The British Are Coming’, the lead-up to his debut album and indie music that’s happening hour set Shaodow (a wordplay on an almost anthemic dissection of `Panic Prevention’. It’s refreshing to throughout the worlds of MySpace Shadow and Shaolin) draws you what’s wrong with and what can be see, though, that both he and his and real life right now, Jamie T is into his worldview, a world away great about UK rap (ie: stop trying band are as sloppy and excitable as totally of the moment – vital, from rap’s macho bravado. to be American!) with a they were before the spotlight fell kinetic and almost unaware of “Anyone here got a job?” he sing-a-long contribution from the so squarely onto them. T paces the conventional audience/performer cheerfully enquires before an a crowd. It’s a great call to arms and stage delivering lyrics (both his divisions. Hopefully the moment capella rap on working in a call signals the arrival in town of a real own, and random snippets of – for won’t last long enough for his magic centre that’s closer to slam poetry talent. some reason – 4 Non Blondes and to wear off. than mainstream hip hop. His Dale Kattack more in between songs) in a Simon Minter COLINS OF PARADISE / TRUE RUMOUR / THE MUSIC MARKET JOE & ANGHARAD / KATE CHADWICK Upstairs @ The Market Tavern 8 Market St, off Cornmarket St The X Tel: 01865 248388 Email: [email protected] Since opening The Punt in 2005 the it’s the way Angharad’s violin swoops and March intervening 18 months has seen Kate glides like seagulls round a Hibernian cliff DMR + UP’N’COMING ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS Chadwick finish her Brookes degree and a face, effortlessly catching the thermals of Every Saturday 8.30pm, £4. Local live bands night. songwriting course working with the likes his wonderful voice. ‘Gunpoint’ ratchets 3rd BIG BAD CITY + FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS + CONTRACT of Chris Difford. Her breezy lyrics, silver- this up further as a loop-station turns it 10th SNAKE EYES + THE WISH + SAND CREEK MASSACRE wrapping, radio-friendly melodies remain into Ed Alleyne Johnson dancing with 17th DRUG SQUAD + SLEEPLESS + BLUE MAMA th though, while physically she’s grown into Thom Yorke. To paraphrase the master; 24 HIP HOP NIGHT with NONSENSE + CHRIS MARTIN + MR SHAODOW + ROBIN HOODZ + RETROFIRE a willowy and sophisticated woman. Yet this is so fucking special. 31st VAN DIEMANS + AKERMYSTS + MOOCHER tonight she chooses not to unfurl, her old After having my emotional cistern coyness restricting her tight in a chair, drained, I don’t get the best out of True DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC NIGHT which takes some of the normal Lene Rumour. The blissed-out sax, and Mark Every Sunday 8pm, FREE ENTRY Marlin / Mindy Smith jaunt away from Cobb’s rich strong voice end up as the heartfelt songs like ‘Home’ and ‘Here’. A cigarette after the lovemaking. Their best OXFORD UNIVERSITY JAZZ SOCIETY simple bar stool and the boys’ hearts song, ‘Magic Carpet,’ is just that, a Every Thursday 8pm. FREE ENTRY would be broken. bonged-out ride on sailing arabesques. Brookes University is currently doing the The Colins of Paradise too look as if they Friday 16th. DEADBEAT SOUNDS presents city proud, teaming with new talent, and may coat me in easy-listening, but their bi- DEGUELLO / MONDO CADA / JECANE / none more so than the astonishing duo of polar space-pop-cum-nu-jazz both SEXTODECIMO 8pm, £4 Joe Allen and Angharad Jenkins. Tonight’s grooves and unsettles from the start. Ryan set opener, ‘Are You Awake?’, bleeds into Bradshaw’s and Lee Smith’s awesome bass Friday 23rd THE DRESDENS + support 8.30pm, £4 the epic ‘Please Don’t Just Stare At Me’ and drums kick out the jams from Bobbie and immediately I’m having to rein in the and Jon Seagroatt’s sunshine vocals and DMR TUESDAY NIGHT BLUES CLUB 8pm, £3 over-excited adjectives appearing on my ripping sax, and while they can all lay it 13th / 27th with GREEN ONIONS + BLUE MAMA note pad. Maybe its the way Joe batters down like The Egg in session during ‘139’, his acoustic as he sings, as if Mike Scott it’s in the arena of complicated jazz chords and Damien Rice are both wrestling inside and twisting time signatures that they’re Rehearsal Rooms him, his tennis shoes pawing at the boards really pushing the envelope. trying to lift him off the ground. Maybe Paul Carrera Recording db Photography Decibel Studios ELECTROLYTES / BORDERVILLE / Artwork Chalgrove Oxfordshire HOLIDAY IN VIETNAM Video Transfer 01460 221541 07774 228440 The Wheatsheaf Filming/Editing www.decibelstudios.co.uk Hang on, what in tarnation has happened they look and sound like they’re already email: [email protected] to student band competitions? They used headlining the Albert Hall. Their opening PA/Lighting Hire to be the domain of wacky young men in number is alive with heroic bombast and trilbys who listened to too much Weather Vaudevillian flamboyance. Pink Floyd’s Report and had band names like space-rock races for the sky with Bowie’s Deckchairs in the Desert or Tuna Chunks glam stomp, the whole thing strutting like a in Brine. This grand final has far too much showpiece number from Chicago. They quality. Maybe it’s because student play like the last minute of the their last gig. musicians have been mixing with the Then they slow it down and camp it up, locals, which explains why tonight sees now they’re Cole Porter via Sex Gang various ex-members of Sexy Breakfast Children, and if they sometimes sound too going head-to-head for the crown. clever for their own good, it’s only because Holiday In Vietnam feature keyboard they’ve got more ideas in a single song than ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- player Seb Reynolds as well as drummer many bands manage in a lifetime. The SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- TJ Hertz who played in last year’s penultimate number is a carouselling, DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- winners, Photo. Together they’re a semi- drunken blues swagger, Marc & the 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 improvised krautfunk, synth-pop jam Mambas urging The Doors on to ever each. Brand new chart CDs £5 - £10 each band, equal parts Hawkwind, Can, greater whisky-sodden excess. Superb stuff. Residents and the fifteenth minute of a live Which makes you feel for Electrolytes, musical duel between Lou Reed and John not least because their guitar amp has just Cale. Amid the curlicues and psychedelic exploded. They’re solid enough, rattling, swirls of synths and propulsive funk bass jangling and rumbling like The Cure before TJ’s imaginative drumming stands out and finally sparking into action at the death while it all occasionally threatens to and fizzing like The Wedding Present and meander off into some crazed hippyfest you feel that they too, in less illustrious 5K hell, it remains coherent and intriguing company, would perhaps have stolen it. 32 throughout. On any other night, no bugger But the judges are unanimous: it’s would stand a chance. Borderville’s night, which saves us the But even in the face of such stiff trouble of having to bang anyone’s head competition, Borderville are in a class of against the bar. But on tonight’s evidence, their own. Featuring Sexy Breakfast singer every band is a winner. Joe Swarbrick and bassist Phil Oakley, Dale Kattack photo: Richard Hounslow boring But regularkitties:ponceyand really. Lions:rad;tigers:hardcore. Now, I’mnotabigfanofcats, distinctly countrifiedriffage. 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TROT TS too youngtonoticewhereitcame in thehopethattheiraudienceis they pilferamelody, presumably something memorableiswhen of tunes.Theclosesttheycometo don’t haveagreatdealintheway which coversupthefactthey play itloudandproud,allof around withabandonandtheband Emily Hainesthrowsherself the wiserafterevent.Singer And tobehonest,I’mstillnone about. ought toseewhatallthefusswas reputable musicblogsIthought about thebandonvarious ‘Monster Hospital’andreadalot Having enjoyedrecentsingle pretty muchfilledthattoo. and onmovingupstairshave Zodiac’s smallerdownstairsvenue initially scheduledtoplaythe alternative music.Metricwere things hasextendedinto inexplicable popularityofcertain if itwerestillneeded,thatthe Tonight wegetirrevocableproof, The Zodiac METRIC unsympathetic soundengineer and O’Conner. Add tothis a pretty Tanyas) meetsalazySinead Frazey Ford(TheBeGood she’s singingbackwards. Like you dohearmostlysoundsasif set it’s painfullyquietandwhat When shefinallysettlesintoher gone. Ouch,nowit’s feedback. from herguitar. Oh,thebatteryis we’re gettingsomestrangenoises going herwaytonight.Firstoff, PoorCharlotteJames.It’s not equally strongsongs. reminiscent ofNekoCase,and real forceofnaturewithatwang Chantelle Pike, Alice’s voiceisa moments. LikeOxford’s own bejewelled withbreathtaking glides throughasetofsongs her acousticguitarsheconfidently some musicalbreakthrough.With Doyne, atonly18,issurelysetfor get starbilling.Londoner, Alice as farI’mconcernedsheshould wasn’t evenlisted.Strange,because packed line-up.Infactthefirstact have timetospeculatenowasit’s a or brilliant?Notsureanddon’t raspberry beeronoffer. Disgusting, Tavern inages,andthere’s now I haven’tbeentotheJericho Jericho Tavern DOYNE CHARLOTTE JAMES/ AGENTS OF JANE/JOE Russell Barker at all. should beeverywhereinnotime ones thatmakeitbig,Metric uninspiring alternativeactsarethe But, inadayandagewhen themselves nothingtoplaywith. competent, butthey’vegiven a greatshow, thebandispretty Emily isagoodsingerandputson The shameaboutitallisthat rant aboutnastycorporatestuff. up asongtolaunchintowibbling stage divesandatonepointholds music. Soshedonslittleshorts, the attentionawayfrom does everythingshecantodeflect OfcourseEmilyisn’tdaftand Take’ oncurrentsingle‘Empty’. ransacking ‘EveryBreath You desperate theyevenresortto term shortcomings.Theygetso throw thespotlightontheirlong- this briefmomentofglorydidn’t Law’, whichwouldn’tbesobadif brazenly from‘IFoughtThe from. ‘MonsterHospital’lifts Katy Jerome hear more. You?’ certainly makemewantto ‘Petticoat’ and‘DoTheyKnow songs whicharedrivingthings. early The Bees,it’s thesweet James Yorkstoneor The Athletes & timing istricky, butmuchlike and celloareoftenoutoftune could hearmoreofhim.Theviolin of thefun,andattimesIwish Soft-sung JPDaviesisattheheart folky songsbeinglovelybutloose. It’s anorganised shambles,the are crammedontothesmallstage. All sixofheadliners Agents ofJane meandering songs. match theviolin)andhadfewer he couldtunehisguitar(atleastto uncanny. Perhapsitwouldhelp if not close toDamienRice.Iknowit’s issue isthathejustsoundstoo spontaneously combust.Mymain that youdofearheisgoingto emotion becomessooverwhelming certainly hascharisma.The Jenkins onelectricviolin.Joe and isaccompaniedby Angharad Joesingsandplaysacousticguitar Joe Allen. maybe weshouldjustmoveonto his fault.Butit’s justtoo ALICE ALLEN / JUST JACK The Zodiac You don’t hear screams in the Zodiac very the unreleased ‘Goth in a Disco’, with its often, but there are a few tonight as Jack Goldfrapp tinge, has us laughing out loud Allsop walks onstage to join his five and we soon forget that much of the bandmates. Opening with ‘Life Stories’, music is unexceptional ska and they’re he comes across as confident but not still a way from real stardom. cocky, lapping up the adulation but careful Just as the set draws to a close and it to show a bit of gratitude. Most of his looks like we’re won over, he slips up. new, second album is aired, plus a few Announcing “I hope you’re not as sick of from the little-heard debut, ‘The Outer this song as I am”, he launches into a Marker’. Comparisons with The Streets cursory, sped-up version of ‘Starz in are valid only to an extent; Jack steers their Eyes’, like he can’t wait to get it away from the darker side of urban life, over. It’s a classic pop mistake; expecting preferring positive, even jolly subject everyone else to share his annoyance at matter, though the clever wordplay and the current media focus on one song. semi-obscure cultural references are Never mind the fact that it’s probably the familiar. If hip-hop is the black CNN (© single of the year (so far) and will provide Chuck D) then maybe he represents the him with royalty payments for decades white BBC Three. to come. Stripped of the album’s lush production, Maybe he should ask Bob Dylan how horns, strings and treated beats many sick he is of ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. Or songs lose appeal, the slower keyboard- listen to his own lyrics. heavy ones working best. His voice suits It’s hard not to share Just Jack’s pleasure rapping perfectly, like Mike Skinner’s it’s in his success but, as the saying goes: Be just very listenable, though his odd nice to people you meet on the way up, attempt at proper singing shows he made ‘cos you might meet them again on the the right call there. The fun they’re all way down. clearly having soon becomes infectious: Art Lagun THE GOLDEN WOK AEROGRAMME Finest Chinese Cuisine Take-Away 170 Cowley Road The Zodiac (Opposite Tesco) According to the shaky wisdom of pop boxes and bleepy Electroplankton fished psychology, a man with a beard is a man from the Nintendo DS. Shimmering and 01865 248158 with something to hide. If this be true, sinister, these divergences are so then Glasgow’s Aerogramme are a compelling as to make the return to Home Delivery Available bottomless well of inscrutability, with all familiar post-rock territory almost an of them bedecked in the kind of face- anticlimax. Iain Cook’s programming adds forestry that would strike envy into the a glitchy electro edge to the main tracks, Open 7 days a week heart of any Norse god. They deliver but these nonetheless lack the creepy soaring, symphonic music in a post-rock inventiveness of the material which, by its vein that is laced with the brooding positioning, should act as filler. The moroseness you’d expect from Chemikal gigantic drum around which the band are ONLINEFLYERS.CO.UK Underground affiliates. Expertly layering ranged adds a tribal urgency to the odd light and shade, epic guitars paint song here and there but, considering that it Flyers, Leaflets & Posters thunderstorms across the sky on tracks is of a size that King Arthur could have such as ‘Black Path’ before dropping away comfortably seated all his knights around, High quality litho printing into summer-evening wistfulness. As it seems a shame not to have made more delivered in the mainland UK sweetly melodic and they are aggressive, use of it.. the musical chops and changes are overlaid Performing before an audience so within 4 working days. by Craig B’s vocals, which swoops in unresponsive as to be certifiably similar emotional arcs to that of Phil comatose, it seems a touch undignified Find us at: www.onlineflyers.co.uk McMinn from Fell City Girl. when the band, having exited to scanty Lovely as this is, Aerogramme hint at applause, then hastily scamper back on Or call us: 01844 218 531 richer depths yet to be mined. The stage for an obviously prescheduled intertracks which cement the songs encore. Nonetheless, they have saved up VENUE PHONE NUMBERS together crawl through synth-scapes some of their best material for the end, populated by demon-possessed music- with ‘Conscious Life for Coma Boy’ The Zodiac: 01865 420042 swirling up on the crest of a synthetic The Bullingdon: 01865 244516 choir before being swept under by the The Wheatsheaf: 01865 721156 The X: 01865 776431 maelstrom chorus. The set climaxes in a The Cellar: 01865 244761 ferocious scrimmage in which Craig’s The New Theatre: 0870 606 3500 delicate vocals give way to the snarlings of The Port Mahon: 01865 202067 a troglodyte fed on a diet of nails and Delicious Music: 07876 184623 hacksaws. Tossed about by the cathartic Point Promotions: 07711 628021 pummelling of sheer guitar racket, you Jericho Tavern: 01865 311775 kind of wish they’d give their Hyde side a Brookes: 01865 484750 freer rein elsewhere. The Music Market: 01865 248388 Emily Gray QI Club: 01865 261500 DAN SARTAIN / THE DRESDENS The Zodiac Any readers who were lucky time he arrives at the Zodiac it’s enough to witness New York taken longer to make it from the garage-rockers The Action east Midlands than it did from his Swingers at one of their sublime native Alabama to the UK. A true early-90s Jericho Tavern gigs will professional, he and his beardy photo: Richard Hounslow know just what high praise we backing band – just two of them – intend when we compare The simply stride on stage, tune up Dresdens to that raw cacophony. and play. Made up of Ben and Ben out of Dan casts an unlikely figure – Winnebago Deal and Jack from scrawny, sinewy and slightly Gunnbuny they are a grunge- goofy, like a young Jim Carrey - garage-speed-metal-armageddon but he’s a classic rock’n’roll three-way marriage made, not in troubadour, his heart and soul Eynsham, but Hell itself. Jack sunk in the sounds of the southern talks like a gen-you-ine southern states and Mexico, his modern bluesman and sings like a take on rockabilly a far meatier rampaging mastodon while riffs prospect than recent single ‘Flight the size of small mountains tumble of the Finch’ suggested, its from the speaker stacks. At mariachi feel blitzed with a heavier extreme volume. If this doesn’t swamp-blues punch. Not that this thrill you to your very marrow is some kind of retro revival: then you are spiritually, if not Dan’s listened good and hard to clinically dead. One song is called Sonic Youth too and you feel he ‘Be A Believer’; we believe. This could be the bastard son of Tav is rock and fucking roll. You got Falco; he’s that good. A night to that? remember just how raw and Dan Sartain almost doesn’t make powerful a force rock’n’roll music it tonight. His van broke down can be. just outside Cambridge and by the Dale Kattack

THE DEBRETTS/ HAMMER VS THE MANATEES / INFANTS / YOU SNAKE/ GEORGE PRINGLE JUDAS! / THEO The X The Wheatsheaf Diaristic tales of mild debauchery one thing, “disconnected” is Ain’t it just great when things get stretching from a bad dream, over trendily lo-fi laptop with the another, and it’s only the singer’s better and better? Take tonight’s before contorting and lurching odd moment of little girl horrific Giles Brandreth jumper openers, Theo. We come in through their set like a spasticated simplicity thrown in: hey, it’s Lily that holds our attention. Given partway through their set and drunkard at an experimental jazz Allen Ginsberg! Rather, it’s time, however, HVTS come immediately have them down as convention, Butthole Surfers George Pringle with her spoken through with cheap Devo-style more earnest young men whose bulldozing Deerhoof on the tales of smoking, frustration and gyrations and sly Beastie Boys songs all sound like the middle- margins of rock and roll sanity favourite records. We can imagine smirks to unexpectedly win us eight of an old At the Drive-In before Atari Teenage Riot decimate George sitting on a rumpled bed over. number. But they’re masters of the theme tune to Stingray. Crazy with a typewriter and hundreds of There’s a big difference between a hypnosis; their set builds from but brilliant. ashtrays, dreaming that a vocalist and a frontperson, and disjointed beginnings, through But all these are mere foothills photographer from The Observer Vonnie DeBrett is a textbook myriad guitar loops and effects before Manatees’ imperious black Magazine is snapping from the exemplum. She stalks, screeches, until it’s a buzzing tangle of mountains of sound. Rumbling out rafters, like any number of leaps, and – when the music sounds that could easily be the of Carlisle they are the perfect sophomoric hipsters, but she does demands it – even sings rather swarming of millions of wasps in meeting point between Black have a certain something to offer: winsomely, holding the audience some dark corner of hell. Sabbath and The God Machine: not least killer lines like “I’m going captive. When Vonnie’s on the The top end of our hearing unrelenting, all-consuming and to kick that indie witch in the prowl you forget the rest of the suitably sand-papered, You Judas! with all the gravity of a tits”. band; then again, you probably excavate our rib-cage with giant supermassive black hole that drags Ultimately George is a much wouldn’t notice them anyway as Sabbath-shaped riffs that tumble you ever inwards even though the better writer than performer or The Debretts play astoundingly into ponderous pools of dark, hour is late and the last bus is programmer, and it would be mediocre new wave, pleasant but proggy restlessness and an about to depart. With a bass set so interesting to hear her read utterly anonymous. ‘You Can’t undulating sludge of black noise low it could disembowel buffalo, without accompaniment…and, err, Fix It’ is definitely the best tune, topped off with the frontman’s Manatees could be the soundtrack a little more slowly). and that’s a cheap peroxide phlegm-gargling yelping. And if to some extreme demolition DVD, Our recent brush with Hammer Blondie with little to offer. We’d you in any way think that’s a bad a howling, bludgeoning cacophony Vs The Snake’s recorded work love to love The Debretts, but thing, you’re a big softy. with a soul full of brooding was disappointing, but clearly they’ll have to write something Like Theo themselves, tonight’s malevolence, a heart set on horrific their New York stutter funk needs first. Why not call George Pringle? Vacuous Pop night continues to glory and its fingers gripped ever to be experienced live. True, the She’s got loads of lyrics, and hit new heights with each band. more tightly around the trigger. It’s first couple of numbers share a doesn’t seem to know what to do Infants start with a scream and a quite simply awesome stuff. Gig of failing with the EP, in that they with them. squall of unfocussed dissonance, the year, for now. couldn’t get going; “fragmented” is David Murphy like a factory waking and Dale Kattack

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD The Zodiac When this bunch of Texans hit the country for the first time nearly ten years ago their impact was considerable. Carnage was around photo: Sam Shepherd every corner, drum kits were ritually dispatched and band members would often emerge from proceedings bleeding and grinning like evil dervishes. Fast forward to the present day and the band have grown up, parted ways both literally and geographically and if rumour is to be believed, they are close to bringing the whole thing to a shuddering stop. The recent release of their latest album, ‘So Divided’, saw the band ditching the discordant Sonic Youth-style assault that made their name, and continue in the far more melodic vein that was established on its critically dismissed predecessor ‘Worlds Apart’. So it’s something of a surprise that tonight’s set leans heavily on the glories of their past. Many of tonight’s songs are culled from the far reaches of Trail of Dead’s career. Even more surprising is the way in which they play tonight. From the offset the band seem almost amateur in their approach; songs are slashed apart in a sloppy fashion, whilst Conrad Keeley’s vocals miss the mark with an alarming regularity. Even worse is the apparent lack of danger that normally emanates from the stage in waves of sonic violence. ‘Perfect Teenhood’ and set closer ‘Totally Natural’ are as close as we get to the full aural assault of Trail of Dead at their best, but even they lack the edge that we’ve come to expect from such an explosive live band. It’s only when they encore with ‘Mistakes and Regrets’ that they seem to hit their stride but by then it’s too late to rescue a set that’s gone awry with meandering tunes and clumsy instrument changes that break up the band’s usually natural momentum. On tonight’s evidence, it would appear that The Trail of Dead may be approaching the end, which is a tragic shame. Sam Shepherd

ROLO TOMASSI / THE NOISETTES / THE VICTORIAN NAILBOMB CULTS ENGLISH GENTLEMENS CLUB The Port Mahon The Zodiac Nailbomb Cults are an absolute from technical grindcore scary men Cardiff lo-fi trio The Victorian their debut album, `What’s the Time nuisance. Imagine an eternally The Locust and pump their own English Gentlemens Club Mr Wolf’, and fresh from insolent yet devilishly clever child, songs full of fun and, dare I say, (deliberately lacking an apostrophe) supporting Muse, The Noisettes are bounding about the place, spouting youthful exuberance. If you revel – and excel – in bursting with tunes and styles, as if 220bpm d’n’b rhythms. This looked away you’d assume the unconventionality. Emma, Louise they’re trying to cover all bases (laptop) boy churns out endless screamer to be some pierced 24 and Adam’s art punk is a quirky, with the first album before polishing recycled gabba beats, running up year old man with a baseball cap. shouty affair, with disjointed one direction. Shingai’s versatility the walls, but before long you just In actual fact it is a very pretty melodies and rhythms crashing into covers everything from soul to hard wish he’d get brutally run over by (very small) girl named Eve. By angular and edgy guitars. Their scant rock via operatic screeching, while a Land Rover. He samples Zeus, they tear the place up. The respect for songwriting conventions the other two look like refugees Lulu’s‘Shout’ and steals DJ Yoda bass amp is LITERALLY rocking, is often confused and confusing – from Camel and are quite happy to samples. Ha-bloody-ha. It was each noise-maker convulsing, a like in the wonderfully-titled ‘My noodle away on their own, weaving funny the first time round. You merry shambles of movement to Son Spells Backwards’ – but works in and out of Shingai’s bass and were likely to have had a better the tightest sporadic metal noise. far better in the impossibly catchy voice. They’re adept enough to time listening to the Headington They hurtle through breakneck ‘Amateur Man’ and ‘Ban the Gin’. sometimes do away with the bass roundabout roadworks a few speed jazz chords, leg shaking Veering from Devo to The Young guitar without losing volume or months back than this copy-cat blasts and tasteful ambience, all in Knives and back again, it might not depth. drill’n’bass nonsense. about twenty seconds. I pray – deliberately – hold together all of The blues-rock fusion is often a bit Rolo Tomassi, however, put their these guys never start 6th form, the time, but it’s always interesting. jumbled but it’s all very frenetic and short attention spans to much forget about university and just While TVEGC suit the intimacy of fun; ‘Don’t Give Up’ is an exalting better use. A major topic with the play to me in my wee attic-bound downstairs at the Zodiac quite well, rally cry, while ‘Sister Rosetta Sheffield five-piece seems to be rocking chair, for the rest of my it’s far too small for The Noisettes. (Capture the Spirit)’ is a multi- that they’re so very young. But parole-restricted days. This is the Singer and bassist Shingai – for hook-laden anthem. However, the I’m not the oldest writer in the most fun I’ve had at a gig in a long whom ‘charismatic’ seems far too real star isn’t the music but Shingai; world so I’ll try not to gush at such time. Correction. The most fun weak a description – is literally forget Beth Ditto, this is the current precociousness. Rolo Tomassi take I’ve had at a gig ever. climbing up the walls, such is her coolest woman in rock. a sizeable chunk of influence pie Pascal Ansell energy. Headline touring to promote Kirsten Etheridge

DEMOSDEMOSDEMOS Please read the conditions below before submitting a demo!

stoned haze. Surprising really given Lee’s DEMO OF clean-living ways. THE MONTH THE MONTH BEAVER FUEL “As listening to my last demo was clearly RANDALL FLAGG such a pleasure I thought I’d waste no time Dear oh Lord, what a truly wretched inflicting my latest upon you.” Thus writes month this is for demos. The last couple of Leigh Beaver Fuel, a man who at least issues have seen a marked upturn in quality possesses a sense of humour (and an to the point where we were worried we’d industrial vacuum packing machine given have to abandon the Demo Dumper how tightly his CD was jammed into its altogether, but it seems the New Year is a paper sleeve). Something that must help no bad time for recording music, most of this end when you’re writing songs called `I month’s demos sounding like they were Want To Live In Your Buttcrack’, with laid down in the middle of a post- jaunty lyrics like, “I’ll always be there to Christmas hangover by estranged in-laws. pull down your pants when you need to As such it is down to Randall Flagg to pee”. All of which might start to endear us guide us through the darkness. Although to him, especially since this demo has the they’d doubtless decline that honour, ramshackle spirit of late-80s indie bands having named themselves after the villain of like The Sea Urchins and The Pastels Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’, an incarnation running through it like bright pink felt pen, of evil that fits well with their brand of if the whole thing didn’t seem designed virulent hardcore. They claim to be specifically to annoy the hell out of us. influenced by Dillinger Escape Plan, Duran Sprightly and incompetent retro pop we Duran and Jeff Buckley but we reckon can live with (in fact we live with quite a they’re fibbing about the last two as they few shelves of the stuff) but Leigh’s growl, shriek, and thrash their way through overly-adenoidal yelping, while trying to a brace of tracks possessed of a bi-polar sound sensitive and lovelorn, coupled with disorder and a surfeit of caffeine and blue the way he manages to make even a smarties in their bloodstream. You can fuzzed-up guitar sound like a kiddie’s toy almost picture the band leaping on and off has us desperately scrabbling for the twee a battered sofa with childlike glee and no switch. Perhaps there’s something to be little rage as they recorded this, bug-eyed said for grown-up music after all. to a man and with no thought of the poor sods living next door. Admirable behaviour. THE ROLLERCOASTER LEE CHRISTIAN PROJECT One of the only other demos to come out Despite the title of this demo, ‘Drone #1’, with any credit this month comes courtesy it’s less of a dirge than any of the other, of Smilex singer Lee, a man who holds the nominally more exotic, offerings in this world record for stream of consciousness month’s pile. The work of electronics chap talking. Here he goes solo, armed with Johnny White, the Rollercoaster Project some home recording equipment, a sampler has a strangely triumphant tone about it, and a small amount of digital technology. the opening track in particular sounding Despite this, much of the demo has more in like a glitched-up version of the Bridal common with an acoustic singer- March. Elsewhere it’s either stuttering like songwriter than, say Depeche Mode. At a digitally upgraded take on an old Steve least until he starts sounding like Depeche Reich piece or minimalist and soporific, Mode halfway through. More often like Boards of Canada. The tendency for it though he’s got Marilyn Manson on his to fizz innocuously away towards the end mind and, for a few brief seconds at least, detracts from its strengths, although it feels The Spice Girls. Likes his disco does Lee, like it would work better accompanied by and his claustrophobic atmospherics some decent visuals. Some bizarre Czech (although that might be as much down to animation perhaps. Or footage of certain poor quality recording as any evilness in other demo acts this month being ritually his soul). At his best here his growling gutted with a cleaver. vocals seethe over wired guitars and crackling noises as he sings about star fuckers and the like, like Marc Bolan TREV WILLIAMS washed up in a gutter, although there’s a Ah, dear Trevor: Farringdon’s lovelorn tendency for songs to wander around in a balladeer and demo page glutton for punishment returns with three more… that makes us feel guilty and disgusted with ahem… lovelorn ballads, at least this time ourselves since they seem not to have a bad round providing us with some strangely bone in their bodies, shuffling along humbly incongruous listening pleasures: like the and in a vaguely folky fashion. Even when raunchy piano bounce that backs up his they introduce a fuzz pedal into the second wailing cries of anguish on ‘Honey Trap’, or song you feel even a glimpse of their own the boogie-woogie and human beatboxing on shadow would have them scampering back ‘Anytime’ that suggest Trev’s at least to their bedroom, to sit trembling and prepared to give stuff a go, even if it does clutching their Belle & Sebastian albums. sometimes make him sound a bit silly. “The Oh come on, please! Isn’t it bad enough we whole world is against you,” he croons on have to cope with global warming and the more sedate ‘Am I The Last To See’. Jeremy Clarkson’s existence without you Maybe he could restyle that as a love song lot moping round here looking all glum? to Jade Goody? THE FOCAL POINT PEDRO DE This starts off okay: a forced falsetto and THE COURTYARD STUDIO VASCONCELOS some furtively atmospheric guitar plucking PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ recalling Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit’. But 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE This album-length demo is entitled ‘The then it erupts into a clatter of hollow metal MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB Blackbird Leys Bossanova Sessions’. When objects, an abused distortion pedal and a CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION we hear the word Bossanova we bloke shouting like a hoarse Sunday league OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI immediately think of sexy Latino people football coach trying to rid himself of FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI cavorting around exotic bars and dancehalls, chronic constipation through primal scream S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) but even though this is some way removed therapy. And thereafter The Focal Point rant from the usual menu of indie, metal and and slaver with some gusto but precious Residential facilities included. acoustic pop that makes up the majority of little (okay, absolutely no) skill through to www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com the demo pile, it’s still a singularly unexotic the end, the singer croaking himself towards PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS trip, more lazy veranda musak with little to a hernia over seemingly random guitar ON 01235 845800 entice the passer by. Pedro plucks idly at wanderings. ‘Skyburst’ actually has the his guitar and prefers to mumble than sing rudiments of a decent song but in these and it would maybe be passable if it didn’t hands it’s like asking a class of toddlers to go on and on and bleedin’ on for something transform a dustbin full of body parts and approaching a month, all at the same tinfoil into a fully-functioning attack cyborg. shuffling pace. In the end it’s all a bit of a trawl: less like an excursion in the Brazilian sunshine, more like too long trapped in Starbucks for the weekend. THE DEMO DUMPER DIFFERENT REASONS JUXSTAR Moribund acoustic blues-rock that makes Never mind musical incompetence, tone- Pedro sound like an all-night Rio pool party deaf singers or self-pitying bedroom hosted by Lemmy out of Motorhead. With troubadours, what we love most in life is to their country and gospel roots, which rise to point at musos and laugh and throw stuff the surface sporadically, you’d expect and then follow them home and point and Different Reasons to be free-wheeling souls, laugh some more. Such is the soulless, but they sound more like a constipated spiritual black hole that constitutes barbers-shop quartet. The harder and deeper Juxstar’s demo. This is wedding reception you listen, hoping, searching for traces of rock: polished, glossed-over power chords life in this sprawling wreck of a demo, the and stage school blues singing, warbling and murkier it becomes. They grunt and whinny floundering under the weight of its own self their way through five tracks, cheery importance. The sort of stuff beer-bellied handclaps and harmonies unable to disguise old men who last bought an album back in the wretched misery that seeps from its 1974 would listen to before proudly every pore. proclaiming that it’s far better than the rubbish that Young People play these days. It’s Bonnie Tyler-lite and as windswept as LIDDINGTON a peroxide perm, the ubiquitous saccharine- Liddington write, they tell us, “striking and fuelled soft-rock ballad apparently having timeless songs”, for which, read “good escaped from some made-for-TV romantic natured but dreary”. Like the musical drama where someone dies tragically but equivalent of the neighbour who’ll come and with great dignity from inoperable fix your car for you before boring you to the indigestion at the end. “You taste like point of suicide talking about the reliability chocolate pie” warbles the singer. Shit and value of a Honda Jazz. And even saying sandwich, more like.

Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1ZU. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact address and phone number (no email or mobile- only). No more than four tracks on a demo. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo. Nightshift accepts no responsibility for deflated egos.