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email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 163 February Oxford’s Music Magazine 2009

BabyBaby

GravyGravyOxford’sOxford’s electro-punkelectro-punk starletsstarlets proveprove thatthat lessless isis moremore -- interviewinterview insideinside Ahren Roland photo:

NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255

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

CONFUSION SURROUNDS the THE FAMOUS MONDAY fate of The Regal, with will celebrate its silver unconfirmed reports that the venue anniversary this year with a has gone into liquidation last special weekend of live blues. The month. The venue, which celebrations will take place on the underwent a massive 19th, 20th and 21st September. redevelopment last year and looked Promoter Philip Guy Davis set to become one of Oxford’s started the blues club up in 1984 premier live music venues, was at the Red Lion (later the closed over the and New Brewhouse) on Gloucester Green, Year period but has subsequently before moving to Jongleurs and failed to reopen. No-one at the then the Bullingdon, attracting venue has been available to confirm some of the biggest names on the or deny the rumours circulating on British, European and American the local music scene. A spokesman touring circuit. Visit for Ka:pow! Events, who are www.famousmondayblues.co.uk planning a series of live music and for all blues news and listings. club promotions at the Regal this year told Nightshift that as far as SEVERAL VENUES IN they were concerned the venue was OXFORD are still looking for still operating. Hopefully more promoters to host nights or bands news next month. to play. Borders bookstore are , meanwhile, as has been keen to hear from any acts on the widely reported, went into mellower side of things, from comes to the New Theatre in Oxford on Thursday 9th administration before Christmas classical and folk to , brass April as part of his `Songs Of David Byrne And ’ tour. The following the collapse of its bands or solo artists. Email tour features songs culled from all of Byrne’s collaborations with Eno, suppliers. Many branches of Zavvi [email protected]. Thirst including Talking Heads material, the pair’s 1981 , `My Life In across the UK have now closed Lodge in St Ebbes is looking for The Bush Of Ghosts’, as well as their most recent `Everything That down but for now the Oxford store bands and promoters of all kinds Happens Will Happen Today’ release. remains open, though stock is for its basement venue. Anyone Tickets for the show are on sale now, priced £35, from the 24-hour limited. Zavvi’s collapse follows interested should called Rob on credit card booking line on 0844 847 1585, or online from that of in 2007, leaving only 01865 242 044 or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk HMV and Borders as major [email protected]. stockists of music in Oxford. Any electronic acts looking for a AS EVER, DON’T FORGET to show is available to listen to all gig should contact The Response tune into BBC Oxford Introducing week at .co.uk/oxford. BANDS WISHING TO PLAY AT Collective via their website at every Saturday evening between 6- THIS YEAR’S OXFORD PUNT www.responsecollective.co.uk. 7pm on 95.2fm. The dedicated th A REMINDER TOO that the on Wednesday 13 May have until The band are hosting a series of local music show plays the best th deadline for all Nightshift listings Monday 16 March to send in monthly club nights showcasing new Oxford releases as well as th th and adverts is the 20 of each demos. The Punt, now in its 13 all types of and featuring interviews with local and month. Absolutely no exceptions. year, is Oxford’s premier showcase DJs. The next show is at the touring bands, a demo review and a No, not even for you. st of local unsigned music. Previous Jericho Tavern on Saturday 21 local gig and clubbing guide. The stars of the event include Young February. Knives, Little Fish and Elizabeth – Yannis and Jack from Foals’ first OXFORD BAND PRACTICE band. The Punt will feature 17 acts is a new project aimed at getting across six city centre venues in one local musicians together. The night, starting off at Borders scheme is aimed at musicians bookstore and continuing at the who maybe feel they’re not Purple Turtle, the Cellar, the ready for a full band yet, or Wheatsheaf and Thirst Lodge. don’t have the time to commit to Bands or solo artists interested a band full-time, or simply want should email Myspace links to to meet other musicians to form Nightshift, clearly marked Punt, to a band. It takes the form of a [email protected] or monthly live performance send a CD – again clearly marked workshop where musicians learn Punt – to Nightshift, PO Box 312, a new song together and then Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Acts must practice at home to record the be unsigned and from Oxfordshire. song in a studio. The scheme is Please include a contact number run on a non-profit basis, and brief biog. Unfortunately we attendance is free. Visit the site cannot accept submissions from at oxfordbandpractice.org.uk any under-age bands. to learn more. A quiet word with Baby Gravy instruments competently And he has a car! We were able to make the dual bass more of a feature, which helps us stand out a bit more.” Baby Gravy’s sound and performance is now certainly much more disciplined and cohesive than before. ZAHRA: “When it comes to songwriting we write a lot more than we used to, things come out a lot more easily, cuz we all listen to each other’s opinions. Playing live comes before practice. I know this isn’t how the average band would work but we learn a lot more from playing gigs than practicing two or three times a week. That’s why our stage presence stands out. Getting in the studio is what we try to practice for more than gigs. Live and recordings are two completely different things to us.” Pleasingly, despite Baby Gravy’s new

Ahren Roland cohesiveness, there still remains that primitivism about their sound. Is there a desire to keep the sound photo: stripped down and raw? IONA: “Yeah, we’d like to layer up SOMETIME BACK IN 2006 WE hip hop and the playfulness of early Me’, indulging the band’s chief love the recordings to give some variation stumbled across Baby Gravy playing a synth-pop. of hip hop. on our live sound. Over-producing shambolic soundcheck at the old Musos will still balk at Baby Gravy’s things can be quite fun. I thought Zodiac. But, ramshackle though they BABY GRAVY THESE DAYS primitive approach to music making, we’d mainly grown out of our punky were, we were struck by their sheer consists of singer Iona Roisin, but for simple pop pleasures, they’re roots, though. Punk as part of our wayward invention and, at a time drummer Zahra Tehrani, her brother hard to beat. sound is a total accident; it’s the when every other teenage band was David on bass and newcomer Dale sound that works best with getting trying too hard to fit the emo White on keyboards and bass. Gone NIGHTSHIFT TALKED TO IONA, across what we want to say.” blueprint, their bizarre mash-up of are guitarist Adam Whitley, Zahra, David and Dale, and asked Zahra: “One of our biggest influences punk, dub, synth-pop and proggy saxophonist Cecilia White and them first how we reached Baby is hip hop and the majority of hip weirdness was both refreshing and keyboard player Freddy Mason. Gravy Mk.II. How did the split in the hop we listen to doesn’t involve a beguiling. When Nightshift last caught the band original line-up come about? ; it’s very sparse. But as most At the time Baby Gravy were a six- live, we were struck by the way Baby IONA: “We weren’t rock’n’roll hip hop is designed not to play live, strong bundle of contradictions, but Gravy have managed to retain that enough. We wanted to sleep and eat and there are different genres and we stuck them on the front cover of old freshness and sparky attitude, and we don’t understand minimal influences integrated into what we Nightshift as an of what while no longer sounding like two techno.” play, not to mention all the young bands could do with the right bands playing different songs ZAHRA: “We were all completely aggression, it comes across as punk.” mix of imagination and anything- simultaneously or threatening to different people and when we started goes attitude, never really expecting collapse in an untidy heap any out that was a great thing. It was once ‘I HATE YOUR GIRLFRIEND’ them to go the distance but happy to moment. said we sounded like two bands wasn’t released in the end; what enjoy their wobbly-headed pop. The biggest shift though is Dale playing at once, and this spilled out happened with the Quickfix deal? taking a lead role with his arcane into our personal lives. We wanted ZAHRA: “The single was released AND THEY DIDN’T LAST. NOT IN Alesis synth, which buzzes like an different things. David, Iona and I without our legal consent. Verbal their original incarnation anyway. angry hornet, rendering any need for want this for life, not just for agreements weren’t met in the Inter-band disagreements came to a a guitar obsolete and, when coupled Christmas.” contracts, so we asked for it to be head with an acrimonious record with Zahra’s clattering drums and How would you say the band’s sound removed from iTunes. It was a shit deal and half the band departed, Iona’s strident vocals, makes Baby has changed? time for us, but as a band it helped us leaving its core to regroup and Gravy sound like Penetration’s DALE: “We are more dynamic, and to prioritize what we wanted. Shortly come back stronger, leaner and fronting The Human darker in places, but still edgy.” after the Quickfix saga we decided to poppier. But just as wayward and fun League’s earliest incarnation, or IONA: “ We cut out the prog, and take the band in a different direction as before. And now Baby Gravy are perhaps Kathleen Hannah dragging indulged the pop; with only the four and things have been on the up ever preparing to finally release their Soft Cell to a punk-rock party. It’s of us there’s a lot less ego, people are since.” debut single on a label they feel this synth-punk side of the band that willing to drop out to improve the IONA: “Even before the single came fully at home with. More comes to the fore on new single ‘Did song.” about relations between us and the importantly, they feel comfortable It Again’, released next month on ZAHRA: “It was difficult to keep six label were steadily deteriorating. We with each other. The band’s music has ’s STW Records. Elsewhere of us playing interesting parts that learnt a lot from the experience, and taken on a new life: more cohesive Baby Gravy team up with local rap weren’t out of time, out of tune or won’t make the same mistakes again. and confident, buzzing with the star Mr Shaodow for the furious out of key. Having Dale meant we It’s a real shame that we’ve had our energy of punk, the determination of electro-rap skank of ‘Don’t Touch could have one musician playing two name tarnished with no real chance to defend ourselves. We are just fit into any neat pigeonhole or scene. helpless children, and nobody wants Having grown up on the Oxford to be made into a playboy bunny.” scene, how has it shaped them? Now, though, you’ve got ‘Did It IONA: “We’re really lucky to have Again’ coming out on STW records. grown up in one of the country’s Zahra: “They’re really nice guys, it’s most active music scenes, but even in really low-key and fair. Nobody’s in it the few years I’ve been a part of it for the money, we’re just releasing I’ve felt stuff taper off a bit. There our single and touring across March. are so many people in Oxford who We’re recording a to are too interested in the aesthetics of accompany the track with Darren music rather than the sound. They Brinham from Love pay to come into shows to stand Productions.” around and look miserable and not You’re recording your album with listen to the bands. I guess it isn’t Jimmy Evil (from Suitable Case For cool to look like you’re enjoying February Treatment, Ivy’s Itch and Eduard yourself any more. You’ve gotta get Soundingblock). in with the right people to get Iona: “We’ve had a few setbacks, due popular, apparently, and you need the Every Monday to being forced to re-record three of right shoes for that. On the plus side our old tracks. Other than that it’s there are a lot of promising young THE FAMOUS MONDAY BLUES coming along nicely, but there’s a bands cropping up in Oxford, it’s just The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. long way to go. We’re not even a shame that there are so few 2nd PETE BOSS & THE BLUEHEARTS (UK) thinking about it at the moment, just opportunities for underage bands to 9th LES WILSON & THE MIGHTY HOUSE ROCKERS (UK) trying to sort all the single details.” play the Oxford venues.” 16th THE ADAM BOMB BAND (USA) Zahra: “Production-wise Jimmy ZAHRA: The Ark T (young people’s rd gives us a lot of positive input. Songs music project) has shaped me as a 23 KING B (UK) are coming out a lot quicker now that musician and the sound of the band. I we’re having a break from playing was given opportunities to perform, Every Tuesday locally. When we come back from write, record and practice from the tour we hope to have many more age of 14 in a safe and relaxed THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB new tunes to nail in the studio.” environment, with many different Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, and soul until 2am musicians. Now that I have been 3rd / 10th THE HOWARD PEACOCK QUINTET AH YES, TOURING. ALMOST employed by Ark T, I work on the 17th KATYA GORRIE BAND since their inception Baby Gravy music project with loads of musicians, th have played around the country, from rappers to bands to singer/ 24 THE HUGH TURNER BAND happier to hone their skills in front , in and out of the studio.” of an audience than hidden away in a Wednesdays rehearsal studio. It’s a smart move; ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING 11th BURNING LEGACY presents DEAR SUPERSTAR / noticeably the band never seem developments in Baby Gravy’s sound NIGHT BY NIGHT / GUNNBUNNY / THE CRUSHING phased when things do go awry on is teaming up with MCs such as stage. They’ve continued to pick up Daniel ‘N-Zyme’ Odong, and in new fans, often in unexpected places, particular Mr Shaodow for ‘Don’t Thursdays as well as attracting the attention of Touch Me’; how did that 19th TCT presents HOCKEY / / producers and media companies, collaboration come about, and what including Dynamics Media, which has other collaborations would you BEAR HANDS led to a number of sponsorship offers. realistically like to indulge in? IONA: “Hah, yeah. It’s just a little DALE: “We met him at a Love Every Friday bit of equal promotion, we’ve got Music Hate Racism gig. I liked his nothing to lose from it, so why not.” performance, mixing martial arts BACKROOM BOOGIE ZAHRA: “We’ve managed to score with music! Mr Shaodow is one of the Funk, soul and R&B. 10.30pm-2.30am; £4. Rockstar energy drink sponsorship most determined musicians out there, for our tour. There are future deals so it was great to work with him.” with Les Ettes (women’s extreme IONA: “Realistically? How about Friday Early Shows sports fragrance) and custom trainers and Timberland, which 6th CHRISTINE KOWALCHUCK / KIMWEI. £5adv by Odessa.” one’s cheaper?” 13th MOSHKA presents LAST DAYS OF LORCA / Any particularly good, bad or weird Many people in Oxford might not SPIRAL 25 / THIN GREEN CANDLES touring tales? have seen or heard you since the 27th MELTING POT with PEERLESS PIRATES / ECHO DALE: The worst was Hampton’s in early incarnation of the band; how . A fight broke out would you persuade them to come BOOMER / more between a couple during our set and I back and give you another listen? Includes entry to Backroom Boogie afterwards just wondered why no one was Zahra: “Everyone deserves another clapping. The best was at chance.” Saturdays Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes: it was Not that Baby Gravy will need such 7 th SIMPLE funky house. 10-3am cool watching people bowl whilst charitable feelings to win fans’ hearts. th performing!” They’re a retro-futurist, pop-clad 14 TBC IONA: “I don’t think we notice the punk party with an irresistibly bratty, 21st ECCLECTIC DANCE strange occurrences, they’re just catty, coquettish charm. A party with 28th GARAGE. 9-3am everyday happenings. Gigging around a newfound purpose that retains the the country has gained us a much right to be unpredictable and silly if it older fan base, still living in the punk chooses. So, choose life. Choose fun. Sundays st glory days. It’s nice playing to people Choose Baby Gravy 1 COMEDY CLUB with compere SILKY. Doors 7.45pm; that actually stand and watch bands, £7.50/£6.50 not just snotty fringed scenesters.” ‘Did It Again’ is released next month 22nd LITTLE FISH / THE DACOITS / THE FOLLYS on STW Records. Baby Gravy play at SCENESTERS. BABY GRAVY the O2 Academy on Saturday 7th don’t like scenesters. Maybe it’s March. Visit www.myspace.com/ because the band resolutely fail to babygravy for songs and tour dates. Sponsored RELEASED by addition of Jada Pearl on ‘The Way It Is’ and ‘All in My Mind’ lends GTA a much needed RED SQUARE alternative voice, while also adding an element ‘Thirty Three’ of soul to their sound. It’s unfortunate that she’s underused on the album. You feel GTA (FMR) might have missed a trick here and that with her Jon Seagroatt and Ian Staples are two of the inclusion, many of these songs would have most interesting people we have met on the really soared. local scene over the years. We first came Being complete wusses here at Nightshift, the across the pair when they went under the posturing and homicidal nature of the likes of name B So Global, making strange, beguiling 50 Cent leave us cold, so it’s refreshing to find electronic music out of a canal boat near that GTA haven’t gone for the lowest common Banbury in the early 90s. They regaled us denominator. Their rhymes are filled with with tales of playing Deep Purple covers on positive vibes, and it all reminds us of the tone comb and paper to indignant, often violent KRS One found when he initiated the Stop The crowds of bikers or squaddies. More recently Violence Movement. Jon has played in avant-jazz groovers The Musically their sound is distinctly American, Colins Of Paradise. Red Square was the band and despite KRS’ East Coast influence, there’s a they formed along with drummer Roger GTA definite West Coast edge to proceedings, cut Telford (now aprt of Oxford Improvisers) in ‘The Way’ with a Daisy Age philosophy. MCs Chima and Westcliff-On-Sea back in the mid-70s. Red Ineffable are unashamedly British however; Square were anarcho-socialist squat-dwelling (Phoenix Down) rounded vowels positively drip from Ineffable, musical confrontationalists, playing heavily- Over recent years hip hop has been making while their style could best be described as amped improvised gigs, often at deliberately itself increasingly felt in Oxford with Asher polite. Once past the regional accents, Chima inappropriate venues and at such a volume Dust, Zuby and Mr Shaodow creating ripples. and Ineffable’s technique is smooth, and at they once drowned out a Cliff Richard gig It’s still something of a rarity, but now GTA times their interplay is pretty impressive. taking place half a mile away. can add their impossible-to-Google name to a The almost throwaway ‘Till Tomorrow Thirty three years after the trio recorded this list of Oxford acts that easily punch their Comes’ finds the pair revelling in a party vibe, album they’ve unearthed it and are reforming to weight. and bouncing off each other with considerable celebrate its overdue release. Music made so Chima Anya has toiled for three years over aplomb. You get the feeling that the relaxed long ago could easily fall flat – what once was ‘The Way’ and for the most part the time nature of the track allows them to really loosen revolutionary soon becomes humdrum - but spent getting it right has paid off. The up and throw down their best stuff. this never sounds out of date. It is bloody hard production is pretty tight throughout, and If there’s a criticism to be levelled at ‘The work, though. Roger’s polyrhythmic drumming although there’s little here that is arresting in Way’, it’s that it is a little one paced here and provides an ever-shifting platform for Jon’s the way that, say, The Pharcyde, Public there, causing the mind to wonder. At times it’s atonal clarinet and sax squalls and Ian’s Enemy or Spank Rock are, this is a solid practically impossible to give it the attention it sometimes thunderous guitar intrusions or showing. deserves. There’s enough here to suggest that violin scraping. Over the course of an hour or There are some nice touches throughout, most the pair are on to something though, and with a so free jazz collides head-on with experimental notably their working of the O Jays sample on little tweaking, maybe they could beat Grand metal and the more outré moments of the opening brass bombast of ‘Breakthrough’, Theft Auto to the top of Google searches for psychedelia. Such sounds are, of course, far and their sneaky use of The Isley Brothers’ GTA. more commonplace now than they were when ‘Summer Breeze’ on ‘All in My Mind’. The Sam Shepherd the band first existed, but thankfully there are still a majority of people out there for whom this will be the sound of hell on earth. Dale Kattack BORDERVILLE ‘Short Sharp Shock’ (iTunes) Clocking in at a compact two and half minutes, churn, the piano hammers mercilessly, Joe most bands would still be grinding their way to Swarbrick sneers and snarls like Pete Murphy an inevitable middle-eight by the time ‘Short and occasionally yelps like a scalded puppy Sharp Shock’ collapses in on itself, but by that and it barges and billows to a clamouring point Borderville have already ransacked finale. We’re still waiting for Borderville’s full- Bauhaus’ ‘Dark Entries’, half of Bowie’s blown two-hour rock opera, but in the ‘Hunky Dory’, paused for a quick Godspell meantime this single contains enough ideas to moment, a snippet of medieval madrigal and last a full album. Hell, even the accompanying plenty of hammering baroque pop. What else letter came written in wonderfully elaborate would you expect from a band whose ambition handwriting in gold pen. Note to everyone seems to be to make Queen look like Oasis in else: make more of an effort, okay? the theatricality stakes? So anyway, 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 gentle bossanova or the odd flamenco flourish DR SHOTOVER but mostly seem unable or unwilling to spread Mixes politics with sport their wings. The neatly “There are housing estates in Britain where people have a lower life plucked acoustic guitars expectancy than in the .” are pretty enough, with David Cameron, Conservative Party conference, 2008 echoes of Bert Jansch Yes yes, and all this from a man who until a few days before the and John Renbourn, but conference thought “the Gaza Strip” was a football kit worn by a certain washed-up Geordie mid-fielder. Go back to Witney, thick rich posh-boy! too often sound (That’s David Cameron, not, ahem, Paul Gascoigne). Talking of poshos innocuous, just passing and sport, the East Indies Club enjoyed its annual sporting fixture last time, while the vocals, week to see in the New Year... Now, we have our fair share of decadent although strong enough aristocrats on the books, but, let me tell you, the Woodstock And Northern in their breathy way, County Society is crawling with earls, dukes, counts, start to sound c*nts etc. Anyway, we saw ‘em off on the Mediaeval Football pitch, but humdrum over four sadly the WANCARS proved the stronger team when it came to the Pig Wrestling event. (Don’t ask). Anyway, all that was forgotten when it came tracks. The sheer lack to the post-match Drinkathon. In fact, MOST things were forgotten after BRANCH of any kind of emotion on that. The home team had cleverly arranged it so that Ye Iron Lady, the ‘Howling Wind’ is almost comical rustic ivy-clad inn to which we sportsmen repaired, served only locally- IMMERSION given the song’s stormy subject brewed mead. They’d all been weaned on it, but the East Indies Club matter, and as we stare out at the “townies” were soon giggling like helpless infants as the effects of the ‘EP 1’ drizzle-sodden pavement outside honey-and-mescaline-impregnated brew kicked in. (Talking of “kicking in”, we will draw a veil over the belligerent antics of Figgy Sturgess on (Own label) as we listen through once more, an the Mediaeval Football pitch). No idea how, but I found myself later in A new name to us, Branch oppressive feeling of greyness an East Oxford pub where the Immersion. They’re an Oxford/ descends. Yardbirds appeared to be London-based trio boasting an This isn’t the kind of overly- doing an impromptu gig supporting the Dead eclectic range of influences but very earnest, navel-gazing confessional torture we often feel obliged to Kennedys. “Happy Birthday, much locked in the stripped-down, Julia!” I found myself crying, laidback acoustic pop scheme of condemn to the Demo Dumper; as “Shapes of Things” things. And such is the way of Branch Immersion would blended into “Holiday in these things it’s easier to pick the probably sound just fine at some Cambodia”... and the next holes in such bare music than the low-key open mic session around morning I woke up, manacled full-throttle attack of metal or town, but there just doesn’t seem to a radiator, in a crack den in to be any real character trying to one of those housing estates somesuch. This four-song debut EP David “Oily Chops” Cameron reveals a band who can reach out of the music and make was talking about. But that is occasionally infuse their simple, us care. another story. Dr Shottoverre limbers up at ye folk-minded songs with elements of Dale Kattack Next month: Another Story Mediaeval Football event gig guide

SUNDAY 1st AGENTS OF JANE + ANTON BARBEAU + REGGAE REGGAE SUNDAY: The Cellar – FEBRUARY DEATH OF A SMALL TOWN + THE NEW Double helpings of reggae, dub and stuff. MOON: The Jericho Tavern – Folky acoustic pop from Agents Of Jane, plus a return to town MONDAY 2nd ’ Drew McConnell and political for psychedelic folk songsmith Anton Barbeau, who is joined by Jon, Oliver and Rob from MONGREL + MPHO + THE ELRICS: O2 Anglo-Iraqi rapper , together mixing up Stornoway as his special backing band for the Academy – Supposed supergroup made up of , funk and hip hop. night. Elegantly downbeat acoustic pop from Reverend & The Makers’ John McLure, along + INCITE: O2 Academy – Metal Death Of A Small Town opening the show. with ex- bassist Andy legend rages into town – see main ECLECTRICITY: The Cellar – Electro, Nicholson, current Monkey , preview PETE BOSS & THE BLUEHEARTS: The bassline and fidget house with JoJo de Freq, Bullingdon – Oxford blues-rock veterans Pete Nikniknik and Slimful. nd Friday 2 Boss and Tex Elmore – both formerly of The EAR-POPPING CANDY: The Bullingdon SOULFLY: Elmores – return to the Famous Monday Blues OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon with their electric blues, led by Boss’ virtuoso APPLE PIRATE PROMOTIONS: Fat Lil’s, fretplay in the style of Eric Clapton. Witney – Alt. Rock, hardcore and bands O2 Academy night. There can’t be many people would argue TUESDAY 3 rd that Max Cavalera isn’t a modern-day metal FRIDAY 6th legend, mainly due to his involvement with JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free weekly KLUB KAKOFANNEY with SPACE Brazilian death-thrash monsters , live jazz club. Tonight’s set comes from lively HEROES OF THE PEOPLE + PICTURE but even the less inspired moments of keyboard-led band The Howard Peacock BOOK + ORIGINAL RABBIT FOOT certain subsequent Soulfly outings – Quintet. SPASM BAND: The Wheatsheaf – Beats-led notably ‘III’ and ‘Prophesy’ – can’t dim his ALCHEMY: The Cellar – Live music club night robo-rockers Space Heroes add a krautrocking star rating too much. And anyway, with the with goth-rockers Karn 8, thrash metallers groove and electro glitchiness to synth-pop noise release of last year’s ‘Conquer’ – Soulfly’s Dedlok and punk-core noisemakers Elmbridge at tonight’s Klub Kakofanney, while Picture sixth studio album – the man, and the band, Court, plus DJs playing rock, metal, punk, Book come in somewhere between Daft Punk are very much back on form, sounding hardcore, goth and industrial sounds. and Pussycat Dolls on their recent electro- heavier and more focussed than they have in IAN STAPLES + SUE SMITH & PHIL single. years. The birth of Soulfly was a turbulent FREIZINGER: The Wheatsheaf, Hook THE RYES: O2 Academy – Jaunty 60s-styled one. It followed Cavalera’s acrimonious Norton – Former-B So Global and Red Square soul-rockers out of London. departure from Sepultura and the death of musical experimenter Ian Staples mellows out in FUSE featuring STANTON WARRIORS + his stepson, at which point Max developed rural Oxfordshire with some help from Klub FAKE BLOOD + : O2 Academy – a more spiritual outlook and lyricism. This Kakofanney and Mighty Redox pair Sue and House and breaks club night with a headline set doesn’t detract too much from his Phil. from nu-skool breaks duo Dominic Butler and trademark guttural rasp and frenzied Mark Yardley, mixing in electro and 2-step, while showmanship though and he remains a born th WEDNESDAY 4 London’s one-man electro mangler Fake Blood rock and roll showman. For the first few THE JOE ALLEN BAND + JU JU + CHRIS should get the crowd going with club hit ‘Mars’. Soulfly he maintained a revolving THOMPSON: The Wheatsheaf – Stripped- Star turn, though, might come from Sheffield’s door policy to musicians that has seen down, emotive acoustic pop from highly rising producer Toddla T, providing an eclectic members of bands like Machine Head, Fear promising local songsmith Joe Allen, along with mix of sounds that ranges from hip hop, jungle Factory, , Dubwar, Slipknot and violinist Angharad Jenkins and stand-up and ragga to bassline, electro and fidget house, his even as well as Sean Lennon drummer Chrissie Sheaf. Little Fish singer Juju collaboration with Roots Manuva setting him up join Cavalera. More recently a core, plays a solo acoustic set in support. for crossover success the year. including excellent young metal guitarist VICES + THE BLACK HATS: The Jericho THE SHUDDERS + MUSIC FOR , has solidified and brought Tavern – Raw, Stonesy roadhouse blues rocking PLEASURE + THE SCHOLARS + THE greater innovation and stability. Soulfly’s from Reading’s Vices, plus muscular, melodic MUSGRAVES: The Jericho Tavern – Mixed stock in trade remains full-throttle metal, new wave pop from Black Hats in support. bill of unsigned acts headed by Swindon’s but elements of Brazilian tribal music as FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Dubstep, Shudders with a pirate-fixated mix of folk-rock well as everything from reggae to Siberian drum&bass and more with Caspa, Rod Azla et al. and jangly pop. They’re joined by Music For play a part. Max has been much OPEN DECKS: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Open Pleasure, featuring Unbelievable Truth’s Jason imitated but rarely bettered and this, his session for local DJs. Moulster and Harry Angel’s Hayley Philips; first ever visit to Oxford, should be a riot. shimmering indie popsters The Scholars, plus th THURSDAY 5 folksters The Musgraves. SPIN JAZZ CLUB with PHIL PESKETT: The CHRISTINE KOWALCHUCK + KIMWEI: Wheatsheaf – Return of the renowned keyboard The Bullingdon player to the local jazz club. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon – CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Weekly club night playing classic soul, funk and Community Centre – Oxford’s longest- r’n’b. running, and best, open mic session continues to OVERRATED: Chester Arms – Live rock. showcase an eclectic selection of singers, SKYLARKIN SOUND SYSTEM: The Cellar musicians, poets, storytellers and performance – Count Skylarkin’s soul, reggae and knees- artists ever week. up moves to the Cellar, tonight featuring a live set from Sir Bald Diddley’s period rock’n’rollers NELL BRYDEN: O2 Academy – Throaty big Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers. band jazz, modern-day Dixie, bluegrass and blues GET DOWN: The Brickworks – Weekly funk, from the songstress, taking inspiration Latin and disco session. from , and Mari Wilson. FRAGILE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Yes tribute band BUMBLEBEES + THE PARAFFINS: The who have played with Steve Howe. Wheatsheaf – Double dose of lo-fi twee pop pleasures with janglers Bumblebees getting all SATURDAY 7th sunshiney on yo ass with songs like ‘Fluffy RICHARD THOMPSON: The New Theatre - Clouds Of Joy’, while Scotland’s Paraffins 1,000 years of pop in one night - see main preview proffer a scratchy, primitive blend of electro-pop THE UK GUNS’N’ROSES: O2 Academy – and rockabilly. Tribute to G’n’R, hopefully not featuring too th much stuff off ‘Chinese Democracy’. MONDAY 9 MONDO CADA + GUNNBUNNY: The IMELDA MAY: O2 Academy – Raw, bluesy Wheatsheaf – Monstrous, full-throttle hardcore rockabilly and old-fashioned r’n’b from the Irish grunge noise attack from the West Oxfordshire singer who opened both days of last year’s amp botherers. Cornbury Festival. DR SLAGGLEBERRY + THE ELRICS + LES WILSON & THE MIGHTY HOUSE BRICKWORK LIZARDS + SOULJACKER: ROCKERS: The Bullingdon – The Famous The Cellar – Red Stripe Unsigned Music Monday Blues presents Staffordshire’s livewire Awards heat with Thame’s excellent young electric blues, boogie and slide guitar star Les Saturday 7th math-core noisemongers Dr Slaggleberry, spiky Wilson, taking his cue from the likes of George indie rockers The Elrics and jazz, world and hip Thorogood, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and RICHARD THOMPSON: hop eclecticism from Brickwork Lizards. Elmore James. TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM The New Theatre 101: O2 Academy – Three clubs in one every TUESDAY 10th Since emerging in the late-60s as a founding Saturday night with classic and contemporary MAGAZINE: O2 Academy – Gig of the year, member of Fairport Convention, Richard indie and electro at Transformation, trashy pop, no contest – see main preview Thompson has carved out a particularly glam and 80s at Trashy, plus hardcore, metal and JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With The individualistic musical career, from that alt.rock at Room 101. Howard Peacock Quintet. pioneering folk-rock, through his early solo BRONTIDE + BITCHES + FROM HERE WE HOORAY FOR HUMANS + AIDEN albums like ‘Henry the Human Fly’, the RUN: The Jericho Tavern – Complex, CANADAY: The Wheatsheaf – ’s candid collaborations with his (now ex-) heavyweight math-metal drones and Smalltown America-signed boy-girl pop-punkers wife Linda in the 70s and early-80s, through atmospherics from Brighton’s rising stars Hooray For Humans head out on tour with local a further 20 years of critically-lauded, Brontide, featuring former members of Pictures melancholic singer Aiden Canaday in support. award-winning solo outings and live shows. and . Bitches provide the INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial Thompson is widely regarded as one of the night’s requisite dose of virulent industrial and darkwave club night. greatest guitarists the UK has produced (he hardcore sonic violence, while From Here We is included in ’s Top 20 All Run offer a melodic pop slant on sweet-natured WEDNESDAY 11th Time Guitar Greats), easily mixing the math-pop and are really quite lovely. dynamic with the delicate, as well as being a SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house club. DEAR SUPERSTAR + NIGHT BY NIGHT + wry, emotive lyricist, switching from GUNNBUNNY + THE CRUSHING: The personal to political with a keen knowledge SUNDAY 8th Bullingdon – A Burning Legacy metal night of history. And it’s this knowledge that has with ’s Dear Superstar kicking out a inspired his latest tour: taking a tour through FIGHTING WITH WIRE + THE NEW 1920s classic glam-tinged hard rock in the vein of + TARGET 9 + TWENTY FIVE TO 9: O2 1,000 years of popular music. So he starts Guns’n’Roses and , whom they way back in 1,000AD with the oldest Academy – Return of ’s Foo Fighters- recently supported. Night By Night are fronted styled grunge-pop outfit, formed by ex-Jetplane surviving record of English language music, by sometime Sisters Of Mercy guitarist Ben written by the hermit St. Godric, along with Landing guitarist Cahir O’Doherty and set to Christo but ply a more traditional Def Leppard follow up last year’s ‘Man Vs Monster’ debut the ancient ‘Sumer I Icumen’, and moving and Bon Jovi-inspired rock furrow. Local grunge th th album. Meanwhile, a new world record will be adeptly through 15 and 19 Century bunnies Gunnbunny support, along with uber- ballads, sea shanties, the works of Purcell set for the number of bands on one bill with the metallers The Crushing. number 9 in their name. and the hits of Britney Spears. In between PHAT BEATS: The Cellar – Live open funk there’s everything from madrigals to jam session. moptops; rounds to rap and courtly dances ACOUSTIC LOUNGE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – to Cole Porter. It’s not just Thompson Acoustic open mic session. showing off – he really doesn’t need to – but a celebration borne of a frustration that pop th THURSDAY 12 music before Elvis is all too easily forgotten. SPIN JAZZ CLUB with STEVE WATERMAN: The Wheatsheaf – Trumpeter Natureboy, mixing in good-natured Beatles-y and composer Waterman is the special guest at pop and Autumnal 60s folk-pop as well as tonight’s jazz club. elements of country and jazz. GENERAL BOVINE & THE JUSTICE 28 COSTUMES + I AM THIEVES + FORCE 5 + BUICK McKANE + ALLEY SECRET RIVALS: The Jericho Tavern – RATS: The Cellar – More comic superhero- Hysterical post-punk and trash-rock from obsessed hard rocking and costumed tomfoolery ’s 28 Costumes, with support from from General Bovine, plus trashy 70s-style Led Zep-inspired rockers I Am Thieves and heavy rock from Buick McKane and thrash punk indie-punk newcomers Secret Rivals. noise from Oxford’s Alley Rats. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford REVOLVER: Fat Lil’s, Witney – New Community Centre – Tonight’s Catweazle monthly alt.rock club night playing grunge, features a main set from Dave Noble’s hardcore, punk and new wave. LAST DAYS OF LORCA + SPIRAL 25 + hero of the old school with nods to Hanoi Rocks THIN GREEN CANDLES: The Bullingdon - and Sweet along the way. Moshka mixed bill. ELECTRALYTE + TURNPIKE GLOW + TUESDAY 17th WHITE SUNDAY + INVISIBLE VEGAS: The + FRIENDLY FIRES + WHITE Jericho Tavern – Chelmsford’s soft-rockers LIES + FLORENCE & THE MACHINE: O2 Electralyte headline, plus support from Academy – NME’s annual awards tour returns Reading’s spacey indie types Turnpike Glow, to town – see main preview classic indie rocking from White Sunday and + 10 + heavyweight blues-rock from Invisible Vegas. RISE TO REMAIN: O2 Academy – LA BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Jazz dance, troupe out on a headline tour in Tuesday 10th Afrobeat, Latin, Balkan beat and world breaks support of album ‘Way Of The Fist’ after club night with a live set from London’s The supports to the likes of Slipknot, and MAGAZINE: Soothsayers. Disturbed. THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE FRYER JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free live jazz O2 Academy BAND + THE ISAMBARDS: The Magdalen club night with singer Katya Gorrie. Words can barely start to describe how – Monthly residency for the swampy KAPOW!: The Cellar – Indie and electro club excited we were when we heard Magazine psychedelic r’n’b favourites and chums. night. were reforming for a couple of dates in BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon London and Manchester this year. But GET DOWN: The Brickworks WEDNESDAY 18th when were learned they’d also be playing a SOULJACKER: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Funked- up heavy rock in the vein of Led Zep and Clutch. FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Drum&bass, hip special warm-up show in Oxford, well, we hop and club night. nearly been done wee wee in our pants. If th you’re not already aware that Magazine are SATURDAY 14 th one of the greatest – and most influential – EXLOVERS + WE AERONAUTS + TRISTAN THURSDAY 19 bands of the post-punk era (up there with & THE TROUBADOURS: The Cellar – HOCKEY + PASSION PIT + BEAR HANDS: , Wire and Echo & The Lovely, sweet-natured Byrds-inspired jangle pop The Bullingdon – US pop underground Bunnymen), then you should investigate from London’s dreamy new pop darlings showcase tour – see main preview them immediately. Formed in Manchester in Exlovers, who have recently signed to Chess TESTAMENT: O2 Academy – The veteran Bay 1977 by original vocalist Club Records – the label responsible for White Area thrash merchants return with a new album, , Magazine brought literary Lies amongst others. Their airy Elliot Smith- ‘The Formation Of Damnation’ – their first in paranoia and a pop-friendly electronic edge meets-Teenage Fanclub melancholy and boy-girl eight years – having undergone myriad line-up to the taut, aggressive new wave sound of harmonies is surely the first sign of summer. changes since the early-80s when they were peers of near-neighbours . Their the day. It helped that Devoto’s elegant, Great expansive folk-pop support from We commercial success came early on and these days barbed lyricism and sardonic delivery was Aeronauts, plus an acoustic set from the very they’re more of a cult concern, but later this year backed up by a band of phenomenal wonderful Tristan & The Troubadours. they head off on tour with and individual talents – including bassist Barry BORDERVILLE + DYING ANIMALS: The , and their early thrash style remains Adamson, later to join Nick Cave and the Wheatsheaf – Borderville launch their new influential. Bad Seeds; innovative guitarist John single, twisting glam-rock into cool new baroque THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS + THE GREAT McGeogh (later of , Siouxsie and the shapes with some urgent early-70s Bowie sparkle ESKIMO HOAX + UTE: The Cellar – Banshees and PiL) and keyboard player and plenty of Bauhaus-style art-goth rocking. Melodic, dreamy math-pop from TTNG, plus . Through four studio albums Grungy punk noise from Dying Animals. Worcester’s skittish Youthmovies-styled math- they went places that no other band had TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM rock types Gt. Eskimo Hoax and local ambient been before and have subsequently been a 101: O2 Academy minimalist alt.pop crew Ute. massive influence on , and LUCID: Coven II – Psychedelic and progressive CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC OPEN MIC as well as modern electro bands trance and breaks at the Lucid Valentine’s Day SESSION: The Jericho Tavern – Jazz like . Sadly McGeogh died special, with sets from Krusada, Mr Minimax, musician Stephanie Pirrie hosts an all-comers in 2004 and his place in Magazine is taken Earth Monkey and more. by , who formed the short-lived session. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Luxuria project with Devoto in the late 80s. th Tonight has every potential to be the gig of SUNDAY 15 Community Centre the year already and you’d be a damn fool SUE SMITH & PHIL FREIZINGER + DES OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon to miss out on witnessing real musical BARKUS + ZIM BRADY + THE APPLE PIRATE PROMOTIONS: Fat Lil’s, legends in action. HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES: The Witney Magdalen – New acoustic night from Mighty th th Redox couple Sue and Phil, plus friends. FRIDAY 20 FRIDAY 13 REGGAE REGGAE SUNDAY: The Cellar FREE RANGE: O2 Academy – Grime, dubstep, YOUNG SENSATION + SUPERMAN REVENGE SQUAD + SECRET RIVALS: The drum&bass and hip hop club night with D&B MONDAY 16th duo Chase and Status, plus MOBO-nominated Wheatsheaf – Swiss Concrete come up with the LATE OF THE PIER + MICACHU + DJ Kano, an onstage face-off between UK goods once again with wonderfully expansive CONNAN MOKASIN: O2 Academy – beatbox champion Beardyman and UK DMC popstrels Young Sensation, at times coming on Electro-glam ravers get the party started – see champion JFB, as well as dubtep DJ N-Type. like Bryan Ferry fronting , their main preview There’s also a Free Range resident DJs showcase summery jangle-pop occasionally giving way to featuring Mr Lager, Darkman and more. THE ADAM BOMB BAND: The Bullingdon more full-blooded electro-tinged material. QUICKFIX PRESENTS with VON BRAUN + – Return to town for the big-haired LA glam- Croydon’s one-man acoustic social commentary THE HOLY ORDERS + DIAL F FOR metal guitarist, currently on a mammoth Superman Revenge Squad continues to dissect FRANKENSTEIN + THE SCARLETTS: The European tour, and whose past experiences the idiocy and general unpleasantness of Wheatsheaf – Darkly-inclined atmospheric include auditioning for Kiss when he was 18, humanity in support. alt.rock from Von Braun at tonight’s Quickfix sharing an apartment with , jamming THE NOMINEES + THE COLOURS + session, plus Hull’s raw, angular punk rockers with Eddie Van Halen and, along the way, HEARTS IN PENCIL + BLUE Holy Orders, local angst-driven grunge-rockers supporting the likes of Chuck Berry and Johnny STRAGGLERS: The Jericho Tavern – DF4F and ska-punk newcomers The Scarletts. Thunders. Stylistically he’s a heavy rock guitar Chunky rock chugging from The Nominees, with support from Reading’s promising epic stadium- Jericho Tavern – A night of electronic music pop types The Colours, Witney’s pleasingly with hosts Response Collective creating dreamy ramshackle indie-punks Hearts In Pencil and electronic soundscapes with hip hop beats and grungy 70s-styled rockers Blue Stragglers. cinematic ambience. LES CLOCHARDS: The Chester Arms – + + Exotic blend of Gallic café pop, raw country and RANDOM HAND: O2 Academy – More Elvis-style rock’n’rolling from the Francophile stomping ska-punk from south California’s ever- local favourites. touring party rockers. FRESH OUT THE BOX: The Cellar – House, OXFORD COLLAPSE + PHANTOM breaks and techno club night with resident DJs. THEORY + ELEPHANTS: The Cellar – THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE FRYER ’s melodic jangle-punk starlets play BAND + THE HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES: Vacuous Pop’s club night – see main preview Tuesday 17th The Ampleforth Arms, Risinghurst THE SHAKER HEIGHTS: The Wheatsheaf – BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon Rootsy, rocking Americana from the promising SHOCKWAVES NME GET DOWN: The Brickworks local act. THE STONE SALOON: Fat Lil’s, Witney – KATE GARRETT + DUOTONE: Cumnor AWARDS TOUR: Southern-fried roadhouse rock. Old School – Launch night for Kate Garrett and O2 Academy Barney Morse-Brown’s new , with NME’s annual statement of intent rolls into st Kate plying her dreamy acoustic folk-pop, while SATURDAY 21 town again, boasting the usual mix of a big Barney mixes up folk, classical and post-rock ELECTRONIC NIGHTS with THE name and a handful of promising newcomers. sounds with his -led project Duotone. RESPONSE COLLECTIVE + DJ MATT: The This year’s event is typically mixed, with TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM headliners Glasvegas already established as 101: O2 Academy th one of the best new bands around, coming Monday 16 THE YOU WEREN’T THERE BAND: The off the back of some cracking singles, Bricklayers Arms, Old Marston – Yardbirds LATE OF THE PIER: notably the brilliant melancholic sweep of and Cream covers plus plenty of 60s-style r’n’b, ‘Daddy’s Gone’, the Glaswegian rockers rock and psychedelia from Hugh McManners’ O2 Academy capturing the essence of both Spector-esque new band. The last time we went down to the girl pop, the honey-dripping noise of The ECCLECTIC DANCE: The Bullingdon Academy to see Castle Donnington’s late Jesus & Mary Chain and the earthy Scottish HOPE & GLORY: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Tribute Of the Pier the gig was cancelled at the last brogue of The Proclaimers. Fantastic stuff. to Madness, and other ska and minute because their keyboard broke down. Joining them on the tour are St Albans’ Two Tone favourites. It was just like the early-80s when bands Friendly Fires, with their anthemic mix of entire set would grind to a halt as their nd Talking Heads-style punk-funk, 70s disco state-of-the-art Fairlight went on the blink SUNDAY 22 and nu- and Editors-referencing new and all that futuristic promise looked a bit LITTLE FISH + THE DACOITS + THE wave revivalists White Lies, who along fragile. That’s not the only reason why Late FOLLYS: The Bullingdon – Sublime garage- with Friendly Fires, played last year’s NME Of The Pier remind us of that period. Their rock splendour from the Fishes, set to be New Noise tour. All this plus Florence & squelchy electro-pop, funny robot voices, Oxford’s next big success story, plus grungey The Machine (pictured), one of the most extravagant costumes and deliberately silly glam-pop from Dacoits and feelgood 60s –style talked about new acts around, basically stage names (Francis Dance; Jack Paradise) pop from The Follys. singer/ Florence Welch, who has scream excess, an unabashed SKINT & DEMORALISED: O2 Academy – just won the second Brit Critics Choice throwback to a time when flashy indulgence South Yorkshire soul-pop duo set for PR-led Award, following on from Adele last year. If wasn’t frowned upon by horrible grey little success in 2009, mixing Arctic Monkeys’ earthy the award isn’t a sure-fire guarantee of men. And it’s great that the UK is producing narratives with a brassy, lightweight pop froth success, it’s as good a leg up the music bands like this after a few years of that sounds like it might have escaped from an industry ladder as you can hope for, dreadfully dreary post-Libertines, Jam- old Blow Monkeys album, and the general feel of although Florence’s kooky, captivating folk- indebted workaday pub rockers. Although Robbie Williams slumming it at a Wham! blues voice and raw, garagey pop is easily unfortunately lumped in with the far more convention, but with a deal with Mercury under deserving of any and all success that comes normal and boring as , their belt and a debut album, ‘Love & Other her way. LOTP are much more fun, and far more Catastrophes’, featuring Amy Winehouse’s flamboyant; their debut album ‘Fantasy backing band, The Dap Kings, you’d be a fool to Black Channel’ references everything from bet against them making it chartward in the very to The Corries’ throne and currently in their 30th and to Aphex near future. year fusing traditional Celtic folk traditions and Twin, Blur and Queen, veering from glitchy SUE & THE UNICORN: The Jericho Tavern instrumentation with modern day sounds. electronica to stomping spandex rock in the – Solo project for Robots In Disguise’s Sue Currently out on tour in support of a new live blink of an eye. Quite simply they’re a Denim, taking a more acoustic DIY approach, DVD and well worth catching as premier fantastic party band, and hopefully their more personal and less kitsch than her retro proponents of traditional Scottish music. ongoing success means they can now afford synth-pop disco outfit. more reliable . We wouldn’t ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC SESSION: The Red TUESDAY 24th want to get all dolled up in bacofoil suits for Lion, Kidlington SPECTRUM: The Wheatsheaf – Sonic Boom nothing, now, would we? BIG BLUES JAM: Fat Lil’s, Witney brings his Spectrum project to Vacuous Pop’s club night, Spectrum being more of a linear MONDAY 23rd continuation of his work, mixing KING B: The Bullingdon – Groove-led drones and electronic spaciness with devotional roadhouse blues led by the powerful vocal lyrics and vocals, taking inspiration from Suicide talents of singer Claire Johnson. and creating a hypnotic otherworldliness. THE RILEYS: O2 Academy – Essex rockers A DAY TO REMEMBER: O2 Academy – out on tour in support of their new single, ‘Do Grunting metalcore meets spiky emo and punk- You Feel Me’, alternately frothy and spiky or pop with Florida’s Victory-signed ADTR. stuck in a funk-rock rut. JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – The Hugh THE BATTLEFIELD BAND: Nettlebed Folk Turner Band are tonight’s live act. Club – Veteran Scottish folk heroes, successors MIS-SHAPES: The Cellar – Indie club night. WEDNESDAY 25th HOUSE OF BROTHERS + WITCHES + DAS POP: O2 Academy – Pop by name, pop ARCANE ROOTS: The Cellar – Former- by nature with the cheery, cheesy Belgian outfit Murder Of Rosa Luxembourg fella Andrew who’ve recently been out on tour with Jackson goes acoustic with his new House Of Alphabeat, and The Feeling. Brothers project. Support comes from excellent, PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar dark-hearted rockers Witches and Surrey’s ACOUSTIC LOUNGE: Fat Lil’s, Witney -like grungers Arcane Roots. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford th Community Centre THURSDAY 26 OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon WE ARE WOLVES: O2 Academy – Harsh, dirty and downright primitive synth-pop-cum- th rockabilly from Montreal’s We Are Wolves, FRIDAY 27 SLIDE with HOT DJs: O2 Academy – taking cues from Devo and Suicide but sounding Saturday 21st more like a cross between Add N To (X) and Oxford’s premier house club night celebrates its th at times. 14 birthday with a DJ set from Hot Chip’s OXFORD COLLAPSE / SMILEX + MOLOTOV SEXBOMB: Fat Felix and Al and a live electro-house set from Lil’s, Witney – Sleazy from the Rex The Dog. SWOUND / PHANTOM ever-exuberant noise machine that is Smilex. GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with THE Similarly-minded Witney thrash-punkers HALCYONS + ANDENSUM + THEORY: The Cellar Molotov Sexbomb support. FACEOMETER: The Wheatsheaf – Another Great to see Vacuous Pop back in the varied bill from GTI, tonight featuring Mile promoting after a quiet 2008; their gigs High Young Team offshoot The Halcyons, are consistently some of the most fun and Thursday 19th mixing organ-led torch songs with squelchy challenging in town and tonight’s show electro dance-rock. Bicester’s Andensum bring should be no exception as they invite Oxford HOCKEY / PASSION their melodic prog-tinged metal to the party, Collapse over the pond just as the PIT / BEAR HANDS: plus witty, literary acoustic singer-songwriter Brooklyn-based three-piece look like they Faceometer. might make the commercial breakthrough The Bullingdon MELTING POT with PEERLESS PIRATES their consistently enthusiastic reviews + ECHO BOOMER: The Bullingdon – Hardly household names yet, but this always promised. With their most recent Punked-up with a Smithsy sense of album, ‘Remember The Night Parties’, package tour of three of the US pop melodrama from Peerless Pirates at tonight’s underground’s brightest hopes for 2009 is an Oxford Collapse find themselves on Sub Melting Pot, plus Radiohead-styled rock from Pop and moving above and beyond their early chance to catch bands you’ll doubtless Echo Boomer. be hearing and reading a lot more of in the early nervous, angular punk-disco yelp into QUEEN OF CLUBS CABARET: The Isis, far poppier and sophisticated territory. The coming months. Portland, Oregon’s Hockey Iffley Lock – Another mixed bag of treats with may have a seriously crap name but the band are steeped in 80s American alt.rock, music from vintage jazz 10-piece The Original from the energetic garage froth of early scruffy vegan three-piece manage that Rabbit Foot Spasm Band, songstress Susanna difficult task of bringing 70s MOR soul-rock REM, through the fuzzy pop of Starling and bluesman Richard Brotherton, plus Superchunk to Polvo’s abstract noise. The up to date, at their best coming in comedy and magic. somewhere between The Hold Steady and vocal harmonies and jangly guitars of the HQ: The Cellar – Drum&bass club night with new songs are less hurried but more LCD Soundsystem, although there’s also the Alix Perez, Bekah B2B and Tasha. odd J Geils Band moment to be had in there. ambitious than before and the band cover BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon bases from youthful exuberance to grandiose Perhaps an even brighter prospect are GET DOWN: The Brickworks Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Passion Pit, a pastoral moodiness, alternately joyous or SUNFLY: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Veteran local plaintive. In some ways they now sound band formed around songwriter and blues-rockers. producer Michael Angelakos, who only got like a much younger take on The Hold Steady, which perhaps shouldn’t come as a into recording stuff so he could make a CD th for his girlfriend as a Valentine’s present. All SATURDAY 28 surprise given they share a producer, John hysterical synth-pop, cheesy AOR and ACTION BEAT + DON VITO + ELAPSE-O: Agnello, whose influence is tangible. Oxford disco, shouty falsettos and crazy electro The Wheatsheaf – Another visit to town for Collapse fizz with a warm punky energy squiggles, they’re a highly unlikely fusion of the Bletchley collective, whose carefully- and it’s a good to hear a band not simply Flaming Lips, , Stevie orchestrated chaos is inspired by early Sonic resting on their cult-pleasing laurels. Wonder and The Go! Team, or as someone Youth and Glenn Branca and variously featuring Excellent support tonight from the Isle of pointed out, the MOR MGMT. Finally, anything between one and four drummers and at Man’s spiky, angular rockers Swound, plus Too Pure’s new signings, Bear Hands, from least four guitars. Germany’s Don Vito are over one of Oxford’s own most promising young New York, add a slightly heavier alt-rock in the UK as tour support, cranking out a bands, Phantom Theory, getting the right edge to the tour, blending spacey electro- clanging, sheet-metal form of experimental mix of hardcore noise and elaborate rock and grungy pop fuzz. And we’ll bet our hardcore and math-rock, while local beats’n’riffs innovation. Kent’s bottom dollar, as Americans might say, that experimental heroes Elapse-O bring their polyrhythmic popsters Elephants open the however unfamiliar the names are now, excellent Suicide and Liars-inspired noise along show. you’ll find something to love tonight. in support. COO COO CLUB with THE LONG INSIDERS: The Jericho Tavern – Elegantly TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM cinematic 60s pop shimmer from The Long 101: O2 Academy Insiders at tonight’s Coo Coo Club. THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE FRYER 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS + EXILES + THE BAND: The New Inn, Witney REPEATS: The Cellar – Spiky indie punk THE YOU WEREN’T THERE BAND: The thrash and American college rock from the Waterwitch, Didcot headliners. DUBSTEP GARAGE: The Bullingdon

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Nightshift’s new monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under Spiral 25

Who are they? Spiral 25 are Sunny Singh on guitar; Andy Proper on drums and percussion; Chris Monger on guitar, harmonica, electric mandolin and synth; Russell Denham who sings and Joe Chapman on bass guitar. Occasionally they also have their friend Nick Gray, a doctor of music from London, playing violin with them live. Joe, Chris and Andy were part of much-loved but short-lived The Factory. After that band split they briefly formed Dirty Sci-Fi. Sunny, Andy, Russell and Joe played as two thirds of Indika. Nick and Joe were in Henry Marten’s Ghost in the 1990s. Spiral 25 formed after getting together for a jam in January 2008 and “decided we liked what we were doing so badly organised pay-to-play gig in Lewisham. The local Nando’s had boarded carried on jamming.” So far they have played a series of gigs locally and in up windows, which looked about the safest place to eat. By the time we got London; their first review came in Nightshift from a gig at the Cellar last on stage, 40 minutes late, half the people who had come to see us had to autumn. This month they launch their debut EP on their own label. leave to get their last train home. It wasn’t all bad though, as Reverend D What do they sound like? Wayne Love from Alabama 3 was DJing, and as well as playing some great “Slow-motion narcotic groove rock” according to Nightshift’s review of music he seemed to love us. The chicken was nice, too.” their gig at the Cellar last September. The band’s chief inspiration harks back Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: to and 13th Floor Elevators, through the narcotic “Raggasaurus.” drone-rock of Spacemen 3 and Loop to more spaced-out of If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Warlocks. “They’re hairy and blissed- “`Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’ by John Williams.” out, spaced-out vocals riding the heavily opiated guitars, often recalling When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? Loop’s more dark-minded take on psychedelia. Spiral 25 will be one of the Spiral 25 launch their new EP on January 31st along with Cat Matador at the local bands to lose your mind to in the coming months,” we said. Cellar. They also play at the Bullingdon on Friday 13th February with Last What inspires them? Days Of Lorca and Thin Green Candles. “We all have our individual influences and we get together and jam around a Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: riff, melody or just some feedback and then refine it until we have a fully “The variety of music is refreshing and unlike many other places, especially formed song, all created from scratch in one room.” for its size, the music community is close and supportive too. There’s not Career highlight so far: enough drugs though.” “Creating the EP together. Joe was also interviewed on BBC Introducing one You might love them if you love: afternoon whilst running a bath. Loop, Spacemen 3, Thee Hypnotics, Wooden Shjips. And the lowlight? Hear them here: “We played a ` showcase’ in London, which turned out to be a www.myspace.com/thespiral25

The No supported the likes of The Whatever happened to… those heroes Ian Adverts, The Only Ones and John Otway and recorded their debut single “somewhere along Banbury Road”. It was, The No according to Ian, “Rough as a bear’s arse, but the melodies hold up and it has a stupid Who? charm about it”. Typical of , the The No were proper punk rock in the days of proper punk rock. The teenage single itself, ‘Everything I Need’, was band consisted of David Gascoyne on guitar; Mark Tanner on vocals; Andrew never properly released. The band split up Fulkes on drums and Ian Nixon on bass and vocals. The band used to hang shortly after the single’s production around, and frequently play at the Oranges & Lemons on St Clement’s (now stalled. “We always squabbled, being young the Angel & Greyhound). The pub was a haven for local punks, skins, hippies and daft, but then David went to and deadbeats and, despite its violent reputation, is remembered by veterans of university and even with a new guitarist the scene now as a creative and welcoming venue. the chemistry was gone.” What? Why? As we say, The No were punk rock. With a proper punk rock name, at a time While The No never had any great success when punk itself was still fresh and vital. Their melodically yobbish sound fell outside of Oxford, and barely existed for somewhere between The Jam, , Undertones and Sham 69. more than a year, they were at the centre of a very special Oxford scene while When? it lasted, and they inspired a lot of other local youngsters to form bands. Chief The band came together in July 1978 amongst these was Mac, then only 13, and who the band had to smuggle into after Ian replaced ‘Handsome Dick’ in gigs and who would go on to be one of the most important figure in Oxford’s Handsome Dick and the Members and musical success story as promoter of the Jericho Tavern and The Point. started gigging at the Oranges & Where? Lemons and the Caribbean Club (in Too much has happened to all the members since they split to document here, Paradise Street, long since demolished but right now Mark lives in Scotland and works as a chef and is part of the but once a great informal gig and club Darlin Clementines Old Time Harmony Duo. David is still around Oxford, he venue, run by local West Indian guys ran a garage for a while and still sells motors. Andrew seems to have who would sell cans of Red Stripe and completely disappeared from view, while Ian has remained a regular on the patties to speed-addled punks, while the local music scene with bands such as Borgnine and currently fronts Les in-house sound system played Dennis Clochards, a band also featuring ex-Anyways keyboard player Karen Cleave Brown records). Having acquired a and Talulah Gosh/Heavenly guitarist Pete Momtchiloff. The No did reform manager (Richard Armstrong, the then for one gig in 1999. Andrew’s place on drums was taken by Tim Turan. social secretary of the College of How? A compilation CD of all of The No’s studio recordings, called `Oh Yeah?’, Mark Further Education) and the patronage of the people who ran 722027 sound hire, exists. Buy it from Videosyncratic on Cowley Road for a fiver. LIVE Frank Turner photo by rphimages

FRANK TURNER O2 Academy “Three years ago I was playing to two people in the Kiss Bar,” says Frank Turner as he nears the end of his set. Since then, the former man has been tirelessly touring the country, more often than not with an acoustic guitar as his only travelling companion. That the Academy is rammed tonight is testament to his commitment to the cause, which is centred on the DIY philosophy of hardcore punk than more anything else. More pertinently, it’s rammed tonight because Mr Turner has more than his fair share of great songs. When on his own, Turner is a consummate performer, with an affable nature and a sharp wit that elevates his shows above the archetypal bloke with a guitar songs about how he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Tonight, as ever when he plays his full band gigs, he’s backed by elements of local heroes Dive Dive, which expands the depth of these songs considerably, and allows a more faithful rendering of the material from his albums, ‘Sleep Is For The Week’ and ‘Love, Ire and Song’. Their presence also means that he can prowl the stage with more intent, whipping the front few rows into what can only be described as a joyful catharsis – it’s like a mini Springsteen gig. He may have songs about break- ups (‘Worse Things Happen at Sea’), the death of close friends (‘Long Live The Queen’) and facing up to the trials of middle age (practically every other song) but rather than the mournful tone adopted by many a singer- songwriter, it’s all laced with positivity and ridiculously catchy choruses. He keeps his political side relatively quiet tonight, with no soundbites between songs and the omission of ‘Thatcher Fucked The Kids’. But you suspect, and hope, that in these uncertain times he’ll start to rev his political engine. Bands with great tunes and a high level of political articulacy tend to float to the top when things start to go belly up. Not that he needs political unrest to make his mark of course. Three years ago, he could hardly have hoped to have nearly 400 people providing backing vocals to his songs, but here we are, and his star is in the ascendency. Sam Shepherd

THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME WE AERONAUTS / DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS The Wheatsheaf Playing to a full, if noisy and They clap their hands. There is a O2 Academy rambunctious, Wheatsheaf, We trombone. It’s such a refreshing What is going through the minds of Utterly and awfully rotten, indeed. Aeronauts seem to be channelling sight, and sound, after the guitar- people who insist on playing (or Just as I think I’d be better slice the spirit of the Arcade Fire, The heavy stylings of the previous act should I say murdering) music my wrists open than suffer any Decemberists and , if on the bill, The Dacoits. when it is clear they cannot more, here come The Voluntary the Arcade Fire were ten years It’s a shame, then, that the crowd differentiate between a C minor and Butler Scheme. What a breeze of younger, The Decemberists liked is so bloody rude, talking at the a sharp one? And what is up with fresh air. What a bouncy, poppy, and Jason Pierce if he’d tops of their voices throughout the people that use music to enforce glossy, wonderful little holiday. never discovered drugs. set, and even more of a pity that Chinese torture onto audiences? Rob Jones, a one-man band from They’re the kind of band you’d the sound quality is so muddy. You And what makes them think that the West Midlands, and his two like to take home to your mother, can barely hear the trombone, and stopping in the middle of a song companions for the night on drums, all fresh-faced and, somewhat the accordion struggles to makes an because they’re playing crap is the percussion, brass, synths, claps, previously, full of the joys of impression. way to go? And what is up with doobeedooahhs (you name it, they spring. Their music mixes the Their set is also frustratingly people that want to call themselves play it) could not have stolen the delicate (melodies so fragile, light short, a little over thirty minutes. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and really show in any better way. This is and pretty they would disintegrate They’re pretty earnest at times, take it that far? This is the case of indie pop to the core, no pretense, in your hands), the soaring (head- and completely unsuited to the these five kids from Oxford with no fluff, no cellophane wrappings. swimmingly climactic endings to venue and crowd, but their music huge egos but small butter hands, His lyrics are original, silly and many of their songs, a la still captivates. who can’t agree whether they are California-like sunny in contrast to Spiritualized) and the eccentric (at We Aeronauts are becoming a bit playing 4/4 or 4/3.8, who can’t sing a near-to-rusty but harmonious one point they all jump off the of a mainstay of the Oxford music in tune nor play guitar in the voice. There is no denying his music stage to play a whole song to the scene already, having only appropriate key nor listen to each and vocals lift the atmosphere up somewhat indifferent audience. performed their first gig just over a other whatsoever. Meanwhile, the and many heads into a constant Lurking at the back, I have to move year ago, and when they’re next bass player decides to pretend he is nodding and foot tapping. If I ever forward and practically press my about I’d advise you to check them not there and the drummer feel like killing myself again, I’ll go face to a guy playing an acoustic out. Just make sure you get right to proceeds to perform a raving, listen instantly to The Voluntary guitar to hear anything). An the front if you want to properly rampant solo on his own… Butler Scheme all over again. accordion is produced and becomes enjoy the full experience. probably out of desperation. Liane Escorza a mainstay of the rest of the set. James Benefield THE RESPONSE COLLECTIVE The Jericho Tavern Knowing how hard it is to start off a new found themselves in front of an audience, club night, respect must be due to The they even tellingly introducing their Response Collective for packing in a computer, ‘Mr Mac’, and effects rack to healthy number of punters tonight. Even us. more brownie points to the first DJ for If all this sounds negative I should point dropping ’s ‘Tiny Dancer’; the out that I absolutely love this band, not original 1971 track, not that terrible dance for their musical prowess but simply for version. their complete lack of pretentiousness or The Response Collective is a somewhat regard for anything resembling fashion. cheeky name, in that there’s only three of ‘Tropical State’ is the closest they come to them, but it seems to sum up a cheerful a fully-fledged song and could be knocked determination to do things their own way. into a chart contender, but maybe that’s On top of a backing track we get guitar, exactly what they don’t need. David bass and ‘turntablism’, which translates as Thomas of Pere Ubu once defined rock rhythmic digital scratching to augment music as “the moving of black boxes from their somewhat aimless, dreamy one side of town to the other”, and I have soundscapes. The pieces – you’d struggle nothing but respect for all those bands to call them songs – meander around in a who spend every weekend doing just that. vaguely pleasing manner without really We need them a lot more than we need revealing any structure. Several times I Muse. find myself checking to see if the set is In a further twist the closing DJ Matt still in progess. Their attitude seems to plays a kind of Hi-NRG set, close to what mirror Newman and Baddiel’s approach to you might have heard in a gay club a few comedy: don’t worry about punchlines years ago, and the dancefloor erupts (musical hooks) or timing (song structure), accordingly. All this returns to the Tavern just keep firing out the material. Coming on February 21st, you could do a lot across as bedroom musicians, particularly worse than join them. guitarist Russell, who’ve suddenly Art Lagun

THE MEDICINE / THE MOUTAIN PARADE / DUOTONE The Jericho Tavern The sonic pairing in the name is cutesy and ramshackle the only possible presumably that of acoustic guitar and reactions are gooey condescension (“How ‘cello, but Duotone is a one man sweet”), or towering rage (“Try to look operation, and that man is Barney like you’re making a bloody effort!”). Morse-Brown. With the aid of a loop Singer Roxy has a clear, limpid voice, and pedal Barney strings together some some of the songs are good, especially the meltingly gorgeous licks and melodic history of `Shackleton Bewley, Explorer fragments, until his music sounds Extraordinaire’, but whilst we’re not alternately like Nick Drake in a hall of insistent that every gig is a sweat- mirrors, and Sibelius’ `Swan Of Tuonela’ drenched hell pit, we’d rather not feel as caressed by Arthur Russell’s sleepy if we were watching someone else’s kids ghost. in the infant school nativity. The only weak point in a stunning set is No hint of the unrehearsed or whimsical the vocal: Barney’s voice, whilst not as The Medicine crack into a tight set of unpleasant, has all the power and bluesy, roadhouse rock yarns. The resilience of wet tissue paper, and can’t playing is faultless, with especial mention find a comfortable place in the intricately for Joel Bassuk’s incisive drumming, but constructed musical skeins. To be honest, although we have a lot of respect for 876084 there’s no need to even open your mouth leader Matt Sage, both for his acoustic when your ‘cello sings like this, and performances and his running of the you’d wait a long, long time to see a excellent Catweazle and Big Village musician with such a wealth of subtle promotions, the gig gets tedious after phrasing opening a gig. Everyone should about a song and a half. The third number see Duotone, whether they’re is approximately ’ ‘Don’t Let introspective folkies, classical vultures, Me Down’ as performed by the band melodic pop kids or post-rock clever who do the incidental music on Friends, dicks, it’s a treat. whereas the majority of it resembles Bob The Mountain Parade’s set is roughly a Dylan’s ‘Oh Mercy’ LP without the `Concerto For Trumpet, Melodica, mysterious alchemy that makes it a Cardigans And Standing Around Dylan album, and whilst we’re not Sheepishly’. Think of the twee-est thing insistent that every show is a heart- you can, multiply it by glitter to the rending exploration of the soul, we’d ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- power of homemade badges, and go from rather not feel as if we were watching SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- there. The music is quite pleasing – someone else’s Dads in a garish small DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- something like Belle & Sebastian at a town covers bar on a slow Wednesday. 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 toddler group – but the performance is so David Murphy they’re as far removed from cool as it’s possible to be, but paradoxically they’re far cooler than any band of twenty-something hopefuls trying to tag onto the latest big thing. The palpable affection tonight’s crowd have for the band reflects The Mighty Redox’s unique standing in Oxford. It’s Monday night at the Bully’s blues club, the place is packed and by the end everyone is dancing. No-one, not band or crowd, care if they look daft or not. And by heck, Sue Smith, alternately wearing a Viking helmet and military cap, occasionally dancing onstage with a miniature emu puppet, looks daft. Tonight’s gig is split into two sets. The first caters more for the regular blues crowd, Phil cranking out chugging Bo Diddley riffs over Graham Barlow’s solid, meaty bass lines. For the most part it’s a bit pedestrian, only the poppier, more psychedelic ‘Blood’ lifting them out of their swampy dirge. The second half is far better Redox by Johnny Moto. www.myspace.com/johnnsphotos and the party starts in earnest, the bass immediately feels funkier, like something snatched from mid-70s New York, and the band loosens up, Sue revealing her inner Patti Smith on ‘Eternity’ before a lively stoner vibe takes hold. Admittedly there are some embarrassing jazz- funk and cod-reggae moments amid the gutsy r’n’b stabs, but that’s what you get from The Mighty Redox – a bit of everything, and by the end they’re kicking down the door with a crusty THE MIGHTY REDOX folk-punk stomp before hitting on their madcap finest moment, ‘Bullaburra’, an acid-frazzled The Bullingdon barn dance. Two hours have passed, we’re beyond drunk When you have nothing to fear, you are truly band centred around Klub Kakofanney couple and we feel a strange sense of liberation. There’s free. So discovers Evie Hammond in Alan Phil Freizinger and Sue Smith, the pearly king no cool to be had with The Mighty Redox. But Moore’s masterpiece, V For Vendetta. Perhaps and queen of the Oxford music scene. there is plenty of warmth. the same could be true of The Mighty Redox, the Steeped in hippy, ‘anything goes’ ideology, Dale Kattack

MONDAY MORNING SUN / WITCHES is a weird place to be when tonight’s headliners, Monday Morning Sun, The Wheatsheaf seep onto stage. Dizzying Friday nights; they’re still pseudo-. every chord. Exuberant and Going for latter day No Wave, their possible, even if the world is falling Witches tear open a generous spectacular: their crazy, Soviet- laptop and drumkit make more apart. So say Swiss Concrete, who support set, exploding musical waltz beats splinter brass colliery conspicuous the absence of the tonight offer to occupy your hours space between tense metal riffs. band into a closer that bursts with previous band’s motley orchestra. between work and closing-time with The sound is gigantic - stretching vocal harmonies and hardcore Witches lift you out of your own a see-saw of musical dynamics; the boundaries of The Wheatsheaf maraca action. head, whirl you around the room on from gigantic melodic rock to – and wrenches excitement from The Wheatsheaf is soaring, which the cusp of a trumpet tremolo and drop you, gently, back beside the bar. Monday Morning Sun’s bleak, neo-gothic soundboxes are enough to make you think the Middle East is being ripped to pieces and there’s a recession. Oh, wait. All five grandiose tracks bleed into one landscape, any number of different shades of grey. While closer ‘Questions’ brings the gig to a snappier close, the set lacks the sympathetic respite of, say, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It’s churlish to slate a band for being depressing and the two are, undeniably, the architects of a reference layered, moody- atmospheric suite. Maybe doom- dance is what you’re after on a Friday night. Even if it isn’t, chances are the exuberance of Witches’ sonic ecstasy should reverberate long enough to see you to the next watering hole. Liz Dodd Eureka Machines by SamEureka Machines by Shepherd FREAKISHLY LONG MIRRORS / EUREKA MACHINES / MOLOTOV SEX BOMB / SECRET RIVALS The Wheatsheaf Ramshackle, but curiously likeable, sophistication, they fuse classic there’s something undoubtedly rock and roll with a punk spirit. It’s naïve about Secret Rivals, from the not directionless thrash though; squall of feedback that seems to be a these are carefully crafted chunks of mainstay of their set, to the way the serotonin-laced exuberance designed instrumentations bump into each to create a hedonistic party other like a genial drunk on the atmosphere. Suffice to say they dodgems. At the point where Sonic succeed comfortably. If the UK Youth meets Belle and Sebastian is needed its own version of Rocket where you’ll find Secret Rivals; it’s From The Crypt, then we need look worth a visit. no further. Despite being in possession of the Freakishly Long Mirrors have an best band name since Anal Cunt, impossible task ahead of them Molotov Sexbomb don’t provide trying to follow such a show. They the blast of sex and excitement we’d admit as much when they take to hoped for. Decidedly pub-rock in an the stage, practically waving the Eddie and The Hotrods kind of way, white flag of defeat. It’s as if we forgot they made bands like this they’ve given up before they’ve any more. Hardly the revolutionary even started, and with languid songs sound we wanted but it’s all pretty and no real discernable hooks, they good fun at the end of the day, damn fail to make any real impact. There it. are glimpses of what might be when Eureka Machines take to the stage the guitars soar in a My Bloody and explode like we hoped Molotov Valentine kind of way, but sadly could have done. Resplendent in these occurrences are few and far black suits and black and white between, and even then they’re brothel creepers, they look like a linked with fairly lamentable fare. bunch of teddy-boy bankers about There is promise there, but they’ll to spend all your cash on long need to work hard to find it. knives. Eschewing any kind of Sam Shepherd

KADIALY KOUYATE & JULDEH CAMARA St Margaret’s Church Kadialy Kouyate and Juldeh Camara are African Christmas was that night’s star two top British-based West African turn. In 2008 he has become a star touring musicians who have each been in and with Adams. In contrast with the stillness We are currently seeking a new artist/band to add around Oxford: Kadialy playing in Nuru of Kadialy, Juldeh is more visual as he to the roster, any genre welcome. Please send a Kane’s band, and Juldeh called in with dances over the stage. Watching the fingers CD or myspace link to the following: ’s guitarist Justin Adams on of his left hand on the stem of the riti, the what became a world tour. Here tonight African one-string fiddle, is hypnotic, as RADIATE MGT they each play a solo set for the second they point and stretch like those of a PO BOX 5038 African Christmas fundraising event for the traditional dancer from India or China. His CHECKENDON small Oxford-based charity SOS Sahel, is a wilder, earthier sound and very much in OXFORDSHIRE which quietly does invaluable development tune with the late Ali Farka Toure and the RG8 0AW work along the southern shore of the desert blues. His voice, too, is in stark [email protected] Sahara. contrast, suddenly soaring like Dhafer Current Roster - Stornoway, Senegalese Kadialy Kouyate wants to take Youssef’s. He believes traders from Africa the kora in new directions, while respecting brought their music to Ireland and Scotland A&R experience includes Willy Mason, its ancestry as the instrument of praise centuries ago and both use the pentatonic Stereophonics, Daft Punk, the Spinto Band singers, storytellers and the court musicians scale and one his numbers sounds Gaelic. of the former Mandinka kings. His playing This is all very good but even better is a is a cascade of notes and he just might have spontaneous jam between the Camara and SIGNED ELECTRONIC SOLO ARTIST SEEKS the fastest thumbs in the world. It is mainly Kouyate. Juldeh who had been playing the the thumbs which pluck the strings; if equivalent of lead guitar on the riti, now KEYBOARD PLAYER, BASSIST AND Chopin had played the kora, he would gears back and plays the equivalent of probably have sounded like this. His sound rhythm to Kadialy’s lead kora. Their start DRUMMER also echoes the Zimbawian thumb piano, the is tentative but their confidence rapidly mrimba, which played a part in the liberation increases with the realisation that their FOR PAID TOURING AND ALBUM PROMO struggle, and which is sometimes talked of as instruments and voices together are more THROUGHOUT 2009 rain falling on stone. As Kadialy’s appealing than the sum of the individual parts. They singing is gentle and rich the whole effect is visibly relax, full of smiles, particularly on BJORK, RADIOHEAD, POSTAL SERVICE very warm, smooth and relaxing. Perhaps a what turns out to be the final improvised little too smooth. Kora players should be a number as both their vocals and little dangerous too. instruments talk to each other. CALL PHIL ON 01865 251 751 FOR DETAILS Juldeh Camara’s brief solo set at last year´s Colin May DEMOSDEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day’s recording at Keynote. Call 01189 599944 to claim your prize and get special deals for local bands!

The Sugarhill Gang but sounds more like that DEMO OF bloke from The Twang pretending to be the annoying one from Faithless. Still, stick to THE MONTH the less obvious path and we’ll come back for more. TRISTAN & THE K-LACUNA TROUBADOURS Heavy metal – tis the Devil’s work. We know And so T&TT cruise to their second Demo this to be true because however many times Of The Month award, so far ahead of this we try and get K-Lacuna’s Myspace to work it month’s pack there’s time for them to enjoy refuses to yield its musical treats. We tried a lazy picnic in a meadow not far from the refresh. We tried refresh again. We signed on finishing line. Which is appropriate since using a different web browser. We shouted and listening to this new demo makes us think of threw stuff and still it stayed silent. So we read summer and sunshine and happy, carefree days the band’s list of influences instead which and being young. They’re proof positive you include and Bullet For My can make clever, ambitious pop without going Valentine and decided that they probably all proggy and epic. Opening track ‘This Is, sound a bit like a cross between those two. To Be’ initially feels a bit more grown up, less Which isn’t such a terrible thing. So why so breathless than their previous outing, and with reticent? its swirling synths and rumbling, teasing atmosphere does a grand job of reigning in the tension until you expect it all to explode. MEMORY FADE Except it doesn’t, it pauses for breath then Yikes, another metal band cursed by the dinks off playfully, balancing between sweet- Horned One. Memory Fade’s CD arrived natured post-punk and bubbling synth-pop. snapped cleanly in two (which, we must ‘Lamplight’ is closer to what we expect from impress, is our job), suggesting dark forces the band, a violin and electric piano-led didn’t want us to hear its devilish contents. shimmy full of keening naivety and an airy Happily their Myspace did work and soon sense of springtime romance. Such breeziness we’re cantering off on some lightweight comes to full bloom on ‘Tapes & Tapes’, thrash trip – not heavy enough to worry possibly a tribute to the band of the same Metallica or Testament – with shouty vocals name, with boy-girl harmonies and the that could do to be a bit lower down the potential to turn into the theme to Sesame register. There’s a particularly worrying Street at one point. A shadow falls across the minute at the start of ‘Breath Deeper’ when end of the demo with the darker ‘3 Studies For they threaten to deliver that most Fingers’, the violin circling like a murder of incongruous of things – a thrash-metal lullaby, crows over a militant melody that eventually but soon enough they’re back chugging, spirals into a vicious, fizzing finale. Tristan & shouting and thrashing like there’s no such The Troubadours are quite simply a superb thing as next door neighbours. To be honest pop band, and they’re still so young it fair there’s nothing here that’s remotely original makes you dizzy thinking about their and they work their way through every potential. thrash-metal cliché going, but since they declare as much themselves, we’ll let them off and let them enjoy making some noise. CENTRAL SPACE The photo on Central Space’s Myspace HEARTS IN PENCIL reveals a bald bloke wearing tinsel With song titles like ‘A Place called deelyboppers, and the music has a similar – Pandemonium’, ‘Ghosts Of The ahem – zany feel about it for the first couple Conquistadors’ and ‘Hadron Collider Blues’, of tracks, notably ‘Who Am I To Wonder this bunch of Witney youngsters really should Why’, which features a rap so stilted it’s be a full-on prog-metal death noise machine. almost embarrassing, but remarkably gets Instead they far too chipper for such away with it, mixed up, as it is, with a heavyweight subject matter, coming on more shuffling reggae groove and faint echoes of like exiles from last year’s Thamesbeat scene Fun Boy Three. Better than this though is an (you know – Chris T-T and assorted odd subterranean rockabilly piece, ‘It’s All cockernee storytellers), mixing an almost That’, carried along on a snapping snare beat, folky element into their energetic indie-punk period guitar sound and the singer’s breathless noise. They up the ante as their demo rock’n’roll gasp. Sadly they can’t quite keep progresses, from the bolshy Rolling Stones- it up, ‘Super Sixteens’ sinking into a loungey style swagger of ‘Hadron Collider Blues’ to the ambient electro groove that’s too coffee table gruff, muscular determination of ‘Ghosts…’ to grab you like the oddball stabs that Their final number, ‘Dusk Is Drowned preceded it, and featuring a rap that thinks it’s Forever’, however, loses them points for sounding like a very posh, very pissed student Sharply Dressed Dead Man’ is promising trying to impersonate a cartoon David Bowie enough, with its electro-dirge intro and cheesy, and seems to go on for about three weeks. overblown Euro-rock feel, but as the guitars billow and churn in ever more elaborate patterns and Bob’s voice singularly fails to DEADBEAT CAVALIER inject a modicum of emotion into proceedings We reviewed this lot a year or so ago and it all starts to sound like some dodgy Belgian since they’re a punk band of the old school chart hopefuls circa-1984. From there he it’s refreshing to hear they haven’t polished heads further into mushy, chugging lo-fi MOR, their sound or become any more musically like Styx sucking the soul out of Buggles, proficient in the interim. We guess the bubbling and splurging somewhere between starting point for Deadbeat Cavalier’s stadium pomp-rock and synth-prog hell and particular brand of rabble-rousing, damnation. It’s well produced and efficiently occasionally folky, punk would be , constructed but all so sullenly passionless, but they’re actually closer to Sham 69 or The simply churning and churning laboriously like Angelic Upstarts when they’re cranking it a tired one-armed man stirring a thick out, shouting slogans and coming up with song tasteless broth, too often devoid of energy. THE COURTYARD STUDIO titles like ‘Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Tory’ Which is frustrating, since along the way there (you can’t argue with the facts, kids). They’re are odd moments when you feel Bob has PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ at their best when they sling it out fast, something far better in him: at one point it all 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE shouty and simple, a rudimentary thrash, but promises to turn into long-lost 80s synth-pop MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB less so when they do their folky thing, as on band Dalek, I Love You. He needs to CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION the awkward, semi-acoustic ‘Take Me Away’, rediscover his playful side and ditch the OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI sounding like a bunch of drunken rugby overproduced bluster and grown-up tedium. FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI students trying to sing ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’. S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) And since we’d guess that drunken rugby students are exactly the sort of people Residential facilities included. Deadbeat Cavalier would consider to be the THE DEMO www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com enemy, perhaps they’d best stick to sounding PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS like Sham 69 in future. DUMPER ON 01235 845800 THE `O’ CRAIG BROWN We went to see another band called The O a Craig’s tells us he could do with a review from few years ago, in a rather altered state of us even if it’s a list of reasons why he should mind, we must admit, and they sounded really throw his recording equipment on a fire, along good so we bought their CD, only to come with a leftover gas canister and then toss back down to earth and realise they were a himself in. But, then why should we be denied right load of old shit without a lethal cocktail that pleasure? Okay, if Craig wants a list of of drugs running riot through out system. But reasons, then quoting Babyshambles as your this isn’t them. This ‘O’ is the solo work of chief inspiration is probably enough in itself 18-year-old Theo Bass, who tells us he’s only to secure a fiery fate. But then there’s the got a microphone, an acoustic guitar, a drum moaning and strumming and self-pity to kit and a recording desk that crashes when any consider too. Craig ain’t a happy bunny – track goes over two minutes. Unlikely to something to do with girls not loving him sound anything like Muse, then. Despite such enough – so he’s set off on a journey into limitations it’s reasonably engaging for a alcohol-induced self-destruction, which is couple of tracks, fidgety, glitchy and very neither as clever nor romantic as random pieces of noises crunched together impressionable indie kids might believe and and full of squiggles and thumps and a will only result in liver damage and facial pleasingly pots’n’pans drum sound that is puffiness, and is all a bit selfish when you fervently disorganised. Sadly Theo discovers consider the effect it’ll have on those around some semblance of cohesion three tracks in you who, despite your self-pitying world and starts sounding like every other vaguely outlook, do actually care. (Hey, stop smirking, ambient electro-glitch noodler, before sinking we’re trying to cheer Craig up, maybe stop completely into normality with a closing him jumping off that window ledge or sending acoustic ballad with vocals and everything. late night emails when he’s too pissed to know When will folks learn that simply not giving a better). Where were we? Ah yes, it’s not all shit and making music – or even non-music – bad - ‘Taxis’ in particular has hints of a decent is far preferable to the dull half-life of normal tune but Craig falls into the common trap of music that only spiritually dead marketing strumming too hard and getting a bit shouty analysts might listen to. when he gets emotional. The cover of Brand New’s ‘Degausser’ is okay – and definitely the best tune here – stripping the original back to SONIC BOB a simple acoustic ballad that maybe needs to Last time we reviewed Sonic Bob we thought get a decent meal inside it. Beyond that, it’s he was a bit of a mess but had some fun all navel-gazing, self-pity and too much cheap potential. Since then his homemade electro- vodka. Come on girls, this man needs your rock has come on some in technical terms but love. Bring a bottle. Either you or he is going we fear he’s left the idea of fun behind. ‘One to need it.

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