Issue 151.Pmd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 151 February Oxford’s Music Magazine 2008 THETHE FAMILYFAMILYThey’re MACHINEMACHINEbreedin’ crazy, them kids! Rawlings photo:Alex The X in closure shock - news inside plus reviews, previews and six pages of local gigs. NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] THE X, in Cowley, has closed down after The Performing Rights Society (PRS) moved to have landlady Al declared bankrupt in a court hearing. Al had been in dispute with the PRS over payments due to for gigs held at the venue but had already paid the majority of the amount owed. The move to have her declared bankrupt came out of a court session on Thursday 17th January with immediate effect. As such the X was forced EELS return to Oxford for the first time in seven years when they play to close down that day and will remain shut until such time as its owners, at the New Theatre on Sunday 23rd March. The band are touring in the Punch, install a new manager. As leaseholder on the pub, All is no longer UK to promote a new Best Of Compilation, `Meet The Eels’ as well as allowed to continue trading and will undoubtedly lose her lease as a a rarities compilation, `Useless Trinkets’. Tickets for the show, priced consequence. £20, are on sale now from Ticketmaster on 0844 847 1505. Tickets Since taking over the X in 2002 Al has transformed a formerly run-down are also on sale now for Chris Rea on Sunday 30th March and James pub into one of the best small live music venues in Oxford, mainly on Saturday 19th April. Sugababes and Van Morrison’s shows at the hosting local band nights as well as touring blues, jazz and folk acts. Two New Theatre are now sold out. years ago Al funded a major refurbishment of the X to make it even more Also sold out well in advance is Duffy’s show at the Academy on conducive to live music. While Al has never disputed that she owed the Sunday 9th March and Foals gig on Saturday 15th. PRS its due payments, she did dispute the amount they demanded, given the size of the venue and the fact the X steered clear of bands playing cover versions. The upshot is that Oxford has lost both a great little this year’s event but updated news experimental jazzers Colins Of venue and a landlady who was dedicated to live music. Whether the X can be found at Paradise also join the bill. To hear can re-open with live music in the future isn’t, at present, known. Many www.cornburyfestival.com old Comus songs, visit of the club promoters at the venue, such as Swiss Concrete and Gammy www.myspace.com/comusofficial. Leg Productions have worked to move their scheduled gigs to other SUPERGRASS are the subject of venues, which are listed in this month’s gig guide. Swiss Concrete’s gig on a new book by local photographer POLICE are appealing for Friday 1st February, featuring Stornoway, Liddington and You & Me, has Greg Allum. ‘The Night Shines witnesses after a large amount of been moved to Thursday 31st January at the Bullingdon. Like Fireflies’ is a 100-page long musical equipment worth more photographic document of the than £5,000 was stolen in a AS REPORTED LAST MONTH Naughtiest Girl Is A Monitor’ on band’s recording sessions for their burglary in Warwick Street, Oxford this year’s Oxford Punt takes place 3rd March. ‘Good Nature’ features sixth album at Hansa Studios in sometime between 23rd December on Wednesday 14th May. The Punt, ten new tracks and is the band’s Berlin last year. The book is limited and 7th January. Three electric now in its eleventh year, first album-length release since to 2,000 copies and is available to guitars (two Gibsons and a Tokia), showcases the best unsigned talent 2004’s ‘Hurrah, Another Year…’ buy online from a Moog keyboard, a drum machine, in Oxfordshire. Last year’s Punt mini-album on Fierce Panda. www.gregallum.co.uk. a saxophone, guitar foot pedals, a featured sets from Stornoway, Mr March is a busy month for local Roksan amplifier and a Linn Shaodow and Smilex. releases with Young Knives set to turntable were stolen as well as a The Oxford Punt 2008 takes place launch their new album, laptop and some jewellery. across six venues in the city centre ‘Superabundance’, on March 10th, PC Craig Burchall of Oxford – Borders, the QI Club, the while Foals’ debut album, Burglary Team said: “As well as Wheatsheaf, the Purple Turtle, ‘Antidotes’, is out on the 17th. appealing to anyone who saw Thirst Lodge and the Cellar. The Foals’ gig at the Academy on something suspicious, I’d like to event runs from 6pm through to Saturday 15th March is now sold hear from anyone who may have midnight and will feature 20 local out. been offered any expensive or acts. Bands or solo artists wanting specialist musical equipment for to play should send a demo (clearly AVID RECORDS has, finally, DECIBEL STUDIOS are offering sale.” PC Burchall can be contacted marked The Punt) to Nightshift at closed down, leaving Oxford two free hours rehearsal time to via the Police Enquiry Centre on PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 without a single independent record local bands who visit their website 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want 1ZU, or email a MySpace link shop. Avid’s closure had been on the this month. The offer is open to to talk to the police and don’t want (again clearly marked Punt) to cards for over a year after the shop any band who haven’t previously to leave your name, call [email protected]. Please was hit by a huge rent hike but the rehearsed at the studio. Visit Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. include a phone number. Aladdin’s Cave of great lost vinyl www.decibelstudios.org and Conditions for inclusion are that treasures will be sorely missed. complete the relevant form. Any AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into acts must be from Oxfordshire and questions or enquiries, call David the Download every Saturday night be unsigned. And if you played last THIS YEAR’S CORNBURY on 01460 221 541. between 6-7pm on BBC Radio year you can’t do it again this time. Festival takes place over the Oxford 95.2fm. The weekly local weekend of the 5th and 6th of July COMUS, the early-70s prog-rock music show, presented by Tim YOUTHMOVIES release their at Cornbury Country Park, near band fronted by current Colins Of Bearder and Dave Frillycat, new album, ‘Good Nature’, on 17th Charlbury. Last year’s event Paradise singer Bobbie Watson, features the best new Oxford March on DrownedinSound featured sets from Blondie, David have reformed for a festival in releases, interviews and demos. Records. The album will be Gray and Echo & The Bunnymen. Stockholm, alongside modern day You can listen to the show all week preceded by a single, ‘The Tickets are yet to go on sale for prog champions Opeth. Banbury online at bbc.co.uk/oxford A Quiet Word With The Family Machine WE GUESS WE’RE AS GUILTY quite naturally. The album has been a as anyone of taking The Family part of the Machine for quite some Machine for granted. time. It’s like a lost animal we’ve The band have been around on the found, fed and nurtured; now that it’s local scene long enough now, fully grown we’re going to release it sticking out the odd single here and back into the wild world where it there on various labels, while belongs.” curating their own monthly club night – The Beard Museum – for JAMIE’S FORMATIVE YEARS them to almost have become part of were spent in The Daisies and then the furniture. If the local scene were Medal, who were big local favourites. an extended family, The Family What are his memories of that time, Machine might be a kindly uncle, or and what lessons did he learn perhaps a large, cuddly pet dog: regarding his experiences with the someone everyone likes but who music industry? never takes centre stage like the JAMIE: “When I look back on what screaming child or the raging we did, where we went and what we matriarch. saw, I’m so proud. It was a great Well, let us now put things right. time, and to do it all with a bunch of Because next month The Family mates was brilliant. Touring America Machine release their debut album, and playing Glastonbury, stuff like ‘You Are The Family Machine’, on that was great. Working hard at the extremely cool Big Scary something that most people thought Monsters label. And you know what? played in late-90s Nightshift publicity because everyone has was a waste of time and not a real It’s a little belter. favourites Papersun, while Jay was in different priorities. There’s always job then finally getting a record deal, rock-rap act Shoktopus. Along the things to do in a band these days, and it’s the stuff of dreams. When ‘YOU ARE THE FAMILY way to the release of this debut we’ve kept ourselves busy doing people ask what it was like I say it Machine’ follows on from a string of album the band have appeared at the videos, artwork etc – all the other was the best job I ever had.