[email protected] nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month NIGHTSHIFT Issue 203 June ’s Music Magazine 2012

GAZ COOMBES Going it alone

Also inside this issue: Win WILDERNESS & TICKETS!

Introducing MOTHER CORONA plus All your local music news, reviews and gig guide.

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: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net

OXFORK also hosts a weekend of live music, entertainment, food, workshops and talks at Grove House and the Rotunda in Iffley th th over 4 -5 August. Entitled Locally DRY THE RIVER are set to headline Gathering, a new one-day live Sourced, the event promises to music festival along the Cowley Road on Saturday 20th October. source all its performers, food and The -based folk-rock band were included in the BBC Sound of stallholders from within five miles 2012 longlist and have been compared to Fleet Foxes and Mumford & of the venue. Tickets are on sale Sons. Their debut album, `Shallow’, was released on Sony in March. now, priced £10, from Wegottickets. Joining them on the Gathering line-up, which is being organised by com. Visit www.facebook.com/ DHP Concerts, who promoted last year’s Ley Lines event, will be Spec- oxfork for more details. tor, Bastille and Nina Nesbitt, with more acts due to be announced early in June. DREAMING SPIRES launch Final details of venues involved in the event have not been announced their debut album, `Brothers In but it will centre around the O2 Academy. Tickets, priced £15, are on th Brooklyn’, on Saturday 9 June, sale now from the Academy box office and Truck Store. with an instore set at Truck Store Visit www.gatheringfestival.co.uk for news updates. on Cowley Road. The band, formed SPRING OFFENSIVE play their by brothers Joe and Robin Bennett, biggest headline show to date play at1pm. Later the same day, Farmhouse near Iffley Lock as part every Sunday night at 9pm on this month when they perform at Liverpool’s Stealing Sheep play an of a mini festival in aid of the Mike 95.2fm. The dedicated local St Barnabas Church in Jericho. instore ahead of their show at the Woodin Trust. music show plays Oxford releases The band, renowned for playing Cellar that evening. Lanterns On and demos as well as featuring at unusual venues, headline the The Lake also return to town for an NIGHTSHIFT interviews and live sessions. The church on Thursday 14th June, instore set on Saturday 23rd June. PHOTOGRAPHER JOHNNY show is available to download as a with support from Count Drachma Check set times for these and other MOTO has an exhibition of his gig podcast at .co.uk/oxford. - the Zulu roots band formed instores at www.truckmusicstore. photos up in the newly-refurbished Regularly updates local music by Stornoway’s Oli and Rob co.uk. Jericho Tavern now. Along with news is available online at www. Steadman - and Liverpool’s All In other local release news THE Tavern manager Owen, Johnny, musicinoxford.co.uk. The site We Are. CELLAR FAMILY release their who has been photographing local also features interactive reviews, Tickets for the show – Spring new mini-album, `Jumbo’, this gigs for over 20 years, has picked interviews and a photo gallery. Offensive’s only non-festival gig month, while MR FOGG releases 32 of his favourite shots, including Nightshift’s online forum also of the summer, and organised in his latest album, `Eleven’ on 4th vintage pictures of The Candyskins, features breaking local news as well conjunction with Oxfork – are June. Reviews to come in July’s which are available to view at as the chance to chat to other Oxford on sale now, priced £6 from Nightshift. Tavern gigs, or during the day by musicians and gig-goers, advertise Wegottickets.com, including a free Moiety launch their new album, appointment with the pub. for bandmates or simply have a exclusive acoustic EP, recorded `The Waves’, with an instore set at good old row about something live at a house party gig earlier this Truck Store on Saturday 16th June. AS EVER, don’t forget to tune and nothing. Visit nightshift. year. The following day they play at Isis into BBC Oxford Introducing oxfordmusic.net.

ALCOPOP! and BIG SCARY MONSTERS are offering a free six-song download to celebrate their joint takeover of the Barn Stage at Truck Festival on Saturday 21st July. The local labels have made tracks available by Gunning For Tamar (pictured), Tellison, Johnny Foreigner, My First Tooth and Crash Of Rhinos. You can get it here: tinyurl.com/popvsbsm. In other Truck Festival news, The Old Grinding Young, ToLiesel, Jess Hall, Robots With Souls, Pixel Fix and Kill Murray are the latest local acts to be added to the bill. Truck Festival takes place at Hill Farm in Steventon on 20th-21st July. Visit www. truckfestival.com for full line-up and ticket details. DEAD JERICHOS have split. The band, formed in Drayton, twice featured on the front cover of Nightshift and earned themselves a sizeable fanbase with their constant gigging, including a riotous set at last year’s Truck Festival. Announcing the split on Nightshift’s online forum, singer Craig Evans, said, “From having Ellie Goulding in our dressing room and meeting the guys from Simple Minds, to having extra security and police at our Truck set last year because of all our nutter fans, we’ve sadly decided to call it a day. We’d like to thanks everybody who joined us in our whirlwind of fun! Big thanks to Paul Carrea, Seb Reynold, Marc West, Ronan Munro and everybody else for your help over the last few years, and especially all you people that sang along and had fun! Good night and God bless.” The trio will bow out with one final show – at Truck Festival in July. Dead Jerichos are also behind this year’s D-Fest, the now annual Drayton-based mini-festival that serves as a comedown party for Truck. This year’s event takes place again takes place at the Red Lion in Drayton on Saturday 28th July, with Kill Murray, The Dreaming Spires, The Long Insiders, Alphabet Backwards, Lost Dogs and The Graceful Slicks among the bands playing over two stages. WIN TICKETS What it’s also got is some bloody available at £260. great music. Acts already cornfirmed And guess what? Thanks to our chums at include RODRIGO Y GABRIELA, Wilderness, we’ve got two pairs of adult WILCO, SPIRITUALIZED, weekend tickets to give away. Free. To you. SHARON JONES & THE DAP Our dear readers. Oh yes we do. KINGS, LIANNE LA HAVAS, GRANT LEE BUFFALO, GIANT All you need to do to win a pair is answer GIANT SAND, CRYSTAL this simple question: FIGHTERS, FIELD MUSIC, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE LONDON FOLK GUILD, SPIRITUALIZED’S LATEST ALBUM? CLOUD CONTROL and many, many more. Answers on a postcard please (sorry, no email entries) to WILDERNESS COMPETITION, Aside from the music there’s a Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Only in its second year in , feast – literally – of food, debate, stargazing Please include your address and daytime Wilderness Festival is already an and myriad outdoor pursuits, from horse riding telephone number. Deadline for entries is the award-winner, scooping the prize for best to foraging, with the likes of THE ROYAL 25th June. The editor’s decision is to pig out at new festival at the UK Festival Awards, and OBSERVATORY, YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, Yotam Ottolenghi’s banquet til he’s almost sick. this year’s event looks certain to build on that THE IDLER ACADEMY, SCHOOL OF initial success. LIFE, THE LAKESIDE SPA and more involved. There are banquets and Wilderness, which is jointly curated by late-night parties and theatre and talks Lovebox and Secret Garden and... just blummin loads of stuff, right? Party, takes place over the weekend of the 10th-12th August at Cornbury Tickets for this year’s Wilderness Park, near Charlbury, asserting itself as “A are on sale now through the festival celebration of the arts and outdoors in the website: www.wildernessfestival.com wilds of ,” although Cornbury Park as well as Truck Store on Cowley Road is a bit less wild than Exmoor, or Peckham, if and Rapture in Witney. Adult weekend we’re honest. In fact, it’s quite lovely and has tickets are priced from £119, with a deer park and a lake and all sorts. You’ll like young persons’ tickets £54 and under- it, go along and see for yourself. 10s going free. Family tickets are

Gaza quiet word with Coombes band into a million-selling indie Gaz plays his debut solo show masterpiece. He and Gaz have at the Rotunda last year. remained firm friends ever since, but what was it like to work with him again in the studio? “Yeah, it was great. He really kept me up and moving, kept my photo: Johnny Moto confidence up. It’s easy to get too inside a project when it’s your baby, so he was good at reminding me what was great, what needed pushing further etc. He played on a few tracks and we also did a bit of writing together on a few tracks as well. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious.”

Having moved away from Oxford at the height of ’s success, Gaz moved back to his native Wheatley in 2006 after the death of his mother, moving back into his childhood home. And it was local fans who got the first taste of Gaz’s new songs when he played a brace of intimate solo shows at the Rotunda in Iffley back in December. Those two shows gave “I think under career. into a new place musically. It’s all fans an early glimpse of the new my own name gives me both a sense If Gaz had any worries about how his about keeping things fresh, exciting songs, but in a stripped-down form. of freedom and heaps extra pressure new material would be received by & experimenting with new techniques How did Gaz feel about debuting the on me as an individual. But both are both fans and critics, he needn’t have and approach.” new stuff this way? equally positive. The pressure on worried. The response so far has been Compared to most bands who “It was interesting. I wasn’t me is something I’ve been looking universally positive, with `...Bombs’ emerged around the same time as necessarily ready for those shows, I for, to push me into different places, awash with a sense of freshness and Supergrass you stayed together far hadn’t long been out of the studio, but y’know, head out of any comfort new ideas you couldn’t imagine longer; what do you think was the I liked the vibe that night, it almost zones I may have found myself in making their way into a Supergrass secret to the band’s longevity? felt like I was showing people the during the end of Supergrass. And record. There are echoes of the “I think we always felt we could songs as they sounded when first in doing so, It’s given me the chance old band in there for sure – Gaz’s improve on the last record: change, written on acoustic or Wurly or even to enjoy the freedom of expression voice and personality are instantly evolve and push the band further, the iPad. It was all very exposed but and experimentation I found on this recognisable – but the shift towards which is what we did for six records. I think the songs came through in a record.” more electronic music in particular, Or maybe it’s because there was no good way. The response was great and more apparent influences from ‘In-band love triangle’. That’s what really... especially from my dad, who is talking bands like Can and Faust, as well usually breaks bands up.” was in the front row!” to Nightshift about going it solo as John Foxx-era Ultravox! and Was there any point where you More recently you played East after almost two decades fronting Magazine and even Giorgio Moroder, considered giving up, or at least Oxford Community Centre with a Supergrass. finds him entering a whole new world taking a break, from making music, full band; how did you go about Between 1993 and 2010, when they of sound. or were the ideas for your solo career choosing who to play with? How do finally split, Supergrass not only already fomenting? you feel it’s worked out so far? helped put Oxford firmly on the Supergass split almost “I came out of Supergrass with no “Ah, the ‘Bombs Band’. Yeah, it was world’s musical map, but enjoyed exactly two years ago, amid sessions particular expectations. But, out of great to do that gig. I wanted to see genuinely massive success that for their planned seventh studio the blue, or out of frustration, a surge how it felt as a starting point, with as included three platinum albums, an album. How far ahead, we wonder, of ideas kind of flooded out. And few musicians as possible, see what Ivor Novello and a BRIT Award, as did Gaz see that coming, and how even at that stage I wasn’t thinking worked, what was missing. I knew well as sold-out shows around the have his feeling changed in the time ‘time for my solo album’ But after I wanted Loz Colbert on drums; globe. Supergrass not only outsold since? I’d recorded four or five songs in he’s a great guy, I’ve known him for but long outlived most of their early- “Well it was during those final my studio, I felt I was on the way years and knew he could deliver the 90s rock contemporaries and latterly recording sessions. I think we all to making a cool record. And it was right vibe and attitude I was after. have been recognised as a major felt some frustration with how it around that time, when Sam Williams And Charly, my brother, is a great influence on later generations of was progressing... we were barely a came over for a few beers, that I just player and knows my style well, so bands, most notably Arctic Monkeys. quarter of the way through making played him the stuff. He just felt it he was able to interpret that brilliantly the album and the songs we had just straight away and saw what I saw in live. I’ve also got a guy called Joe As such, it’s a daunting weren’t good enough. There were the songs. So then it was like, ‘Let’s Charlett on bass; he plays with Spring task ahead for Gaz as he launches a few good ideas but we just didn’t get this beast finished!’” Offensive but I’ve just pinched him his debut solo album, `Here Come seem to be on the same page. So, for Sam Williams, of course, is the man for a bit of Bombs action. So that’s The Bombs’. But it’s a task he’s me, it wasn’t fun, I wasn’t getting who produced Supergrass’s debut all working great! Those guys are the approaching with a rekindled the buzz I was so used to feeling so I album, `’, helping core of The Bombs Band and I’m enthusiasm after becoming slightly felt, like, let’s call it a day. I have no to mould the trio’s early songs into imagining bringing in other floating jaded towards the end of his band’s regrets and I’m glad I pushed myself the ecstatic pop blast of the young members as and when, whether it’s drone violins, extra guitars or of Supergrass. Since this is his first whatever.” release on his own though, references and comparisons to his old band While parts of `Here are inevitable. Is there a worry at Come The Bombs’ will sound all that anything he does is going familiar to fans, there’s much that’s to be judged by what he did with a big departure from the music Gaz Supergrass? has made before; tracks like `Fanfare’ “Not really. It’s inevitable people and `Sub Divider’ for example. How will compare or ask questions about much have his tastes changed to bring Supergrass. I spent half my life in the you to these points? band. But I couldn’t give a monkey “Not much really. I’d try to let the basket what people think, It’d be songs direct the style, just do what good if they just give it a listen on was right for the song instinctively, face value. I’m basically a new artist kind of let each sound inspire the and I’m loving that feeling. I don’t next, rather than take inspiration want to do anything on the back of JUNE from anyone else’s sound in any way. Supergrass.” Saying that though, there have been Despite the split, Gaz remains Every Monday a few albums of the last couple of friends with his old bandmates. He years that I really got into, like James still sees around and THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES Blake and The Xx and a few other about in Wheatley, while he and The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. electronic artists. But I also revisited Danny Goffey still have their side 4th 3rd DEGREE LEBURN stuff like Scott Walker and Serge project Hot Rats, which started off 11th BILL KIRCHEN & TOO MUCH FUN Gainsbourg over the last year or two. as an opportunity to play covers of th And recently been listening to ESG some of their favourite songs, but 18 MARCUS BONFANTI th loads; what a record!” may develop into something more 25 GILES ROBSON & THE DIRTY ACES There seems to be a heavy krautrock ambitious. influence in some songs, Faust and “Yeah, me and Danny are meeting Every Tuesday Can in particular. Are they bands up occasionally, getting a few ideas you’ve always enjoyed? together, just keeping it rolling. It’s THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB “I didn’t really listen to much going to be a busy year with my Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am other music during the writing and record but there are plans for an 5th / 19th NEW JAZZ COLLECTIVE recording. I’ve been listening to album of original material at some 12th MOSS PROJECT those bands for years though; we did point... who knows when.” th in Supergrass too. I’m sure things 26 THE HUGH TURNER BAND subconsciously creep in at times; on Finally, having played in `Hot Fruit’ and `Universal Cinema’ bands since he was 15, how much Thursdays for example, I felt a kind of early and in what way does Gaz think the th Cure or Harmonia vibe with the drum world has changed as far as trying 7 GUNNING FOR TAMAR / MY CROOKED beat... that driving, intense thing. to make it as a musician since he TEETH But also that’s just the way I like to first started playing? Does he think 14th THE SCHOOL / TIGERCATS play drums, that sort of feel comes it’s easier or more difficult to make natural.” a name for yourself and to be able Nightshift’s favourite song from the to stick to your particular musical Every Friday album, though, is the big electro- guns? FUNKY FRIDAY driven centrepiece, `Break The “There’s such a fast turnover of Funk, soul, boogie and R&B. 11pm-2.30am; £3. Silence’; could it be your big disco music these days. It’s a heavily anthem? It sounds tailor-made for saturated business, it totally echoes clubs; can you imagine getting the whole ‘social networking’ and Saturdays anyone in particular to give it a approach, basically an 2nd KING TUBBY SOUNDSYSTEM / SET IT OFF dancefloor remix? overload of information, mostly / COUNT SKYLARKIN “Hmmm. It’s in the works. It about nothing, that just comes and 9th – drum&bass. 9-3am definitely lends itself to a remix; goes in a flash. I think there are some UNHINGED th within the first few bars, people start cool elements about the modern 16 LOVER ROCK & SOUL moving and that’s a good sign.” approach though, where a band can 23rd SELECTA – drum&bass You played every single instrument get their music online and build a fan 30th TBC on the album; did that make it easier base without relying on the record or harder? company middle man thing. But “Well it just added to the spontaneity again it can mean there’s a lot more Saturday early show of the writing and recording. It wasn’t shit to siphon through before you get 16th OTHER LIVES £9; 7pm the plan to play it all at first; I had to something good.” some people in mind but as I started Looking back, is there anything at to put parts down, almost in demo all, decisions or whatever, you would Sundays th form, they just sounded right and I have done differently? 10 RED CEILIDH - scratch ceilidh, plus Jack & The liked the ‘first take’ quality to them, “Oh there’s always stuff that Arrows. Doors 7.30, dancing at 8. £6 with mistakes and all. I’d hear an could’ve been done better or idea in my head and just go and put differently. But nothing major... I’m Coming up.... it down before I forgot it, and it all glad we never sold our souls for a th felt really fresh and exciting because few quid, or perhaps appeared in a Friday 13 July Eve Selis th of that.” cheesy American TV show. Still, Saturday 14 July Alajandro Escovedo there’s always time!” Sunday 15th DAWES With `Here Comes The Bombs’, a whole new chapter of Gaz `Here Come The Bombs’ is out Coombes’ musical life is opening on now on Hot Fruit. Visit www. Join us on Facebook: Backroom @ The Bully up, and on this evidence, it could gazcoombes.com for news and tour be as exciting as those early days dates. Sponsored by RELEASED UNDERSMILE REIGN UPONUS `Narwhal’ `Her Majesty’s (Future Noise) Whale imagery seems to be something of a Infection’ feature on releases by bands of the heavier ilk. (Own label) There’s the mythical white whale that graces Previous Nightshift Demo Of The Monthers, Mastodon’s `Leviathan’ for a start off, and we thought, for a while, that Reign UponUs then there’s `Sperm Whale’ by Joe Preston’s had disappeared for good, slipping off the radar Thrones. for a while. So it’s good to find this debut full- Undersmile’s debut album fits perfectly length album hit the doormat with a resounding alongside such luminaries, not just because thump. Let it be known that the band are never of its title but because it is also a gargantuan anything other than heavy. beast of an album, one that explores the outer `Her Majesty’s Infection’ (doubtless out of the reaches and considerable depths of what could running for official jubilee anthem) opens at be loosely termed as metal. full-pelt, `Dead To The World’ a nasty death- Anyone who has caught Undersmile live necessarily a bad thing. thrash rampage that’s all double kick drum recently, or heard their EP, `A Sea Of Dead Ultimately there’s something quite terrifying salvos, mercilessly shredded riffs and some Snakes’, will already know the drill. For the about the noise that Undersmile create. The demonic screamed vocals. It’s a shock and awe uninitiated, Undersmile trade in repetitive, low slow riffing and drawn-out nature of their songs opening gambit and it’s no surprise they feel the slung riffs that grind at sub-sonic levels and (entire gigs quite often last for two songs) need to take their foot off the gas sharpish for leave the speakers dripping with a primordial invoke a claustrophobic atmosphere and those the more considered `Kill/Die’, which growls sludge. Inhabiting this rumbling drone are the vocals howl relentlessly, as if trapped in a malevolently, lurking like a pair of yellow eyes twin vocals of Hel Sterne and Taz Corona- cauldron of lost souls. It’s vaguely reminiscent at the window of some remote cottage on a dark Brown. Together they make for a somewhat of the roaring cacophony of demonic voices winter’s night. disturbing experience. that Sam Raimi used in his Evil Dead movies, Such a switch in styles is typical of Reign Due to the intensely slow pace of Undersmile’s but stripped of the fast pace and visual gags UponUs and for the most part it serves them songs, their vocals are not so much sung as Narwhal’s 80-minute exploration of doom- well, keeping the album fresh – from the more moaned. At times it might be tempting to laden dirge offers little in the way of respite traditional thrashcore of the album’s title track consider their approach apathetic, but there’s (again, no bad thing). to the almost punky `Kill The Jester’, with its serious intent hidden in their haunting drawl. With `Narwhal’, Undersmile have created immortal line, “I’m going to cut your throat, `Myra’, for example, alternates between the most uncompromising and heavy album you fucking c...” Sorry, public decency and all nightmarish whispers and hellish guttural to come out of Oxford since the touchstone of that. utterances. There are times when they sound doom that was Sevenchurch’s `Bleak Insight’. The one time they fall flat is on `Into Orbit’, not unlike a Babes In Toyland album played That’s quite an achievement. moving into bombastic, almost classical metal: at 16rpm (ask your granddad), which is not Sam Shepherd you can almost picture those long, blond locks blowing in a stiff breeze on some mountainside in the over-egged video. They work it better on `Les Enfants Terrible’ which finds a happier wide as Ethiopia, India, Australia and Brazil. middle ground between such indulgence and Following her heart seems the sort of thing Jess their harder material, coming on like Children would mostly do if this quartet of songs reflects Of Bodom. her character. For the most part, though, they’re at their EP opener `Find Your River’ in particular finds best playing it hard, harsh and damn fast her advising us to “Find your river / Find your – influences of Machine Head, Slayer and track / Lose your way / And find it back again,” Killswitch much to the fore as they lunge like a new age hippy roaming wild across Goa. unstoppably onwards. Shame they don’t make Not that it’s some cod-spiritual cobblers worthy CDs out of granite; Reign UponUs would suit of a good slap round the back of the head with an the format perfectly. old sandal. Instead the song is a sweet, orchestral Dale Kattack flight of fancy with just a hint of wistful regret, like an old Relationships song rendered fluffy by Norah Jones’s married-with-kids older sister. `End Of The World’ is prettier still, pure as a polished as a pebble in a rock pool, with a sense of insular isolation to match; which JESS GOYDER brings us neatly to `Sweet, Sweet Sand’, a jazzy shuffle that ups the pace a little but lacks the `Jess Goyder EP’ dreamy character of the rest of the EP. Best of (Own label) the lot, though, is perhaps `Tumble’, with Jess Jess Goyder has been largely absent from the coming on like a lighter, more feathery Minnie local scene since her appearance at the Punt Ripperton. It’s easy on the ear stuff but guileless back in 2007, but she explains she “followed enough that you can brush over its slightly twee her heart to Spain” for a couple of years. In fact nature at times and simply indulge its starry-eyed the singer, originally from Charlbury, is well whimsy. travelled, having lived and played as far and Sue Foreman KILL MURRAY The Old Grinding `A Drug To Shake You Young Up EP’ `V.I.P Single’ (Own label) (Own label) When Kill Murray emerged, seemingly As well as the de rigueur BandCamp download fully formed, from the ashes of Dial F For format in which ‘V.I.P Single’ is available, The Frankenstein, Phantom Theory and 50ft Panda Old Grinding Young have produced a limited- late least year, it looked inevitable they’d carry edition CD pressing. It takes the form of a on creatively and in the popularity stakes where plain CD wallet with blood-coloured, hand- their collective former incarnations left off, but painted artwork, and a disc that has, in their even their most ardent fans must be thrilled own words, a “blood-spattered effect”. It’s cute by the way the quartet are already shaking off yet contradictory - the DIY, naive approach in comparisons to the past, being hailed by more contrast with the weird darkness that its content than one experienced local promoter as the best hints at. live act in town. Rogers’ old Dial F incarnation, with a keen That’s The Old Grinding Young in a nutshell: This four-song debut seems to encapsulate the balance between turbulent melody and all-out ostensibly they sound a bit twee, a bit soft, but pumped-up nature of Kill Murray’s live sound grunge assault. `Miracle Man’ rides a more there’s an oddness and sinister edge bubbling pretty well, the fidgety slow-build of `Laser’, pensive electro-hum monorail, with Gus’s under the surface. The three tracks on ‘V.I.P which billows into a stormy plateau of guitar vocals retreating to a misanthropic growl- Single’ displays this, albeit in a quiet kind of noise that harks back to both Ride at their most cum-whine, but it’s `Superhuman’ that’s the way. obstinate and Radiohead circa-`Pablo Honey’, EP highlight, a taut, wired feeling of hysteria ‘Lately I’ve Been Seeing Stars’, based around making way for the more openly cathartic carrying everything along in its wake. a lush backdrop of acoustic guitar, washes `Detroit’, which scurries closer to singer Gus Ian Chesterton of sound and almost choral backing vocals, is at one level a simple song that follows the mournful, slow style of contemplative In ‘1784’ Bethany’s layered vocals take you Radiohead. It unfolds deep, synthesised bass back to another place, exploring the idea of sounds after a subtly nasty change in melody, emigrating for a better life inspired by her to make everything sound, well, weird, whilst great-great grandfather. Whilst in other tracks, remaining effortless, tuneful, confident and she seems to continuously revisit what it means warm. It’s a quietly impressive production, as to be a woman, which combines to create an is ‘The Queen’ - perhaps a nod to forthcoming album with a sense of searching, for stories, Jubilee-mania - again opening as a sparse for meaning and for hope, and with each listen acoustic song before throwing in some these elements become more prominent. strange, spooky, distant mechanical sounds, The recording took place in Bethany’s spare and deciding to call it a day as soon as it’s room, and it’s proof that talent overrides got going. ‘King Canoe’ is perhaps the most expensive production, her passion ringing out polished song here, leading the listener through with each note. Though musically the album an uptight acoustic shuffle before breaking into is diverse, it’s Bethany’s ability to continually a rather Penguin Cafe Orchestra-like section reinvent her voice which carries the whole that mixes up clarinet and acoustic guitar in a thing forward, her vocals bending and blending lattice of floating, otherworldly sound. As with BETHANY WEIMERS into each track. ‘The Queen’, it’s finished before you know it. Lisa Ward None of the tracks on ‘V.I.P Single’ break the `Harpsichord Row’ three-minute barrier. (Own label) It may sound as if ‘V.I.P Single’ is ‘difficult’ music, in which tricksy composition and There’s something almost gospel about SONIC RISING songwriting techniques have been used simply Bethany Weimers’ ‘Harpsicord Row’. As it because they can be, but that’s not the case. swells and grows with each track, she mixes `Solar Eyes’ There’s the contradiction mentioned earlier; dig perfect pronunciation with tribal drum beats, (Own label) into these songs and you’ll be rewarded with and at times heavy piano accompaniments A one-song single released, according to the unexpected displays of musicianship, skill, and not dissimilar to Tori Amos. The stereophonic sleeve sticker, especially for Record Store Day. darkness. Don’t, and you’re still left with quirky sound in opener ‘Silver Moon’ creates a The same sticker boasts the song has been and cheerfully dour pop songs. disorientating effect, adding to the otherworldly mixed by former-Ride man Mark Gardener, Simon Minter vibe of the album, whilst ‘The Letter’ combines which fits in with Sonic Rising’s elegantly melodramatic piano to ghostly vocals, further cacophonous brand of neo-. adding to its despondent sound. Elsewhere, `Solar Eyes’ sounds more like a rising mantra ‘William & His Ghost’ boarders on electro-pop than a typical songs, a pretty synth flutter territory, a more upbeat number which draws gradually augmented by minimalist tom- you in with each breath of the melody. heavy beat, rolling, flanged guitar chords and Given that Bethany’s description of the album eventually a chanted vocal part. From here it’s is “hidden truths; about our connection to the an undulating spaceward trip that takes in Ride, world around us, and about finding hope in Spacemen 3 and Wooden Shjips before making small things,” it’s not surprising that it feels planet fall by way of one final tumultuous likes a collection of stories and voices framed crescendo. It’s decent stuff from a band whose around a forgotten Oxford street and, fittingly, collective past includes former local favourites nowhere is this more apparent than in the The Factory and Spiral 25, although you feel title track. A meeting point for many current a single, four-minute blast doesn’t do the band residents, ‘Harpsichord Row’ acts as reminder a great deal of justice. We demand a full half- that we’re constantly treading on history hour long version forthwith. without taking the time to realise it. Dale Kattack transformed. Now the band are cantering and insecurities and romantic sense of longing pretty THE YARNS sound infinitely more comfortable. starkly. Lines like “Well you loved me last `Chase Me To The Hill’ More comfortable still on the EP’s closing night, but what about today?” typify both his track, and it’s strongest moment. `Property introverted nature and his craving for approval. (Beard Museum) Of Michael Docherty’ finds The Yarns in The latter is further exposed in the rather more Every time we’ve caught The Yarns live over less of a hurry and sounding so much better prosaic “I’ll let you meet my parents, because the years they’ve been the support act, and good for all that, a reflective, pretty tune with a I’m sure they’ll love you / Let me ask you as they can be you start to feel that in Oxford keening soulfulness and world weariness that something, would yours like me too?” at least they’ll always struggle to escape the you craved earlier. Here they’re closer to The answer is surely yes to that. shadows of Stornoway and The Epstein, the Stornoway’s beachcombing folksiness. It’s It’s hard to see any parent taking a dislike to two other local acts they most resemble. This a slender melody, sparsely arranged, but it young Lewis, despite a plaintiveness that borders new EP shows what they can do best but also suits their skin so much better; sometimes you on keening in his voice. His sweetness, both exposes where they fall short. achieve so much more when you don’t try too in his music and his lyrical themes is hard to Lead track `Chase Me To The Hill’, for hard. dislike, even as it gets a bit treacly at times (“I’d instance, sounds like it’s trying just a bit too Dale Kattack be more of a morning person, if I got to wake up hard to sound intense and poetic. It’s got a bit next to you”). of that old cowboy trail country feel about it An occasional resemblance to Ed Sheeran, and but lacks the wide, open cinematic vision of LEWIS WATSON even Newton Faulkner for brief moments, point The Epstein, while the singer’s soft northern to where Lewis’s mass appeal lies; it gives his accent feels somewhat incongruous in the `It’s Got Four Sad Songs bare-bones acoustic pop a soulful twist, but the circumstances, particularly set against the elephant in the room – pun very much intended trumpeter’s bumble bee buzz. Then again, On It BTW’ – is a closer resemblance to another local almost as if anticipating such dismissal, he fair (Own label) songsmith, Richard Walters. The pair share very spits “I don’t care what you print because I’m Lewis Watson is 19 years old and has been similar voices and themes but you feel Walters too big to fail,” with some real bite. playing and writing for little over a year and yet has the edge on every level. In particular there’s `The Engagement’ too feels neither epic nor he’s already notched up in excess of two million precious little variety across these four songs, intimate enough to fully engage and spends Youtube hits and had Ed Sheeran and Charlie which eventually blur into one long plea for love its first minute or so sounding like an old John Simpson singing his praises. and acceptance. Hegley jaunt; we’re genuinely unsure at this Despite this, he remains a low-key figure in Which isn’t to damn Lewis by any means; point if it’s all meant to be tongue-in-cheek or his home town, can still be found opening for rather it merely shows how new he is to all this simply trying too hard to be clever, trying to touring bands at the likes of the Jericho Tavern, and that, hopefully, his songwriting ability will squeeze too many words into each line. Not and this self-consciously-titled EP is his first grow (and be given time to grow) to match his everyone can be Jeffrey Lewis, after all. proper release. natural-born vocal talents. Two million Youtube But then, halfway through, a sweet female Self-conscious and accurate, it must be said. The views suggest he’s already doing plenty right. backing vocal chirrups in and the song is four songs here expose Lewis’ personal Dale Kattack

GIG GUIDE st FRIDAY 1 Jens and Grizilla. THEPETEBOX: The Jericho Tavern – Inventive human beatboxing from the nd Nottingham one-man band, previously a SATURDAY 2 Radio 1 beatbox champion and tour support to JUNE THE SMYTHS: O2 Academy – Upper middle Britain’s Got Talent’s Diversity, now out on class tribute to The Smiths. tour in his own right to promote debut album PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT: O2 `Future Loops’, featuring a mix of original Academy – Hooky and chums relive his Joy Saturday 2nd / Sunday 3rd songs and covers of Nirvana and MGMT. Division classics. THE KING TUBBY SOUNDSYSTEM: The JUBILEE JAM: The Jericho Tavern (3pm) JUBILEE JAM: Bullingdon – Classic Jamaican dancehall, dub, – Escape from the royalty-related national reggae and r’n’b from the enduring London madness in the cosy confines of the Tavern as The Jericho Tavern sound system, helmed by British reggae veteran Coo Promotions, Pindrop and Back & To The Escape from the royalty-related national Cecil Rennie, keeping the old sounds alive and Left team up for a weekend of live music and madness in the cosy confines of the Tavern as kicking. traditional English fete-like stuff – see main Coo Promotions, Pindrop and Back & To The SKYLARKIN SOUNDSYSTEM with THE preview Left team up for a weekend of live music and SIDEWALK DOCTORS: The Cellar – MUTAGENOCIDE + SHATTERED traditional English fete-like stuff. Saturday’s Skylarkin attempts to bring the summer to life DREAMS + NUCLEAR SKYLINE: The headliners are rising electro-pop outfit Wild with some ice-cold rocksteady and red-hot Wheatsheaf – Moshka gets heavy once again Swim (pictured), whose exotic, rarefied ragga chat, courtesy of The Sidewalk Doctors. with tech-metal tyrants Mutagenocide, while sounds recalls the likes of Japan and Yellow They’re joined by mic-mad Mancstafarian there’s a return to live action for local punk-pop Magic Orchestra as well as Wild Beasts. Outlook Festival host Kwasi Asante, while outfit Shattered Dreams. They’re joined by a quality cast that includes Count Skylarkin spins his trademark mix of PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: modish power-pop trio Black Hats; funky dancehall, reggae, hip hop, dubstep, rocksteady, O2 Academy – Weekly three clubs in one indie kids Dance a la Plage; moody folk- garage, ska and jungle. extravaganza, with current and classic indie at popsters The Old Grinding Young; oceanic KLUB KAKOFANNEY with FUZZY Propaganda; kitsch pop, 80s and glam at Trashy shoegazers Deer Chicago; rambunctious LOGIC + X-1 + OSPREY’S ALL-STARS: and metal, hardcore and alt.rock at Room 101. post-punk rockers Hot Hooves and cute The Wheatsheaf – Klub Kak’s monthly mixed EXTRA CURRICULAR: The Bullingdon – folk-pop duo Jess & Ness. Amongst the music bag of sounds this time brings together Oxford- Dimensions Festival launch party with Boddika. highlights of Sunday are The Lamppost London funk-rock and Afrobeat crew Fuzzy Disco, garage, house and bass club night. Gullivers, featuring former-Suitable Case For Logic, veteran local songsmith Osprey and THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Red Lion, Treatment and Mephisto Grande frontman chums and the very welcome return to action of Eynsham – Eccentric blues-rocking from the Liam Ings-Reeves, who teams up with former- hardcore noise merchants X-1, back to show the ever-gigging local stalwart. Silverfish chap Chris Mowforth and Nought’s kids how to rock like proper bastards. THE ARTISTS’ MOVEMENT: Baby Simple Jon Mitchell; authentic backwoods Americana TRAGEDY + THE REAPER: O2 Academy from Swindlestock; psychedelic electro-pop – Another return to town for the inexplicably rd from Flights of Helios; fluffy 80s jangle from popular heavy metal tribute to The Bee Gees. SUNDAY 3 JUBILEE JAM: The Jericho Tavern The Yarns; vaudevillian pop cabaret from Then again, plenty of people watched Vicar Of (3pm) – Second day of the alternative Jubilee Matt Winkworth & The Winkworthers Dibbly and My Family, so no accounting for celebration – see main preview Originals and ghostly poetic folk-pop from humour. JAWLESS & FRIENDS: The Cellar – Jungle, The Cooling Pearls. It’s all rounded off in ALL TAMARA’S PARTIES: East Oxford drum&bass and hip hop club night, with suitably frenzied style by New Orleans-style Community Centre – An evening of acoustic special guest Total Science bringing innovation hot jazz collective The Original Rabbit Foot music hosted by recent Punt star Tamara and attitude on the decks. There’s a feast of Spasm Band, who could give King Charles Parson-Baker. She’ll be playing her haunting, drum&bass vinyl from D-Ninety, rare hip hop II a run for his money in the partying stakes. desolate folksy songs, recalling the likes of from Australia’s Walkie and Bristol’s Psikosis, Aside from the music there’ll be arts and craft Jacques Brel and Sinead O’Connor, alongside while MC Burley hosts proceedings. stalls, a charity auction and jam. For what is Simon Batten, Ben Walker, Yo Zushi and Von BASTIONS + VERA GRACE: The a Jubilees celebration without a bit of great Braun, while poet George Chopping comperes. Wheatsheaf – Hardcore mayhem from British jam? All profits got to homeless charity AETHARA + EYES OF EVE + RECKON: Anglesey’s Bastions, who have worked with The Gatehouse – appropriate as the nation goes The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Jambox metal Frank Carter, plus local melodic ga-ga for a woman who owns several of the night with extreme death-thrash crew Aethara types Vera Grace, in the vein of Underoath. largest houses on the planet. and epic thrash merchants Eyes of Eve. EMILY LEVY: Pegasus Theatre – Album COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Street launch show for the former-Oxford-based Fair – Country-folk and Americana at the songstress. Inspired by the likes of Bjork and Cotswold street fair. Laura Marling, as well as Tom Waits and Aphex THE REAPER: Festival – Twin, her `Lost & Found’ album is a mix of Blitzkrieg metal from the young local starlets. traditional folk-pop with woozy poetry and messy electronics. MONDAY 4th FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon – Classic 3rd DEGREE LEBURN: The Bullingdon soul, funk and r’n’b every week. – Soulful funky blues from the Californian WHO DO YOU LOVE? The Duke, St. guitarist at tonight’s Famous Monday Blues Clement’s – Alt.rock, 60s garage, soul, new show. wave, punk, surf and electro-pop with DJs Jim, LITTLE ANGELS: O2 Academy – Toby Jepson’s 1980s/90s perm-rockers hit the the improve collective alongside local poets, comeback trail, having reformed at former- visual artists and dancers. drummer Michael Lee’s funeral last year, JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free hoping to relive the glory days of Number 1 live jazz every Tuesday night at the Bully, album `Jam’ and stadium tours with tonight featuring club regulars The New Jazz and Bon Jovi. Collective. WHEATLEY PARK SOUL BAND OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon + HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES + SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James Street FIREGAZERS + CAPTAIN SOUL + PHIL Tavern FREIZINGER + NICK GILL: Risinghurst Playing Field (12 midday) – Picnic in the Park th event with local bands and acoustic acts. WEDNESDAY 6 ERIC CHENAUX + MAQAM + TWO THE PETE FRYER BAND: The WINGS + RAINBOW RESERVOIR: St Wheatsheaf, Didcot Saturday 9th Michael at The Northgate – Tender-hearted COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: The Miller Of acoustic soul and pop from Constellation Mansfield, Goring STEALING SHEEP / Records’ Eric Chenaux at tonight’s Pindrop show. He’s joined by Tarik Beshir’s Arabic th SIMIAN GHOST: TUESDAY 5 music ensemble Maqam, Scottish indie outfit DJANGO DJANGO + NZCA/LINES: O2 Two Wings and oddball American posters The Cellar Academy – The new wave of psychedelic pop Rainbow Reservoir. The Line Of Best Fit label brings together fun continues here – see main preview WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Tavern two of our current favourite new bands for OXFORD IMPROVISERS: The Old Fire a joint headline tour. Liverpool’s Stealing Station – Oxford Improvisers present `Sound, th Sheep are a bewitching mix of olde worlde Image, Word, Motion’, featuring music from THURSDAY 7 wyrd folk, all close harmonies and eerie GUNNING FOR TAMAR + MY CROOKED atmospherics, and dark, droney psychedelia, TEETH: The Bullingdon – Charity show for th with hints of The Velvet Underground at times. Tuesday 5 BBC Oxford Introducing’s Sam King, who’s Folktronica doesn’t really describe the trio’s DJANGO DJANGO: doing a 60-mile walk for Oxjam. Angular, music, although there is folk and they do use mathsy riffmongers G4T crank up the noise electronics. Deep within the mix you’ll hear O2 Academy once again after their impressive showing at the Indian temple music instrumentation as well No great new indie bands around? Don’t Punt last month. as Toytown synth plonks, but whatever you you believe it. Formed in Edinburgh, later BELLERUCHE: O2 Academy – London’s choose to call it, it’s utterly compelling; little relocated to London, Django Django are trippy electro-soul crew head off on tour ahead wonder they’ve already attracted the attention already being talked about, justifiably, as one of their fourth album. of everyone from The Sunday Times and of the most important new bands to emerge MARY HAMPTON COTILLION: The Old to Rob da Bank and Gideon in recent times. Their eponymous debut Boot Factory – singer and guitarist Coe. Joining them is Sweden’s one-man-band album, released in January, seems primed to Mary Hampton brings her string-heavy band Simian Ghost, the work of former-Aerial be one of 2012’s slow-grow successes and Cotillion to town as part of a tour that takes in chap Sebastian Arnstrӧm, who is augmented they’ve got all the necessary eclecticism unusual venues (including an old castle tower by a full band for live shows. Already his but, unlike so many others, without ever and a Tudor house so far), her haunting mix debut, `Youth’ is looking to be an outside sacrificing those all-important pop tunes. of original material and traditional folk songs contender for album of the year, with its Theirs is a woozy but irrepressibly bouncy inciting enthusiastic comparisons to June Tabor. graceful, complex multi-layered electronic form of electro-tinged modern psychedelia, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford pop and baroque 60s psychedelia, that recalls all unwavering harmonies, polyrhythmic Community Centre – Oxford’s oldest and Prefab Sprout at times, as well as the likes beats and surf guitar licks. It’s been nigh on best open mic club continues to showcase local of Phoenix. Tonight’s leg of the tour also impossible to escape songs like `Default’ singers, musicians, poets and storytellers every introduces Southampton’s folk-pop duo Pale lately, but even that hasn’t dulled Django week. Seas, coming in somewhere between Elliot Django’s appeal. Comparisons to the JAMBOX ACOUSTIC & OPEN MIC Smith and Beach House. mighty Beta Band are inescapable, but then NIGHT: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury – drummer David MacLean is former Beta Unplugged sets from Oliver Coates, Tom Band member John MacLean’s brother. Muddle, Midnight Blank and Ellie Hangar. Stealing Sheep – see main preview You could equally draw together snippets JAMBOX ROCK NIGHT: The Bell, Bicester DUBWISER + MANACLES OF ACID + large and small of acts like Hot Chip, Franz OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon SNAPPED ANKLES: Modern Art Oxford – Ferdinand, Animal Collective or even Dick BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston Dub and reggae from local veterans Dubwiser Dale and The Beach Boys to make up what at tonight’s Pindrop performance, plus classic Django Django are all about, but they’re far th acid house squelch from recent Punt star more than the sum of those impressive parts FRIDAY 8 TENTH LISTEN + MASIRO: The Manacles of Acid and Krautrock-inspired and bigger and better things seem not so Wheatsheaf – Local punk crew playing it loud drones from Snapped Ankles. much likely as damn well inevitable. and fast in the tradition of Refused and The BLACK THE RIPPER + MIC RIGHTEOUS Bronx, alongside new metallic math-rockers + ENGLISH FRANK: O2 Academy – BG Masiro. Records hosts a night of urban music, with a BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Latin jazz, trio of rising underground stars alongside local Balkan beats, world breaks and nu-jazz club talents – see main preview night, tonight hosting West African collective DREAMING SPIRES + STEALING Afrospot Allstars, with their sunshine vibes. SHEEP: Truck Store (1pm) – Dreaming FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon Spires launch their debut album, `Brothers In Brooklyn’, with an instore set at Truck Store. Later in the afternoon Liverpool’s wyrd th SATURDAY 9 folksters Stealing Sheep preview their Cellar STEALING SHEEP + SIMIAN GHOST show with an instore. + PALE SEAS: The Cellar – Line Of Best BILLY RAY CYPHER + BLUE JAY Fit tour with Liverpool’s bewitching folksters PUSHER + STRENGTH OF THE BEAR: COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Desfest, style experimentation, and full-on hardcore Witney attack rock. They’re joined by Hampshire’s increasingly progressive juggernauts Caretaker, th whose take on post-hardcore is equally SUNDAY 10 elaborate and bulldozing. DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON: The MUNDANE SANDS + THE MARK Jericho Tavern – Loop-pedal and field ATHERTON BAND: The Chester Arms recording-embellished folk-pop from the – Folk-rock somewhere between The Oyster Yorkshire troubadour, lyrically mixing the Band and Mark Knopfler from Mundane Sands. everyday and mundane with more tragic, FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon romantic subject matter, recalling Smog’s Bill Callaghan and Devendra Banhart. THE RED CEILIDH: The Bullingdon – A SATURDAY 16th folk dance with a modern twist, featuring RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL: Charlbury – First London’s Jack & The Arrows, plus a host of day of the annual free festival – see main local folk musicians. preview Saturday 9th TINDERBOX FESTIVAL: The Old Wharf, th Cropredy – Tinderbox returns for its second BLACK THE RIPPER MONDAY 11 annual celebration of musical strangeness. The BILL KIRCHEN & TOO MUCH FUN: The mini-festival, by the canal side, is hosted by Bullingdon – The “Titan of the Telecaster” / MIC RIGHTEOUS north Oxfordshire musical veterans Red Square, comes to the Famous Monday Blues – see main whose confrontational free-jazz owes as much / ENGLISH FRANK: preview. to as to John Coltrane. They’re joined by Leeds’ oblique jazzers Shatner’s O2 Academy th BG Records have been putting on pretty TUESDAY 12 Bassoon; York’s electro-jazz improve collective extensive bills of underground urban acts JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free live jazz alongside local MCs and producers for a with The Moss Project. Monday 11th while now but tonight’s show might be their INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial, strongest to date. North London’s grime ebm and darkwave club night. BILL KIRCHEN & MC Black The Ripper’s conscious, political OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon rhymes are delivered with an often fatalistic SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James Street TOO MUCH FUN: attitude to life that brings a highly personal Tavern The Bullingdon soul to his polemics. While his stories range The “Titan of the Telecaster” shows no from the British urban experience back to th sign of giving up any time soon as he slavery, Margate’s Mic Righteous’ rhymes WEDNESDAY 13 FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Dubstep, continues to tour, some 45 years after the take in an entire global socio-political view, drum&bass and hip hop club night, hosted by success of `Lincoln Hotrod’, the hit he led the young rapper, the son of Iranian asylum- Script MC, plus resident DJs. as guitarist with Commander Cody’s Lost seekers, taking sharp aim at American RAGGED CLAWS + GURP: The Planet Airmen, although trips to the UK foreign policy (earning him some ill-judged Wheatsheaf – Moshka club night with shouty have been rare, so tonight’s visit to the censorship on 1Xtra last year for a pro- boy-girl duo Ragged Claw and even more Famous Monday Blues, is a real treat for Palestine shout-out), while an exceptionally shouty lo-fi punkers Gurp. blues veterans. Versatile enough to cover harsh upbringing (his family history WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Tavern everything from rockabilly and blues-rock to involves drug addiction, homelessness and country, swing and boogie woogie, a hybrid imprisonment as well as a WBU boxing th style he’s dubbed `Dieselbilly’, Kirchen has title) reveals some serious strength through THURSDAY 14 played alongside Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello adversity and having opened for The SPRING OFFENSIVE + COUNT and Emmylou Harris among others and still Game, Wretch 32 and Devlin along the DRACHMA + ALL WE ARE: St. Barnabas, gives that old favourite an ironic outing way, mainstream success would be more Jericho – The local heroes continue to play alongside his extensive back catalogue, with than deserved. Meanwhile, south London’s unusual venues, displaying a versatility and a tendency to play it in the style of any, and English Frank is possessed of a complex ability to adapt to different environments that every, guitar great over the years. In 2007 he velocity delivery and impressive wordplay few can match. In the ornate surroundings of St released his first album in years, `Hammer with its roots in grime. Joining these three Barnabas, expect the band’s sparse, sprightly Of The Honky Tonk Gods’, alongside Nick acts is a host of local talent, headed by pop to really take off. Meanwhile Stornoway Lowe, retaining his trademark humour Nightshift fave Asher Dust, whose eclectic offshoot Count Drachma bring an authentic alongside an admirable dedication to the mix of dubstep, hip hop, electro and more Zulu edge to their music. cause. makes him an experienced leader in his field. THE SCHOOL + TIGERCATS: The Chukie, Death Of Hi-Fi, HMK, Chaudhry, Bullingdon – double-header – see Exonic, Bluprint and Najil are among the main preview other names on the bill. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Community Centre The Wheatsheaf THE PROGRAMME INITIATIVE + 1877 A RIGHT ROYAL RUCKUS: The Port + DOSS: The Bell, Bicester – Jambox rock Mahon - All-day gig to celebrate our beloved night. monarch’s birthday. Among those probably OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon not singing `God Save The Queen’ will be BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston Smilex, Half Decent, The Courtesy Kill, We Are Goose, Billy Ray Cypher, Madge Midgely th and DJ Theoretical, plus a special guest to be FRIDAY 15 announced KOMRAD + CARETAKER: The PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: Wheatsheaf – Tech-core monsters Komrad O2 Academy launch their debut album, finding that difficult, UNHINGED: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass and extremely virulent, middle ground club night. between King Crimson and Mr Bungle- Spaceflight; London’s dissonant sound Caribou. Support from funked-up electro- mashers Temperatures; Southend’s psych- popsters Grudle Bay, ambient electro folders Lost Harbours; Birmingham’s types After The Thought and cosmic atmospheric electronic music collective drones from Black Fantasy, the solo Ostrich Box and Italy’s Ninny Margie project of Borderville’s Matt Halliday. and Silvia Kassel, who mix up feral THE ERIN BARDWELL poetry, performance art and electronic COLLECTIVE: Cricketers Arms, Iffley improvisation into a bewitching whole. By Road – 60s and 70s Trojan and Studio far and away the county’s most leftfield 1-style reggae and lovers rock. festival, in the sedate setting of Cropredy, a village more accustomed to the rustic th sounds of Fairport and chums. TUESDAY 19 INTRODUCING with RICHARD JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free WALTERS + THE FAMILY live jazz with The New Jazz Collective. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port MACHINE + LISTING SHIPS + Mahon GULLIVERS: O2 Academy – The O2’s SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James monthly local bands showcase features the Street Tavern fantastically tremulous voice and turbulent emotional landscapes of the supremely talented Rich Walters tonight. He’s joined th by sweetly doleful indie rockers The WEDNESDAY 20 Family Machine, whose recent `Quiet As WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street A Mouse’ single is already looking like Tavern one of the best local releases of 2012. Listing Ships fire off an electro-heavy THURSDAY 21st post-rock 100 gun salute, while Gullivers BIG COUNTRY + HOTHEADS: O2 explore the more expansive edges of Academy – The Scottish rockers continue stadium indie in the vein of Editors and on their comeback trail without lead Interpol. singer, guitarist and Stuart OTHER LIVES: The Bullingdon – Adamson. The Alarm’s Mike Peter’s Fresh from opening for Radiohead on the now fronts the band who have recently THE OXFORD RECORD opening leg of their North American tour, returned to the studio to work with Steve Oklahoma’s Other Lives bring their dark, Lillywhite, who produced their DVD & CD FAIR epic alt.folk to the UK for a short tour. magnum opus, `The Crossing’, back in PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 1983. OXFORD TOWN HALL 101: O2 Academy UUSIKUU + ENSEMBLE AZUT: st WE ARE ELEMENTS: The Cellar – Isis Farmhouse, Iffley Lock – Summer SATURDAY 21 JULY Electro and house club night, with a DJ set Solstice celebration with Finnish tango 10am - 3.30pm from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, outfit Uusikuu and Mediaeval pop plus Casio Times and more. chanson from Ensemble Azut. Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie/all other genres LOVERS ROCK & SOUL NIGHT: The CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Accessories/memoriabillia/books. Bullingdon Community Centre Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl NUDYBRONQUE: The Bell, Bicester – www.usrfairs.co.uk th Jambox rock night. SUNDAY 17 ROCKAWAY LOUNGE: Kiss Bar, RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL: Charlbury – Park End Street – New monthly live Second day of the free festival – see main rock club night, tonight featuring Kill City preview saints, plus support and rock DJs. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon MONDAY 18th BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, LUCY ROSE: The Jericho Tavern Marston – Sweet-natured folksy pop from the sometime Bombay Bicycle Club backing FRIDAY 22nd vocalist and Noah & The Whale tourmate. VON BRAUN: The Cellar – Fresh from THE MARCUS BONFANTI BAND: their excellent showing at the Punt in May, The Bullingdon – Swift return to town Von Braun launch their new EP, playing a for the Famous Monday Blues favourite high-wired form of grunged-up guitar pop and rising star of the UK blues scene, that recalls Nirvana, The Veils and The the singer and guitarist having been Nubiles at times. nominated for two awards at last year’s THE COOLING PEARLS: The British Blues Awards, drawing increasing Wheatsheaf – Ghostly, poetic pop from praise for his rich, earthy voice and Aiden Canaday’s alt.folk collective. versatile guitar playing that ranges from DEFINITELY MIGHTBE + Jimmy Page-inspired electric riffery to CHANGING MAN: O2 Academy – more considered acoustic folk and country Venom; Mayhem; Cradle Of Filth – hang picking. your sorry heads in shame. This double SHOEB AHMAD + GRUDLE BAY + bill of Oasis and tribute acts is AFTER THE THOUGHT + BLACK the true sound of a night spent in the very FANTASY: The Cellar – Pindrop depths of hell. Performance night with Australian FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon producer Shoeb Ahmad coming in THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Prince somewhere between Slowdive and of Wales, Horspath Road Interlude, London’s stoner-sludge crew Profane FRIDAY 29th & The Sacred, and grunge-rock in the vein CORNBURY FESTIVAL: Great Tew Estate of Alice in Chains from former-Death Valley – Opening day of the annual festival, with Riders people Black Sunrise. James Morrison, The Waterboys and Alison GEVA ALON + ANA SILVERA + GIL Moyet – see main preview KARPAS: The Cellar – Israeli singer- FUNK JUGGLERS + THE : songwriter Geva Alon comes to town, with an The Wheatsheaf – Funk-rock from the airy, psychedelic folk and blues that recalls the unfortunately-named Funk Jugglers. classic 60s sounds of CSN&Y at times. He’s OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC joined by former-English National Opera singer YOUTH OPEN SESSION: The Pegasus Ana Silvera, whose piano-based song cycles explore fairytales and folklore with a poetic lyrical edge, and former-Oxfordian Gil Karpas, Saturday 16th / Sunday 17th Thursday 14th with his soul-infused electro-acoustic funk-pop. THE MIGHTY REDOX + DES BARKUS: RIVERSIDE THE SCHOOL / The Chester Arms – Swampy blues-rock, psychedelia and festival funk from The Mighty FESTIVAL: Charlbury TIGERCATS: Redox. Two days of free live music featuring The Bullingdon PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: some of the best bands in Oxfordshire, Having lately enticed Allo Darlin’ and The O2 Academy set in a picturesque Cotswold town and Lovely Eggs to town, promoters Calling SELECTA: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass only five minutes walk from a train All Enthusiasts present another journey club night. station with direct, regular services from into the heart of classic indie pop with Oxford? No, of course you don’t have any this double-header. Cardiff’s The School th objections. Charlbury Riverside is now SUNDAY 24 firmly established as the acme of local emerged from the ashes of The Lovelies but PHIL FREIZINGER + LAIMA BITE + small-scale mini-festivals. This year’s are a far superior beast. That beast being a MARK SOLLIS + MATT SEWELL + event features one of its strongest ever cute kitten. Signed to the very great Elefant MORE: The Wheatsheaf (2pm) – A free line-ups; Saturday finds Smilex returning Records, they’re very much in the lineage afternoon of unplugged music at the Sheaf, to their spiritual home, headlining the of bands like Belle & Sebastian, Camera courtesy of Klub Kakofanney’s Phil Freizonger main stage, so expect theatrics aplenty. Obscura and Heavenly, as well as classic and featuring the wonderfully haunting vocal They’re joined by ace uptight power-pop 60s girl groups like The Ronettes and The talents of Laima Bite. trio Black Hats; former-Supergrass chap Shangri-La’s, all jangly guitars, cheapo SUPERLOOSE + MOON LEOPARD + Mick Quinn’s DB Band, epic shoegazers organ buzz and dreamy female vocals, BEARD OF DESTINY + MIKE ABBOTT: Deer Chicago, effusive electro-indie posters augmented by strings and horns that make Donnington Community Centre (6pm) – Free Secret Rivals and emotionally-wracked everything they do sound like it comes acoustic session with funky posters Superloose. blues songstress Tamara & The Martyrs, from another time and place, one where it’s Jeremy Hughes’ Moon Leopard and more. always summer, indie music hasn’t been while on the festival’s second stage, tectonic doom-metallers Undersmile top the bill. polluted by major labels and lad culture th and there’s a fanzine seller on every street MONDAY 25 Joining them are punk-pop terrors Hot corner. Their new album, `Reading Too GILES ROBSON & THE DIRTY ACES: Hooves, angular indie types Von Braun and Much Into Things Like Everything’, is The Bullingdon – Rated as the best harmonica heavyweight post-rockers Listing Ships and out this month, the follow-up to 2010’s player on the European blues circuit, Giles more. acclaimed `Loveless Unbeliever’. Joining Robson brings his soulful blend of blues and Sunday’s main stage line-up is topped them are London’s Tigercats, fresh old- r’n’b to the Famous Monday Blues, a rising by sunshiney electro-popsters Alphabet fashioned indie music you can dance star of the UK scene after being spotted Backwards, plus epic alt.country rockers to, their `Isle Of Dogs’ album boasting playing back-up to Muddy Waters’ son Mud The Epstein (pictured), jazz, hip hop and influences like Blondie, The Violent Morganfield. Arabic folk collective Brickwork Lizards, Femmes and Television. Marvellous. ska veterans The Inflatables, swampy blues- th rockers The Mighty Redox and harmony- TUESDAY 26 heavy Beatles-inspired rockers Dirty Royals, JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Tonight’s rd while across the field funksters Superloose SATURDAY 23 guests are The Hugh Turner Band. round of the second stage in the company LANTERNS ON THE LAKE: Truck Store OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon of rockers Mogmatic, Zulu language tribal – After their superb showing at the O2 in April, SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James Street pop crew Count Drachma and free-ranging Newcastle’s otherworldly soundscapists return Tavern psychedelic posters Flights of Helios. Plenty to town for a special instore show at Truck more besides, but all in all, a near-perfect Store. WEDNESDAY 27th way to spend a summer weekend in the THE VIEW: O2 Academy – Dundee’s Oxfordshire countryside, and all for nowt. everyman indie rockers prepare to release FREE RANGE: The Cellar album number five, provisionally titled `Cheeky WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Tavern For A Reason’, five years after hitting the Number 1 spot with debut album `Hats Off THURSDAY 28th To The Buskers’, which spawned hit singles BEAR ON A BICYCLE: Truck Store (5- `Wasted Little DJs’ (NME’s track of the year in 7pm) – Instore performances from musicians 2007) and `’. and artists associated with new local label-cum- MUTAGENOCIDE + THE BENDAL collective Bear On A Bicycle. INTERLUDE + PROFANE & THE SIX BULLET CHAMBER + MANIC SACRED + BLACK SUNRISE: The SHINE + CITY LIGHTS: The Bell, Bicester Wheatsheaf – Another feast of metal from – Jambox rock night. Buried In Smoke, with recent Punt stars CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Mutagenocide bringing a technical twist to Community Centre classic thrash and NWOBHM, alongside OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Liverpool’s stoner metallers The Bendal BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston Theatre - First of two youth open concerts th st from Oxford Contemporary Music, tonight’s Friday 29 – Sunday 1 July show featuring proggy folk-rockers Remnants of What, female-fronted power-rockers Blank CORNBURY Conspiracy and indie folksters Cherry Season. FESTIVAL: Great Tew FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon Having made a successful transition to its OUR SOUND PARTY: Baby Simple – new home at Great Tew after 2010’s financial Electro, trance and prog and tech-house from problems, Cornbury continues to find that OX105FM DJ Sarumwashi. neat blend of intimacy and politeness with big name acts with across-the-board appeal. SATURDAY 30th While it’s been affectionately dubbed CORNBURY FESTIVAL: Great Tew Poshstock, and the Chipping Norton set are Estate – Second day of the local festival. Elvis often in attendance, Cornbury is nothing Costello tops today’s bill, alongside Macy like the abomination that was last summer’s Gray, Newton Faulkner and Hugh Laurie – see Harvest Festival on ’ farm. Instead “living pop encyclopaedia”, an acutely literate main preview the emphasis is very much on the music, with songwriter with a style so his own he seems to SKELETOR PRESENTS CRYSIS + NO organiser Hugh Phillimore’s choices reflecting reside in musical genre of one. CONSEQUENCE + THE CRUSHING his obvious passion. Ahead of his table-topping set, there’s r’n’b, + EMPIRE DIVIDED + ANNERO: O2 As such the weekend is an inclusive mix of soul and hip hop singer MACY GRAY, Academy – Another epic night of metal from enduring crowd-pleasers, old school cult acts who’ll be playing songs from her new `Studio’ Skeletor, tonight featuring young local thrash and rising pop starlets. album; Californian soul singer and rapper merchants Crysis, alongside rising tech-death Friday’s bill is topped by JAMES Aloe Blacc; personably entertaining metal and hardcore crew No Consequence; MORRISON who seems to be on the cusp songsmith NEWTON FAULKNER, fresh classic metallers The Crushing; Abingdon’s of moving from rising pop starlet to enduring from his sold-out show at the O2 in May, and death metallers Empire Divided and thrash, crowd pleaser, his 2007 debut single `You comedian-turned-jazzman HUGH LAURIE grindcore and old-school metallers Annero. Give Me Something’ taking the one-time AND HIS COPPERBOTTOM BAND, who OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC busker to the giddy heights of the BRIT has defied critics with his authentic renditions YOUTH OPEN SESSION: Pegasus Theatre Awards and supporting Take That at Wembley of classic New Orleans jazz classics, recording (1.30pm) - Second of the OCM Youth Open Stadium, where his raw, soulful voice has kept his album `Let Them Talk’ with the legendary sessions, with line-up to be confirmed. him since. Dr John. OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Joining him today are consummate festival Other notable acts on today include r’n’b, pop OPEN SESSION: The Pegasus Theatre – favourites THE WATERBOYS, whose hit- and hip hop girl band STOOSHE; acoustic OCM present their annual showcase of local strewn “Big Music” peak has made way for a singer-songwriter Tom Baxter, and artists, this year featuring emotive indie rockers more literary, rock-leaning sound, and they’ll Guardian columnist Tim Dowling’s good-time Echoboomer, free-ranging psychedelic electro- doubtless be mixing songs from their recent blues-rock band POLICE DOG HOGAN. pop ensemble Flights of Helios, melancholic `An Appointment With Mr Yeats’ in alongside It’s Sunday, though should provide the poetic posters The Cooling Pearls, soulful folk- singalong hits like `The Whole Of The Moon’, majority of the weekend’s highlights. The pop songstress Jess Hall and confrontational and ALISON MOYET, whose move from irrepressibly geezerish JOOLS HOLLAND free jazz crazies Red Square. soulful synth-pop with Yazoo to West End- brings HIS RHYTHM’N’BLUES GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with STEM starring blues siren is an even greater shift in ORCHESTRA to the big stage, joined + CARAVAN OF WHORES + ULYSSES style. by singers RUBY TURNER and MARC STORM: The Wheatsheaf – Gappy Tooth There’s a heavy emphasis on soul and blues ALMOND for a run-through of classic present their characteristic monthly mixed bag today, with Boston’s ELI `PAPERBOY’ standards and torch songs. of sounds, with dark trip hop and electronic REED recalling the classic Motown and Stax Moving swiftly past former-Pop Idol winner sounds from Stem; epic stoner-rock and sludgy sounds of the 60s and 70s and LA’s BETH WILL YOUNG, who we still can’t forgive metal in the vein of Black Sabbath and Blue HART brings a more sultry approach to the for his abominable cover of `Light My Fire’, Cheer from Caravan of Whores, and theatrical genre. Flying the flag for pure pop kicks, we find hobo superstar SEASICK STEVE, cock-rocking blues from Nottingham’s Ulysses though, is PIXIE LOTT, who has admirably whose down-home tales of a life living rough Storm mixing it up somewhere between Cream, avoided both the X-Factor route to fame, and from the age of 13 made him one of the most Rage Against The Machine, Tom Waits and the pitfalls of short-termism, with her debut unexpected but engaging showmen of the past Beck. album `Turn It Up’ spending the better part if few years, his mastery of minimalist Delta KING OF CATS: Truck Store – Instore show a whole year in the Top 40. blues, country and American folk a timeless from the dramatic acoustic troubadour. Saturday sees ELVIS COSTELLO returning and authentic pleasure in any arena. BETHANY WEIMERS + TAMARA to the top of the Cornbury bill after his 2005 He should be matched in the pure PARSONS-BAKER + WELCOME TO showing, widely regarded as one of the entertainment stakes by Norway’s PEEPWORLD + AGS CONNOLLY: Cafe festival’s high points. With a career spanning KATZENJAMMER with their Balkan folk- Tarifa (5-8pm) - Quickfix’s monthly acoustic almost 40 years, over 30 albums and countless rock revelry, while British r’n’b cult heroes session. style changes, he’s been rightly described as a NINE BELOW ZERO have been kicking out their rough-hewn brand of pub rock since the days of punk. As ever there’s loads more going on over the weekend than we can fit in here, including the Charlbury Riverside Festival’s own stage, which this year features the likes of CHARLY COOMBES, STEAMROLLER, THE Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclu- EPSTEIN and THE FAMILY MACHINE. sion in the gig guide is 6pm on the 20th of each Cornbury leans very much towards the month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 mainstream and family-friendly side of the (10am-6pm), or email listings to nightshift@ musical spectrum but is both eclectic and oxfordmusic.net. All listings are copyright of inventive, and it remains, above all, one of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without the most relaxing festival weekends of the permission. summer. Secret Rivals Undersmile

Punt photos: Johnny Moto, Sam Shepherd, Guy Henstock Punt photos: Johnny Moto, Sam Shepherd, Mutagenocide

Kill Murray

THE OXFORD PUNT 2012 this show: a fiendishly fast, complex is an instrument. and on-edge punk racket to make the As the clock strikes nine we’re faced Various Venues hair stand on end. The most exciting with the prospect of five different acts Having been forced to take a year venue. band in Oxford at the moment? No all taking to the stage simultaneously. off in 2011 Nightshift’s showcase UNDERSMILE, predictably, and competition. Again down at the Duke’s Cut it’s of what’s new and shiny in local brilliantly, manage to polarise the Punt The Duke’s Cut is a new Punt venue, impossible to actually see DEER music gets off to a deliberately crowd more than any other act, many and one where the fact that the CHICAGO, so packed is it, but perverse start tonight with opening of whom scuttle for safety within performers are completely invisible such a setting works in the band’s act TAMARA PARSONS BAKER seconds of the opening, droning surge to all but about ten of favour, serving to augment their epic down in The Purple Turtle. She is a of tectonic gothic noise. To say that is balanced by the decent ale and stadium indie sound which reaches it performer of serious talent, with a the twin vocals of Hel Sterne and the cosy camaraderie. TOLIESEL apotheosis with recent single `Lantern powerful voice; her dark vignettes of Taz Corona-Brown are unsettling is a sound at first like The Band with Collapse’, less a song, more one wispy intensity and barbed lines left major understatement. Coupled with some pub rock elements, and are enormous rolling crescendo. hanging portentously in the room, monolithic grinding riffs, this is an perfectly pleasant, though they seem Simple probability dictates that wintry guitars providing the lovelorn exercise in drawn out brutality. For to be pushing too hard, turning sweet there’s always one Punt act that gets backdrop. It’s a strong opening set; some it is obviously all too much, but vocals into rough hollers. But, we an undeservedly small audience, she’s at her best when she comes over for those with strong constitutions decide to stay for their whole set, and this year it’s BAND OF HOPE. as a more animated Leonard Cohen, (and quite possibly DVD collections and soon the music makes perfect Mind you, the fact that they’re though, as she gazes unnervingly that features several copies of Carrie sense, revealing winning melodies playing in the cavernous Junction club through and above the throng, you and Driller Killer) it’s simply brilliant; under the murk. Even the crackles compounds the problem. The venue feel Tamara sees herself more as a everyone else should toughen up. One from a slightly overstretched PA add turns out to be a pretty good addition doomed 19th Century fictional heroine. Nightshift scribe suggests they should to the natural warmth of the music. to the night, although we’re not sure Whatever, you wouldn’t want to live open their own coffee shop just so In a reversal of Punt logic, ToLiesel a pile of rocks and road signs is a in her world. they could call it Deathspresso. win us over with slow increments of great decor choice; it makes the room Next door in The Cellar SECRET THE CELLAR FAMILY are quality songwriting, rather than flashy look like a students’ back garden. The RIVALS are a perfect foil to this exploring horror in their own unique bandstanding, making us glad we band themselves are a lush ensemble opening gambit, with their melodic, style. Contenders for set of the stayed the distance. playing relaxing country and folk, 6Music-friendly pop nuggets. On night, frontman Jamie Harris is in a JESS HALL’s set at the Wheatsheaf with excellent flourishes from fiddle record we just keep on finding spectacularly twitchy mood, possessed is the antithesis to such mayhem, a and pedal steel. At times they have a more to love in their scrappy indie of thousand-yard stare suggestive of sweet, mostly solitary figure perched lackadaisical Sunday jam session air pop flurries, but live they’re still a a man fresh from spreadsheet hell on a stool, possessed of a voice of that erases some of the character from smidgen sloppy. In a way that doesn’t and on the verge of having a ‘Falling simple, stunning clarity and perfect the songs, but `Baby You’re A Mess’ matter, the joy of the band is that they Down’ moment. Given his band’s pitch that reminds you variously of is a solid gold winner. toss the Mentos of pop into the Diet Josef Fritzl and Fred West obsessions, Emiliana Torrini and Thea Gilmore, Over in the Wheatsheaf CARAVAN Coke of indie with gay abandon, and you’d expected something twisted, and with the ability to truly highlight OF WHORES are keeping things let the sugary mess explode across the but nothing can quite prepare you for what it means when we say the voice downtuned and primal. There’s Caravan Of Whores Leftouterjoin are, because we’re hearing them via the in-house speakers out in the other bar. It’s impossible to get to the toilet, let along actually see the band. Still, from what we can make out Dallas Don’t are an inspired amalgam of Prolapse and The Velvet Underground, lo-fi simplistic guitar patterns allied to some quality Scottish profanity. LEFTOUTERJOIN is clearly having the best time of anyone at the Punt. A one man rave featuring live drums, video backdrop and classic pounding techno, he’s the slightly incongruous, albeit splendidly cheerful finale at The Wheatsheaf. The set veers from excellent techno to cruddy Euro cheese pretty haphazardly, but the sheer spectacle is a euphoric joy. The The Cellar Family fact that he’s also brought trippy The Long Insiders projections and two lasers into Oxford’s least rave-friendly venue, is worth as many extra points as you can tally. Plus there are some over-sized smoke machines that trip the pub’s fire alarm, and cause the venue’s windows to be opened for the first time this millennium. A set to remember. Into the final straight at The Junction and, this being a midweek event, people are starting to think about last buses home and work the next day. HALF DECENT deserves more of a crowd but he puts his heart and soul into his set, delivering some very wry, insightful fast-paced lyrics (and dumb fun lines like “Making girls wetter than a washing machine”, for good measure). His EP’s impressive nothing avant-garde or new-fangled have a lot to do to assuage those with it’s over to The Junction for THE but this is even more so; DJ about COW; they simply worship treasured memories of their former LONG INSIDERS, a band with Theoretical deserves a mention too, at the altar of the relentless riff. bands. Fortunately, they happen to real style and presence, intent on mixing up tracks like La Roux’s ‘In Summoning the spirit of Iommi and have a set filled with some instantly time-warping us back to the ‘50s, For The Kill’ with their own material Osbourne, they pummel the audience catchy songs that quickly disperses when rock’n’roll was dangerous and effects, it all works very well. with a series of supremely stoned any doubts that hang over them. and hip gyrations considered sinful. MANACLES OF ACID’s Punt songs. It might all sound a little There’s enough punky vigour on Bathed in seedy red light, the Long closing set is watched by the humourless, but there’s something display and when coupled with a Insiders treat us to a sparkling set hardcore, the shell-shocked and those about their unquestioning worship series of fine pop- tinted melodies, it’s comprised of material from new unbeatable party people who may of the long-haired, denim-encrusted clear that Kill Murray will easily be album ‘The Sound of Cat Gut live to regret it. We started the night demi-gods that is infectious. able to outgrow their past and be seen and Engine Oil’, spurring several with a harrowingly bleak preacher Those wanting something a bit, well, in their own right. couples into shimmying and shaking. disguised as a nice acoustic singer, cleverer, are battling for a glance at If Deer Chicago benefitted from The ‘Thankyouverymuch’, says guitarist and we end it with unforgivably GUNNING FOR TAMAR, who Duke’s Cut’s hothouse atmosphere, Nick Kenny in his best Elvis voice. niche electronica dressed up as a predictably pull one of the biggest THE OLD GRINDING YOUNG No, thank you. bright clubber’s party. Using only crowds of the night for their showered can feel a little suffocated, their As the night grows darker the vintage hardware (including a TR606 and scrubbed-up post-hardcore, which tender, heartstring-tugging pop, a more electronic acts start to worn round the neck) the man named tempers its more outré tendencies with far rootsier and expansive beast than dominate. We’re lucky enough to be Highscores produces a seemingly a firm reliance on actual proper tunes. Ute were. Sadly though, making passing The Cellar just as TIGER endless string of classic acid house Having applied for the Punt four out the many subtleties in their MENDOZA start, so get to see and Detroit techno which thrills the times before making it onto the bill, songs is impossible in such packed Asher Dust’s cameo on the awesome faithful, but is clearly a closed book VON BRAUN are making damn surroundings. `Lovesick Vandal’, a hectoring, to half the room. We fall into the sure they make the most of their Nothing subtle or tender about almost industrial hip hop anthem former camp, loving the beautifully opportunity, easing nonchalantly into MUTAGENOCIDE. Their name that instantly proves the band are crafted layers of mutated basslines a set that by increments becomes suggests mass murder and their music no studio-only project. More guest and crisp drum patterns. There are more uptight, almost hysterical, their does little dispel the idea. They’re vocal appearances, including Half confetti cannons and some sort of rugged intensity owing plenty to proper metal of the old school and Rabbits’ Michael Weatherburn, cross between a fly and a character Nirvana but with a heavy hint that have songs with titles like `Fists Of and a pleasingly rough edge to from Starlight Express running things could become unhinged at any Steel’ and `Warhead’ and they’ve got everything suggest round the room, who may or may not moment, to such an extent someone lots of clever twiddly guitar solos and and even Nine Inch Nails more than officially be part of the show, and it’s even mentions they might be heirs to possibly lyrics about large-breasted DJ Shadow and make for a far more an uncompromising conclusion to The Nubiles’ throne. They just need a elf princesses, but all you really need exciting performance. the night. grade A1 nutcase up front in that case. to know is they rock like bastards. Back over in the still ridiculously An amalgam of local luminaries Dial Because in these circumstances, that’s rammed outpost The Duke’s Cut, Words: David Murphy, Art Lagun, F For Frankenstein, 50ft Panda, and all that matters. DALLAS DON’T are turning in a Sam Shepherd, Ben Woolhead, Dale Phantom Theory, KILL MURRAY For real primordial rocking though, phenomenal set. Well, we think they Kattack, Jan Webster that Death In Vegas so studiously avoided at their outset. An arpeggiated synth line, accompanied by a square, rigid beat, with Richard Fearless bleating about medication, drugs or getting high – after throwing out ‘Dirge’ as an opener, the next four songs follow precisely photo: Giulia Biasibetti this pattern. Fearless’ much-vaunted range of influences shine through only in whether a particular song sounds like a second-rate Primal Scream, a poor man’s Spiritualized or a déclassé Mogwai knock-off. Along with UNKLE, Death In Vegas were one of the foremost proponents of the ‘whack a guest vocalist on this one’ school of songwriting, but without a glittering cast of vocalists wandering on and offstage, there’s not much to see here. Part of the problem is that Fearless is essentially a studio musician, not a live performer, a problem compounded by his backing band, a set of uninspiring session guys, Hippy, Geeky, Hoodie and Punky. He seems ill at ease as a frontman, and when a band is perceived so greatly as a one- man show, that’s a problem. He doesn’t even address the audience throughout the set, using any pause to shuffle his lyrics sheets or sequencer settings around awkwardly. If it’s true that the next big thing is a 90s comeback, then in theory all DEATH IN VEGAS Death In Vegas need to do is keep at it and hope the spotlights turns back O2 Academy onto them in due course. But they’re Death In Vegas were great: `The of the audience and the reception they’re now also industriously, going to have do a lot better than Contino Sessions’ was up there to the older tunes in the set, this almost wilfully boring. this plodding set of rock-inflected with tense pre-millennial classics retrospection of them as a 90s Much of the newer material follows breakbeat-lite if they’re not going to like `Mezzanine’ and `Portishead’. electronica legacy act seems pretty a formula even more tired than be passed over second time around. Judging by the relative age of most much on the money. Unfortunately, the and trip hop pitfalls Stuart Fowkes

ZULU WINTER / SHIELDS Errors Jericho Tavern The Jericho Tavern I love it when a support band goes into the rough or get the perfect Watching Glasgow trio Errors touring a new “voice”; an expansion of the from standing start unknown to taking swing. In the event they take it their third album, `Have Some Faith frequencies played; and unexpected the room by storm, all within half a safely straight down the middle, in Magic’, is like being treated to an deviations in the melody or the dozen songs, and being surrounded by with wholly familiar windswept electro-rock baroque concert. Simon harmony. The effect of these things in the excited buzz of complimentary synths, The Edge-style guitaring Ward and Steev Livingstone’s Foals- Adele’s song is of course intensified chatter that erupts as the last applause and Will Daunt’s swooning falsetto like guitar riffs repeat over and under by the lyrics, but the beauty of Errors’ dies away. importing heavily from oriental bubbling electronica and soaring synth music is such that all of these melodic Shields, a five piece from Newcastle, scales. lines somewhat contrapuntally, with manipulators are abundant, relentless crackle with modish assurance Even though this is their first James Hamilton’s varying, syncopated and seemingly effortless. Apparently and blokey positivity, and by their headline tour, promoting debut drumming underpinning everything. our sympathetic nervous system goes on second number the audience have album ‘Language’, you sense it’s all Steev does provide some vocals, but high alert when music suddenly breaks gone from grunts of approval to a work in progress, that it’s itching to they’re soft, chillwavey and effectively, from its expected pattern. With Errors, all-out head nodding and pockets of become stadium sized as they muscle as with Cocteau Twins, another this is usually more subtle than sudden; wild dancing. Single `All I Know’, up their singles ‘We Should Be instrument. Tonight makes me wonder every phrase of “the chords and notes and the tribal finale of `Good Start’, Swimming’ and the anthemic ‘Silver how much instrumental bands feel they and that”, as Steev puts it, is different: with its wistful refrain, “I don’t plan Tongue’, to the extent I’m sure I saw need to work on making their music riffs build up and drop out, counter-riffs to stay / But that’s not to say I know the ghost of Stuart Adamson singing engaging without lyrics. weave in, pick up chords, drop chords… where I’m going,” are typical of along in the shadows. According to a recent Wall Street Despite the tracks’ differences, their very strong melodies, like an There’s a passing onstage comment Journal article explaining why Adele’s they are all characterised by being early Police had merged with The that tonight is a homecoming behemoth `Someone Like You’ simultaneously conventional and Boo Radleys, while guitarists Luke gig, as they went to school here, provokes such an emotional reaction, unexpected, memorable but free from Elgie and Richie Sutton’s vocal and played their first gigs in the psychologists at the University of traditional verse-chorus restrictions. So harmonics coat it all in a summer haze Wheatsheaf. Don’t worry boys, if British Columbia have found that lyrics really aren’t needed; tracks such of day trips to the coast. you do ever make it to Coldplay’s chill-provoking passages have at least as the stand-out “A Rumour in Africa” Consequently, Zulu Winter have the position, we’ll soon adopt you. four features: beginning softly then are far too busy - and fun - for that. ball teed up for them, to either swipe Paul Carrera becoming loud; the introduction of Kirsten Etheridge BONNIE `PRINCE’ BILLY & / TREMBLING BELLS THE CAST OF CHEERS The Bullingdon O2 Academy No matter how many photos you meshing into ghostly madrigals and As a bassist, I feel I should be Shoes throughout their career is that see of him, it can’t prepare you for back again, Blackwell tempering her unreservedly against the concept of up against a single guitar, the drums witnessing Will Oldham in the flesh. voice to evoke the spirits of Sandy two-piece bands; I mean, they’re can, at times, feel all encompassing. Diminutive and dishevelled, with a Denny or even Linda Thompson. making my kind redundant, with their On title track ‘In Time to Voices’, beard that’s not so much unkempt And here they seem to come to octave pedals and funny tunings. the rhythm not only overshadows as feral, and a few tiny, handmade rest for a large chunk of the set, It’s pretty difficult to hate Blood Red the melody, but also influences the tattoos up his arms, he shuffles Trembling Bells’ dense, rock- Shoes, however. Even on record they vocals; Stephen Ansell’s singing onstage like a recently released tinged sound and Oldham’s have more energy than most bands becomes more rhythmic and resonant, inmate of a Texan penitentiary. He uncharacteristically full-blooded can muster in a live performance, and mirroring the drums he’s beating. By speaks not a word to the packed voice recalling Fairport Convention they manage to sit firmly on the right comparison, on ‘When We Wake’, the throng, instead simply removing his for the most part. There’s a classic side of both anthemic and intricate, juxtaposition of guitarist Laura-Mary old knitted hat to reveal the flyaway country lament edge to `Love Made which is pretty impressive for just one Carter’s sweet vocals and heavily remains of his hair and launches An Outlaw Of My Heart’, and a take guitar. distorted guitar - so integral to their into Robin Gibb’s `Lord Bless on `Last Night The Bottle Let Me Supporting them tonight, the dance-y/ sound on record – becomes even more All’ alongside his current partners Down’ is pure roustabout but there’s indie/rock of Dublin’s The Cast of pronounced. in musical adventure, Scotland’s a feeling they’re rocking out just Cheers, who, with no apparent irony, It doesn’t say much for the crowd Trembling Bells. a bit too much, especially when a thank the crowd after nearly every that the biggest cheer of the night so It’s not just the visual contrast histrionic guitar solo breaks out and song with the word “cheers”. They far is elicited when BRS forget the between Oldham and Bells singer Blackwell’s voice reaches the point combine early Foals-esque yelping beginning of ‘Count Me Out’, though Lavinia Blackwell that’s so stark – of strident-bordering-on-shrill. vocals with pronounced looped guitar the resultant applause when they their voices are worlds apart, but here But before the death they save it riffs, energetic, upbeat rhythms and finally get it right somewhat makes they are snaking around each other as and in some style, stripping away sharp harmonies; Bloc Party on up for it. Later on, after Laura-Mary the band bring their trademark psych- the excess and allowing Oldham’s Ritalin, if you will. messes up the outro of last song and jazz approach to classic folk music, wonderfully tremulous voice to When Blood Red Shoes appear on breakthrough single ‘I Wish I Was Oldham more than holding his own shroud the room in the understated stage, it’s to fan favourite ‘It’s Getting Someone Better’, Stephen declares against Blackwell’s banshee howl. magic that he’s made his lifelong Boring by the Sea’ from `Box of tonight a “special” gig; the band By the second number it feels like speciality, ending with the gorgeous Secrets’, their first album, although leave the stage in high spirits anyway, The Doors being led into some dark, `Goat & Ram’ and hinting in his officially they’re touring to promote returning for the jarring harmonies subterranean whisky bar and by the body language that he has, after all, their third, `In Time to Voices’; the set of ‘Colours Fade’, before hardcore third we’re into Pentangle territory. enjoyed himself as much tonight as list tonight comprises all three of their throwback ‘Je Me Perds’ brings the It’s restless, esoteric stuff but utterly anyone in the audience. albums so far in pretty equal measure. night to an abrupt ending. enthralling, abstract melodies Dale Kattack A problem that’s plagued Blood Red Caroline Corke THE LOVELY EGGS photo: John Grain / SECRET RIVALS / ROBOTS WITH SOULS The Port Mahon Steve Wilson, who is Robots With Soul, is like one of those mad sidewalk one-man music freakshows you occasionally see in Las Vegas. Here he is tonight sat behind his drums with his guitar perched atop the kit, hitting it as he would his cymbals, looping the resulting noise then battering away at the kit and singing dolefully about being alone with himself. It shouldn’t work, but it does, to often stunning effect, `Mad King Ludwig II’ in particular is a nasty grunged-out crunch-up of drones and full-on rock bombast. Not so long ago people marvelled at the new wave of two-piece bands rendering full bands redundant with their scale of noise. Robots With Souls just rendered that second member redundant. From the opening chime of `Once More With Heart’, borrowed wholesale from The Cure, Secret Rival’s determinedly ragged fight pop is an effervescent mix of sugary sweetness and frantic rage. The Port’s raw acoustics doubtless don’t help Rivals’ often rudimentary set-up but the mix of Clouds’ coolly strident threats and chirrups and Jay’s excited yapping reminds us at times of The Sugarcubes or 90s alt.rockers Whale, although it’s often their more considered moments that leave the deepest cuts. And then come the odd couple. And a couple they are. The Lovely Eggs are husband and wife team Holly Ross and David Blackwell, from Lancaster, other music you’ll hear this year or next. fantastically brash pop fizzbomb. not a city renowned for producing great music, From here they’re onto `People Are Twats’, part For all the daft humour (they manage to rhyme which might account for the band’s failure to kiddie nursery rhyme, part back alley drunken “digital accordion” with “Richard Brautigan”, adhere to any pigeonhole, genre or set of rules you rant. The Lovely Eggs are a celebration of the “Deadly scorpion” and “Beef bourguignon” at one or your gran’s dog might care to invent. They’re grotesque and the mundane and, by their own particularly surreal point), The Lovely Eggs are funny but never self-consciously so; cute but not admission, food. Few bands could get away no novelty act, but a pin-tight, shockingly catchy twee and rampantly noisy without descending with constructing a repeating mantra about the punk band, who just happen to possess more wit into rock cliché. Set opener `Allergies’ epitomises scale of the universe from an anecdote about a and warmth than an oceanful of far more popular what’s so bloody great about the pair: a gorgeous, dropped olive from “a posh butty”. `Fuck It’ is a acts. And if you’re very, very good, when you die honey-dipped pop melody coated in shrapnel and a deliciously potty-mouthed celebration of childlike you might get to go to Heaven and The Lovely thick layer of Lancastrian grime. It’s pop that’s fully inquisitiveness which has everyone in this packed Eggs will be your new mum and dad. How great aware of its own ridiculousness but paradoxically room grinning ear to ear, while new single `Food’ would that be? far greater and less ridiculous than 99% of any is Jane Horrocks fronting Mudhoney, a Dale Kattack

outfit Ghosts of December. He can is, it’s beautifully played. THE OXFORD FOLK WEEKEND go from nearly as low as Tom Waits For the local team James Bell to almost as high as Antony Hegarty, does his self-styled glam-folk thing Old Fire Station with power and control through with his characteristic slam dunk The Folk Weekend certainly has a never heard before. Among the more the whole range. A big man with a energy that sees him in danger of good go at filling the void left by interesting are Tandem, a fiddle and mane of black hair, in the tiny free becoming a local treasure, and the cancellation of the Oxford Folk guitar duo, who play a melancholy stage space and with the band totally harpist and singer Steph West, in a Festival. While there was never going song or two, but with backgrounds acoustic, his soaring voice dominates solo set that showcases her soulful to be major bands like Bellowhead or in classical music and touches of and pins your ears back. voice and ability to play in a variety Seth Lakeman (though there is Benji jazz and world music, it’s their Of those already better known, Benji of styles, shows that she probably Kirkpatrick who plays with both), the instrumental playing that’s most Kirkpatrick, in what is an uneven already is one. Local gothic psych- Old Fire Station has sometimes three impressive. The young Jack Durtell set, pays tribute to the recently folk favourites Telling the Bees, stages in action, plus a workshop and and his band play folk-inspired deceased Levon Helm by covering playing to a packed theatre, build an impromptu session in the café/ classic soft-rock – think Fleetwood two of The Band’s numbers as well their set round familiar favourites bar. The evening ceilidh is packed Mac meeting James Taylor – which, as an acoustic version of `Purple like ‘Otmoor Forever’ and ‘The and there are Morris Dancers out on while not jaw dropping stuff, has Haze’ that’s interestingly weird. Worship of Trees,’ now with more Gloucester Green. a charm and ability to draw you Mawkin, now with a full drum kit in sophisticated arrangements than In fact there’s such a buzz about in. Tom Gamble is a jazz rather their line-up, play a typically hard- when first recorded. They still, the place that I never make it out than folk guitarist, who is a bit of driving set of tunes, ranging from though, retain that driving rhythm of the Fire Station to any of the a virtuoso performer, performing Finnish tango to covering The Kinks’ and sense of bucolic strangeness and ‘Folk in Funny Places’ concerts in Gershwin’s ‘I Got Rhythm’ at an ‘Harry Rag’. Also, daringly even for an earthy connection to things pagan the Ashmolean’s atrium and in the incredible diabolic speed; it’s as if a folk band that routinely draw on which is what we love them for. Westgate Library. In particular I the music has got under his skin, and rock, jazz and even prog influences, Undoubtedly, though, the absolute became a fan of the tiny, intimate won’t let him slow down. they lay down some very, very pure stars are all the people who organised space that is the free stage, more Most memorable though is the contemporary jazz guitar; tongues and made the Folk Weekend happen usually the Fire Station’s art gallery. fifteen minutes I catch ofDharshika firmly in cheeks, they call this folk- at all. It is here that I hear people I have Ariyadasa, singer with folk-rock prog jazz fusion ‘fazz’. Whatever it Colin May CARAVAN OF WHORES / MOTHER Bastille / Praxis Bold CORONA / AGNESS PIKE / GOAT Jericho Tavern On their Facebook page, openers seeing them as chances to maintain LEAF / ANNERO Praxis Bold describe themselves as firm eye contract with several of “Oxford’s premier genre-chewing tonight’s gig-goers or to express his The Wheatsheaf band of note”. There’s little doubt love of the rumbling bass that is all Annero have attracted a good-sized Didcot since they built the power they really are trying to “chew that can be heard prior to the ultimate crowd by 8.30, clear evidence of station. Making an astonishing genres”; unfortunately it appears the chorus of recent single ‘Overjoyed’. the enduring attraction of metal, a amount of noise for a three-piece, four-piece are a little too determined It’s not just in the figurative sense genre that has proved stubbornly they seem to succeed wherever to do so. I’m all for a band being that we embrace Smith’s efforts, (heroically?) resistant to change in tonight’s predecessors fail. True quirky in an attempt to escape being though; those close enough do so its forty year history. The band have to the spirit of metal despite their stale, but time again Praxis Bold ruin in a more physical sense as he joins got it all: hair, riffs, guttural vocals, youth, effortlessly inventive and a perfectly good song by suddenly us on the a dance floor to give a songs about war and the end of the unpredictable, they transcend taking it in an altogether different particularly energetic rendition of world; it’s formulaic but fun, and pointless labels like stoner direction. They attempt to do so by poppy number ‘Flaws’. It is unlikely you suspect they like it that way. armed only with raw talent and sticking in a couple of minor guitar that any of tonight’s audience are left Rotherham’s Goat Leaf have a exuberance. And a seriously great chords or buzzes on the keyboard in any doubt, but what particularly looser groove with a psychedelic drummer. that quite obviously don’t fit, but the confirms that Bastille are capable of fact of the matter is that something things quite special is the fact that edge, but still rock hard enough to Caravan of Whores, from north not fitting is normally regarded as a they are able to get us to dance like please the faithful. The great guitar Oxfordshire, fall somewhere in the bad thing and tonight is no exception. no-one’s watching to their cover of work is let down by a colourless middle of this sonic battlefield. All Given that headliners Bastille City High’s ‘What Would You Do?’; singer and insubstantial song of the trio are talented, particularly similarly “chew genre” with their unremarkable that we are dancing writing but they still deserve a mid- the fantastic (and hairy) drummer, electronic-infused indie-pop, one to music provided by an electronic- bill listen. favouring long drawn-out songs could be forgiven for worrying that infused indie-pop band, remarkable Agness Pike bring a theatrical with a few too many slow guitar the London outfit would also over- that we are dancing to a song all touch to proceedings, not surprising solos. The band name maybe complicate things. But as soon as about prostitution and drug addiction as they include three members of doesn’t help, but the raw focus of the catchy chorus of opener ‘Icarus’ originally done by a 90s American local 90s riff merchants Madamam, electric power and feeling of unity is dropped, such fears are swiftly hip hop trio. a band who were just too baffling pulls them through. quashed. The audience collectively Nick Beaver to gain mass appeal. Singer Martin Any metalhead time traveller from embrace the fact that the band, and Spear strides the stage in a forensic- the last four decades would have particularly front man Dan Smith, style boiler suit, book in hand, felt at home at tonight’s gig, with are perfectly comfortable when it presiding over a very English the possible exception of Agness comes to their set’s more intimate display of eccentricity, even if it’s Pike’s set. Whether that is cause for moments, the latter even embracing all a bit retro, the music seeming to celebration of musical resilience or them on several occasions, evidently fall short of their obvious potential. concern at a lack of development is Mother Corona are surely the for up for debate. heaviest thing to come out of Art Lagun

VERY NICE HARRY / YELLOW FEVER The Wheatsheaf Very Nice Harry open with what sometimes rough around the edges, sounds like the clang of an enormous there’s something at the heart of their gong, a suitably portentous start music now that suggests their future for what turns out to be a rambling could be brighter still. Frontman Dele proggy journey that might be a riff on Adewuyi appears painfully averse some obscure mid-period Pink Floyd to being the centre of attention at track. From there they shift into a first, barely able to make eye contact nervier, more pensive form of reverb- with an enthusiastic crowd but he’s heavy post-punk, somewhere between possessed of a studied intensity and Foals and The Cure, most apparent can spit venom when it matters, in their new single. Things sound while the band rollock along with promising. But then they introduce a enough vim such trivialities barely song as being about being cheated at seem to matter. Occasionally Dele some battle of the bands competition, reminds us of Eddie Grant vocally, which displays a lack of ambition while Yellow Fever’s uptight indie- and class on too many levels to go funk comes with sharp hints of West into here. It also signals a worrying African hi-life in its best moments. drift away from what they do best and Occasionally they’ll slip into what into something closer to a series of sounds like jammed-out old Phil Collins power ballads. Not noise, lacking a sense of purpose, but something we generally expect to as soon as they strip everything back experience down the Wheatsheaf and it all clicks and their set closer is an definitely not an experience we really absolute belter – an effusive barrel want to repeat any time soon. of funked-up noise that really brings Once again proving our oft-repeated the party vibe and should go on far mantra, “Don’t get angry, get longer than it does. If they can build better,” Yellow Fever, have come on moments like this, Yellow Fever on significantly since we last heard will be an exciting proposition. them. Still very young and Dale Kattack WIN TRUCK FESTIVAL TICKETS When it was announced that TRUCK So all in all, you’re going to rushing hither FESTIVAL had gone into liquidation after and thither for two days trying to catch as last summer’s event, we felt we’d lost not much as possible, doubtless stopping once in just a great local festival, but a special part of a while to purchase your burger from the local our lives. Because Nightshift has been going Rotary Club or a pint from the local organic to Truck since its inception in 1998 and, brewery. The bands may be new and fresh, but frankly, we’re not sure what we’d do with some things never change at Truck and that’s ourselves in July otherwise. So we were more how we like it. than a little chuffed when it was announced Tickets for the 15th Truck Festival have that Derbyshire’s award-winning Y NOT downsized in price from last year, coming FESTIVAL had taken over the Truck reins in at a very reasonable £69, with under-12 and promised to take the event back to its going free. You can get one by calling 0115 roots. 95 97 908, or from TRUCK STORE on And so, this year’s Truck goes back to two Cowley Road or by going online at WWW. days, taking place at its traditional HILL TRUCKFESTIVAL.COM. FARM setting in Steventon, over the Friday And thanks to the ever-so nice Y Not folks, and Saturday 20TH-21ST JULY. Nightshift has got a pair of weekend camping Headliners for the weekend are TEMPER tickets to give away for absolutely free, in one TRAP and MYSERY JETS. They’ll be local acts doing their thing up on the festival of our exciting competition thingies. joined by a cast that includes BRITISH stage. In the former camp you’ve got the likes To win them, simply answer this simple SEA POWER, VILLAGERS, THE of TURBOWOLF, THREE TRAPPED question: LOW ANTHEM, 65DAYSOFSTATIC, TIGERS, KING CHARLES and BOAT TO WHICH MUCH-LOVED STAGE IS GET CAPE, WEAR CAPE, FLY!, ROW, while in the latter there’s BLACK MAKING ITS COMEBACK AT THIS GUILLEMOTS, FRIGHTENED RABBIT HATS, SPRING OFFENSIVE, FLIGHTS YEAR’S TRUCK FESTIVAL? and FUTURE OF THE LEFT. They’ve OF HELIOS and GUNNING FOR TAMAR. Answers on a postcard please (sorry – no even got the very talented musical comedian G4T are playing the reborn Barn Stage as email entries), to Truck Competition, TIM MINCHIN playing. On the blummin’ part of an ALCOPOP! and BIG SCARY Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 main stage. How cool is that? MONSTERS RECORDS takeover on the 1ZU. Of course, as ever, much of the fun of Truck Saturday alongside JOHNNY FOREIGNER, Deadline for entries is the 25th June. Please is discovering new, less well known acts TELLISON, TALL SHIPS and MY FIRST include your address and a daytime telephone as well as seeing some of our favourite TOOTH. number. Dr Shotover

st In-A-Gadda-Da-Ding-Dong Friday 1 June Well-uh well-uh well-uh tell me more, tell me more, like does he have a car? Ah, there you are. Well, pardon ME all over the place… I was just taking advantage of the warm acoustics in the East Indies club bar to practise my vocal parts for X1 + OSPREY & THE OX4 ALL STARS 8pm/£5 the fundraiser. What? Songs from Grease. (No, not GREECE – that wouldn’t Saturday 2nd June exactly generate the folding, would it, Zorba?) We’re planning a reunion of my early 60s doo-wop band… PINO & THE POMPADOURS. Sh-boom, sh-boom – that was me on the deep harmony vocal. We used to pretend to be from NUCLEAR SKYLINE 8pm/£5 Baltimore, to impress the popsies of Toot Baldon when we performed at their Sunday 3rd June famous village hall dances… “Wanna go to ‘third bass’, baby?” That was one of my best chat-up lines, delivered in a register so low that it caused the young + VERA GRACE 8pm/£5 ladies’ beehive hairstyles to start vibrating. Fat lot of good it did me at the time, Friday 8th June mind… had to wait till the decade started really swinging before their Playtex girdles started spontaneously unsnapping. Well do I remember that heady day + MASIRO 8pm/£5 in 1967 when Pino and the Pompadours decided to go psychedelic! OUT went Saturday 9th June the matching suits, IN came the Guardsmen’s jackets and bellbottoms. OUT went the brylcreem and hair lacquer, IN BLUE JAY PUSHER + STRENGTH OF THE BEAR 8pm/£5 came the long flowing Wednesday 13th June Silvikrin-ed locks. OUT went the name Pino + GURP 8pm/£5 and the Pompadours, Friday 15th June IN came… THE POMPADOURS OF + CARETAKER 8pm/£5 PERCEPTION. We Friday 22nd June were so far OUT we were IN, man! Buy 8pm/£5 me another Mescalin Saturday 23rd June Slammer and I will sing you a selection of our psyched-up doo-wop THE BENDAL INTERLUDE + PROFANE & THE SACRED + BLACK SUNRISE 8pm/£5 top pops. Magic Buzz, Friday 29th June Buzz, Buzz… A Whiter Shade of Hey-Hey-Hey- + BIG SOCIETY 8pm/£5 Hey…Rama Lama BIG Saturday 30th June BONG… (Why must I be ) A Teenager On Drugs etc etc ULYSSES STORM + STEM 8pm/£4.50 Next month: The The Wheatsheaf, 129 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4DF Duke of Earl Grey Tea PINO AND THE POMPADOURS: “Smoke [email protected] Party Happening that banana skin, baby!” INTRODUCING.... Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local music bubbling under Mother Corona

Who are they? Psychedelic groove-metal trio Mother Corona are Lee Cressey (guitar / vocals); Dave Oglesby (vocals / drums) and Robert Glen (bass), “three lads from the great town of Didcot” as they neatly put it. Someone’s got to love the place. They formed in 2008 out of a previous band called Nable, with Rob answering an ad in a local music shop after Lee and Dave had tried out various bassists and drummers. After first experimenting with who would play what they settled on their current duties and have been gigging since early 2010. They released an EP in 2010, followed by their And the lowlight: debut album ‘Out Of The Dust’ last month, both on their own Button “Blowing up four different PA systems, although this could be seen as a Mushroom label. highlight!” What do they sound like? Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: “It begins with a riff as big and unforgiving as a mountain range; eight “Desert Storm: great band, great bunch of lads, and Lee says they’ve got songs later that riff is still towering over all else like a black thundercloud great testicles too!” that shrouds the mountaintops,” ran the opening line of Nightshift’s If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: review of Mother Corona’s album last month and that pretty much hits “`Led Zeppelin IV’. Since we was all toddlers we would listen to this along the nail on the head. Their riffs are titanic, their grooves monolithic. They with every other Zeppelin album, There’s something about listening to rock like bastards and roll like the ocean and if you stand in their way you `Zeppelin IV’ that always feels like home.” will get squashed. From the proto-metal of Blue Cheer to the heaviosity of When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? Sabbath, Mother Corona are immense, while Lee’s vocals provide an oddly The Unicorn in Camden on the 8th June. Expect heavy, groovy, fuzzed-out un-metal foil to the overwhelming riffery, calling to mind Billy Corgan at psychedelic dirty rock and roll. We don’t see ourselves as metal at all.” times. Did we mention they rock? Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: What inspires them? “Favourite thing is that the whole scene is brilliant; least favourite thing is “Life experiences; having a good time with people, and our passion for there’s not enough people taking notice outside of the scene.” music as it is the universal language.” You might love them if you love: Career highlight so far: Black Sabbath; Led Zeppelin; Blue Cheer; Electric Wizard; The Stooges. “Getting to meet doom legend Wino of The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan and Hear them here: St Vitus.” www.myspace.com/mothercorona

THIS MONTH IN OXFORD ALL OUR YESTERDAYS MUSIC HISTORY 20 YEARS AGO 10 YEARS AGO 5 YEARS AGO Strange to think that twenty years ago the biggest The mighty JOR (the name JOR being required by “The only thing you won’t find us writing about crowd-pullers in Oxford were a funky acid-jazz combo law to be preceded by the words The mighty), were is love; there are enough wretched examples of called The Cornflower Concept, but in the days the featured band in June 2002’s Nightshift, the local that in the world without us adding to the pile,” before Radiohead or Supergrass went stratospheric metalcore pioneers releasing their debut album, announced The Joff Winks Band in June 2007’s this is where the party was. The Cornflower Concept `Blunt’, this month on Loudspeaker Records, part of Nightshift. The band were part of a long tradition of regularly sold out both the Jericho Tavern and the the Plastic Head empire. The album was receiving lysergic pop dreamers in the city, following on from Oxford Venue, rare for a local act. June 1992’s issue across-the-board ecstatic reviews and singer Ben The Small Faces, who wrote `Itchycoo Park’ while of Curfew featured the collective on the front cover Hollyer told us, “It sounds really fucking heavy and tripping their tits off here, and Supergrass’ more and celebrated a dance act who could provoke stage- aggressive, which is all we wanted,” adding that spaced-out excursions. The band’s `Songs For Days’ diving and whose gigs regularly saw fans carried out “American hardcore bands always sound very pol- single, a cross between Donald Fagan and Mercury after fainting in the humid party atmosphere. The six- ished and well produced, whereas the UK bands are Rev, was out this month and picking up on strong collective, who boasted twins Ned and Maff a lot more raw, and we prefer that that raw edge.” Radio 1 and Xfm. Soon after they disappeared from Scott and Dave Gaydon who would go on to form JOR had also just been announced for this summer’s view, currently residing in the Blink & You Missed The Egg, as well as Dubwiser’s Jonas Torrance, were Truck Festival, alongside Goldrush, The Rock Of It drawer. interviewed up on Shotover Hill, where they extolled Travolta, The Samurai Seven and The Young Knives, In local music news, Nightshift faves Fell City Girl the virtues of James Brown, while stating music as well as out of town acts like Tompaulin, Mountain announced their split, with singer Phil McMinn lat- “Should be about groove, about a vibe,” and that, “If Men Anonymous and Jetplane Landing. er going on to form The Winchell Riots. The Market you can’t dance, you can’t make love.” The highlights of June’s gig calendar were McLusky Tavern, a regular local gig venue and part of the Ox- Coming to Oxford this month were Th’Faith Heal- at the Point and Skindred, Dead Inside and the ford Punt, closed its doors, to be transformed into a ers, still be greatest live band Nightshift has ever astonishing Queen Adreena at The Zodiac, while Wagamama, while a call was put out for local music witnessed, this time round supported by the delight- on the local releases front Dustball put out a new fans to dig into their archives to contribute to a film fully monikered Loveblobs. They were at the Jericho single, `Sounds All Wrong’, on Truck’s Juggernaut im- being made about the local scene – the film which Tavern, as were Chumbawamba, and Jonathan print and enduring folk fave Sharron Kraus released was to become Anyone Can Play. Richman, supported by The Anyways. Over at the her album `Beautiful Twisted’. OMD, Damien Rice and Rufus Wainwright were Oxford Venue, Radiohead played alongside The Since we were in the grip of World Cup fever, among the bigger names coming to the New Purple Rhinos; other local bands treading the boards the Nightshift demo pages consisted of our tried Theatre, while The Early Years were down at the included Honeyspike, Albuquerque, Graffiti, Indigo and tested Demo World Cup. The final, between Cellar. Banbury’s Sikorsky were the Demo Of The House, No Joy In Mudville and The Inflatables. The Dan Collins and The Rels, is described as “A battle Month for their “militant metal-bashing beats and latter are still going strong and play this month’s between musical pygmies. Like buying ticket for Eng- distortion revved up to the max,” while at the other Charlbury Riverside Festival. land against Argentina, only to discover American end of the scale Organised Confusion sounded like In a quiet month for local music news, it was Samoa are having a kick about with their reserve “a slightly boring conversation between two blokes announced that Death By Crimpers, Cornflower team.” Earlier in the tournament The Glass Mothers at the bus stop comparing brands of margarine. To Concept, Iron Clowns and Ed Alleyne-Johnson were find themselves metaphorically 10-0 down within call this pedestrian is insulting to pedestrians, even all set to play . the first minute for their “grim acoustic misery.” really old ones who walk really slowly.” DEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day at Silver Street Studios in Reading, courtesy of Trojan Horse Recordings. Visit www. trojanhorserecordings.co.uk

So, Euro 2012. Another feast of summer JOHNNY DREAD & football. Another summer of grim disappointment and the joy of wasting THE STUPID THINGS perfectly good summer evenings slumped in front of the telly watching I SAID Vs THE Poland against the Czech Republic and GRACEFUL SLICKS wondering why in hell’s name you’re Back with another one-song demo after cheering for a team that features John last month’s `Thank You Head’, Johnny Terry, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole, Dread again comes on like a lo-fi Johnny knowing it’s all going to end in ignominy Cash tribute, which is no bad thing, but and a penalty shoot-out defeat in the here he seems to have an irritating whistle quarter-finals. But hey, it’s still better than in his teeth every time he sings, which is the bloody Olympics and it does give us slightly off-putting, like those old ultra- another chance to fiddle with the format of tight shorts and pinstripe shirt designs the demo reviews again. teams once foisted upon themselves. It’s And being as what we’re simple, old- pleasant enough but, like Macclesfield fashioned types, we’re opting for the Town, he seems more suited to playing to straight knock-out format, although the an intimate pub snug crowd than in front idea of following the convoluted Europa of 50,000 fervent ultras. The Graceful League set-up and introducing a load of Slicks are like one of those teams that CDs from the Released section halfway refuse to change their tactics whatever through to ensure the whole thing goes on the situation and here it pays off, going for bloody ever, did fleetingly appeal. for broke with some unreconstructed The winners get a can of warm Carling. 1960s , albeit unreconstructed The losers get two. 1960s garage rock played by The Happy Mondays after they slipped through a time tunnel and landed in The Sonics’ living ROUND 1 room with only a scratchy copy of the first Velvet Underground album for company. VERY NICE HARRY Vs Loping beats, raggedy guitars and some THE OMNIVIBES tripped-out monotone vocals might not Armed with a bucketful of reverb and sound great on paper but, like route-one some trebly, trilling guitars, Very Nice football, sometimes it brings the goals. Harry initially sound like they’re all set to Result: Johnny Dread 1 The Graceful support The Cure or Gang Of Four around Slicks 3 about 1979. They’re a bit gothy and little bit yobbish at the same time – notably in the vocals – with an edge of hysteria FULANGCHANG&I Vs lurking in the background of `Tongue In NORTH BAY Cheek’. All of which remind us slightly Two bands with a similar ear for the of football in the mid-1980s. Except the atmospheric but highly contrasting gothy bit, which just reminds us of the approaches to creating it here. North mid-1980s. We’d mention Pat Nevin at this Bay’s MP3s come with pretty, soothing point though VNH don’t possess that kind pictures of forests and they sound a bit of finesse just yet. We feel the great man like Sigur Ros transplanted from the might quite enjoy this though. By contrast epic glaciers of Scandinavia to a cosy The Omnivibes are pure 60s psychedelic American backwoods cabin. Theirs is a blues. Demo opener `Never Lose Your soporific form of drifting acoustica which Soul’ could well be `Purple Haze’ given the is pleasant enough but does occasionally bulldozer treatment by a two-person power- make you wonder if all they’ve done is rock outfit in the tradition of White Stripes nick the background bits of Foals’ `Spanish or Death From Above 1979. Within fifteen Sahara’ and left the melody and clever bits minutes they’re 2-0 up and cruising, their behind. Titles like `Echo’ and `Breath’ also old-fashioned kick and rush style taking suggest they’re just a new age hippy act for the opposition by surprise. Come `High hipsters and their introduction of “Here are Time Drive By’, though, their midfield some songs,” quickly followed by “I love and frontline has gone well off the boil and Nightshift by the way,” could be construed they’re relying on muscle alone. `Such A as an attempt to bribe the referee. Nothing Beautiful Thing’ lacks any flair and that sweet or soothing about the spellcheck- early lead becomes increasingly difficult to bothering Fulangchang&I, obviously the hang onto. band name equivalent of Shakhtar Donetsk. Result: Very Nice Harry 2 The Omnivibes Their first number is called `One Day I 2. VNH win on penalties Hope To See London Fall Into The Sea’, so we guess they’re not Chelsea fans. The dozen great lost Pebbles bands from the track is a long, nagging distorted guitar depths of time. There’s only ever going to drone that keeps threatening to bloom into be one winner here. something brighter, but forever lurks in the Result: VNH 0 The Graceful Slicks 2 shadows, its slow build up play reminiscent of Jose Mourinho’s teams. When vocals do emerge from the gloom they sound FULANGCHANG&I Vs like Placebo in an absolutely foul mood, PRAXIS BOLD or perhaps the mutant offspring of Vinnie Summer it may be, but like our summer Jones and Joey Barton. Don’t mess so far, Fulangchang&I show no sign of Result: Fulangchang&I 3 North Bay 2 lightening up any time soon, `Moses’ darker even than what’s come before, like a Tuesday night match in November where IONEYE Vs PRAXIS the floodlights have failed but they play BOLD on regardless, bodies crushed on blacked- Ioneye have got their Soundcloud link out terraces and not an executive box in wrong here, which is a basic mistake akin sight. Even the disarmingly gentle-natured to failing to register a new signing and a `Salado’ feels eerie as it shimmers and points deduction looks likely. A pleasant flutters in the corner. Praxis Bold have enough opening track, `Hold On’, begs brought on their subs, who we think might leniency, coming on like a cross between be Randy Newman and Steely Dan and are Lloyd Cole and The Go Betweens, albeit frequently switching formation with their slightly mired by hints of also- awkward time signatures. They’re capable rans Cast, which is like playing Messi of moments of wonder but equally guilty alongside Heskey, but it’s genial and of letting it all drift into MOR territory, airy enough. Soon though we’re into which is their chief weakness. It’s a close, Libertines-lite poetic pop, though it’s less classy match between two very different a Cantona-esque proclamation, more a teams but at the death, Fulangchang&I’s mumbled Stevie Gerard platitude, and brutish force is impossible to hold out as for the 30-minute recording from against for the full 90s minutes Marlow FM, we’d rather watch a 0-0 Result: Fulangchang&I 4 Praxis Bold 3 TURAN AUDIO.co.uk draw between Belarus and Latvia on a wet Professional, independent CD mastering Tuesday evening in January. By contrast to Ioneye’s limited oeuvre, Praxis Bold THE FINAL Artists mastered in the studio last month include; seem to be going for a bit of total football, THE SHAPES, FEAR FACTORY, MARKOS MARKOU, JAY flitting between styles like there’s no FULANGCHANG&I NONSENSE, THE TREAT, IAN HUNTER, GRATEFUL DEAD, tomorrow. `Eight For More’ is pensive Vs THE GRACEFUL NEIL YOUNG, PEARL JAM, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, GARY Americanised alt.rock in the vein of Built NUMAN, ACCEPT, CRUMBSUCKERS, VALERYAN, MARKIE To Spill, or more particularly My Morning SLICKS MARC, PETER MOORE, ROB LEAR, THE ANYDAYS, SONIC Jacket, veering from tender cloudgazing The old school versus the glowering, RISING, ORCHÉSTRE BAKA GBINÉ, SPEAR OF DESTINY, THE reveries into fancier fretplay and more unstoppable force. Could we have a RUBETTES, SUZI QUATRO, ANAKAREN. middle of the road pop; perhaps it’d do finale as stunning as this season’s Premier them good to stay on course a bit more, League denouement? Unlikely but it’s 01865 716466 [email protected] but for now, they’re cruising a thoroughly entertaining climax to the Result: Ioneye 0 Praxis Bold 3 demo listening session. The Graceful Slicks have built on their slightly ragged THE COURTYARD STUDIO older demos and injected a firmer melodic SEMI FINALS core to their songs while extending their PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/24, obvious list of influences to incorporate OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE MACHINE, VERY NICE HARRY interesting elements as diverse as The Happy Mondays and Felt and look more 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB CONTROL ROOM Vs THE GRACEFUL like serious title contenders, but, like the WITH GOOD SELECTION OF MICS & OUTBOARD SLICKS footballing battering ram that is Stevenage GEAR + MIDI FACILITIES (Inc LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI VNH’s early promise falters as their in recent seasons, Fulangchang&I aren’t S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND etc.) lack of strength in depth is revealed, the letting the fact that no-one’s heard of them gothic scurry of their opener making way get in the way of some serious upsets Residential facilities included. for some stilted indie funk on `Under and they close their impressive demo www.courtyardrecordings.com The Weather’, uptight in the wrong kind with a 14-minute hymnal doom-drone PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS on 01235 845800 of way, like Fort William facing up to epic that sounds like something ripped Barcelona with the town’s daughters’ from Earth’s archive, all claustrophobic collective virtue up for grabs. Someone clang and drone. They’re from up north, mentions Phil Collins. Own goal. After have been living in London but are now their initial baggied-up garage attack, moving to Oxford. Best get your defensive Graceful Slicks have switched up a couple formations in order if you don’t want of gears on `Blood Red Hair’, a barrelling bulldozing. freight train blues-garage speedfreak 60s Result: Fulangchang&I 3 The Graceful punk nugget in the tradition of several Slicks 2

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