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[email protected] @NightshiftMag NightshiftMag nightshiftmag.co.uk Free every month NIGHTSHIFT Issue 274 May Oxford’s Music Magazine 2018

“If you are seeking, then Oxford is an inspirational place, conducive to contemplative thought”

Oxford’s hip hop collective on collaboration, philosophy & battle raps Also in this issue: Introducing WANDERING WIRES COMMON PEOPLE previewed plus All your Oxford music news, releases and reviews and seven pages of gig listings for May NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] Online: nightshiftmag.co.uk

summer. Soul, r’n’b and outfit Deadbeat Apostles, who release their debut , `Day of the Deadbeats’ this month, as well as playing Common People at the end of May, and reggae faves Zaia, join Ran Kan Kan; Audacity BAS JAN, BELLATRIX AND ALABASTER DEPLUME are among Live; Papa Nui; Heavy Dexters and the acts confirmed for this year’s Irregular Folks Summer Session. Flights of Helios at the inaugural The annual celebration of some of the best leftfield and experimental MSRY release a new EP in July. family festival in Florence Park on th music from around the world as well as locally, takes place over the `Safety First’ is released on the 6 Saturday 16th June. weekend of the 7th-8th July at The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD), July and is the follow-up to the Glofest is the first ticketed live situated at the top of South Park. band’s self-titled debut which was music event in the park and For the first time Irregular Folks are hosting their Summer Session over a Nightshift Demo of the Month follows the annual Flofest daytime two days with the Sunday a day of films and shorts in conjunction with last year. family festival in the park that day. The UPP. The local hardcore trio will play Flofest, which is free, has taken Saturday is music day, with Serafina Steer’s psychedelic electro-folk- the Uncommon Stage at Common place in Florence Park since 2013. pop outfit Bas Jan making their Oxford debut, as is cosmic wyrd-pop, People in South Park on Sunday Flofest runs from 11am-5pm with th , and soul experimenter and champion beatboxer Bellatrix. 27 May. They then support Carcer Glofest starting at 6.30pm and Manchester’s Alabaster dePlume has received widespread acclaim for City at the O2 Academy on the running til 10.30pm. Tickets for st his inventive approach to jazz. They are joined by former Stornoway 1 June before heading off on an Glofest are on sale now, priced multi-instrumentalist Jon Ouin, making his solo live debut, and Zahra eight-date co-headline tour of the £5, with under-12s going free. Tehrani’s experimental electronica and hip hop project Despicable Zee, UK with MTXS. Money raised will go back into with Alice Haughton, Sephine Llo and one more act to be announced Talking about the new EP MSRY local community projects as well completing the line-up. singer Kial Churcher said, “Safety as helping make Flofest more Additionally there will be oddball talks in the Odditorium, hosted by First is about being told that sustainable in future years. More David Bramwell, while absurdist comedy genius Paul Foot returns once no matter how much you love details at www.flofest.uk again to compère the show. something or how much it means Talking to Nightshift about this year’s event, which has been funded by to you that it’ll all be for nothing in LITTLE RED release their The Arts Council and the PRS Foundation Open Fund, organiser Vez the end. It’s the foreboding sound new album at the end of May. Hoper said, “I honestly keep pinching myself each day that it’s true – and, of hearing people dismiss you `Draw Blood’ will be out online wow, that patch is starting to hurt! Irregular Folks has always been about for wanting to be more than you at the end of May on All Will bringing a super high level of unique creativity to people at an affordable actually are and facing the face of Be Well Records and released in price so people can try out something new. Having this funding means failure with a smug grin, knowing physical form early June, available that we not only get to keep this event true to the values of creativity over you’ll come out better in the end from Truck Store and all online commercial gain, and improving it year on year, it’s also a big juicy piece despite what anyone thinks.” platforms. The Oxford/Reading of recognition from two exceptionally highly regarded organisations, The More info at facebook.com/ dark-folk trio headline The Jericho Arts Council and PRS Foundation.” MSRYBand Tavern on Friday 25th May with Irregular Folks’ Summer Sessions is open to over-16s. Tickets are on sale a full band show. Support comes now from Truck Store and Wegottickets.com. Earlybird tickets are £15; DEADBEAT APOSTLES AND from The Ed Lofstedt Assembly, advance tickets £20 and £30 on the door. Sunday’s cinema day is free to ZIA are the among latest acts to be Rosie Caldecott and Ephebe. Saturday ticketholders. Visit www.irregularfolks.co.uk for more details. added to the line-up of Glofest this Visit www.littleredband.co.uk. LITTLE BROTHER ELI GAZ COOMBES plays an acoustic release a new single at the end of show at Truck Store this month. Gaz the month. `Our Kind of Love’ plays the local indie record shop on is released online on the 18th th Cowley Road on Saturday 5 May May to coincide with the band’s at 6pm to launch his third solo album, appearance at The Great Escape `World’s Strongest Man’. The gig Festival in Brighton. It will be the is part of a series of instore shows band’s second single release of around the UK which precedes a full 2018, following on from `Tooth’ national tour as well as his set at Truck in January, which saw the band Festival in July. take a more electronic sound. Hear Priority tickets will be given to anyone it when it’s cooked and ready at pre-ordering the new album from soundcloud.com/littlebrothereli. Truck. Meanwhile, Coombes is streaming the KELLY LEE OWENS will second song from `World’s Strongest headline We Are Your Friends Man’, `Walk the Walk’ . More tour #3 in September. The Welsh dates at www.gazcoombes.com electronic music star, whose self- NEWS THE VERY BEST LIVE titled debut album was voted Bookshop Band; Jay Sunaway; Pitchfork’s Number 3 electronica Sinfonia Gaia; Owl Light Trio, and album of 2017 and was remixed Xogara. More names are set to be MUSIC ON YOUR DOORSTEP by Bjork and St Vincent, comes added along with late night DJs to the Bullingdon on Sunday and ceilidhs. As well as live music 2nd September as part of the there will be workshops, talks, MAY AUGUST annual fundraising event for the films, poetry, yoga and more. Sun 6 YOU WIN AGAIN – Fri 31 Michael Barry Fund, part of the The cycle-powered, volunteer-run CELEBRATING THE MUSIC Brain Tumour Charity, in memory festival encourages fans to arrive BEAUTIFUL – Tue 8 – Sat 12 OF THE BEE GEES of local musician and promoter by bike or public transport, with THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL Michael Barry who died in 2016. an emphasis on environmental THE ILLEGAL EAGLES Thu 17 In March local post-rock legends responsibility. Early bird tickets SEPTEMBER Youthmovies reformed for two are on sale now, priced £70 for BOOT LED ZEPPELIN Sun 20 shows in his memory, raising over adults, £35 for under-18s and ISLANDS IN THE STREAM Fri 7 Thu 24 £6000 from their Bullingdon gigs under-12s going free. Get yours at THE SHIRES BOOT LED ZEPPELIN CHAD VALLEY will headline this year’s If Not Now, When? FASTLOVE - A TRIBUTE TO Sat 8 Sun 20 May for the fund. tandemcollective.org. 9 TO 5 - THE MUSICAL Tue 29 – GEORGE MICHAEL Tickets for the September Festival. The 80s-inspired electro-pop outfit, helmed by Hugo Manuel, Sat 2 June show are on sale now from SEBASTIAN REYNOLDS top the bill at the second one-day mini-festival which takes place MONEY FOR NOTHING Fri 14 on Saturday 15th September across three rooms at East Oxford Wegotttickets.com. launches his `Mahajanaka’ EP ALEXANDRA BURKE Sat 15 this month. The local composer Community Centre and Fusion Arts off Cowley Road. JUNE PERHAPS CONTRAPTION are and promoter is releasing the Among the other acts confirmed for the DIY/indie event are: WHITNEY - QUEEN OF Tue 25 Despicable Zee; Night Flowers; Cousin Kula; Lucy Leave; Gender DAVID BYRNE – Thu 14 THE NIGHT among a host of acts confirmed for Thai-inspired EP to celebrate AMERICAN UTOPIA TOUR this year’s Tandem Festival. They the preview live performance Roles; Robert Sotelo; Cassels; No Violet, and Breakfast Muff. More THE SIMON AND Wed 26 join headliners Tantz at Home of Mahajanaka Dance Drama, acts are set to be announced over the summer. LES MUSICALS Sun 17 GARFUNKEL STORY Tickets for INN,W?, which is sponsored by Glasshouse Studios, are on Farm in Oxford over the weekend a project in conjunction with Tue 26 JOAN ARMATRADING Fri 28 nd th sale now, priced £20 (£15 for under-18s). More info at facebook.com/ TRAVIS - THE MAN WHO of the 22 -24 June. Other acts dance company Neon Dance IN CONCERT TRAVIS - THE MAN WHO IN CONCERT announced for the eco-friendly and choreographer Pichet ifnotnowhenoxford. SOME GUYS HAVE ALL Sun 30 Tue 26 Jun folk and world music event include Klunchun, fusing traditional THE LUCK - THE ROD STEWART STORY Peter & Kerry; Paddy Steer; Iyatra and contemporary Thai musical and music, telling the story UPCYCLED SOUNDS launch JULY Quartet; Bamako Overground; traditions with Western dance of Mahajanaka, from Jakatan their new with a THE CARPENTERS STORY Thu 5 mythology. The EP features music show at Truck Store this month. based around sampled loops of The production and recording ABBA MANIA Sat 7 performances by the Thai pop band team present an evening of SUN RECORDS - THE CONCERT Sat 14 Krajidrid Band. live music from some of the Seb plays a show at Modern local artists on their roster as Art Oxford on Wednesday 16th well as a label mixtape to take May, performing music from the home. The instore takes place EP, alongside sets from guitarist from 6-8pm on Thursday 10th Marcus Corbett and table maestro May. The label aims to be a Nitin Gaikwad, playing Brit-folk/ musician-led collective. Among Indian classical fusion, and Irish artists from around the UK and harpist, singer and electronics beyond are Oxford acts Bambino experimentalist Brona McVittie, Dell’oro; Limpet Space Race; playing songs from her `Under the Matt Chanarin; Rosie Caldecott Pines’ album alongside guitarist and Okino. Find out more at Miles Cochran. Find out more at upcycledsounds.eu sebastianreynolds.co.uk. AS EVER, don’t forget to tune THE FARM headline the Witney into BBC Oxford Introducing Music Festival in August. The every Saturday night between Liverpudlian indie veterans will 8-9pm on 95.2fm. The dedicated top the bill at the annual free gig local music show plays the best on the Leys on Saturday 18th Oxford releases and demos as August. The night before Noasis well as featuring interviews and will head up a bill of tribute bands sessions with local acts. The on The Leys. show is available to stream or Witney Music Festival celebrates its download as a podcast at THU 24 MAY twelfth anniversary this year. The bbc.co.uk/oxford. community-based festival, founded in memory of Jo Marie Foster, will OXFORD GIGBOT provides a host a variety of events across the regular local gig listing update spring and summer in the build-up on Twitter (@oxgigbot), bringing to the main festival in August, with you new gigs as soon as they two weeks of gigs and events in go live. They also provide a Witney’s pubs and clubs from 25th free weekly listings email. Just * * May to 9th June including a show contact [email protected] ATGTICKETS.COM/Oxford | BOX OFFICE 0844 871 3020 by Dr & the Medics. to join. *Fees apply. Calls cost up to 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

137125 Nightshift Mag FP May.indd 1 10/04/2018 15:03 A Quiet Word With shows in Oxford and beyond, notably We basically did it because we could Elliot Fresh: “Kind of what Tang group long enough now that we can their highly successful Clapham and we ran with it. Huge amounts said really; people just need to get all sync up quite nicely and latch on residency, their sets featuring various of driving and bonding and building their business straight. I ran a jam to one another’s creative streams. levels of collaboration alongside and growing together and performing session night at the Cellar called Phat Everyone knows their strengths.” Inner Peace Records individual sets. music for the love of it, as one thing. Sessions a few years back. Due to Terao: “The album is currently in some of us as solo artists; it was a “It’s just about reading the crowd I think it showed us that there is an planning and realistic budgeting, the the arrangement stage. The recording natural progression for us to solidify and creating a vibe that everyone can unoccupied space and demand for a night took off and although money was swift; we definitely caught the ourselves under the banner of Inner enjoy,” says Tiece; “cos we want to movement like ours and people across appeared to be lost in the beginning vibe. Arrangement is proving more Peace, particularly as we shared a enjoy what we put out as much as the continent want to be involved in it came back as the night got more technical, there have been setbacks common outlook. When I started people enjoy hearing it.” it.” and more popular and we eventually but we are still on point and doing our making music with Tiece, it inspired Rawz: “When we do gigs and hold turned a consistent profit.” thing. The tracks are fire and it’s going me to focus more on my music which cyphers in Oxford it’s always a Despite the success of Rawz: “We want to start doing to be live at Common People!” was about the same time that Inner great atmosphere and the first year those tours, and the fun they had, more stuff in Oxford and are talking Peace was emerging as an entity.” at Common People was one of Inner Peace took 2017 off as far as to a few venues at the moment so Inner Peace played Other members of the Inner Peace my favourite gigs. Stane Street in touring went; is it hard for them to hopefully that’ll change soon.” Nightshift’s Uncommon Stage at the records collective include experienced Clapham is always a good night too. find a balance between getting out to first Common People in 2016 and battle rapper Ogmios, whose skills It’s always been a good vibe wherever do live shows and being able to write, Inner Peace’s style of they’re back again this year; what have seen him performing in the US; we’ve played to be honest.” record and release material? hip hop tends to be thoughtful and can newcomers expect, and given veteran local rapper Elliot Fresh, King Boyden: “As Tang mentioned, Tang: “Yes, in a nutshell. I felt that philosophical, with no room for their numbers and variety, how do the who previously ran the Phat Sessions our ability to respond to a crowd organising another tour wasn’t worth braggadocio; Rawz and Tang both group go about structuring a live set? hip hop night at The Cellar, and film and be versatile has helped us its yield relative to where we were. released recently that dealt Tang: “If all goes to plan you may maker and photographer Third Lense cater for different gigs in different We had two years of stretching our with a life journey, taking in spiritual be witnessing the first live rendition Motion, who controls the group’s environments, from The Ashmolean wings and I felt like we needed themes, wisdom etc; do they influence of the forthcoming album, plus a few visual side, from videos and live to stages hidden in the Italian Alps. an infrastructure period to create, each other, and what similarities favourites from individual artists.” projections to record sleeves. The Clapham residency is something promote and release music. We’ll tour and differences do they see between King Boyden: “When writing for we have built over time and I often again once we’ve put the building themselves? the album, we have had its live Currently Rawz, Reejai, hear people make the same comments blocks in their places.” Tang: “We all influence each other as performance in mind, and having Terao and King Boyden are Oxford about how we have a good thing Tiece: “It was good to have an artists. You can hear fragments of each many artists feature on each track we based; Tang, Tiece, Palmer Eldritch, going there, how there should be opportunity to focus solely on writing other’s essences scattered throughout think it will maintain a strong energy Ogmios and Fresh are in , more hip hop nights like this and how and creating. I think it’s easy to forget one artist’s music. Myself and Rawz on stage.” with Shaman currently in LA. “We it’s really great to come out to see that sometimes you need time to take hadn’t listened to each others albums Rawz: “When we’re putting a set talk pretty much every day over the enthusiastic live performances, in a note of what’s happening and arrange before they were released, though. It together it first depends on who is internet and meet up regularly too,” laid back atmosphere, for free, while it in a way that makes musical sense.” doesn’t feel coincidental nonetheless; able to be there; then we think about says Rawz; “we work on music and also having the chance to join in with I think we are all expressing our own what the vibe will be; is it hype, is it organise stuff, and we can always give the open mic.” Given that hip hop is the interpretation of something similar.” chilled? We’re all pretty versatile and each other places to kip after shows most popular musical genre in the Rawz: “It’s weird because we were adaptable, so we can work something and quite a few of us are back and Inner Peace’s live world, and there have always been talking about the same things before out for most settings. I think that’s Inner Peace, partial collective, clockwise from far left: Tiece; Elliot forth regularly between Oxford and activities have also taken them on two artists making quality hip hop in we even knew each other. That shown by the fact that we’ve played European tours, in 2015 and 16. Oxford, and good local hip hop club happens a lot with Inner Peace: we gigs in both museums and graffiti Fresh; Rawz; Terao; Ogmios; Tang the Pilgrim; Reejai. London for various reasons, so I feel it works quite well. It feels like we’ve Tang: “Both tours were a pilgrimage nights here, it remains sidelined on seem to approach the same things festivals. For Common People expect “We’ve been on some rights. Many of the members were perform and build.” become more of a band than a label as to and from Mandrea Music festival the local live scene, a steady flow of from slightly different angles and I the squad in full effect, we don’t bring adventures together,” says producer friends from school, while others such, like we’ve become less separate in , passing by Amsterdam on big name acts visiting town failing think the more we work together, the the gong for just any show!” King Boyden, explaining the have gravitated towards the collective Rapper and poet, and in the ways we create stuff.” the way back. In 2016 we added to translate into regular gigs by local more we influence each other.” philosophy and friendship that or simply met through working and previous Nightshift cover star Rawz Copenhagen’s Meeting of Styles artists. Fellow local rapper Chima Anya Diverse in their talents binds Inner Peace Records together. performing on the local hip hop scene. got involved after seeing the first Given their numbers, and festival en route to Italy. The tours Tang: “Hip hop artists and collectives released a new album, `People and styles, Inner Peace records are “We’ve shared good times and The roots of the collective began ever Inner Peace Facebook post. “I geography, getting all of Inner Peace were a great experience, more than I’ve found to be generally poorly Forget’, last month that runs along a nonetheless a tightly-knit collective faced adversity; this has brought us when beatmaker, MC and lyricist looked into what the label was about together requires almost military anything to build bonds and cohesion organised and I think that is expressed similarly philosophical path; do the of friends, a collective whose ethos together and that is something that Terao met rapper King Khan I wanted to help it grow; even more planning, but ahead of their Common throughout the crew.” in the lack of strong, consistent live pair think there is something about of the greater good is reaping ever shows through the energy of our Shamanic (Shaman for short) at a so when I learned it was people that People show, Nightshift talked to Tiece: “Those tours were an events. It’s an underground scene Oxford hip hop that is predisposed to greater dividends, but if it came down performances. We’ve developed a job interview; he had a show lined I knew. I went to the first night at Fat the group, and asked them what the important learning experience, not just as well and requires a grassroots deeper thinking and philosophising? to it and they were forced into a full particular dynamic, comprised of the up supporting GZA at O2 Academy Lil’s in Witney. A month later I was benefits and pitfalls of working as a for the label but also for us as artists. movement to keep it alive. Personally Tang: “I came to Oxford to study on freestylerap battle against each individual talents of our artists. This and told him to pass through. He performing at the second ever gig, democratic collective are. There were ups and downs but overall I feel like the opportunities are there Philosophy and it was during that other, who would come out top dog? gives us a streamlined workflow with subsequently introduced him to his at The Cellar, and it was fluid from Rawz: “It can make decision making they were some of the best trips of my to be seized. Organising a night is a time that Inner Peace Records Ogmios: “I would probably win its own creative style.” brother Luca Styles – AKA EarthONE there; I joined up with the crew for the a bit slow but I think we’re all aware life! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed big task but when it’s done properly was established. I feel that if you given my years of experience honing – and the trio released the `UPC’ last leg of the 2015 tour in Amsterdam of that and no one wants to hold so much!” it pays off as we’ve learned from are seeking, then Oxford is an my pit craft and war strategies. My “The longer we work (Universal Protection Collective) and it felt like we were family.” the process back. Most of us have Terao: “Those tours solidified the running our nights in Clapham.” inspirational place, conducive to biggest threat would be Tang as he together the faster production has album together in 2014. Singer Tiece, whose debut EP an input in most things and we can family. We drove stupid far! Taking King Boyden: “I’ve been primarily contemplative thought.” is the most advanced in the realm of become,” adds singer Tiece, who was `WMN’ on the label last year earned usually reach an agreement. I think over Hill Street Blues in Amsterdam responsible for setting up and running Terao: “There’s some great minds martial arts and I fear those skills may introduced by Boyden to the Oxford/ Meanwhile Tang the her a rave review in Nightshift, we’re all aware of our egos enough to 2015 was crazy but every place we our residency night in Clapham and making music in Oxford, such as the be transferable to battle rap.” London-based collective who have Pilgrim was working on his first LP her smoky, soulful voice drawing yield to the sway of the collective.” played was on point.” gigs around the UK and Europe. I Flooded Hallways dudes who are very Terao: “Og is king, no doubt, but become a leading force for local hip ‘Wandara’. “There seemed to be comparisons to Etta James, Irma Terao: “People feel free to voice Rawz: “Back in 2015 I had recently think there are a number of things that deep. We have a mad balance here of Fresh might pull an off-the-cuff hop over the past three years, and who something shared at the core of the Thomas and Martina Topley Bird, themselves and we are all cool enough played at The Cellar with Inner create a barrier for hip hop groups easy going and grit, rich and poor etc. humiliator; it’s hard to win against the will cement their growing reputation music we were creating,” he recalls; joined after being introduced by King to consider the feedback.” Peace for the first time. I flew out to or labels and promoters. It can be which gives people access to many guy that don’t give a fuck!” with a set at Common People Festival “I don’t like trying to put it into Boyden, the producer known for Ogmios: “It is an ongoing effort to Amsterdam and met up with the crew hard to convince venues to support things but also makes you grateful.” Rawz: “Palmer Eldritch would give in South Park at the end of May. “It’s words but I feel it’s evident in the his traditional boom bap style and refine the balance of keeping a general as they were on the way back from you, whether that is because they As well as individual artist releases, Og a run for his money but he only nice to have a team of artists you undercurrent of the music. Shaman dedication to classic analogue sounds consensus while still making decisions Mandrea; I can remember arriving have preconceptions of how the night the collective have a full Inner Peace ever battles in binary code. Fresh can collaborate with and ask for their and I got to work soon after on ‘The and vintage drum machines. “It was and moving things forward. We are at the camp and Terao standing at will go and things like anti social Records album planned for release is aight and Reejai and Terao can creative advice, so we’ve only changed Shamanic Pilgrimage’ and the ball his beats that got me back into singing not bad at it. The crew is comprised of the top of the road waving the Inner behaviour, or whether they don’t this year; how do they plan such an freestyle for days but not really on the in that it’s more like family than ever.” was pretty much rolling from there. after I took a long break from music,” very nice and understanding humans, Peace flag tied to a huge branch! That believe the market is really there. extensive collaboration? There must battling side. So yeah Ogmios is the “Later he introduced me to she says; “I really enjoyed the way we so that helps a lot.” was an image that has stuck with me Venues should be more willing to give be compromises along the way? Champ.” Inner Peace Records’ (beatmaker and producer) Palmer all worked together and vibed off each ever since. We played a six hour set people a chance to prove they can Tang: “We all meet up, normally Elliot Fresh: “100 percent me!” origins and history can be difficult Eldritch. The common thread is that other’s frequencies.” Since coalescing, Inner that night with absolutely no plan and put on a good show. We consistently spend a weekend together and to unravel at times, with twelve core all are bless and wise musicians on the “Many of us grew up in similar Peace have released a host of records, went down a storm. It felt so natural see a great response to our shows but write to a selection of beats from Inner Peace Records play the members, featuring MCs, producers, same level, who love hip hop and who circles and have know each other including Rawz’ `The Path’ in 2016 and I don’t think any of us really ever it requires effort; you can’t expect the producers. There is a lot of Uncommon Stage at Common singers, beatmakers and visual artists are always creating and working. We for some time,” adds King Boyden: and King Shamanic & Tang The even doubted that it would be great. people to just turn up; you have to compromise but mainly around the People on Saturday 26th May. Find formed into a tight-knit team who are close compadres and Inner Peace “some of us were making music Pilgrim’s`The Shamanic Pilgrimage’ 2016 was an epic journey and one put on a good show and graft when it practicalities of getting the project out more at www.facebook.com/ also exist as artists in their own Records is somewhere we can release, within our interlinked networks, last year. They have also hosted live that I’m so glad that I was a part of. comes to promotion. done. We have been writing as a innerpeacerecords Sponsored by their previous existence as Roberto y Amigos and new single ‘Heartbeat in My Hand’ is a beautiful, OLD ERNIE swirling piece of cinematic pop, recalling the ‘Imagined Memory’ / otherworldly enchantment of Kate Bush or Bat for Lashes. Central to this is Robin’s sister Cat ‘Black Cotton Wool’ RELEASED – it’s her vocal performance that impresses – soaring over plaintive piano, aching synths and (Self released) Two full length albums here from Old Ernie, but GAZ COOMBES LUCY LEAVE perfectly judged guitar, the whole atmosphere one that squeezes seventeen tracks into its forty of which mirrors the paisley patterns and 60s minutes, while the other spreads itself across just ‘World’s Strongest Man’ ‘Look//Listen’ aesthetic visible in the band’s look. There’s also six. There’s some common ground between the a smidgeon of a hint of vocal fry to the delivery (Caroline International) (Self-released) two, and you can just about tell it’s the same band To track Gaz Coombes’ life through his songs There’s a fine line between weird and wacky. which, accompanied by the tendency of the music some of the time but taking both together gives really is to enter an ages-of-man journey. Early It’s a line that pogoed back and to veer towards less conventional territory, makes you an idea of the restlessness of the band, fronted Supergrass songs like `Caught By the Fuzz’, forth across and it’s one that Young Knives for an absorbing whole. A temptation to take too by David Kahl, alongside partner Gemma Kahl `Strange Ones’ and `Sitting Up Straight’ capture certainly flirted with. One step too far and you much on, be overly eclectic and to over egg the (who leads their alter-ego band Brown Glove) and youthful wonder and mischief, while `Road to risk becoming a novelty act. On their debut pudding are not accusations that carry water here. the desire to never quite fit into any genre specific Rouen’ was more considered, less obviously album `Look//Listen’, Lucy Leave pitch their Lyrically, ‘Heartbeat in My Hand’ tackles those hole. exuberant. tent proudly in the weird and wonderful camp, contrasting but related bedfellows, Love and `Imagined Memory’ is mostly instrumental: Gaz’s songs have become ever more personal giving us Oxford’s answer to Minutemen’s 80s CATGOD Death – the importance of being able to clutch on vocals tend to be buried deep in the mix, either with his solo career and `World’s Strongest Man’ classic `Double Nickels on the Dime’. ‘Heartbeat in My Hand’ to one’s lover for dear life as family members pass chanted with almost hysterical verve or screamed is almost autumn-of-life in its self-analysis, The similarities to the Minutemen aren’t just on is an aching sentiment delivered to perfection. and distorted in death metal fashion. The music is dealing as it does with fatherhood, breakdowns superficial; Lucy Leave are a three-headed (Self released) Catgod evoke the mystery of the ancient variously brutish, industrial, ambient and abstract. and death. Now aged 42, Gaz doesn’t sound like songwriting machine so `Look//Listen’ is a Catgod’s previous output has veered towards the Egyptians who used to worship the animal in Too abstract at times and you wonder if David he’s having a full-on mid-life crisis so much as bite and seems to dissipate into the ether even bountiful eighteen track trip through their experimental and guitarist Robin Christensen- question to a level that even Nightshift cannot wouldn’t have done better to ditch four or five of sitting down to work out where he is and what it as its being sung, while `Oxygen Mask’ sounds, wonky musical world. Anyone who has seen Marriot has always shown a keenness to explore quite match – mystery, magic and sorcery abound the numbers that fill up the back end of the album. all means. partially successfully, it must be said, like it’s these guys live knows to expect a few left the wider parameters of sound, refusing to be and singling this track out for special release At its best though it’s an immersive, atmospheric Musically `World’s Strongest Man’ follows trying to sneak its way onto a recent Radiohead turns, and on `Look//Listen’ we’re treated to pigeon-holed and yet producing a fair few good distinct from the rest of their output is a daring but collage of future factory clang, grind and closely in the footsteps of 2015’s roundly album. But like `Matador’ this is an album the complete gamut of their ever-switching tunes to boot. It’s been an alluring combination well-judged move. squelch, synthetic scree, uptight metallic funk, acclaimed `Matador’, all softly bubbling synth- that manages to marry maturity with musical styles. The band like to describe themselves over the band’s short history, following on from Rob Langham slacker electro-rock, doomcore and mechanical pop, rhythmic , Bowie-ish rock’n’soul invention. `Walk the Walk’, for , sounds as ‘jazz ’ and while they never actually menace that hits a peak with the monstrous and elegantly downbeat balladry, everything like a bizarre but pleasing mash-up of Can’s `You quite arrive at either this is a handy indicator of Oxford Punt and flooded the Wheatsheaf with sci-fi/horror soundtrack of `Visions Fall’, all intricately and busily arranged, while always Doo Right’ and Salt’n’Pepa’s `Whatta Man’. their sound – noisy, tempestuous, freewheeling. so much smoke the alarms went off, allowing industrial doom and dissonance that coheres into deferring to the tune in hand. Stand-outs are the The album, though, ends on a downbeat note, There’s nary a verse-chorus-verse in these 45 punters probably their only ever view of the something resembling `Venus in Furs’ covered languorously trippy `Shit (I’ve Done It Again)’; `Weird Dreams’ a somnambulating drift down minutes. Bizarre a cappella tracks give way venue’s windows (even we never knew the place by witch-house crew Salem, while `You Need’ is the epic, Moroder-meets-Can pulse of darkened corridors to a shifting mosaic of to driving krautpunk before veering off into had them). a pummelling dirge that skirts close to Godflesh lead single `Deep Pockets’ and the wonderfully electronic sounds and rhythms; “Hang onto the stranger terrain, all powered by Deerhoof- While Nightshift isn’t one to adhere to the idea territory. woozy `The Oaks’ with its tumbling toms dark / Don’t wake me yet / I think I’m still in a levels of joyful exuberance and a willingness of guilty pleasures (never feel guilty about the `Black Cotton Wool’ is a more coherent selection and lysergic atmosphere soundtracking Gaz’s dream,” croons Gaz softly, sounding like a man to confound. music you love, even if it’s Sam Smith or Gary of tracks with the ideas more fully realised reflections on his mother’s death. It’s the most who’s still half asleep and clinging to the hope all That’s all very well and good, but at the heart Barlow, though perhaps sit and ponder your life or expended on, from creeping psychedelia, personal moment on a highly personal album. the shit stuff didn’t really happen. Musically at of Lucy Leave is a band with a strong sense choices awhile), there’s a hefty cheese count in malevolent grunge churn, Sabbath riffing and a There are lapses along the way: `Slow Motion least, his strength hasn’t left him yet. of melody, mood, and a way with a vocal this selection, from Kenny Loggins’ `Footloose’, stoner vibe at times. Opener `Lynchpin’ sounds Way’ is a tender piano ballad but lacks emotional Dale Kattack earworm. This results in occasional tender, through `Born to Be Wild’ and onto Blondie’s like Butthole Surfers at their most Sabbath- emotional moments such as the bass and guitar `Atomic’. worshipping metal, while best of the six pieces interplay in ‘Prints’ and the synth-laden ‘Hang with broad horizons, and a good selection `Staying Alive’ only gets the lightest of a techno is the slow-build oncoming storm that is `Eyes Out With Now’, which features the immortal of synthesizers. polishing, but it was halfway there anyway, and Like Flint’, starting with atmospheric drones that Olivia Williams’ vocals and the rhythm section line “There’s nothing in this world that I here lacks the Bee Gee’s trademark falsettos, build through Melvins-heavy riffage to Bauhaus- firmly ground the band in the traditional hate more than the people you hang out with while `Atomic’ was proto techno anyway and style gothic art-rock, taking in the best post-metal scene, with staccato rhythmic jumps and slinky now.” They even end the album with a wry, is missing Debbie Harry’s gloriously soaring noise and even a hint of the brilliant Wreckmeister vocal melodies. If Wandering Wires paired back bittersweet piano ballad. AUDACITY LIVE voice, but Eurythmics’ steely synth stomp, `Sweet Harmonies along the way. their ideas they’d have no trouble making a good There’s something satisfying about Lucy Dreams’, gets a euphoric trance makeover for its What both albums share is a darkness and a run round the club circuit. However, there is so Leave – a charming, breezy quality that makes ‘The Guilty Pleasures EP’ extended solo and fares better, and the take on relentless quest to kick any semblance of comfort much more here that elevates their second album `Look//Listen’ a real joy to listen to, even when (Self released) `Footloose’ is fun enough (though the song was from beneath your feet before you get the chance they’re trying to cram all manner of weird to grab hold of it. If they sometimes overstretch or `Homecoming’ to a genre-fluid treat. Over the past few years Audacity has been hosting dreadful enough first time round that any remake things in your ears. They’re already one of the fall just short, on both albums Old Ernie mostly Opening track ‘Recife’ starts out with arpeggiation old-school club nights at East Oxford Community could only be an improvement). best live bands in Oxford, and now they’re one get the mood just right and the band should serve and keys that evoke thoughts of Cinematic Centre, keeping the flame of 90s free raves alive Ultimately, like any kind of tribute act, this of the best on record. To borrow a phrase from as a demonic shadow lurking in the peripheral Orchestra but it quickly moves into a slinky, and featuring among the DJ sets a live set of is something best experienced live where the another group of merry pranksters, slanted and vision of any rock band out there hoping to take relaxing groove with floating lyrics enticing you raved-up covers of classic 70s and 80s tunes band play off the communal atmosphere, where enchanted. the easy route. to sea, all finished off with blustering synth and under the name Audacity Live, turning them into inhibitions and the concept of cool get trampled Tom McKibbin Dale Kattack sax solos. ‘Waiting For Your Love’ could easily techno party bangers. into the dirt, where you can check your guilt in at be reworked into a chart-friendly pop hit, whereas At the heart of al this is Alan Brown, whose the door and just dance. ‘Stolen’ and ‘Now I Know’ stray towards what previous live act, Letfouterjoin, once played the Sue Foreman WANDERING WIRES you might call lounge, but without a whiff of ‘Homecoming’ the red-carpet-covered horror of Murph and his song in hand to fend for itself. Magictones. BEAVER FUEL Such a rudimentary approach is endearing in a (Self released) Throughout ‘Homecoming’ it’s constantly way but it does detract from Leigh Alexander’s There is a long tradition of jazz cross-pollinating surprising how many diverse ideas Wandering ‘Pulling Rank’ lyrics, which have always been the core of with other genres, and for the last decade the Wires can hang on to what are – at their core – (Self released) Beaver Fuel’s music, at his best while dissecting focus of intermingling has been with electronica pretty straight jazz tunes. There are soaring strings, In the true spirit of and 80s DIY indie, Christianity on `Dogma Is For Life, Not Just For and dance. Bands like Portico Quartet and GoGo video game synth leads and soulful horns, while Beaver Fuel wear their tunelessness as a badge Christmas’, which would benefit from a more Penguin have brought jazz influences to the Rough ‘Worlds Apart’ rests on a beat that that with little of honour with TV Personalities and The Pastels stripped-back sound, something like Jeffrey Trade crowd for the last decade or so, both earning effort could underpin a drum&bass track. All of seemingly the touchstones by which they measure Lewis. The again, when he’s singing “I want to Mercury nominations in the process. The sound which could be a scattershot mess, but the reality their high fidelity standards. Everything here is a take a shit in your shoes / Fill your footwear up that has solidified in this area often tends closer to is quite the opposite, every left-turn or unexpected fluster and hurry of chugging fuzz-pop, tumbling with number twos” with appropriate childish minimal dance with a double bass and live drums, segue feels natural, feels like there was no other beats and almost spoken words, with both guitar cheer, maybe a hefty layer of distortion is the but what young local act Wandering Wires do is a more obvious option. and bass taking the occasional opportunity to go decent thing. fascinating reflection on that attitude. They are a Matt Chapman Jones outside for a wander or a cigarette, leaving the Dale Kattack Sponsored by lineage as the south London scene that has ‘Got a Lot To Give’ might not be as fluid as JACK GOLDSTEIN spawned Fat White Family and Shame and while more laidback MCs but it’s bang on point as he ‘A Tiger Shark Might it will be interesting to see if Haze can match ponders some kind of midlife crisis over a looped RELEASED the former for sheer energetic excitement, on the Middle-Eastern vocal sample. He’s at his most Eat a Bull Shark, A evidence of this track alone, they’ve arguably political on ‘Save Our Culture’, inspired by the THE DEADBEAT already achieved more on record than the latter, threatened closure of The Cellar and Fabric in APOSTLES Bull Shark Might Eat a authors of a no more than promising album that London, the more electronic backing suiting his bears as much liking to their live show as a lighter style better than the rock guitar riffs of ‘Get Out’. ‘The Day Of The Blacktip Shark...’ held aloft does to a roaring fire. The latter finds him taking a more languid and (Attracted) Like Shame, Haze attempt to skewer lad culture brooding vocal path which sounds less natural or Deadbeats’ There’s a stark contrast between Fixers’ high-end but do not come across as protesting too much authoritative, and the EP’s high point comes with ‘I (Self released) psychedelic gloss-pop and singer Jack Goldstein’s that the listener becomes suspicious that they may Don’t Care’, with Tiger Mendoza’s nasty electronic edge the perfect musical partner for Half Decent’s From a six piece band you could describe as solo pots’n’pans production, but what they share have a history as ardent misogynists. Instead, it’s machine-like rhymes. ‘You Have the Power’ is a seasoned and gnarly, you’d expect the debut is a dedication to unruly head music, the aim to an effective critique, and this single is cast from full-on, chest-thumping old-school party banger, album by The Deadbeat Apostles to be a send you off on a trip. the finest post-punk traditions: a staccato assault which is pure 90s, right down to the heavy rock straightforward, evangelical, hoe-down blues This latest solo set – whose full title we won’t of sharp guitars, punctuated by laconic but lusty riffing, and while his production is far too neatly romp: the kind of shit-kicking rowdiness they are even bother repeating, lest we eat our entire word vocal delivery. produced to qualify as lo-fi, Half Decent’s hip hop adroit at regularly starting across the county. But count up – is characteristically wayward and If Haze like a game of arrows and a pint of light HAZE has its roots in a time when rap’s message was laid out in the round, their party pieces, given unpredictable, imaginatively crazy, not to mention ale, then that’s proof that is alive and more important than its studio techniques. the chance to show their heritage and breadth, kitsch to the point you occasionally wonder if well and more interesting than we ever thought it ‘Ladz, Ladz, Ladz’ Dale Kattack take on a higher level of musical wisdom and Jack’s simply testing your resolve. could be again. reverence. Keith Richards fall out of his coconut tree with His accompanying letter mentions listening to (Permanent Creeps) Rob Langham The Punchbowl in Woodstock played host to a This is largely due to being individually fronted excitement, notably in ‘Back Lane Blues’, and Tom Robinson and Suzie Quatro’s 1980s output, band called The Haze back in November 1993, by two very special singers: Mike Ginger, whose the eye opening ‘Dutch Rudder’ (a hearty paean and there’s definitely a bit of post-glam stomp an event commemorated in the following month’s rampant gusto can swing from a raucous Roger to being aided with your own onanism). They about tracks like ‘Mariah Minidisc’ and `Self HALF DECENT edition of Curfew, the magazine describing the Daltrey on first track ‘Awkward Age’, all the are equally at home with spiritual Americana and Deprecation Rock’, but across twelve tracks we performers as ‘a good, crowd pleasing pub rock ‘Something For the way over to an urbane cowboy Mick Hucknell the deep South, with the O Brother, Where Art get a sometimes disorientating journey from the band’. Now, a quarter of a century of later, an on ‘Can’t Stop The Rain’ and ‘Man Who Sold Thou? chug-a-lug of ‘Shall Not Repent’ showing blues to something approaching anti-folk, via The act of the same name, all of whose members will Fearless’ His Soul’, and Michelle Mayes, a real soulful huge rhythmic depth, alongside the slow hand Beach Boys’ surf pop and Todd Rundgren. almost certainly not been born at the time, have belter in the mould of who totally National guitar twang of ‘Bigger Man’ . Album opener ‘My Second Life’ is spaced- (Quickfix) stepped in to grab hold of the flame. Happily, they commands her tracks `Stand Up’ and ‘Gonna Be So if you’re one of the breathless crowd, out sepia-tinted psychedelia that’s part full-on ‘Something For the Fearless’ is Half Decent’s don’t so much do this as carry out a spectacular th Different’. Better still, when their alchemy is palpitating dangerously at the end of one of The head trip and lost 1970s kids TV theme tune 11 release, a testament to his staying power and pyrotechnic display replete with fire eating, corralled into a duet on the heavenly country of Deadbeat Apostles’ gigs, wondering if buying and ends with the sound of someone vomiting professional attitude. These seven tracks feature arson and flame throwing to boot. Unimaginably ‘Lonesome’, their combined qualities ooze out the album would match and extend the evening’s copiously into a toilet bowl. From here we get the West Oxfordshire rapper’s trademark tropes: youthful, Haze are here and in your face. of a real peach of a song. joy in your front room: it does, and a whole lot ‘Future Days’, which might be The Flaming Lips his militant, machine gun delivery and a tendency With the band fresh from an incendiary support The band’s solid music ranges wildly too, with more besides. reincarnated as a haggard Mid-West bar band; to soulful backing vocals and some cheesy soft to Phobophobes at The Cellar last month ‘Ladz, a clutch of rocking intro riffs that would make Paul Carrera ‘Early Morning Birds’, with its keening vocals rock sampling. His rapping is at its best when he and horrible guitar scrape that makes Daniel Ladz, Ladz’ emerges from the same musical goes at it full pelt: the staccato rant of EP opener Johnston sound like U2, and the jarring ‘B-Love’ FLATLANDS Boys’, a feeling that this is what’s left on the with its raw Dictators-style proto-punk, all bluesy factory floor after everyone else has had their guitar licks and big organ sound. ‘At The Time It Made pick of decent tunes or attitude: a flavourless There are weird little interludes, like ‘Total slurry that can be scooped up, covered in Devastation & Heartbreak Emoji’, that seem left Perfect Sense’ breadcrumbs and sold as musical chicken in the mix to point you in the wrong direction, nuggets. but immediately followed by the softer, country- (Self released) Guitar music isn’t dead, but some of the We’ve been told that guitar music is dead on and tinged rock of ‘It Might Be My Fault Again’, that family have taken to their beds and are looking edges towards Townes van Zandt. At least up off since at least the early 90s and new waves decidedly peaky. of bands have proved the theory wrong to a to the point it flips its lid and burrows into The Ian Chesterton greater or lesser degree. But sometimes you sit Killers’ ‘Human’ like a goblin Butthole Surfers. SATURDAY 26TH MAY SUNDAY 27TH MAY and listen to something and wonder whether the Because anything else would be almost normal. classic vocals/guitars/bass/drums line-up should And in Jack Goldstein’s musical world, normal is a dirty word. . maybe be put permanently out to pasture since LEE CHRISTIAN So take the trip, ladies and gentlemen, but buckle THE JACKSONS JAMES RIDE its productivity has sunk beneath viable levels. SPECIAL . It’s unfair to lay the failings of an entire style of ‘M0n£y’ up tight, leave your expectations at the door and THE NEW POWER GUESTS SPARKS MAXIMO PARK music at the feet of a humble unsigned band such (Quickfix) don’t expect to find the finish line where it should be, or via any route your Satnav would take you. CRAIG CHARLES DJ YODA as Flatlands, but this EP typifies much of what At the recent Nightshift Day which took place at GENERATION Unless of course your Satnav is controlled by Hal PRINCE’S LEGENDARY BAND is so tired about guitar music, where proficiency Brookes University, discussion arose of an alleged HONEYBLOOD ROSS FROM FRIENDS DJ 9000. trumps spark, spirit and invention. reluctance among rappers to get involved in the MORCHEEBA ASWAD BONEY M. LONDON AFRICAN GOSPEL CHOIR PRES. Dale Kattack The EP’s opening gambit `Philly’ is fulsome local music scene and to play live in particular. JUNGLE BROTHERS FRED V & GRAFIX & MORE PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND & MORE and almost heroic with its post-grunge-meets- Nonetheless, Andy Hill from Death of Hi Fi spoke shoegaze crunch and spangle but it never takes eloquently of the richness of Oxfordshire hip PLUS ACROSS THE WEEKEND! off from its initial promise, the passionless hop and this new single from local veteran Lee BRAND NEW KIDS GARDEN & BIG ATTRACTIONS INTRODUCING vocals make the whole thing feel flat and it Christian makes good use of the talents of another does what every rock song does when it’s run long standing MC, Half Decent. THE WORLD’S LARGEST DISCO BALL OVER 50 LOCAL out of ideas – heads off on an extended guitar An instantly catchy signal for forthcoming album THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOUNCY CASTLE & WORLD GINS solo that satisfies no-one beyond the guitarist’s ‘Vocation’, Christian’s fifth in six years, ‘M0N£Y’ GORILLA CIRCUS DISCO SHED GIANT SANDPIT TALKS, TASTINGS self indulgence. `Friday Night’ is more buoyant is a neat skewering of our tendency to become JUNKYARD GOLF BIGTOPMANIA CIRCUS & ARTISAN and on the face of it comes with a bit of vim, obsessed with the stuff; “Running round in circles FOOD MARKET but you’ll struggle to find a hook big or strong like some kind of jerk,” growls Christian in the THE STORY MUSEUM PRES. ‘THE PUMPKIN’ & MORE enough to hang your hat or hopes on and it manner of ‘Infected’-era Matt Johnson of The PLUS SCRUMPTIOUS STREET FOOD COCKTAIL BARS CRAFT BEER & ALE BAR & MORE thrashes and shimmers along as if it’s something The – and my goodness he’s not wrong even if that just has to be done so it can get to the end. we all find it hard to resist the lure of the lucre. A FULL LINE-UP & TICKETS As with Flatland’s previous demos, and like stabbing keyboard refrain adds propulsion and the COMMONPEOPLE.NET near musical neighbours like Amazons or Catfish tune is set up as a dialogue between Half Decent and the Bottlemen, there’s more than a hint of and the man who lends the track its name. Cowell-endorsed boy band about songs like `Tub Rob Langham joint tour. They’re joined by London’s metal from The Reaper at tonight’s Skeletor show, brutalists Sky:lark and monstrous black/death alongside death, black and doom metallers Confront metallers Savage Realm. the Carnage; thrash newcomers Damaged Reich MOTORHEADACHE + MOFO: Fat Lil’s, and death/grind from Bloodshot. Witney – Tribute to rock god Lemmy and co. WESTERN SAND + THE OUTLAW ME & THE MOON + THE AUGUST LIST: ORCHESTRA + BLACK BULLETS: The Magoo’s Bar, Henley – Hazy indie-folk from Me Cellar – Southern-fried with a classic 70s GIG GUIDE & the Moon, alongside local darkwoods country- vintage from Dorset’s Western Sand at tonight’s drone faves The August List. OxRox show, joined by Southampton’s southern TUESDAY 1st guitarist and chums. rock and bluegrass crew The Outlaw Orchestra and THE MIGHTY REDOX: The Wheatsheaf HOLY MOLY & THE CRACKERS: Fat Lil’s, SATURDAY 5th Basingstoke’s biker rock crew Black Bullets th (6.30am) – The local funk, blues, and psych- Witney – Gypsy folk-rock from well-travelled GAZ COOMBES: Truck Store (6pm) – Acoustic FREERANGE: The Cellar – UK garage, Sunday 6 flavoured party rockers play their traditional May septet Holy Moly & the Crackers, taking in show from the local hero, launching his new solo and bassline club night. Morning show. klezmer, Balkan folk, ska and reggae in their world album, `World’s Strongest Man’. Order your copy METAL TO THE MASSES: The Wheatsheaf – THE WATERBOYS: MAY fusion sound. Quarter-final of the competition to win a slot at this SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: The James to promote new album `Wizville’, the follow-up from Truck and bag a priority ticket. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Community summer’s Bloodstock, tonight with Promethean Street Tavern – Weekly open mic night. to iTunes Top 10 debut `Chaos 93’, the new album & THE SLEEPING SOULS: The New Theatre Centre – Oxford’s longest running open night Reign, Honour in Ashes, Imminent Annihilation and A return to town for ’s mercurial featuring guest appearances from Method Man, O2 Academy – Already sold out return to town for continues to showcase singers, musicians, poets, Repercussions of Yesterday. rockers The Waterboys, touring last year’s Top nd Roots Manuva and Rodney P along the way. honorary Oxfordian Frank and his band of brothers WEDNESDAY 2 storytellers and performance artists every Thursday. AUDACITY GLOFEST TAKEOVER: East 10 album `Out of All This Blue’. Going against DEEP DARK WOODS + KACEY & – see main preview OCEAN WISDOM: O2 Academy – Velocity GILMORE & ROBERTS: The Unicorn, Oxford Community Centre – Audacity hosts a the grain of most post-punk, The Waterboys CLAYTON: The Bullingdon – Deep and dark THE REAPER + CONFRONT THE rap, drum&bass and grime from Camden-born, Abingdon – Instrumental acoustic folk from fiddle Glofest special, building up to the festival in June. infused their gutsy, exuberant brand of rock by name, deep and dark by nature from the CARNAGE + DAMAGED REIGH + Brighton-resident MC Ocean Wisdom, whose word and mandolin player Katriona Gilmore and guitarist A night of free live music includes Audacity Live’s with a traditional piano and brass-led rootsy Saskatchewan sextet, back in town after their show BLOODSHOT + RESOLVE: O2 Academy count on his `Walkin’ track has seen him usurp James Roberts, the duo, nominated for BBC Folk high-energy acid house remakes and remodels edge and a stadium-style grandeur that for a here in 2014, the band’s exploration of late-night, – Classic 70s and 80s-inspired heavy rock and Eminem in the speed rap stakes. He’s out on tour Awards three times, celebrating twelve years of classic 70s and 80s tunes, from The Bee Gees time threatened to take them into the same empty barroom romance and regret, carrying an th together, having previously been tour support to to Blondie and beyond. They’re joined by Mad stratospheric level of commercial success as air of stately melancholy as chief songwriter Ryan th Friday 4 . Saturday 5 Flamenco and Collision Theory, plus Audacity DJs. Simple Minds and U2. Instead a trio of classic Boldt’s maudlin baritone mixes with keyboard SPARKY’S NEW MOON: The Half Moon – & LIZ SIMCOCK + mid-80s albums, `’, `This Is The player Geoff Hilhurst’s exotic array of vintage WILKO JOHNSON: Weekly open night. FRANK TURNER LEON GORMLEY: Tiddy Hall, Ascott-under- Sea’ and `Fisherman’s Blues’, steered clear of instruments – including novachord, celesta and ACOUSTIC THURSDAY: Jude The Obscure – Wychwood – Wychwood Folk Club welcomes that sort of pomposity and the band remained O2 Academy vibraphone. The band’s latest album, `Yarrow’, Unplugged open night. & THE SLEEPING veteran songwriter Clive Gregson – a founding more of a cult concern. Mass acceptance did burrows into the dark heart of English folk and BLUES JAM: The Catherine Wheel, Sandford – member of Stiff Records signings but finally come in 1991 with the re-release of NINE BELOW ZERO: country blues, taking fever and death as its cheery Open blues jam. SOULS: O2 Academy best known for this 80s musical partnership with epic single `’, but by starting point. Frank Turner has done a lot to defy expectations – now teamed up with singer then Scott had already moved on, ditching the The Bullingdon BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE: The Cellar – from pretty much every angle since he rose Well here’s a clash to have gig goers of a th Liz Simcock and revisiting some of those old folk raggle taggle Celtic rock in favour of darker, Fortnightly club night playing 80s hits; new wave; FRIDAY 4 from the ashes of in 2005, going certain persuasion scratching their heads, classics, songs that have been covered by everyone more experimental waters. Last time Scott and disco; synth-pop and glam. MIGHTY CROWN FAR EAST RULERS: O2 against the grain of the grab-fame-quickly examining their loyalties and maybe flipping from and Mary Chapin-Carpenter to co. (including longstanding alongside fiddle Academy – The Japanese dancehall sound system approach to build slowly and surely from the a coin. Two of British UK’s seminal r’n’b acts Fairport and . player ) played this venue was rd hits town. bottom via endless touring (Nightshift fondly both in town on the same night. If they were THURSDAY 3 PETE FRYER BAND: The New Club, Wheatley in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the RHYS LEWIS + JACK GOLDSTEIN + remembers Frank when he was playing support sharing a stage it’d be an unmissable double YEAR OF THE KITE: Truck Store (6pm) – release of `Fisherman’s Blues’, but the band WEDNESDAY’S WOLVES: O2 Academy – down at the Wheatsheaf back at the very bill for fans of the genre, but this clash will Gorgeously gloomy pop vibes from the local band th aren’t stuck in that past, regularly releasing Oxford/London bluesman Rhys Lewis continues his start), while releasing chart-topping albums SUNDAY 6 doubtless split the audience. At the Academy, launching their new album `With Sparks Flying’. new albums and with `Out Of All…’ rewarding rise and rise, following up sold-out shows at The on indie label Xtra Mile. He’s also defied the THE WATERBOYS: The New Theatre – Return former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson LOWER THAN ATLANTIS: O2 Academy – them with their highest chart placing in over Cellar and The Bullingdon with his biggest local stereotype of the politically-minded folk-punk to town for Mike Scott’s mercurial roots rockers, continues to enjoy life more than ever, having Increasingly pop-friendly anthemic rock and post- two decades. These days they perform live as show to date, with a soulful take on electric blues. singer-songwriter as woolly Guardianista or touring new album `Out of All This Blue’ – see survived a diagnosis of terminal cancer and hardcore from Watford’s enduring crew, last year’s a nine-piece, giving those big, epic songs the He’s joined by Fixers frontman and psychedelic Marxist firebrand by daring to declare himself main preview deciding to head off on a farewell tour before Top 10 album `Safe In Sound’ as close to U2 and arrangements they deserve. sonic adventurer Jack Goldstein and folk-pop duo a libertarian (for which he earned a whole heap MALLORY KNOX: O2 Academy – Big-boned meeting surgeon Charlie Chan at Cornbury Coldplay as to their punk roots; live their polished Wednesday’s Wolves, whose Joan Baez and Natalie of undeserved stick). But then the Bahrain-born, stadium rocking from Cambridge’s Mallory Knox, Festival in 2013 and subsequently getting the sound comes into its own and a moshpit is still Merchant-influenced acoustic songs have seen them Eton-educated Turner simply does things his back in town to promote third album `Wired’ after Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, the band mixing all-clear (returning to play an emotional set guaranteed. supporting Amber Run, Seafret and Flyte. way and does them very well indeed, earning their show here last year. up Cramps-y , early Arctic Monkeys indie at the festival in 2016). The subject of Julien SIR WAS: The Cellar – Smoothly eclectic blend WILKO JOHNSON: O2 Academy – Clash of the his place at the top table when he played the TIGERCATS + BLUE HOUSE + LAUSBERG and glitterstomping rhythms. They’re joined by Temple’s 2015 film The Ecstasy of Wilko of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, electronica and yacht British r’n’b legends – in the blue corner – see main Olympics opening ceremony back in 2012 and + VENUS TROPICAUX: The Library – Four London’s fuzzy grunge rockers Calva Louise, back Johnson, he remains one of the most energetic rock from Gothenburg producer Joel Wästberg, preview selling out each and every tour he sets out on, doses of prime indie fillet courtesy of Divine in Oxford after playing last year’s Ritual Union, performers around with a distinctive take on touring last year’s debut `Digging a Tunnel’ album NINE BELOW ZERO: The Bullingdon – And in accompanied by a trusty backing band that Schism with a return to town for east London’s and local post-punk crew Spinner Fall, channelling classic r’n’b. And just to prove he’s adept with and finding a middle ground between Brian Wilson the red corner – see main preview features Oxford scene heroes , expansive, exuberant kalima-led pop outfit Fugazi and Wire. more than one kind of axe, he’s also played and Money Mark. TROPICLE POPSICLE: The Bullingdon – The Tarrant Anderson and Ben Lloyd, which, along Tigercats, joined by soft-centred surf-pop duo Blue FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT: The Cellar – the Lannisters’ executioner in chief in Game of BRAVE NEW WORLD: The Cellar – Techno, tropical house and disco club night bows out on with his regular appearances in town, has made House and Rotterdam’s angular post-punk crew Indie, alternative and post-punk club night. Thrones. Nine Below Zero, meanwhile, shared funk and edm club night, with a live set from the Oxford scene, preparing to take its exotic club him an honorary Oxonian. Previous visits to Venus Tropicaux. LIVE JAZZ SESSION: The Bullingdon – Free in that late-70s r’n’b charge, while enjoying Vaunce, plus DJs. experience to London. Oxford have seen him play The New Theatre BEARD OF DESTINY + FRANKLIN’S jazz session in the front bar. their most successful period in the early 1980s SHOWHAWK DUO: The Bullingdon – Acoustic KLUB KAKOFANNEY with PAPA NUI + and Oxford Town Hall, always selling them TOWER + THE MISSING NOTES + OPEN MIC SESSION: The Royal Blenheim – with albums `Live At The Marquee’ and trance from the busking duo whose interpretations LIME + PUPPET MECHANIC + STEEVO out well in advance, so it’s no surprise that RIVERSIDE VOICES: Donnington Community Weekly open mic night. `Don’t Point Your Finger’. Founding singer of everything from `Bohemian Rhapsody’ NUISSIER: The Wheatsheaf – Klub Kak’s tonight’s gig has long since done the same. His Centre (6pm) – Free early evening of live music, and guitarist Dennis Greaves still leads the and `Adagio for Strings’, to old school trance monthly party night brings funk-pop outfit Papa debut solo release, `Campfire Punk Rock’, is a including blues duo Beard of Destiny and Grateful th band’s high-energy blues charge alongside classics and funky house tracks has earned them Nui to the Sheaf, alongside moody Radiohead and TUESDAY 8 description that still suits his music well, mixing Dead tribute Franklin’s Tower. INTRUSION: The Cellar – Oxford’s only goth fellow veterans Mark Feltham and Brian appearances at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Tindersticks-inspired rockers Puppet Mechanic and performance with solo acoustic OPEN MIC SESSION: Harcourt Arms – Weekly club night brings the darkness with Doktor Joy and Bethall, and like Johnson it’s always been live Party. dark-hearted synth-pop man Steevo. sets with highly personable passion. His seventh open mic night. Bookhouse playing classic goth, ebm, deathrock that the band have made their reputation. So WITCH FEVER + DEATH OF THE MAIDEN BOSSAPHONIK with THE TURBANS: The studio album, `Be More Kind’, is released the FOLK JAM: The Half Moon – Open folk session, and industrial. make your choice. + RAINBOW RESERVOIR: The Jericho Cellar – World dance club night, playing , day before this show, so expect new songs from every Sunday. TRIO HLK: The Mad Hatter – Complex, Tavern – Superb triple bill courtesy of All Tamara’s Balkan beats, Latin dancefloor and nu-jazz, tonight that as well as all the old favourites. MIGHTY REDOX: The Tree, Iffley (4-6.30pm) rhythmic jazz deconstruction from the Scottish Parties tonight with Manchester’s alternately dark, with a live set from The Turbans, fusing their piano/percussion/guitar trio. brooding and raw, feral punk/grunge outfit Witch Turkish, Bulgarian, Greek, Spanish, Iranian and th SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: The James Fever marrying Sabbath-heavy riffage to Seven British roots to make a sound combining eastern MONDAY 7 Street Tavern Year Bitch-style punk venom and Madonnatron’s European traditions and Middle Eastern grooves. THE BLUETONES + VELVET HANDS: O2 gothic atmospherics. Death of Maiden’s elegantly EKE BUKA + THE CELETOIDS + SKY:LARK Academy – For there is nothing certain in life traumatic Brechtian pop and Rainbow Reservoir’s + SAVAGE REALM: The Library – Double dose except death and taxes and another Bluetones tour. WEDNESDAY 9th cheerily bitter-sweet post-riot grrl bounce pop of Croatian punk and hardcore at tonight’s Smash STRANGE BONES + CALVA LOUISE + MARY GAUTHIER: St Barnabas Church – The provide top drawer local support. Disco show with Zagreb’s velocity hardcore crew SPINNER FALL: The Cellar – Raucous punked- New Orleans singer/songwriter returns to Oxford THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Wheatsheaf Eke Buka and raw garage-punk outfit Celetoids, up blues rocking from Blackpool’s Strange Bones, for the first time in eight years – see main preview – Classic blues and rock covers from the veteran both signed to Doomtown Records, out on a out on a headline tour after supporting Cabbage and JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE: + DOOMSDAY Limpet Space Race and Matt Chanarin. A limited party starters The Shapes; funk-pop outfit Papa Soul, funk and disco club night. TUESDAY 15th edition label mixtape will be available on the night. Nui; rootsy country songsmith Ags Connolly; HER’S: The Cellar – Pop-friendly slacker noise FANGCLUB: The Cellar – Grunge, garage-rock JUDAS: The Cellar – Anthemic rock from Judas, elegantly atmospheric Americana band The Great in the vein of Mac de Marco from Liverpool-based and pop-punk in the vein of Foo Fighters, Dinosaur out on tour after sets at Truck, Y Not, Isle of Wight Western Tears; grizzled blues crew Francis Pugh Anglo-Norwegian duo Her’s, touring their debut Pile-Up and Milk Teeth from Dublin trio Fangclub, Festival and a main stage slot at last year’s Leeds & the Whiskey Singers; soulful jazz/blues people album `Songs of Her’s’ after tour supports to back in town and touring their debut album. festival. The Ragged Charms, and Delta blues duo Beard Happyness and Dutch Uncles. MINUS KENDAL: The Cellar – Boogie, disco DMA’S: O2 Academy – Having been banished of Destiny. There’s kids stuff (under 12s go free) SIMPLE with MALL GRAB: The Bullingdon – and funk from RevivHer Crew’s Minus Kendal at to the colonies 20 years ago, Britpop’s prison ship and food and it all finishes off with a set by The Already sold out night with the long-running house tonight’s Isis-hosted club night. docked in Botany Bay and Oasis, The Verve and Deadbeat , with members of all the acts on and techno club night hosting an Oxford debut for ROBYN HITCHCOCK: Fat Lil’s, Witney – A Cast alighted to bring the message of mid-paced the day playing classic covers. lo-fi house star Mall Grab – aka Australian DJ and solo acoustic show from the English psychedelic indie rock trudge to Australia’s youth. DMA’s’ SEETHER: O2 Academy – South Africa’s post- producer Jordan Alexander – with a fun-focussed troubadour’s English psychedelic troubadour Wednesday 9th debut album `Hill’s End’ suggests they lapped it up. grunge behemoths hit the UK, touring their most house sound that dips into techno and disco on and one of the nation’s most oddball national MOJO DEMON + FULL CIRCLE + recent `Poison the Parish’ album, the band, led tracks like `Feel U’ and `Caught Slippin’. treasures. From his days in The Soft Boys, through MARY GAUTHIER: SOMETHINGSOMEDAY + MARK COPE: by declared Kurt Cobain acolyte Shaun Morgan METAL TO THE MASSES: The Wheatsheaf – the creative highs fronting The Egyptians, to his th The Bullingdon – Raw, rocking blues in the vein drawing heavily on Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Quarter-final with Broken Empire, 13 Burning, Ape extensive run of solo recordings, he’s never lost Thursday 17 St. Barnabas Church of Led Zep, The Doors and Little Walter from Mojo Deftones for inspiration. and MSRY going all out to win a slot at Bloodstock. his tight but genial grip on a very peculiar sense of Mary Gauthier’s start in life might have Demon with Ady Davey’s groove-heavy riffage DEATH REMAINS + IMMINENT 40s REVIVAL NIGHT: The Harcourt Arms – whimsy and humour, in the lineage of Syd Barrett THE UNDERGROUND finished many others off – abandoned at birth battling with Markus Butler’s raw, free-ranging ANNIHILATION + DOOMTRODON + BRING Music from the 1940s. and subsequently an influence on generations of by her mother who, years later, to meet harmonica. THE ONSLAUGHT: O2 Academy – None-more- SYNTRONIX: Fat Lil’s, Witney – 80s synth-pop psych-minded songwriters. YOUTH: The Cellar her estranged daughter; running away from her CATWEAZLE: East Oxford Community Centre metal line-up with London’s Death Remains back classics, from Numan, Visage and OMD to Human SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: The James You can argue all you like, the coolest adoptive parents and becoming lost in drink SPARKY’S NEW MOON: The Half Moon in action with their second album `Destroy/Rebuild’ League, Depeche Mode and Ultravox. Street Tavern band photo ever taken was of The Velvet and drugs, and coming to terms with her sexual ACOUSTIC THURSDAY: Jude The Obscure and cranking it out in the vein of Killswitch SPARKY’S SPONTANEOUS SHOWCASE & Underground with Nico: black clothes, identity – but the New Orleans singer-guitarist BLUES JAM: The Catherine Wheel, Sandford Engage and August Burns Red. They’re joined by SPOTLIGHT JAM: The White House – Sparky th Raybans and expressions of sullen boredom. has made her life into music, worked through Aylesbury’s Imminent Annihilation, inspired by hosts his monthly bands and jam night, tonight with WEDNESDAY 16 It’s been an inspiration for generations of BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE SAVAGES: her experiences in songs and stories and over FRIDAY 11th Meshuggah, Machine Head and Lamb of God; local Beard of Destiny, Monk 9 and Then The Jam. musicians since and none more so than Berlin/ the course of the past two decades has released FOLK JAM: The Half Moon O2 Academy – Raw, visceral garage rocking, blues, Manchester quartet The Underground Youth, PREMIUM LEISURE + ESTHER JOY: The old-school metallers Doomtrodon, and Aylesbury some ten albums and won enough awards to TIM FRIERS & THE MERCENARIES + soul and rock’n’roll from the veteran Florida singer who’ve even borrowed two thirds of their Bullingdon – Laidback, groove-led slacker funk merchants Bring the Onslaught. justify installing a couple of new mantelpieces NOVA KICKS + THE JUNIPER CLUB: St. and bandleader, back in action since 2010 after a name. Unsurprisingly they walk along pop’s and classic 60s psych-pop in the vein of The Kinks, THE OXFORD SOUL TRAIN: O2 Academy – in her Nashville home. After her turbulent Michael’s Hall, Summertown – Benefit gig for 25 year hiatus, one that’s done nothing to tame his dark side, all reverb and repetition, gothic Tame Impala and White Denim from songsmith early years, spending her 18th birthday in jail children’s charity Pan’s Pandas. primal r’n’b style. Ooh yeah, sexy. drone-rock, midnight surf, monochrome post- Chris Barker’s band, playing a hometown headline th and later opening her own restaurant (she was Monday 14 MEANS OF PRODUCTION + BEAVER punk insouciance and a whole heap of fuzz. show ahead of their appearance at Common People arrested for drink-driving on the opening night th FUEL + GRUB: The Wheatsheaf – Audio/visual Does it sound great? It sounds great. Across at the end of the month. They’re joined by electro- SUNDAY 13 and has been sober ever since) Gauthier started BLACK HONEY: electro-pop experimentation and soundscaping eight albums since 2008 the band have tied pop singer and producer and former Nightshift KLUB KAKOFANNEY with MARK writing songs at the age of 35, her raw, emotive from former-Space Heroes Of The People person together the influence of The Brian Jonestown cover star Ester Joy Lane, back in Oxford after O2 Academy ATHERTON & FRIENDS + ASTEROX + style of alt.country, folk and Americana perfect Tim Day and co. in his new Means of Production Massacre; Spacemen 3; The Jesus & Mary relocating to London and touring as part of Charli For a band who seemed to spend the first couple LUCA FD + THE DUSTY SUNDAYS: The for exploring her own roots and identity – most guise at tonight’s Moshka gig. They’re joined by Chain; Primal Scream; Neutral Milk Hotel, and XCX’s band. of years of their life trying quite hard not to get Wheatsheaf (3pm) – Klub Kak host an afternoon of affectingly on 2010’s Michael Timmins- scatological punk cynics Beaver Fuel and psych- of course the Velvets themselves, atmosphere SWEDISH DEATH CANDY: The Cellar – Pretty noticed – preferring to play low-key shows and free live music in the Sheaf’s downstairs bar. produced `The Foundling’. Along the way her grunge noisemakers Grub. controls set to midnight black, singer Craig wonderful mix of psychedelic 60s harmonies and house parties in and around their native Brighton OPEN MIC SESSION: Harcourt Arms songs – more like stories put to music – have BIRDS OF CHICAGO: St. Nicholas Church, Dyer’s voice a rich, gothic growl. Lightness crunching Sabbath riffs and incantations from the and having precious little information about been adopted by artists like Tim McGraw, Baulking – Wonderful mix of rock’n’roll poetry, on the horizon comes in the form of almost not-actually-Scandinavian crew, back in town after themselves available online – Black Honey are th Bettye Lavette, Jimmy Buffet and Candi MONDAY 14 gospel, dark country blues and close harmony devotional passages, like tracks from their their impressive showing at Ritual Union last year. in serious danger of becoming properly famous. Staton, and she’s won Grammys by proxy BLACK HONEY: O2 Academy – Elegant, dark- singing from the much-travelled US/Canadian `Mademoiselle’ album. Their latest, released MARMOZETS: O2 Academy – Splenetic/ They played at last year’s Ritual Union but through those. Now one of the most respected edged grunge and surf rock from Brighton’s rising husband and wife duo, making a rare foray into the last year, is titled `What Kind of Dystopian melodic post-hardcore, metalcore and fuzzgun tonight is a step up venue-wise for the band songwriters and singers in contemporary stars – see main preview Shire. Hellhole Is This?’, a concept album about noise-pop from West Yorkshire’s sibling-heavy who played the Bullingdon last time round as , as well as an LGBT totem, SAM FENDER: The Cellar – Rich, soulful SEBASTIAN REYNOLDS + MARCUS Swindon. Just kidding. The title is bleak, but screamers, out on tour to promote second album headliners. Even back then singer and guitarist tonight’s show in the suitably ornate setting indie-blues from Newcastle’s Sam Fender, whose CORBETT & NITIN GAIKWAD + BRONA the music, while decidedly dark, is infused `Knowing What You Know Now’ after being Izzy Baxter was showing she had the sass to of St. Barnabas for Empty Room, is Mary’s social commentaries have drawn comparisons to McVITTIE: Modern Art Oxford – Pindrop with rich melodies and a heady narcotic fug. nominated for Best Newcomers at the 2013 match her elegant, versatile voice, dealing with first Oxford show since her debut here in 2011 Springsteen, Jeff Buckley and The Maccabees. presents an exotic evening of world sounds, with Obviously they had to play The Cellar – it’s Kerrang! awards and subsequently supporting laddish hecklers with badass professionalism. and sees her, aged 56, still at the peak of her He was longlisted for the 2018 BBC Sound Of Seb Reynolds mixing traditional Thai music, Oxford’s finest underground venue, and the one Muse on tour. It’s her voice that is the centrepiece of Black musical powers, playing songs from her new Award, following support slots with Catfish & the gamelan and ambient electronica as he plays with the darkest corners. RADIATOR HOSPITAL + RESPECTFUL Honey’s sound though, which moves from album `Rifles & Rosary Beads’, recorded with Bottlemen, Hozier and Michael Kiwanuka, as well material from his `Mahajanaka’ dance project CHILD + THE COOLING PEARLS: The stylishly sad, through poppily pretty and into US veterans and their families. as tours with George Ezra and Nick Mulvey, while score. He’s joined by guitarist Marcus Corbett and Wheatsheaf – Emotionally awkward pop-punk quietly haunting via surf rock, ethereal indie, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Community debut single `Play Good’ won him Annie Mac’s table maestro Nitin Gaikwad, playing Brit-folk/ from Philadelphia’s Radiator Hospital, led by grunge and Ennio Morricone soundtrack music, Centre endorsement. Indian classical fusion, and Irish harpist, singer and OUTLAW + THE BLACK BULLETS: The idiosyncratic singer Sam Cook-Parrott, the band before getting its rock on when duty calls. THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Wheatsheaf – JACK GOLDSTEIN + GUNNBUNNY + electronics experimentalist Brona McVittie, playing Bullingdon – OxRox host a return visit to town for touring their latest album, `Play the Songs You Baxter has drawn regular comparisons to Lana Free gig in the downstairs bar. CHIBA: The Library – Jack Goldstein launches songs from her `Under the Pines’ album alongside ill-starred 90s hard rockers Love/Hate, still helmed Like’, after previously touring with Martha. del Ray and Nancy Sinatra for her ability to SPARKY’S NEW MOON: The Half Moon his latest solo album, `A Tiger Shark…’ (don’t guitarist Miles Cochran. by sole remaining original member, singer Jizzy THE HOUSE PARTY: The Bullingdon do sad-eyed drama and shift gears instantly ACOUSTIC THURSDAY: Jude The Obscure ask us to type out the full title, please), the Fixers BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE: The Cellar Pearl, They toured with Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC THE MIGHTY REDOX + ANTON BARBEAU from dulcet croon to startling shriek. Her BLUES JAM: The Catherine Wheel, Sandford frontman taking the pop path least expected, his and Skid Row, but a volatile line-up and myriad & THE THRUST: The Black Swan – Swamp commanding onstage persona proves she’s her psychedelic noise taking diversions via Flaming th record company fall-outs stymied any chance of blues, festival funk, psych-pop and more from local own person though and while she’s previously THURSDAY 17 th Lips, Butthole Surfers, Todd Rundgren, Brian FRIDAY 18 wider commercial success. They’re joined tonight veterans The Mighty Redox, alongside psychedelic stated – possibly disingenuously – that she’d THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH + SHOTGUN Wilson and Suzie Quatro along the way. There’s WOOD FESTIVAL: Braziers Park, Ipsden by Derby’s full-on blues rockers Doomsday troubadour and honorary Oxfordian Anton B. like Black Honey to remain a secret band, two SIX + CIPHERS: The Cellar – Underground by some double Jack action with the brief return of his Outlaws, and biker rock crew Black Bullets. THE OXFORD BEATLES: Old Fire Station years of festival appearances, a tour support to name, underground by nature – see main old band Gunnbunny in support tonight, playing SPORTS TEAM + SEAFOAM + OLD SWING: – Following their tribute to `Sgt. Pepper’, the friends Royal Blood and the imminent release of preview live for the first time since supporting Sextodecimo THE OXFORD The Cellar – Angsty, intense millennial post-punk local Beatles acolytes perform `The Studio Years’, a debut album suggest that’s unlikely and indie ILLEGAL EAGLES: The New Theatre in 2014, channelling the heavy-duty downtuned from London newcomers Sports Team. playing the Fab Four’s later material. icon status is Izzy Baxter’s imminent future. – Eagles tribute. RECORD & CD FAIR grunge of Tad and Mudhoney. BLUE ORCHID + PORT ERIN + STEVE LAMACQ: The Jericho Tavern - An QEII: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Queen tribute. St ALDATES PARISH CENTRE evening of conversation with the veteran DJ and OXFORD CLASSIC JAZZ: Harcourt Arms – JONNY RACE + OAKLAND ROAD Classic jazz and from the local ensemble, + GOOD CANARY: The Bullingdon – 40 Pembroke St, St Aldates, OX1 1BP music journalist and lifelong champion of up and th SATURDAY 12 playing Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Fats coming bands, talking about his years at NME as Blues and psych rock from Blue Orchid th DAY OF THE DEADBEATS: Isis Farmhouse, Domino and more. at tonight’s It’s All About the Music Saturday 19 May well as Radio 1 and 6Music. Iffley Lock (2-11pm) – Local soul, r’n’b and LIVE JAZZ SESSION: The Bullingdon showcase. 10am-4pm country rock ensemble The Deadbeat Apostles OPEN MIC SESSION: The Royal Blenheim CARTER SAMPSON + JESS th Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie/all other genres THURSDAY 10 launch their debut album, `Day of the Deadbeats’, IMAR: Nettlebed Folk Club – Lively instrumental AYCOCK + LAUREN BARTH: Fat UPCYCLED LABEL LAUNCH: Truck Store with an all-day mini-festival on the banks of the Scottish and Irish folk from the Glasgow quintet, Lil’s, Witney – Rootsy Americana Accessories/memoriabillia/books. (6pm) – Launch night for the local label whose Thames. As well as The Apostles themselves, formed by members of Talisk, RURA, Manran and from much-travelled Oklahoma singer- Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl roster includes Jay Sunaway, Rosie Caldecott, there are sets from r’n’b/new wave/folk-punk Barrule. songwriter Carter Sampson. www.usrfairs.co.uk – Opening day of the tenth eco-friendly festival. added burlesque flourish and Latin swing. Who else – Decidedly oddball triple bill of musical SILVERVOID: The Wheatsheaf – OxRox Treetop Flyers, Yama Warashi, Grace Petrie and to provide local support than The Long Insiders, adventurous – see main preview rock and metal night with Harrow’s Thin Julie Murphy are among the acts performing over with their midnight surf and rockabilly, Gretch-ing FAIRPORT CONVENTION: Nettlebed Lizzy and AD/DC-influenced heavyweights the weekend – see main preview it up in the style of The Cramps, Dick Dale, Johnny Folk Club – The Godfathers of English Meansteed back in town alongside Midlands URBAN VOODOO MACHINE + THE LONG Burnette and Jerry Lee Lewis. folk-rock return to the intimate setting of outfit Disciples of Sin, whose glammy horror- INSIDERS: The Bullingdon – Exotic and sleazy UPRISING with FLIGHTS OF HELIOS + Nettlebed’s historic folk club for their annual punk is inspired by W.A.S.P, Murder Dolls, mix of bourbon-soaked gypsy dance, junkyard SELF HELP + THEO + LAKE ACACIA + pre-festival season show. Motley Crue and Alice Cooper blues, rockabilly, mariachi and folk-punk from LACUNA COMMON: O2 Academy – Another LIVE JAZZ SESSION: The Bullingdon NAOMI SCOTT: The Cellar – The actress London’s notoriously theatrical gutterhearts, the quality bill of local music from the O2 Academy’s OPEN MIC SESSION: The Royal and singer tours her third EP `Vows’. ensemble touring their latest album `Hellbound team-up with BBC Introducing in Oxford. Space- Blenheim RUBIX BRISTOL TAKEOVER: The Hymns’, written and recorded in the wake of the age electro-pop, folktronica and self-described Cellar – Reggae, jungle and drum&bass club st death of two of their bandmates, including guitarist griefcore from Flights of Helios, alongside Monday 21 TUESDAY 22nd night hosted by Rubix with Bristol’s Garda, and former Flesh For Lulu frontman Nick Marsh. exuberant garage pop and punk from Self Help; ADAM BARNES + GITTA DE RITTER Fat Stash and Traction taking over the decks, Frontman Pau-Ronney Angel channels his inner delicately soulful electro-pop from recent Kele FATHER MURPHY + THE IDLE WOMEN: Old Fire Station alongside ’s The Deeper Way and Tom Waits as the band party in the style of The Okereke support Theo; post-grunge rocking from – Tender-hearted musical melancholy from residents. Pogues, Johnny Cash and Johnny Thunders, with an Lake Acacia, and dirty, energetic, bluesy garage- / LUCY LEAVE / Adam Barnes, leavening his reflection, LITTLE RED: The Jericho Tavern – rock from Lacuna Common. longing and sorrow with a poetic approach Album launch show for the Oxford/Reading th th JACKDAW WITH Friday 18 – Sunday 20 HYMN TO APOLLO + ENJOY ALL HUMANS to songwriting and moments of genuine dark-folk trio and recent Nightshift cover + JOKERS PARADE + GHOUL: The CROWBAR: euphoria. stars, `Draw Blood’ featuring recent singles WOOD: Braziers Park Wheatsheaf – Church of the Heavy local rock and THE C-BOMB: The Cellar – Sex-positive `Woebegone’, `Diamond Back’ and `Siren Started in 2008 by brothers Robin and Joe metal showcase. disco and feminist party bangers. Song’ and finding a sweet, gothic meeting EYRE LLEW + KID KIN + GHOSTS IN THE The Library point between The Wicker Man and O, Bennett as a response to the floods of 2007 that In an age where words like alternative and SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: The James PHOTOGRAPHS: The Cellar – Epic, Sigur Ros- Brother, Where Art Thou? devastated Truck Festival as well as much of experimental are bandied about without Street Tavern styled sounds from Eyre Llew, back in town after ORPHAN COLOURS: The Cornerstone, the rest of Oxfordshire, WOOD has not only meaning or context, genuine outré bands their excellent set at Ritual Union back in October. Didcot – Country-tinged rocking and established itself in the local calendar since but remain a rare treat. Italy’s Father Murphy are rd They’re out on an extensive European tour to WEDNESDAY 23 Americana from the band formed by members become as much of a pioneer on the festival happy to describe themselves as the sound promote new album `Atelo’ and joined tonight by COCO & THE BUTTERFIELDS: O2 of Ahab and Noah & the Whale, out on tour scene as Truck was. It was recently given an of catholic guilt, though there’s little that’s two of Oxford’s best ambient/post-rock acts, Kid Academy – Canterbury’s folk-pop-hip hop and fresh from playing WOOD Festival. Outstanding Award by A Greener Festival for its happy about their songs of love, death, religion Kin and Ghosts in the Photographs. Rescheduled crew come to town, the band lead by singers KING HAMMOND & THE RUDEBOY dedication to environmental responsibility: one and more death as they mix occultism and from March. Dulcima Showa and Toma Twyman, who met MAFIA: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Classic ska of only two UK festivals to get one. funeral marches with wayward psychedelia, SOUL SESSIONS: The Cellar – Disco, soul and on their local busking circuit, the pair’s duets and Two Tone from former Bad Manners The tenth anniversary finds WOOD continuing industrial churn and pulse, religious chants funk club night. lending a sense of drama to beatbox-driven and Selecter man King Hammond, who’s to do what it’s always done so well: host three and the strangest of southern European folk STRAIGHT OUTTA COWLEY – FINALE: Celtic folk and bluegrass-flavoured pop. also worked with Lee `Scratch’ Perry, Laurel days of music that falls loosely into the folk/ music. Here’s where This Heat and Robert The Bullingdon – Hip hop classics, from Jay-Z to STARBELLY + MERRIMACK P.D. + Aitken and Prince Buster. HARCOURT ARMS Americana/world/roots fold across various Wyatt meets Carl Orff. No surprise that the Jurassic 5 and Biggie to Buster Rhymes. JAMIE FELTON: The Wheatsheaf – It’s THE TOM IVEY BAND: Prince of Wales, stages and tents powered by renewable energy trio have collaborated with former Swans siren FLATLANDS + ADAM BARNES: Magoo’s All About the Music showcase night. Shippon – Blues, rock and funk covers and Saturday May 12th (used fat, cycle, solar), alongside organic food Jarboe and toured with Deerhoof, or that they Bar, Henley – Melodic and grungy punk-pop from RISE & CUNTRY LIVING: The Cellar originals. and drink, compostable toilets, workshops, released a four-sided vinyl EP that needed Flatlands alongside poetic musical melancholy from – House and electro club night with rising talks, kids activities and more, while again each side to be played concurrent to others to 40's Revival Mr Barnes, playing songs from his recent `Vacancy young south London DJ and producer Mallard th celebrating an icon of British wildlife – this make sense. Sadly this is their farewell tour, so SATURDAY 26 year’s is The Year of the Water Vole. at NASA’ album. on the decks. Benefit night for environmental make sure you get your wyrd rock (cruci)fix charity Rise and local feminist zine Cuntry COMMON PEOPLE: South Park – The Night Among the musical highlights is a return to before they call it a day. Superlative support in Jacksons, The New Power Generation, Aswad th Living. Braziers for London’s delicate 60s-flavoured SATURDAY 19 the form of local post-punk/jazz-rock oddballs and Boney M head up the disco-themed first Monday May 14th indie folk and Americana crew and previous WOOD FESTIVAL: Braziers Park, Ipsden day of Common People – see main preview Lucy Leave, fresh from releasing their debut th WOOD headliners TREETOP FLYERS; FAREWELL ALL-DAYER: The Bear & Bean – album, Cardiacs, Deerhoof, Soft Machine THURSDAY 24 DISCO SHED COMMON PEOPLE Oxford Classic singer, musician, campaigner and comedian Cowley Road’s coolest coffee shop sadly bows out and Minutemen colliding sideways on with THE SHIRES: The New Theatre – AFTERPARTY: The Bullingdon – Count GRACE PETRIE, who has recently toured but on a noisy high with a full day of free live music an oblique approach to rhythm and melody Authentic Nashville-style country out of Skylarkin’ and his Disco Shed chums host Jazz with Billy Bragg and Emmy the Great, as and DJs. From 3pm there’s punk and noise from the to make for one of the most inventive bands Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire with duo their own after party, with reggae, dancehall, well as Josie Long and Robin Ince; Bristolian likes of Worry, Fancy Dress Party and Drama Kids, around. And while Father Murphy are bowing Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes becoming the funk, soul, ska and more. Saturday May 26th Japanese folk dance-influenced art-rock plus loads more to be confirmed. out, former Peel faves Jackdaw With Crowbar first British country act to sign to a major SOUNDER: The Cellar – Deep house and collective YAMA WARASHI; Welsh folk MUSICAL MEDICINE with KRYWALD & reformed a few years back after an extended Nashville record label, 2016’s debut album, underground sounds with Finest Wear from Fat Orange Wolf singer JULIE MURPHY; Americana outfit FARRER: The Bullingdon – The monthly funk, hiatus, the Leamington band’s visual approach `Brave’, becoming the first homegrown Nordic Trax and Large Music, plus Damian ORPHAN COLOURS, formed by former disco and house club night hosts Percolate residents to music and gigs having pre-empted much country album to go Top 10. The pair are Charles and Lone Soldier. Finisterre members of Ahab and Noah & the Whale; solo Krywald and Farrer for a set of international nu- of today’s multi-media artists. Musically their out on their biggest tour to date to promote METAL TO THE MASSES: The singer and fiddle player JACKIE OATES; disco and house. spiky, dark-edged Beeheart-inspired blues and third album, `Accidentally on Purpose’, and Wheatsheaf – First semi final of the Rosie Caldecott local kids songwriter NICK COPE; loved-up GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with DAISY + punk won them cult status among acolytes of doubtless hoping for a hat trick of Number 1s. heavyweight BOTB. country duo TREVOR MOSS & HANNAH FANCY DRESS PARTY + PET SEMATARY: late night 80s and early 90s alternative radio. THE LEWIS HAMILTON BAND: The FAT ORANGE WOLF + FINISTERRE LOU and many more, with potential highlight The Wheatsheaf – The monthly live music club Bullingdon – Undoubtedly the fastest rock + ROSIE CALDECOTT: Harcourt Arms of the festival being a set by BENNETT, band on the circuit, brothers Lewis and Open Mic Every Sunday night hosts dark-hearted and punk-pop starlets stage tribute to Led Zep. – Jazz’n’blues from local trio Fat Orange WILSON, POOLE, WOOD host and Nick Hamilton mixing up blues, rock and Daisy alongside melancholic sulkwave popstrels THE UNDERCOVER HIPPY: The Cellar – Wolf, alongside Newbury’s Finisterre, playing live music at the heart of jericho Dreaming Spires frontman Robin Bennett joing Americana at tonight’s Haven Club show. Fancy Dress Party and gloomy blues vibes from Pet Anthemic reggae vibes and hip hop floor fillers. covers and originals, and sweet-natured Cranham Terrace Jericho Oxford ox2 6dg Danny & the Champions of the World’s Danny CURSE OF LONO: Fat Lil’s, Witney Sematary, the new solo project from Coldredlight OPEN MIC SESSION: Harcourt Arms acoustic folk-pop from Rosie Caldecott. 01865 556669 Wilson, and guitarist/producer Tony Poole for – Dark, cinematic Americana and gothic and Le Feye singer/guitarist Gaby-Elise. FOLK JAM: The Half Moon BUDDY – LEGEND REBORN: The some CS&N-flavoured Americana. The original DAVE GIBB + THE PARSONS: The Swan southern rocking from the London band, out Cornerstone, Didcot – Tribute to Buddy spirit of Glastonbury and the free festivals is on tour. Inn, Ascott-under-Wychwood – Wychwood Folk st Holly. alive, and in its own small way it’s here to save Club hosts Scottish singer, guitarist and storyteller MONDAY 21 CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford DAMN GOOD REASON: Fat Lil’s, the world. Dave Gibb, mixing traditional songs with his THE MAGIC NUMBERS: The Bullingdon – Community Centre Witney – Blues and rock covers. own compositions and supported tonight by Irish/ The double brother and sister quartet – Romeo and SPARKY’S NEW MOON: The Half Moon Michele Stodart and Angela and Sean Gannon – Wiltshire male/female folk duo The Parsons. ACOUSTIC THURSDAY: Jude The SUNDAY 27th DRIVIN’ SIDEWAYS: The Brewery Tap, make their first visit to Oxford since 2014, returning Obscure to action to promote new album `Outsiders’, the COMMON PEOPLE: South Park – It’s Abingdon – Harmonica-led rocking blues covers. indie day at Common People, with Ride, F.U.D.: The Old Anchor Inn, Abingdon – Classic follow-up to 2014’s `Alias’, continuing to balance th joyous 70s-style harmony pop with elegant FRIDAY 25 James, Sparks and Maximo Park on the main rock covers. ALBOA + STORYTELLER + FUJI + melancholy, their once charmingly anachronistic stage – see main preview CRYSTALLITE + JONNY RACE: The sound increasingly sounding prescient with the COCAINE PISS: O2 Academy – th Bullingdon – It’s All About the Music local SUNDAY 20 advent of Americana’s rebirth. Simmering and splenetic hardcore, noise-pop bands showcase. WOOD FESTIVAL: Braziers Park, Ipsden FATHER MURPHY + LUCY LEAVE + and riot grrl from Belgium’s difficult-to- MEANSTEED + DISCIPLES OF SIN + BOOTLED ZEPPELIN: The New Theatre – Big JACKDAW WITH CROWBAR: The Library forget-the-name Cocaine Piss, touring their Steve Albini-produced `The Dancer’ album – wired Oxford music to the world, paving the way for and wonderful. Shame it coincides with Common Radiohead, Supergrass, Foals and others. After People – be great to see them on the same bill as their emotional reunion show at the O2 Academy Drore and Worry. in 2015, and last year’s return to The New SIMPLE with OR:LA: The Bullingdon – Acid Theatre, South Park feels like the natural next step and techno bangers from Northern Ireland-via- up as the band re-establish their rock crown. From Liverpool producer and DJ Or:la, founder of the `Drive Blind’ and Chelsea Girl’ through to `Charm Deep Sea Frequency label. Assault’ and `Pulsar’, they’re as immersive a OPEN MIC SESSION: Harcourt Arms spectacle as gets. FOLK JAM: The Half Moon Sunday’s impressive line-up also features a th seriously rare treat in the form of SPARKS, who MONDAY 28 Nightshift has wanted to see live for as long as we LIVE JAZZ SESSION: The Bullingdon can remember. Ron and Russell Mael’s quirky, acerbic art-rock band have been in a league of TUESDAY 29th their own since the early 70s – from hits like SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: The James Saturday 26th / Sunday 27th `This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us’ Street Tavern and `Number 1 Song In Heaven’, through to last COMMON PEOPLE: year’s comeback album `Hippopotamus’, which th went Top 10 in the UK, the duo always far more WEDNESDAY 30 South Park successful over here than in their native USA. AVI BUFFALO + LOWPINS: The Jericho While previous festivals in South Park seem to Glasgow’s superb garage-pop duo Tavern – Avi Zahner-Isenburg returns to live have been cursed (anyone remember Summer HONEYBLOOD add noise to performance after taking time out of his band to Fayre or Oxford Oxford? No, because they never Sunday’s line-up, while CRAIG CHARLES concentrate on producing other acts, the Californian even went ahead), Common People has proved brings the funk and soul. There’s lo-fi house from songsmith’s cracked, reedy voice and rootsy how to get things right and now, in its third year, ROSS FROM FRIENDS; THE LONDON psychedelia reminiscent of Flaming Lips, Built To already feels like an established part of the local AFRICAN GOSPEL CHOIR perform Paul Spill and even Fleet Foxes at time. music calendar. Simon’s `Gracelands’ in its entirety; ELVANA DUCKING PUNCHES + WE BLESS THIS Its mix of big name acts and a strong local provide the necessary Elvis-fronted Nirvana MESS + ASH LEWIS: The Wheatsheaf – Indie- line-up means it feels like a big event but also tribute, and LOW ISLAND make the move from punk from Norwich’s Ducking Punches, touring a community one. The fact it’s enjoyed great the Uncommon stage last year to the main stage, their new `Alamort’ album. weather in its first two years hasn’t done it any proving they are an Oxford band on the rise. BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE: The Cellar harm either. GALICIAN MUSIC SESSION: James Street Talking of the Uncommon stage, Nightshift is Tavern – Traditional music from northern . So, the difficult third? Not at all, as this year’s once again proud to host the local bands stage, Common People has both a good selection of star with a hopefully eclectic line-up that takes in THURSDAY 31st names, and a more cohesive main stage line-up ; atmospheric electro-pop; hip CINDER WELL with ROSIE CALDECOTT: than last year. hop and r’n’b; post-rock; alt.country; Brechtian Truck Store (6pm) – Dark folk from Amelia Saturday has been designated Disco Day – ; Egyptian and Turkish folk dance Baker, also of Californian anarcho-folk-punk outfit complete with the world’s largest disco ball and a fair few things in between and beyond. Blackbird Raum, on tour in the UK to promote new on site, which will doubtless do battle with the This month’s Nightshift cover stars INNER album ‘The Unconscious Echo’. world’s largest bouncy castle. Heading the bill PEACE RECORDS join country/soul collective SPACE ELEVATOR: The Bullingdon – Polished are THE JACKSONS, whose enviable hitlist DEADBEAT APOSTLES atop Saturday’s line- 80s-style stadium rocking and glam from the band includes `Can You Feel It’; `Blame It On The up and are joined by TIGER MENDOZA; THE formed by guitarist David Young from the We Boogie’; `I Want You Back’; `ABC’, and `Wanna AUGUST LIST; CANDY SAYS; DEATH OF Will Rock You West End musical, unsurprisingly Be Startin’ Somethin’’. Feelgood pop gems from THE MAIDEN; EARINADE; LAIMA BITE; inspired by Queen as well as The Darkness, Heart start to finish. PREMIUM LEISURE and WORRY. Sunday and Fleetwood Mac. Prince could probably match The Jacksons on that features a headline set from recent cover stars BENNETT WILSON POOLE: St Barnabas score, and while he’s tragically no longer with us, BRICKWORK LIZARDS, who are joined by Church – Album launch gig for Dreaming Spires THE NEW POWER GENERATION continue THE GREAT WESTERN TEARS; DRORE; frontman (and Truck and WOOD Festivals founder) his legacy, with typically virtuoso runs through of MSRY; LUCY LEAVE; YOUNG WOMEN’S Robin Bennett; Danny Wilson from Danny & `Sign O’ The Times’; `U Got The Look’; `Nothing MUSIC PROJECT; HAZE; 31 HOURS; the Champions of the World, and producer and Compares 2 U’; `Raspberry Beret’ and more, so GHOSTS IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, and 12-string Rickenbacker player Tony Poole, the trio’s really, what are you doing sitting there reading this SELF HELP. Quality from start to finish, so pop eponymous debut mixing up their love for Crosby, when you could be out on the dancefloor? in and see the cream of the local scene in action. Stills and Nash with an occasional earthy bluegrass Elsewhere on Saturday there’s more classic 70s feel and sweet three-way harmonies. disco from BONEY M, from `Rasputin’ and `Ma And there’s even more talent in action in the ZED PENGUIN + EGRETS + GHOSTS Baker’ to `Brown Girl in the Ring’ and `Rivers of dance tent and in the legendary Disco Shed, IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS: The Library Babylon’; soulful trip hop from MORCHEEBA; with sets from NATTY MARK; SIR SAMBO – Impossible to pigeonhole, taut, theatrical, classic British reggae from London veterans SOUND; EM WILLIAMS; WHITE MAGIC; sometimes awkward post-punk from Edinburgh’s ASWAD; house-friendly rappers THE JUNGLE COUNT SKYLARKIN’; NICK & NELLY’S Zed Penguin, lead by Aussie ex-pat Matthew BROTHERS; raga DJ GENERAL LEVY; potty- ZODIAC DISCOTEQUE; PEEPSHOW Winter, the band’s sounds touching base with mouthed Latino funk and hip hop crew CUBAN PADDY; BOSSAPHONIK DAN, and loads Modest Mouse, My Bloody Valentine, Joseph K BROTHERS, and Devon drum&bass duo FRED more. and Captain Beehfheart at various points, but rarely V & GRAFIX. Throw in The Pig’s Big Ballroom, hosting all sitting still long enough to get a firm fix. Support manner of vintage sounds, from TERRY & at tonight’s Divine Schism show comes from Sunday’s line-up brings indie more to the fore, JERRY to VOTE PEDRO; a kids area; a gin 90s-inspired post hardcore/shoegaze crew Egrets with headline sets from JAMES and RIDE. festival; circus skills; carnival dance classes and cinematic post-rock instrumentalists Ghosts in The Manchester heroes’ euphoric guitar pop is and… hang, did someone say gin festival? This the Photographs. perfectly suited to a festival crowd, and if `Sit is going to get messy. SOMETHING FOR NOTHING: The Black Down’ is the inevitable mass singalong, it’s the Swan – Free live music session. likes of `Sometimes’, `Come Home’ and `She’s This is also going to be bloody brilliant. Don’t A Star’ that have made them such an enduring forget to visit the local stage and don’t forget to Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for success. buy us gin. inclusion is the 20th of each month, no Ride’s set will be something of a triumphant Full line-up and ticket details at: exceptions. Listings are copyright of Nightshift homecoming for the band who more than any took oxford.commonpeople.net and may not be used without permission. LIVE photo: Tim Hughes photo: Tim

end. There are points where the set PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING / JANE WEAVER wanders slightly, but ending with `Go!’, featuring NASA commentary The New Theatre on the Apollo 11 mission, brings Stalking her few square feet of the Weaver and her band are squeezed the screen footage and extravagant everything to an exuberant climax, New Theatre’s expansive stage with tightly into a small space because lightshow provides an immersive the audience finally roused to its feet a nervy intensity, Jane Weaver’s Public Service Broadcasting’s set experience. and singing the title line back at the voice is an enchanting mix of the up is elaborate and expansive, giant They dip into their back catalogue band. comfort of a mother’s lullaby and the colliery wheels bookending the stage, for the celebratory `Valentina’, the Celebration too in the encores, breathless black of night. Her music which is lit by an array of miners’ story of the first woman – and civilian the playful jazz-funk of `Gagarin’ is motorik and otherworldly, taking lamps. Giant screens project archive – in space, and the heroic `Spitfire’, and the euphoric, motorik sheen of Kraftwerk’s silicon highway into the footage of the mining industry and not a celebration of war but of human `Everest’, the band again hoisting a depths of a darkened forest, synths its communities as the band – the ingenuity, which along with `Night banner for human endeavour. For a fluttering and fizzing over stark, original duo of J Willgoose Esq. Mail’, finds PSB soundtracking an band that for the most part looks and metronomic beats and basslines. and Wrigglesworth now a quartet optimistic future that contrasts with sounds like a giant machine, Public At her lightest, as on set closer `I of tweedy electro-prog geeks, the emotive observance of the human Service Broadcasting’s heart is so Need a Connection’, the song’s augmented at time by a brass trio. side of industrial decline. very human. And while it’s almost almost hymnal feel reminds us of The opening numbers are drawn It’s a very special talent to be able a shock to see them playing to a Goldfrapp’s folkier moments but for from recent album `Every Valley’, to wring such emotions out of music packed New Theatre having last seen the most part this set, almost entirely which documents that community, that comes without lyrics beyond them tucked neatly onto The Jericho culled from last year’s astonishing from the exuberant optimism of those narratives pulled from Pathe Tavern’s tiny stage, it’s the best kind `Modern Kosmology’ album, is dark, `People Will Always Need Coal’, to archives, but they carry it off in of surprise – a band like no other enveloping and utterly hypnotic, a the sombre reflection of its title track. almost heroic style and you regularly and one that deserve every ounce of musical dream of futuristic cities and The music mirrors the hard rhythms find yourself thrust disorientatingly success. ancient banshees. of heavy industry and, along with back into the real world when tracks Dale Kattack

Trade’ mutates Jello Biafra & Co’s Californian surfcore with some nasty CABBAGE / SHE DREW THE GUN Butthole Surfers-style grime and slime. Co frontman Lee Broadbent O2 Academy mixes John Lydon’s sullen spitefulness with Shaun Ryder’s swaggering As we enter the venue She Drew the Gun’s casually charismatic Louisa nonchalance and at their best Cabbage play with the frenetic desperation of a Roach is in the middle of a poem-cum-rant about the destruction of the NHS; football team chasing a match with a minute to go. moments later she and her band are singing about homelessness, zero hours Problem is, they’re not always at their best. After such a potent start the contracts and wealth inequality to the soundtrack of a summery psychedelic set starts to lag. There’s little by way of between-song banter or polemic as surf shimmer. It’s this weird juxtaposition of words and music that makes the you’d expect from such charged band, and the songs themselves slacken off band so enthralling. Roach’s rich Wirral accent lends everything she sings a to the point `Terrorist Synthesizer’ sounds too much like Elbow trying to slightly laconic edge and her band’s spacey, melodic, grunge-tinged pop is an be Fat White Family and not coming anywhere close. It’s disheartening to easy joy, so the simmering rage and disgust that oozes from her lyrics almost realise a band often hailed as leaders of a new wave of vital, vibrant guitar sounds like a sunbeam love song. Make her prime minister immediately. music are capable of being as dull and proficient as any lad band. Disgust is an emotion that fuels much of Cabbage’s music. The band’s They reel it back in towards the end, rabble rousing choruses and synth- infected dirge rock bringing back a sense of determination but too often Mossley Uber Alles slogan pays due homage to Dead Kennedys, and they BERK’S NEST COMEDY STAGE | THE MAYFLOWER TENT | RIVERSIDE STAGE | COMPLETE CHILDREN’S ZONE tonight’s set is less of a statue-toppling riot, more a quick moon at the cops have similar targets in their sight. They fly out of the traps tonight, the EXTENSIVE FAIRGROUND | GOURMET CATERERS AND VILLAGE TEA TENT | BEAUTIFUL CAMPING | GORGEOUS GLAMPING sleazy, queasy scree of `Reptiles State Funeral’, with its scouring analogue from a safe distance. Korg base, takes punk down into the sewers while `Uber Capitalist Death Dale Kattack photo: Helen Messenger detracts fromthe experienceofa theme runningthrough theirartwork Halloween andwhite facepaint bring The Buzzcockstomind. with alight,playfultouchthatcan looking likeayoungSpringsteen sleeve isaterrificleadguitarist, technical prowess. The trickuptheir considerably moreenthusiasmthan his maneofhairandbellowingwith Rusty D’s puremetalantics,shaking entertaining, ifonlyforthesinger as Psychobabylonarehighly head fortheexit,whichisashame Manyof The Motive’s fansthen catchy singalongrefrain. rock balladbeforemovingintoa exception, startingoutasalmosta yet; ‘The Middle’ isanhonourable make themtrulymemorablequite the songslackenoughsparkleto give themaheadstart,though above averagesingeranddrummer Witney. number ofbandsoozingout The Motiveareoneofthegrowing over fortyyears. changes inmusicalfashionforwell break intoascenethathassurvived exception, withfourbandseagerto of thespectrum. towards themoreaccessibleend and heavyrock,normallyleaning to provideano-frillsbillofmetal You canalwaysdependonOxRox The Wheatsheaf PSYCHOBABYLON / THE MOTIVE SILK ROAD/SKAM LIVE Tight andanimated,their Tonight isno The Art Lagun forever. them to sort this, the clock won’t tick years togethershould haveallowed successful resolution. Their four like Pantera,butfailtoachievea looseness andthehard-edgeofbands stuck betweenBlackCrowes-style the genrerequires. lacking thepowerandpresence through shambolicguitartoasinger from thelackadaisicaldrummer, least interestingbandofthenight, to London. Unfortunatelythey’rethe for theOxfordbandnowrelocated the supports,expectationsarehigh Road’s backdropalleveningbehind Sincewe’vebeenlookingatSilk attention it’s gaining. single andfullydeservesthe ‘Between The Eyes’ isastrong the metalscenetendstoproduce. angular andthreedimensionalthan his guitarworkisawholelotmore Bennington fromLinkinPark,while has echoesofthelateChester powerful andversatilevoice effect. Frontman SteveHill’s resources sparinglyandtogreat the Leicesterthree-pieceusetheir three-legged stoolcan’t wobble word beingeconomy. Justasa on tonight’s cake,withthekey Skamturnouttobethecherry good old-fashionedpubmetalband. They appear `Rubber Soul’, thebestof ELOand whose recordcollection consistsof not necessarilydeeper thansomeone support bands,but ourexperienceis sleevenotes andsittingthrough we liketorememberstudying have spentmoreofourlifethan knowledgeable aboutit. We may music, withoutbeingparticularly Hypothesis:youcanlove but theyhideplentyofbarbs. new songshavemoreobvioushooks, darkness inthelyricsthough: rock textures. There’s stillalittle tunes withmathycurlicuesandpost- light onitsfeet,decoratingemo-pop superior. The newquartetistight but theme –andis,ifanything,musically newer materialveersawayfromthis macabre trappings. Thankfully stalkerism ratherthanatastefor imagery wasproofofincipient worried thattheirviolent,obsessive recordings werestrong,we saviour. Although Daisy’s early talentless arseratherthanrock apparently doesn’t realisehe’s back-story, and Anton Newcombe seemed tobelievehisinterstellar whereas SunRareallyactually they wereobviousartistictechniques, voiced bydifferent characters,but Randy Newman’s vignettesareall Bowie donnedtheatricalmasks,and come tobelieveinthem.David characters, butsomeperformers Hypothesis: manyperformersportray The Jericho TavernThe 31 HOURS/ZURICHDAISY song which,muchlikethemajority `Up andDown’,anasyetunreleased newer material,withtheinsatiable show seesherplayingsomeof normal, everydaypopstar. Tonight’s fans thatsheisinfactoneofthem:a stage presence,assuringthoseyoung down toearthbuthugelyconfident all thewhilepossessinganormal, the frontintoagleefulpopfrenzy, send agroupofyoungfansdown command thecrowd,managingto performers sheandherMCDJKitty young anddiversecrowd. As live has theabilitytodrawinavery a massivepartofherappealwhich achieves allofthiswithoutlosing a predilectionforluridpinkattire, Toomey fromsouthLondonwith Girli,thesinger/rapperbornMilly of The Radiophonic Workshop. and early2000schartmusicinstead points beingstudentgaragenights pop craze,withchiefreference seen asavariantofthehypnagogic Paul’s DragRace.Hermusiccanbe the highcampperformanceofRu key emomelodyofRiloKileyand cocksure swaggerofgrime,theoff- exist attheintersectionbetween Girli isanartistwhomanagesto The Bullingdon GIRLI Charlie Wells and independentthinkers. best sortofpopismadebyoutsiders what kidsreallylike,andthatthe industry knowsbuggerallabout without beingsafe;thatthemusic along: that pop music can be melodic It alsoproveswhatwe’veknownall on asfreneticandenjoyableashow. a jotofdifference whenyoucanput but quitefranklythatdoesn’t make Tonight’s setisontheshortside, often missingfrommodernpopacts. angry gregariousnesswhichisso of excitabilityandgoodnaturedyet live performancecontainsasense of thecrowdispalpableand songs”). The energy andresponse probably doesn’t evenwriteherown fan thatwealllovetohate(“She which pokesfunattheindiemusic a brilliantsliceofselfawarepop Mess’; thesongisGirliatherbest, note with the brilliant, ferocious `Hot The pairleavethestageonahigh like Knapsack. vocal melodyofearly90semoacts arpeggio synthsandthesweeping including FrankieKnuckles-esque wide palateofsonicinfluences, of herwork,exhibitsanextremely David Murphy aren’t right allthetime. in otherwords.Hypothesis: evenwe Top tunesmarried tomusostructure, world whereGomezmade`Kid A’. with single`Castile’ awindowon wafted outof The Manor’s backdoor, Animals thananythingGongonce the carbonite-frozenpopofGlass 31 Hourshavemoreincommonwith one-off Japancover–andwe realise notebook beforebeingtreatedtoa – wehadDavidSylvianjottedinour ELP wigoutsandlateFloydbillows subtly catchytuneshiddenamongst doesn’t takelongforthesettoreveal inclined toagree.However, it an anonymouscomposition,we’re of impressivepolyrhythmsmasking When 31Hoursstartup,withaweb but decenttunesisn’t oneofthem. Hypothesis:proghasitspluspoints, make themwellworththeeffort. their arrangingskillandmelodicear big themesandbarndoortargets, but Zurich mightdealinbroadstrokes, via Doves’ duskydiscobombast. from JoyDivisiontoMaximoPark, world ofepicallysadpopstretching busy listener, squishingtogethera a handy, one-stoprockdigestforthe Zurich isanotherbandthatprovides they don’t deservetheabusetheyget. Coldplay has to offer from elsewhere, although wecangeteverything passenger seatfootwell.Similarly, a Motowncompilationstrewnin forgotten lyrics, jibes at Robbie Williams and straight up great music—that lifts this set into LIVE momentary genius. Lee and her partner in crime Andreya Casablanca give us a quick tutorial on how to THE CELLAR pronounce Shame – “It’s Shuh-ee-uh-eeme” – before leaving the stage to riotous applause and laughter. WHAT’S ON IN MAY

photo: GlassHertzzPhoto However you pronounce it, Shame is an Wed 2nd Thurs 10th Fri 18th appropriately ironic name for a band whose lead BURNING DOWN Future Perfect Future Perfect singer, the eternally extroverted Charlie Steen, is THE HOUSE JUDAS + GUESTS EYRE LLEW + already crowd-surfing halfway into the first song 80s / New Wave / Disco 7.30–10.30 KID KIN, GHOSTS IN of a set that bristles with all the turbocharged, 11pm–3am • £5 £6 adv • 16+ THE PHOTOGRAPHS physically compulsive energy of their debut & IN THE ENDLESS Thurs 3rd Thurs 10th ZANHYANG WE ARE album ‘Songs of Praise’. The starts Future Perfect BAD RAP 7.30–10.30 early and doesn’t stop. We’re far enough from sir WAS + GUESTS Disco £7 adv • 16+ the front to hold onto our beers but there are 7.30–10.30 11pm–3am plenty of liquids flying tonight, from spittle to £10 adv • 16+ £4 adv • £5 Fri 18th Soul Sessions Staropramen to pure, distilled vitriol. Thurs 3rd Fri 11th Disco / Soul / Funk Future Perfect Steen knows his crowd here, and he knows BRAVE NEW WORLD 11pm–3am • £5 all night what they want. The music almost becomes a Art Pop / Funk / SWEDISH DEATH soundtrack to his own sweat-drenched, soon Electronic CANDY + GUESTS Sun 20th 7.30–10.30 THE UNDERCOVER shirtless performance: ‘The Lick’’s shamanistic VAUNCE + NEIL + RANCID JAZZ + £7 adv • 16+ HIPPY + GUEST reprise “Bathe me in blood and call it a JOHNJONES 7.30–10.30 christening” is accompanied by Steen pouring a Fri 11th • 10.30pm–3am LOVE SPECS x AB^NV £8 adv £10 otd bottle of water over his head, while for much of £3 adv • £4 otd present…FRUITY BLISS Mon 21st May album-closer ‘Angie’ he seems to be conducting SHAME / GURR Fri 4th Dance / Fruity Disco Cinema Under The Stairs an orchestra. It’s all true to the spirit of the BOSSAPHONIK 11pm–3am BREAKING AWAY • The Bullingdon music, whose obvious nostalgia – see every Global Beats / Sat 12th 7:30pm Film start “It’s the sound a pigeon makes in German.” witticisms about the English. review comparing them to Killing Joke and Gang Bizniz Future Perfect 8:30pm • £4 adv In case you were wondering; that’s how Not that there isn’t space for a parable about of Four – is never all that far from pastiche. And THE TURBANS + DJ’S HERS + GUESTS Tues 22nd to pronounce “Gurr”, a German two-piece some dickhead who was rude to Laura Lee Steen’s overly sincere punk-spiritedness can 10pm–3am 7.30 –10.30 THE C-BOMB present... masquerading as a four-piece whose banter outside the venue: “I was insulting the people occasionally seem patronising as a result: “Just Sat 5th £8 adv • 16+ SEX BOMB EVERYTHING EVERYTHING is as good as their songs. And that’s saying of Oxford with my dress code,” she observes to remember,” he proclaims, “at the end of the OXROX Sat 12th Pop/ Disco/ 80s • • CIRCA WAVES • THE AMAZONS something. The band has one strong album out the audience, before launching into a sneering day this is just entertainment. Don’t take it so / TOTAL LIFE FOREVER 11pm £4 adv £5 otd there and another on its way, but their live act rendition of ‘Hollaback Girl’. But it’s Gurr’s fucking seriously.” Try telling that to the guys in Punk-Sleaze Rock Indie Hits All Night Long Wed 23rd DRENGE • PEACE • RAT BOY is something else entirely, dovetailing indie- cover of ‘Kids in America’ – a brilliantly the mosh-pit, Charlie. WESTERN SAND 11pm-3am RISE AND CUNTRY + THE OUTLAW GAZ COOMBES • THE SHERLOCKS leaning, bass-led bops with tongue-in-cheek executed routine as much as a song, involving Tom Kingsley £4 adv • £5 LIVING ORCHESTRA + THE House / Electro MOOSE BLOOD • THE BIG MOON Mon 14th BLACK BULLETTS MALLARD + GUESTS 7–10.30pm Future Perfect WE ARE SCIENTISTS SAM FENDER + 11pm–3am GWENNO £8 adv • £10 otd STEREO HONEY £3 • £5 • £7 7.30–10.30 The Bullingdon Sat 5th Fri 25th DJ It’s a brave move releasing an album interludes and sweeping, cinematic FREERANGE £8 adv • 16+ Live Nation Present... SET sung entirely in Cornish, given electronics. The richness of her voice UKG / Grime / Bassline NAOMI SCOTT + Tues 15th SPECIAL GUESTS the limited audience fluent in the and the unfamiliar language coupled 11pm–3am • £5 all night Future Perfect 7.30pm–10pm • £8 adv language. Then again it could also be with that sweep takes songs like FANGCLUB + Mon 7th a smart move – as Gwenno Saunders ‘Hy a Skoellyas Liva Dhagrow’ into FINE CREATURES Fri 25th Future Perfect Rubix: Bristol Takeover 7.30–10.30 says herself tonight, if no one can French chanson territory at times STRANGE BONES + Reggae / Jungle / DnB understand what you’re singing, they and comparisons to Stereolab aren’t CALVA LOUISE £6 adv • 16+ GARDA THE MAGIC GANG can’t hear where you’ve stolen your unjustified, or unwelcome. 7.30–10.30 • £6 adv Tues 15th (BOOMSOUND) ideas from. Gwenno is at her best when the 16+ The ISIS present + GUESTS MARIKA HACKMAN EARTH DISK-O As it is, Gwenno packs more ideas synths are heaviest and the band Mon 7th 11pm–3am FICKLE FRIENDS • LEWIS CAPALDI into her albums than most bands at their most motorik, as on the FLUORESCENT Boogie / Leftfield Disco • £5 or £6 otd / Funk COASTS • PINS • BLAENAVON will ever imagine, and she helpfully gorgeous ‘Chwyldro’ from her 2014 ADOLESCENT MINUS KENDAL + Sat 26th THE ORIELLES • TOM WALKER Indie/ Alternative/ explains a lot of them in plain English Welsh language debut album ‘Y OSCAR BARNES + SONDER Post-Punk PALE WAVES • HMLTD • GENGAHR between songs. ‘Le Kov’, her latest, Dydd Olaf’, based on a novel about HUGO JACQUEMIN Deep / Underground / 11pm–3am • £3 House Music centres around an imagined Cornish brainwashing alien robots who 11pm–3am • £5 otd JAWS • BLACK HONEY Tues 8th FINEST WEAR + Utopia and takes in themes of cannot understand, and therefore Wed 16th DREAM WIFE • TURBOWOLF INTRUSION DAMIAN CHARLES landscape, displacement, feminism conquer, Welsh speakers; beyond its BURNING DOWN & LONE SOLDIER Goth / EBM / Industrial and, yes, cheese, along its elegantly pulp sci-fi premise it’s a clarion call THE HOUSE RESIDENT DJS 10pm–3am exotic journey. for individuality in an increasingly DOKTOR JOY + BOOK- 80s / New Wave / Disco £5 adv • £6otd homogenised world. 11pm–3am • £5 Possessed of a dry humour and HOUSE + GUESTS Wed 30th 3 DAYS • OVER 200 ARTISTS • 8 STAGES affable warmth, Gwenno is as much And for anyone doubting Gwenno’s • 8.30pm–2am £4 otd Thurs 17th BURNING DOWN LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD AND ALES a storyteller as a singer, inspired place at the head of music’s vanguard, Future Perfect THE HOUSE Wed 9th THE UNDEGROUND by her activist parents and obscure where else would you find a venue Future Perfect 80s / New Wave / Disco VINTAGE FAIRGROUND RIDES YOUTH + SHOTGUN Welsh language science fiction, but full of English speaking pop fans SPORTS TEAM + 11pm–3am • £5 PAINT FIGHT FLASH MOBS SIX + CIPHERS SEAFOAM & OLD SWING couching her parables in instantly singing along to a song about cheese, 7.30 –10.30pm AMAZING KIDS AREA 7.30–10.30pm accessible electro-pop, her voice entirely in Cornish, ‘Eus Keus?’ £10 adv • 16+ LUXURIOUS GLAMPING PACKAGES murmurating with the buzz and hum (‘Is There Cheese?’), a dramatic, £5 adv • 16+ of the synths behind her on ‘Tir Ha clamouring set closer which finds Mor’. She spends most of the set Gwenno at her most demonstrative The Cellar, Frewin Court, Oxford, OX1 3HZ either sashaying around the stage and celebratory, visibly cheered by @CellarOxford TheCellar.Oxford shaking a tambourine above her head, the size and enthusiasm of the crowds or crouched over her own keyboard, she’s now playing to. A genuinely www.cellaroxford.co.uk her band bolstering the sound with an unique talent. undulating robotic funk, almost jazzy Dale Kattack veering from almost silence to all-out bombast. have a large wooden platform complete with a When they’re at full tilt, it’s impossible not to roof, from which they perform. This suits our get swept along in the sheer thundering joy of it first selector, Count Skylarkin’ who famously LIVE all. Of course, the loud bits wouldn’t hit as hard sometimes plays from a garden shed. Opening if the quiet bits weren’t as well performed and with a rootsy set, including some from his beloved GHOSTS IN THE written as they are. It’s hard to make a mark as a Alton Ellis, the Count, who also compères in a post-rock band, but Ghosts In The Photographs very subtle way, thus warms up a reassuringly PHOTOGRAPHS add enough of a twist to elevate them above large and active crowd ahead of the main event. other bands that merely apply the template Don Letts once told us Mungo’s Hi-Fi had an / DEATH OF THE laid down by Mogwai and GY!BE. Maybe the “analogue attitude”. Although their sound is projector dying is a sign that they should play based on 80s Prince Jammy dancehall dub, it MAIDEN under bright white light and step away from the still feels very contemporary. This is illustrated projector/darkness trope, because when the band by the format they use to play. We’re struck by The Wheatsheaf really let go, it’s not unlike watching a hardcore the fact that they seem to just be playing the Death Of The Maiden are making quite a name band like Fugazi at their peak. They feel for themselves lately and when they open up one record for the whole set. This is actually a confrontational at times, and that is something with recent single ‘Soldier’ it’s easy to see why. scratch interface system whereby the digital audio they should really embrace. A militaristic folk ballad that looks at the effects program on a laptop is manipulated by the vinyl. Sam Shepherd of war and fighting for causes on the body and The sound is then pumped out to a bone-shaking mind. Tamara Parsons Baker’s vocals fill the sound system. No less than six sub woofer song with considerable emotion and throughout bass scoops are used and you can feel the sonic the band’s set she impresses with a passionate SKYLARKIN’ frequencies flapping your trousers: always a good performance. It’s only between songs when she SOUNDSYSTEM with sign. launches into rambling monologues that she Tunes like ‘The Herbalizer’, ‘Walk and ’ breaks the spell. New bassist Jen Oliver (also MUNGO’S HI-FI and ‘Serious Time’ – nu-reggae anthems all – of Lucy Leave) adds considerable muscle to the are all heard exactly as intended: on the system band’s songs, while Hannah Bruce might just The Bullingdon operated by the people who made them. Tom be the most underrated guitarist in Oxford. Her The Bullingdon continues its rich, varied Tattersall, Mungo’s wizardly main producer, is way of creating subtle lines and melodies behind association with sound system culture, tonight joined by Tom Spirals, resident MC with Scotch Parsons Baker can be easily missed, but during hosting one of the most well established in Bonnet Records, who displays real warmth and the instrumental sections, the band really soar, Glasgow’s Mungo’s Hi Fi. While Oxford’s other playfulness which complements the sound when with Bruce leading the charge. main reggae venue, the Cellar, has an incredible he is given space to do so within the tracks. We No strangers to creating spellbinding P.A and a superlative in-house sound engineer, don’t stay till the end (the clocks go forward instrumentals, Ghosts In The Photographs travel is it also more challenging to safely transport tonight, so a 3am finish would be 4am in the the well-worn post-rock path. Playing in almost several tons (probably) of speaker boxes, mixers, real world) but apparently they don’t want to total darkness tonight (due to a “technical error” and assorted audio equipment down to the leave. Which means they’ll hopefully be back to on their new projector there’s no visuals tonight), subterranean venue. Mungo’s not only have one orchestrate more serious skanking soon. they create an undulating maelstrom of noise, of the biggest stacks in the business, but they Leo Bowder INTRODUCING.... Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local music bubbling under WANDERING WIRES Who are they? Oxford jazz quintet Wandering Wires are: Tim Davies (drums); John Young (keys); Olivia Williams (vocals); Joe Bradley (bass), and Ben Clapin (tenor Specialist practical and emotional sax). The band started as a duo of Tim and John, experimenting with synths in their second year at university and expanded via various university support for women and girls who ensembles. The band have been featured on BBC Introducing in Oxford; supported The Comet is Coming at the O2 Academy; played last year’s Truck have experienced sexual violence Festival, as well as playing gigs at the Mad Hatter, Sandy’s Piano Bar, and Modern Art Oxford. In 2017 they released their debut album `Departures’. at any time in their lives. `Homecoming’, their second, is out now via Spotify and iTunes. What do they sound like? “Low Island: not only is their music so good, but they’re top people. Telephone helpline Contemporary jazz meets synth-pop, with infusions of soul, Brazilian They’ve helped us out a lot as a young band.” rhythms and orchestral sounds, occasional hints of Herbie Hancock’s prog- If they could only keep one album, it would be: 01865 726295 or Freephone 0800 783 6294 jazz and Olivia’s smooth, soulful voice adding some Sade-like sweetness to “Michael Jackson: `Off The Wall’ – an iconic album with some of the more abstract departures. the greatest tunes you will ever hear, with big collaborators, but it also • Monday 6.30pm – 9pm What inspires them? effortlessly combines so many different influences and styles of music.” • Thursday 6.30pm – 9pm “Watching top contemporary jazz musicians live always gives us fresh When is their next local gig and what can newcomers expect? • Sunday 6pm – 8.30pm ideas. Two stand-out gigs for us were seeing Dinosaur and Flying Machines “After a great gig at Modern Art Oxford last month with fully orchestrated at the Mad Hatter last year. Young is going in really compelling arrangements of the album, we’ll be playing Oriel Ball in June; lucky We have a 24-hour answerphone, and if you leave us directions right now; there are loads of new artists to take inspiration from.” ticket holders can expect cool synths; funky shirts, and unexpected covers - a message we can call you back the next time we are open. Career highlight so far: definitely music you shouldn’t be dancing to in white tie.” “Listening to `Homecoming’ on Spotify on Joe’s phone, outside in the snow, Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: Email support at midnight on the day it was released. We’d worked on the album for nine “There loads of opportunities to perform, and in so many different settings. months, and finally getting it out there for people to listen to was a real high.” It’s great for bands who are starting out, because it gives you the chance to [email protected] And the lowlight: perfect your live show and see how it’s received by different demographics. “Being completely blinded by dry ice on stage at Truck Festival last year. One thing we’ve found difficult is that music-making at Oxford University www.osarcc.org.uk We were playing songs that we’d written two or three days beforehand and is quite isolated from the wider Oxford music scene, and vice versa.” there was so much of the stuff on stage that we couldn’t see each other to You might love them if you love: Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre is a company limited by guarantee, make eye contact: definitely a lesson in not getting carried away when the registered in & Wales No: 6835605.Registered Charity No: 1131054. Jordan Rakei; Robert Glasper; Lianne la Havas; Moonchild; Bonobo. lighting manager asks what you want for your set.” Hear them here: Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: Spotify; iTunes; Bandcamp.

Dr SHOTOVER: Seven Cycle Paths THIS MONTH IN OXFORD T H E W H E A T S H E A F Ah, there you are, Cavendish. Welcome to the East Indies Club bar. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS MUSIC HISTORY th Pull up a pew, or, if you prefer, saddle. Would I care for a refreshment? Friday 4 May – KLUB KAKOFANNEY 7:45pm / £5 20 YEARS AGO Etienne, Eliza Carthy, Dick Gaughan and founders Robin and Joe Bennett and aiming to Ra-ther, old boy. A pint of Finest Derailleur would oil the wheels nicely. Heather Nova at The Zodiac, and Dawn of the create a festival that paid more than lip service You know you’ve made it when you get on th So, Froome and I were just discussing the fact that it is coming up to the Saturday 5 May – METAL 2 THE MASSES QUARTER FINAL 3 7:45pm / £7 the telly, and in May 1998 Channel 4 were in Replicants and Clinic together at The Point. to green issues. So, aside from live music Tour de Cowley, and we will obviously be competing… though in my case Unbelievable Truth’s debut album, `Almost from Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, Lightspeed I will have to see my deal-, ahem, personal trainer Spanish Tony well in Oxford to film an episode ofJohn Peel’s Sounds of the Suburbs series, investigating grassroots Here’ was released on Virgin. Champion and King Creosote, there were hay advance, and pray for no drug-testing. Not sure yet whether I’ll be taking bale construction workshops, solar-powered th music scenes around the UK. The great man Friday 11 May – DIVINE SCHISM 7:45pm the Prisoner-style penny-farthing out, or the Boadicea roadster with stages, compost toilets, junk modelling and the blades on the wheels, but either way I’ll be cutting quite a dash on was in town to talk to Dustball, Nought, The 10 YEARS AGO Secret, Lab-4 and The Samurai Seven. On plenty of organic food and ale. Good to see the the highways and byways of East Oxford. Dress code? Tweed plus-fours May meant Oxford Punt back in the good old watching James Sedwards from Nought playing whole thing still with us and more successful are clearly de rigueur. Music will of course be supplied by RIDE, who are days and May 2008 saw the latest crop of new than ever. th an improvised solo piece, Peel declared “That’s Saturday 12 May – METAL 2 THE MASSES QUARTER FINAL 4 7:45pm / £7 I gather putting together a remix of Leave Them All Behind especially local music talent lined-up across five venues – the only time I’ve been jealous of someone who for the event, with a new ‘Wiggins Wig-Out’ coda section composed by including such relics from a past age as Borders th wasn’t a footballer.” and Thirst Lodge. Little Fish played the gig Wednesday 16 May - MOSHKA 7:45pm / £5 Andy ‘Bicycle’ Bell. The East Indies Club will be fielding a loose hip-hop 5 YEARS AGO Talking of bona fide legends, Debbie Harry of their lives and were joined on the night by More Punt action in May 2013 with The Duke’s 18th combo too, with Yours Truly on disc brake beats. Not sure what to call our- was also in town this month, though in a radical Faceometer; International Jetsetters; Cat Cut the venue now residing in the Where Are th selves yet, but, Friday 18 May – IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC 7:45pm / £7 departure from Blondie she was fronting New after some ma- Matador; Elapse-O; Raggasaurus; Tristan They Now drawer. Band-wise The August List York jazz improvisers Jazz Passengers at & the Troubadours; 50ft Panda and Eduard (also the month’s Introducing act) made their ture reflection, The Oxford Playhouse, which we remember Soundingblock. Black Skies Burn; Non-Stop presence felt, alongside Candy Says, Death of we’ve definitely th featured several members of the audience Tango; Desmond Chancer, and Alphabet Hi-Fi and Ags Connolly. As well as those After Saturday 19 May – GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES 8pm / £4.50 decided against sneaking out during the half time interval, Backwards are the only acts from that night still The Thought are still with us, and we think THE VELOCI- confused by the music and perhaps expecting with us, but who could forget the night’s closing Poledo might still exist, if not in Oxford. Gone rd IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC 7:45pm / £7 PEDE-OPHILES. Wednesday 23 May – some kind of Blondie Greatest Hits set. That act – Clanky Robo Gobjobs. A man wearing and not yet forgotten were Mother Corona; Now, whose turn weren’t ever gonna happen. a dinosaur hoodie shouting over a lo-fi digital Duchess; Listing Ships; The Graceful Slicks; is it to get the On a more local legend level, former Talulah hardcore racket, like Kevin the Teenager fronting Bear Trap; Empire Divided; Yellow Fever and drinks in? Can th Gosh and Heavenly people Amelia Fletcher, Atari Teenage Riot – always a winner. Traps. Friday 25 May – OXROX 7:45pm / £10 you handle bar Pete Momtchiloff, Cathy Rogers and Rob Pursey Away from Punt-related things, former Punt Beyond that rather special night there were gig duties, Froome? returned to action with a debut show under the stars Stornoway released their `On the Rocks’ treats to be had in the form of Simple Minds, th Saturday 26 May 7:45pm / £7 I said, ‘Can you name Marine Salvage & Research Limited, EP on their own Hatpop label, the record and OMD and John Foxx (The New Theatre); handle bar…?’ – soon, thankfully, to be shorted to Marine featuring their well-intentioned but perhaps Major Lazer, Gaz Coombes, John Grant and th Wednesday 30 May 8pm / £5 Oh suit your- Research. The quartet were joined by DJ best forgotten `Good Fish Guide’ as well as the Catfish & the Bottlemen (all O2 Academy), selves. Cheers! Downfall in a line-up that dispensed with much gorgeous title track. and The Handsome Family (The Bullingdon), Down the slope! of the old twee-pop sound in favour of a more Talking of environmentally-minded good while WOOD hosted Mary Epworth; Paper Next month: ‘Hello my good man, I say HELLO THERE, is electronic, soul and beat-driven vibe. intentions, the first ever WOOD Festival took Aeroplanes and Danny & the Champions of Wheatsheaf 129 High Street, Oxford OX1 4DF / www.facebook.com/wheatsheaf.oxford HEAVY PEDAL KIDS this Magdalen Bridge?’ Other acts in town this month included St place at Braziers Park, started by Truck Festival the World. give Strawberry Thieves a shout. Duo Elsa They call themselves Ghoul and describe Field and Ian Hall are unreconstructed themselves as punk and horror rock but folkies of the old school – cajon, bouzouki unlike Mobius earlier in the pile, there’s and mandolin all in da house. They also nothing fun and gothic about this, just DEMOS list yellow skull and dark frog among awful, leaden pub rock bilge that makes Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day their instruments, which get us to thinking Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts sound like Tune- at Soundworks studio in Oxford, of Mulligan and O’Hare. Their songs yards. `Invisible Simon’ just about gets courtesy of Umair Chaudhry. Visit are about blacksmiths and mermaids away with its semi-comic premise by www.umairchaudhry.co.uk/nightshift and they’ve got one called `Once I Had having something almost recognisable as a a Sweetheart’, so you know they’re not tune but the likes of `Behind the Cobweb making rash promises about being alt.folk Veil’ and `Intruders’ are nothing more FINAL SUN or that self-delusional “folk played with than shouty dirges, no more musical than DEMO OF At last month’s Brookes University punk spirit” boast, just simple, old-as-the- the delusional rantings of shouty park symposium on Nightshift (yeah, get us, we’re hills that’s as trad.arr as trad. bench meth drinkers. Maybe one day, THE MONTH worthy of academic study – like Shakespeare arr gets, right down to some decent Gaelic when Artificial Intelligence has fully taken and pre-Raphaelite art and dinosaur fossils. singing from Elsa on `An Mhaighdean over, some desperate, depressed cyborg Oh, hang on…) the idea of what constitutes a Mhara’, her high, limpid voice very much songwriter will look in the mirror and MOBIUS demo came up, and we fully accept the word in the lineage of Sandy Denny and Maddy realise every supposed party banger it’s Following last month’s demo reviews some is arcane in an age of digital self releases and Prior. Here be maidens. Here be meadows. written is as shit and sterile as anything friends of a band who got a bit of a critical affordable recording technology, but even so, Here be thee merrie monthe of May. Here Drake could conjure and it will slump on kicking, took their umbrage to Twitter (the this would count as a demo in anyone’ book, be liege and leaf, not to mention Willy O the pavement outside the computer café go-to wankbooth for impotent rage) to since even the most lackadaisical teenage Winsbury. Frankly when Trump and Putin with a four pack of Tennant’s Super in its bleat and whine about the fact Nightshift cave troll would admit it wasn’t anything are doing their damndest to make the future trembling robot hand, bellowing incoherent thinks it’s silly calling bogstandard rock close to being the finished product. It sounds as bleak and terrifying as possible, a retreat gibberish at passersby. Until then, we’ll “alternative” when it’s anything but (the like it was recorded under several metres of into some distant past rural idyll doesn’t have to make do with Ghoul. band themselves having laughed it all thick mud in a church hall on an old cassette seem such a bad idea, does it. off). Time was, a band like Mobius would player that was perched the wrong way neatly have fitted into what was considered up against a wall several postcodes away. THE DEMO alternative, their sullen, drama-laden gothic Which makes it bloody terrible, yeah? Like, LUXE FOR FUN noise starkly at odds with the prevailing compared to all those nicely, neatly recorded One horrific vision of the future that’s guitar-based music mood of the time. fancy tracks we get sent by proper studio already come true is music being written DUMPER It’d be simplistic to label them goth, but producer types? Well, yes. But no. It does by robots – and not the cool sort of robots here’s a band who seem happy to lurk in sound fucking awful on that level, but brush Kraftwerk have onstage. No, the ones MICHAEL LEE TURAN AUDIO.co.uk the shadows. Or if not happy then at least away the cobwebs, mud, hiss and crackle and whose job it is to write hit songs based on While it’s easy to sit here contemplating Professional, independent cheerfully glum. `Bite My Hand’ sounds more mud and it’s a potentially fun slab of algorithms that refine and distil the essence some terrifying machine-ruled future, we audio mastering like it’s wearing shades indoors and has growly, down-tuned sludge metal that needs, of previous hits to create something must never forget that the past contained Mastered in the studio last month; an unfiltered cigarette drooping from its if not a bit of polish (fi and tish to polished as utterly soulless as is (non) humanly myriad horrors that we’re still trying to Apple approved fingertips as its simple pulsing/wandering downtuned sludge metal) then some kind of possible, like the musical equivalent of understand, never mind come to terms with. ROGER WATERS, AC/DC, THE OTHER mastering bass takes it into Bauhaus territory while the And a lot of them happened in the 1980s. balance. Through the murk and mud (by god Dairylea Cheese Strings. Luxe For Fun DRAMAS, THE DEADBEAT APOSTLES, singer conjures the spirit of The National’s there’s a lot of mud in here), we even detect don’t sound like they’ve got a hit single Thatcherism; the Cold War; AIDS; Level 42; Matt Berninger. `Omnipotence’ is even more what might be a cover of Sepultura’s `Refuse/ in them but they do sound like there was Shakatak. Oh yeah, the 80s were a positive ZURICH, SALEM, DESOLATION ANGELS, ASTRAL dramatically gothic, sparse, yet OTT, vocals Resist’. Final Sun aren’t the final deal yet, but precious little human involvement in their fucking joy on the soulless plastic jazz-funk CLOUD ASHES, THE LOVE LETTERS, THE STEADY full of Hammer Horror theatricality, the they’re on the right path at least, albeit it a music. They present us with one song here, front. Who doesn’t hanker for the days of clanging rhythms awash with malevolence rather muddy one. `Motions’, which apparently features “a pencil moustachioed blokes with rolled up LETTERS, GODSMACK, DOUG LEVITT. as the guitar glissando scours any chinks jacket sleeves, driving Capris and dancing Guild Hall jazz singing graduate and a 01865 716466 [email protected] of light from the room, while closer, the producer.” They describe themselves as to Johnny Hates Jazz? Michael Lee here instrumental `Two Minutes Hate’, is pretty JOIN THE RIOT “80s inspired sophisti-pop with tropical obviously does. He’s written an album’s much exactly that. There’s something almost The name alone suggests a continuation and electronic leanings,” which sounds worth of tributes to it all. And he’s allowed ostentatious about it all, but what is rock of this month’s nasty, noisy, gloomy and like the formula some marketing exec us the privilege of listening to it in its COURTYARD music if not theatre, and give us this kind glowering demo theme, but that couldn’t be programmed into the computer while trying entirety, like sitting Vietnam vets suffering of self-conscious staginess over earnest further from the truth. Try frothy, euphoric to get a soundtrack for his corporation’s from PTSD in front of a 3D rendering of RECORDING STUDIO blokiness any day (or night) of the week. 2 Tracking Rooms. Superb Control Room with: electro-pop. `Fantasies’ is all softly flowering new pineapple and kumquat-flavoured soft Hamburger Hill. And because Michael NEVE 5106 32 Channel Console. ProTools HD3 synths, gated drums and even a decent stab drink. What comes out the other end is thinks we deserve an extra special treat on MTR 90 2” 24 Track Tape Machine. Vintage EMT Plate Reverb at Neil Tennant’s soulfully detached vocals. hardly tropical and contains little or no fizz, top of this particular turd trifle, he’s thrown Loads of Brilliant Outboard Gear It’s positively fluffy in its delicate bounce, just a staid, sterile, overly polished soft in some boyband balladry and what might Loads of Great Mics, Vintage and Modern Old School Akai/Roland Synth Modules LIFELUST with a bubbling indie-dance vibe that, on soul ballad with a synthesized steel drum be the scrapings from the bottom of a bag Lifelust’s accompanying portrait looks like Upright Piano, Fender Rhodes, Amps and great vibes. `Pretenders’, comes close to Friendly Fires’ wobbling about in the background. Oh, of Jamie Cullum processed potato snacks a Top Man photo shoot of a metalcore band, Residential recording studio in Sutton Courtenay. `Hawaiian Air’. Elsewhere they touch on the hang about – polished `Motions’? There’s a for good measure. Thoughtful old Michael. the quartet prettily arranged under pink and www.courtyardrecordingstudio.co.uk lighter side of Foals and even Everything joke in there somewhere but we can’t quite Well, here at Nightshift we live by the credo In-house producer: Ian Davenport www.ian-davenport.co.uk purple lights, tats and discreetly distressed Everything, and if it’s all a bit lacking in put our finger on it. Nor would we want to, that every well-intentioned act of cruelty Email: [email protected] clothes all in good order. Musically they substance at times – the wimpy semi-acoustic thinking about it. deserves a disproportionate response. So Phone: Kate on 01235 845800 don’t stray too far from accepted formulae, `X My Heart’ in particular, which sounds like tonight we’re off round to Mr Lee’s house but for all that, this is enjoyable enough: an extremely ill-advised stab at folk-pop – with several rolls of gaffer tape, a few tabs of well-honed metal riffage, gloomy electronic and probably far too polished to be allowed GHOUL LSD and a copy of every single Nurse With atmospherics, a full-throated vocal roar and anywhere near a mud-spattered field, you can If Ghoul’s music was written by computer Wound recording ever made, including live a dynamic that places emphasis on getting to imagine them getting a packed tent going at it must have been a knackered old Amstrad bootlegs of their notorious 24-hour shows. the meat of the matter rather than fannying some mid-sized festivals through the summer. console with half its circuits fucked to And to make sure he enjoys every moment about trying to be too clever or worrying More riotous than a parish council meeting buggery. No, only humans could write of his experience as much as we enjoyed his about clean vocals. No, it’s all blast but considerably less so than a toddlers’ ball music like this. Terminally flawed humans album, we’ve got a set of bolt cutters handy Rehearsal and Recording studios beats, shredded guitars and lava-gargling pit party. with their own internal components worn in case he doesn’t applaud enthusiastically belligerence, with chunks and splinters of down by booze and fags and exposure enough after every song. Right, which of you Four state of the art rehearsal rooms thrash, tech, death and djent hurled into the to dangerous levels of bad . fuckers is next? and a professional recording studio. mixing pit. In fact crank it up loud enough STRAWBERRY and there’s more than a hint of Killing Joke Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU, or email links to edi- For bookings call Jamie on 07917685935 about it at times. Even typing those words THIEVES [email protected], clearly marked Demos. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact Glasshouse studios, Cumnor, Oxford • glasshousestudios.org makes us happier than you can possibly If Join the Riot want lessons on how to do phone number. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo. Same goes for imagine. folk music properly they’d do worse than your stupid, over-sensitive mates. facebook.com/o2academyoxford twitter.com/o2academyoxford instagram.com/o2academyoxford youtube.com/o2academytv

Sun 22nd Apr • 7.00pm Mon 14th May • 7.00pm Sat 22nd Sep • 6.30pm MC Lars + Koo Koo Kanga Roo Black Honey Dressed To Kill - A Tribute To Thur 26th Apr • 7.00pm Wed 16th May • 6.30pm KISS + Electric Circus (A Tribute to W.A.S.P) Will Heard Barrence Whitfield Fri 5th Oct • 6.00pm

Thur 26th Apr • 7.00pm & The Savages Imperial Leisure Fri 18th May • 7.00pm + The LaFontaines + Fri 5th Oct • 6.30pm

Fri 27th Apr • 6.30pm Uprising – BBC Introducing The Magic Gang In Oxford (biggest Heather Small - Sat 6th Oct • 6.30pm Weekend Fringe event) The voice of M People The Smyths Wed 23rd May • 6.30pm Unite and Take Over Tour 2018 Fri 27th Apr • 6.30pm Coco and the Butterfields Fri 12th Oct • 6.30pm I Want To Play Common Hollie Cook People: Oxford Sun 27th May • 6.30pm Cocaine Piss Fri 12th Oct • 6.30pm Sat 28th Apr • 7.00pm Fri 1st Jun • 7.00pm Antarctic Monkeys Bingo Lingo Carcer City Sat 13th Oct • 6.30pm

A New Breed Of Bingo Sat 2nd Jun • 7.00pm Britpop Boys Sat 28th Apr • 6.30pm OMYO Thur 18th Oct • 7.00pm

UK Foo Fighters Sat 2nd Jun • 7.00pm Tom Grennan Banging On the Ceiling Tour Miles Kane Thur 18th Oct • 7.00pm Wed 2nd May • 6.30pm Thur 7th Jun • 7.00pm The Daniel Wakeford Ocean Wisdom The Wedding Present Experience Thur 3rd May • 7.00pm “Tommy” 30th Anniversary Tour Fri 19th Oct • 6.30pm Lower Than Atlantis Thur 7th Jun • 7.00pm Boyzlife Fri 4th May • 6.30pm Tony Christie Sat 27th Oct • 6.30pm Rhys Lewis Sat 9th Jun • 7.00pm Guns 2 Roses Fri 4th May • 6.30pm A Band Called Malice Tue 30th Oct • 7.00pm Wilko Johnson + Hugh Cornwell Band The Definitive Tribute to The Jam Superorganism Thur 1st Nov • 7.00pm Fri 4th May • 11.00pm Thur 14th Jun • 7.00pm Mighty Crown Far East Rulers Sona Jobarteh The Feeling Fri 2nd Nov • 7.00pm Sat 5th May • SOLD OUT • 6.00pm Fri 15th Jun • 6.30pm Frank Turner Nick Heyward + Pugwash Neil Hilborn Sat 10th Nov • 6.30pm & The Sleeping Souls Fri 22nd Jun • 7.00pm Dubioza Kolektiv Sat 5th May • 7.00pm Zodiac Reunion Party Skeletor feat. The Reaper Disques Voge, Sky Larkin, Transformation, Osprey Fri 16th Nov • 6.30pm Mon 25th Jun • 7.00pm Sun 6th May • 7.00pm Killing Joke Mallory Knox Kiefer Sutherland Sat 17th Nov • 6.30pm + Better Than Never + Towers Sat 30th Jun • 7.00pm Definitely Mightbe Mon 7th May • 7.00pm Black Skies Burn Oasis tribute ft Diablo, Last Rites, Hymn To Apollo The Bluetones + The Velvet Hands Tue 27th Nov • 7.00pm Fri 6th Jul • 7.00pm Thur 10th May • 7.00pm Shame DMA’s Super Hans Fri 7th Dec • 6.30pm Fri 3rd Aug • 7.00pm Fri 11th May • 6.30pm Pearl Jam UK Marmozets One State Drive Sun 2nd Dec • 7.00pm Sat 12th May • 6.00pm Thur 6th Sep • 7.00pm Bjorn Again Death Remains Ben Miller Band Sat 22nd Dec • 6.30pm

Sat 12th May • 6.00pm Fri 14th Sep • 6.00pm Faith – The George Michael Seether Molotov Jukebox Legacy

o2academyoxford.co.uk 190 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UE · Doors are 7pm, unless stated. Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 12 - 5.30pm ticketmaster.co.uk ticketmaster.co.uk.co.uk • wegottickets.com • seetickets.com • gigantic.com