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. singles that have cemented the Oxford Punt, Cornbury and Truck creative bits and pieces – while the “It would be too easy for me to be band’s reputation for wry gallows festivals, run their own stage at the album was being produced. Now it’s cynical about the music industry and humour and a sweetly lachrymose annual Charlbury Festival and played time for the big push.” it would be easy to be bitter about style of guitar pop that takes in with the likes of Young Knives, JAY: “We have always felt being just another product, but I country, folk and even the odd Midlake and Glenn Tilbrook. appreciated by people in and around believe we made some good albums moment of electro-pop. Chief Now the band prepare to step up a music in Oxford. I hope the album and had a lot of fun. among these wee gems is ‘Flowers gear, re-releasing ‘Flowers By The reinforces some aspects of how “I suppose if I’ve learnt anything By The Roadside’, a paean to the Roadside’ as a single and filming a we’re perceived: the bits about from the whole experience it’s that floral arrangements marking fatal video for the song on the Oxford people meeting to enjoy songs and it’s all about the music; that’s the road accidents around the county. ring road, dressed as ghosts joined by time together.” stuff that lasts. ‘Got It Made’, The Family a supporting cast of local bands and The band has been together for a “Family Machine have always had a Machine’s most recent single, music fans. few years now; how do you feel the very DIY attitude. We’ve got on meanwhile, was a more musically music and the way the band works with things and recorded our album ambitious outing, a song in three NIGHTSHIFT MET UP WITH has changed in that time and what without the help of a major record parts that takes in film noir Jamie, Darren, Neil and Jay and has finally brought the full album company and we’re very involved soundtracking, surf pop and casual asked, first, whether they themselves together? with the way our music gets to the psychedelia. In fact listening to ‘You feel as if they’re taken for granted JAMIE: “Over a few years we’ve audience as a whole. We recently Are The Family Machine’ from start or overlooked in Oxford. recorded and written in the same released our EP, `Got It Made’, by to finish feels like a journey through JAMIE: “I don’t feel Family way. I’d write a song, bring it to the helium balloons and hid copies in a movie, from its chirpy, cheesy Machine has been overlooked; band and they’d take it somewhere I town as part of a treasure hunt. It’s college rock opening, ‘Ko Tao’ there’s loads of stuff going on in didn’t imagine, or it would sound all about having fun, enjoying and through to its melancholy, ambient Oxford. I’m not sure we’re the exactly as I’d imagined which is being involved with all parts of the instrumental coda. coolest band in town and we don’t amazing when that happens. All the process of making and releasing have the skinniest of jeans, but lads are good players, grasping what I music. Our involvement with Beard THE FAMILY MACHINE CAME people seem to like what we do. Our mean with very little effort. Also I Museum made me understand that together in the wake of the break up album is called `You Are The Family suppose the original idea of the band music and songs are all about of local indie favourites Medal, who Machine’, and we like to think of was to write really simple songs that interaction with the audience and a came close to breaking into the big the audience as our extended family, make you want to sing along. I shared ownership of moments and time after being taken under the and when people sing along to our always wanted to make an album feelings.” wing of Courtyard Management songs at gigs it kind of feels like that was packed full of songs; no (responsible for Radiohead and we’re all out together to have a fillers, just good songs. It sounds a bit ‘YOU ARE THE FAMILY Supergrass), signing to Polydor and night out, it doesn’t matter who’s wanky but we’ve always believed Machine’ is released next month on touring the States. Medal frontman the band and who’s the audience; we that the song is the star! No one’s Alcopop Records, part of Big Scary Jamie Hyatt teamed up with bassist all own it. The album is an extension ego is more important than the Monsters, a label that has strong and pianist Darren Feller, guitarist of all that. I’m not sure it will song.” connections with the Oxford music Neil Durbridge and drummer Jay change the way people perceive us DARREN: “Not a lot has changed scene having released EPs by Richard Stilwell. Apparently behind the but I think people will like it.” in the dynamic of how we do things Walters and This Town Needs Guns. wheelie bins behind Tesco’s on NEIL: “It’s difficult to compare together, we just get along, make JAMIE: “Last year we were asked to Cowley Road. Neil had previously yourself to other acts in terms of things easy and things come together put a song (`Kao Tao’) on an EP released by Alcopop who are like Big progresses, and some shorter almost of road movie or one of those films place I died. It’s just fun to think Scary Monsters’ little brother. I incidental pieces; `Got It Made’ has where the main star goes on a about these things. `Lethal Drugs suppose after that we got chatting definite spy film potential; it also voyage of discovery: the sort of film Cocktail’ is a love song in the style about our album and all decided it seems to end on a bit of a low that makes you cry but in a good of a country waltz; it’s not about us would be nice to do that as well. I’ve (mood-wise) with the pastoral way.” being Pete Doherty.” known Jack and Kev from the label instrumental. If it were a film DARREN: “It does have a happy NEIL: “I think they are both songs for a while and they have loads of soundtrack, does it have a happy ending, yes. The song implies you can walk away and remember energy and just a passion for all ending and who would be the main downfall, having it made then losing after one listen - they were my kinds of music; they’re the sort of stars involved? your mind and falling into a pit, but favourites from before I joined too; people who just get on with things JAMIE: “It’s strange you say that. the low key end is a friend taking probably for that reason! And despite being a small label with We originally wanted all the songs to time to tell you it’s alright. The because we all share a similar sense limited resources. It’s refreshing and run in to each other so it would character in my mind starts out as of humour. They are also the two kind of where we’re at as well.” move through different moods and Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, songs that have offended the most In your time you must have seen flow as a whole piece. As we recorded deteriorating into Dustin Hoffman in people!” the best and worst of the Oxford the album I think we moved away a Ricco vain. But then, with some If The Family Machine were all to music scene. from that a little, but we we’re helpful words from Morgan be wiped out in a horrific road crash, JAMIE: “I suppose the best things always trying to take the listener Freeman, would be transformed.” how would you like to be about the Oxford music scene would through a story. ‘Got It Made’ has ‘Flowers By The Roadside’ and remembered? be the quality of bands and the three parts and they all sort of wrote ‘Lethal Drugs Cocktail’ have been JAMIE: “Secretly with loads of variety of styles. Oxford just seems themselves in the way that each around for a while now and seem to flowers but I can’t say that now. No, to keep producing some great stuff. preceding song almost asked for be most people’s favourites: both just have a big party get drunk. Lie If I we’re to really nit pick and look another chapter to be written to seem to have an underlying gallows about how funny, lovely, and for negatives, I’d say the worst thing follow. That happens a few times on humour about their subject matter. wonderfully gifted we were and then, in Oxford is some venues don’t try the album; it’s a nice way of writing. JAMIE: “Flowers By The Roadside in time, forget about us.” hard enough to put on a good night. The songs sometimes tell you what has been around for a while but is We’re in a good place at the should happen next. still one of my favourites. I love moment, people want to watch live “We we’re really lucky to record playing in towns outside Oxford and ‘You Are The Family Machine’ is music, there’s no shortage of good with [producer] Ian Davenport. I’ve explaining the idea to the audience. I released on Alcopop Records on the bands but sometimes I get the feeling known him years and worked on like the debate that it creates. It’s no 17th March. The Family Machine it’s a bit too easy for some stuff with both The Daisies and big deal, it’s simply the whole idea of play The Portcullis Club in promoters to just book some bands Medal. Because of that it was easy to roadside tributes. It occurred to me Wallingford on Saturday 16th and then kind of not bother trying talk to about ideas and ways of doing that if I were involved in some kind February as part of the Truck to make it a night out.” things: no fear, just enjoying the of traffic accident and perhaps died Records Social, and at the Cellar on process. He has become part of the in my car, wrapped round a tree Thursday 21st February. Visit “YOU ARE THE FAMILY band in many ways. somewhere in some ditch, I’m not www.myspace.com/the Machine’ has a feel of a film score at I’m not sure what kind of film the sure I’d want flowers left there. It’s familymachine to hear tracks from times: there are shifts of mood as it album would be. Probably some kind not the place I loved, it’s just the the album. Sponsored RELEASED by ZUBY See Me’. That shouldn’t distract from his very obvious vocal talents – he’s incredibly assured, ‘The Unknown Celebrity’ his flow is smooth and fluid with enough variety to keep you interested over 40 minutes, (C.O.M) and on the album’s stand-out track, ‘Inside Having divided his time over the past couple of Out’, he trades rhymes with guest rapper years between graduating from Oxford Hollaman like a veteran performer. Other University and earning his hip hop credentials highlights are the suave, orchestral ‘Somebody’s busking on the streets of Oxford and London, Gotta’, which could fit snugly on a recent Jay- Zuby finds himself in a strange but potentially Z album, and ‘Start All Over’, featuring exciting place. He shifted over 3,000 copies of Webbafied, carried over from ‘Commercial his debut album, ‘Commercial Underground’, Underground’, but well worth another listen. mostly at gigs and on the street, and now has to Zuby is obviously aware of the obstacles he take his rapping to the next level. With his feet faces as an Oxford-based University graduate in in the DIY underground and his eyes on big the world of rap – experiences he touches on on time success, he does well here to impress on a couple of numbers – not least his Anglo- both fronts. American accent, although that’s explained by Zuby’s ambitions are obvious – check out the into mainstream rap pitfalls occasionally, his upbringing: educated in an American school Dr Dre-style production on ‘The Unknown whether it’s indulging in too much in Saudi Arabia. Overcoming such inverse Celebrity’, all synth strings and bass, full autobiographical storytelling, or simply snobbery is a task all itself but if Zuby can blooded but slick and unobtrusive back-up, rhyming about chatting up girls in clubs, when bypass those doubters, he’s got everything he while his rap style is inspired by big-name US really he’s strongest making more considered needs to steal the prize he has his eye fixed on. rappers like Nas and Jay-Z. As such, he can fall socio-political points, as on the excellent ‘Can’t Victoria Waterfield

JALI FILY CISSOKHO THE RESPONSE COLLECTIVE ‘Doumajoulo’ ‘The Documentary (Kaira Arts) (Own Label) This is Senegalese traditional music song is in praise of “the ancient Oxford is awash with instrumental Swirling, psychedelic keys and from Witney. Jali Fily Cissokho is sport of wrestling”, while another is bands at the moment, but while the excursions into fanciful guitar from Casamance in the south, but about a tailor, an important majority tend towards the math- or- noodling take the band out on a has been living in the west craftsman in Senegal. There are post-rock end of things, The different trip somewhere between Oxfordshire town for some years several tracks in which Jali is Response Collective are a different The Orb and Sky, while elsewhere a now. A griot, a praise singer and praising specific individuals in his proposition; a three-piece featuring wandering, stoned jazz ambience oral historian from a long family hometown, which is exactly what a guitar, bass and keyboards as well takes over. There’s more variety in line of griots, he accompanies griot has to do in order to earn his as a turntablist going under the the form of the album’s highlight, himself on a traditional instrument, daily bread. `Doumajoulo’ means improbable moniker of Fireproof ‘Part Something Part Nothing’, the kora, the long-necked 22-string something like wake up and dance, Skratch Duck. wherein Mike Oldfield gets a bit of African harp. and the idea of the band is to have a ‘The Documentary’ clocks in just an electro-grunge workover, Apparently not content with his CD more upbeat and dancey than under the hour mark, with the mood although by the time they reach solo sound Jali Fily has now made kora music might usually seem. But remaining the lively side of chilled ‘Losing In Stereo’, via some a CD where he is supported on the best tracks here are ones where for the most part. There’s an classical rock-cum-dub interlude, most tracks by the Coute Diombou Jali is still playing solo. Some of the intricate but rarely indulgent they seem to have morphed into Band, who are mainly other tracks with the band are too busy interplay between the instruments, Pink Floyd circa-‘The Wall’. Senegalese he plays with when he and unfocussed; the best of these is the bass throbbing and bobbing Too rock and roll to play returns to Casamance. No doubt, `Apollo’, the one about the tailor, gently under timidly funky guitar Bossaphonik, but too tripped-out then, that this is an authentic but even here the band is fairly low lines that spiral into darker hollows and dreamy for most rock-inclined sound, particularly as it was key. There is fun to be had, though, that could almost be The Cure at club nights, theirs is a pleasingly partially recorded in Studio hearing echoes of Congolese rumba times. Just as you’ve got The soporific journey that retains its Ziguinchor, Senegal. and soukous on song in praise of Response Collective pinned down mood throughout while taking just Though every track is a song, ‘Demba Walimagan’, and Spanish as ambient lounge goths, though, enough excursions to keep you unless your Waloff and Mandinka music on the praise song for ‘Seregn they’ll saunter into old skool hip entranced. Maybe we should skip are up to the mark it is an Job’. But it is only when you get hop, with the eerie somnambulance the whole live thing, just stoke up a instrumental CD, though you do out of your chair and start to dance of ‘Rock This World’ recalling Eric giant bong and let The Response get good sleeve notes that explain round the room that you really get B and Rakim’s ‘Follow The Leader’ Collective take us wherever they what the songs are about. I’m the point. or Ice T’s ‘Colours’ as much as damn well please. particularly tickled to learn one Colin May ‘Charlotte Sometimes’. Sue Foreman Selected Oxford releases are now available on the ground floor HMV Oxford supports local music Open Sundays 11-5pm & late Thursdays till 7pm. 10% student discount every day thethe portport mmahonahon Live Music in February

1st Oxford Folk Club 18th Broches Band Night 7th Port Mayhem 19th Permanent Vacation 8th Oxford Folk Club presents That Fucking 9th Hangman Joe Tank + Please + Nervous 10th Off-Field All-Dayer Kid with Elapse-o + Cog 20th Sneaky Pete Wheel Dogs + Wire Rooms presents The Alfonz + February + Frog Spawn + Tratt Jools from Little Fish + 13th Oxford Improvisers Manta 14th Dirty Boys presents 22nd Oxford Folk Club Every Monday Lindas Nephew + The 27th Swiss Concrete THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES Local Few + The Gullivers presents Grand Pocket The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. £6 + Straight Jackets Orchestra + The Follys + 4th KALIF WAILIN’ WALTER BAND (USA) 15th Oxford Folk Club Luke Leighfield 11th ROGUE DOLLS (UK) 16th Souljacker + Dead 28th Pale Blue Eyes 18th ADAM BOMB (USA) + THE MIGHTY Leg 29th Oxford Folk Club REDOX (UK) 17th Little Fish + Matthew 25th CARVIN JONES BAND (USA) Collins + Cog Wheel Dogs + Madrigals + Egyptian Plenty of dates Every Tuesday available to book from Something + Stuffy + THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB Winter Sunshine March onwards! Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am 5th / 19th / 26th THE HOWARD PEACOCK QUINTET th Book your band into play at Oxford’s best small music venue! 12 TREVOR WATTS & PETER KNIGHT (Steeleye Span) 82 St Clements, Oxford. Tel: 01865 202067 Thursdays 21st SWISS CONCRETE presents DAVID CRONENBURG’S WIFE + THE NEW MOON + EXTRADITION ORDER 28th NINE-STONE COWBOY + support

Every Friday BACKROOM BOOGIE Funk, soul and R&B. 10.30pm-2am; £4. (last Friday of the month with guest DJ Aidan Larkin)

Friday Early Shows 1st MOSHKA presents SHIRLEY + BRICKWORK LIZARDS 15th JIM REECE’S LIMITED EDITION 22nd MOSHKA presents KANED CITIZEN + LITTLE FISH Bands 8-10.30pm. £4. Includes entry to Backroom Boogie afterwards

Saturdays 2nd SIMPLETHE – Funky House ANY with Erol Alkan DAYS , Em Williams and James Weston. 9-4am. Tickets available from simpleproductions.comCD single `MONDAY MORNING’ 9th TBC 16th PHISHat – Polar90s retro. Bear 11pm-3am. Records, £4 Cowley Road 23rd OX4 – Drum’n’Bass. 9pm-3am

Sunday 3rd BULLINGDON COMEDY CLUB gig guide

FRIDAY 1st dreamy guitar pop from Country Tyrone’s KLUB KAKOFANNEY with NOT TOO FEBRUARY Pocket Promise, but best of the lot are Leeds’ SHABBY + AGENTS OF JANE + sultry Editors-inspired Vib Gyor. SIKORSKI + CLANKY ROBO GOBJOBS: TALIBAND + TOMMO: The Wheatsheaf – crew with local grungey garage rockers Not Too The Purple Turtle – Squelchy electro rocking More fun esoteric noise from the Klub Kak Shabby headlining. Sweet-natured alt.pop locals from Banbury’s Sikorski, with daftly brilliant Agents of Jane and fundamentalist Islamic nd digital hardcore mayhem from CRGJ. Saturday 2 rockers Taliband support. THE MIGHTY REDOX: Fat Lil’s, Witney – SHIRLEY + BRICKWORK LIZARDS: The Party-friendly festival funk, swampy hoe-down THE PAN I AM / Bullingdon – Launching a new live music night rock and psychedelic witchiness. at the Bully, Moshka, with cheery 60s-styled BOBBY COOK & THE SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house rock and rollers Shirley joining eclectic jazz-rap- club night. gospel-blues stars Brickwork Lizards. SLEEPERS: The Cellar TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM THE COURTEENERS: The Academy – Amongst the acts that made up the short- 101: The Academy – The Academy’s weekly Christ, what a way to start the month. It’s lived, so-called Thamesbeat scene were three-clubs-in-one session with indie hits at almost worth forgetting all about Valentine’s Larrikin Love, an oddball ska-inflected Transformation, trashy-pop, 80s and glam at Day and a rare chance to see Nouvelle Vague if bunch of urchins who always seemed to Trashy and heavy rock at Room 101. have plenty more to say about the state of it means Oxford doesn’t have to endure a visit from the single most abhorrent wart on the face things than their Libertines-enthralled SUNDAY 3rd brethren. Anyway, they split, unexpectedly, of popular music currently in existence. LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION + THE SEMI- last May but frontman Ed Larrikin already Courteeners make Pigeon Detectives sound like FINALISTS: The Academy – 2007’s most had a new band planned and now it’s come a wild-eyed cross between The Velvet unlikely musical reinvention was that of former- to fruition – The Pan I Am, named after Pan Underground, Elvis and James Brown. Yes, that Test Icicles guitarist Devonte Hynes into in Greek mythology (a country Ed is good. Tuck in kids, The Man says so. existential indie-folk troubadour Lightspeed relocating to, further affirming his REPUBLICA: The Academy – Trance and Champion. To this end he’s been aided by the Morrissey-like distaste for modern day hard house club night with special guest DJ sets likes of Emmy the Great and Nate Walcott and Britain). Literary-minded, referencing from Lisa Lashes and Andy Whitby. his debut album, ‘Falling Off The Lavender Shakespeare and Rimbaud, the new band is OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon Bridge’, is a sweet, plaintive confessional on fanciful and with an eye for theatre. They MARIA ILETT + PEANUT ALBINOS + UTE: lost love and daydreaming that’s several parsecs have played a mere three gigs to date, The Jericho Tavern – Honey-voiced electro- from his previous electro-noise jumble. including a debut at the Lyric Theatre, jazz and trip pop songstress Maria gives her sweetly lo-fi pop wobbliness a welcome live replete with poetry readings and films from th Lithuanian director Jonas Mekas. Musical airing. MONDAY 4 soulmate Patrick Wolf has contributed to BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon KHALIF WAILIN WALTER BAND: The The Pan I Am’s debut album, as have DUGOUT: The Cellar – Soul, rare groove and Bullingdon – Rocking electric blues and boogie Babyshambles’ Drew McConnell and funk featuring a three-desk set from Para and from Chicago singer and guitarist Kalif Walter, Guillemots’ Fife Dangerfield, and things look Baila, plus Tom Unia, Funky Ollie and Lando. inspired by Otis Rush and Alberts Collins and good for their 2008 prospects. Fellow LIGHTBOX + TINY TIGERS + King and currently a regular on the European Londoner Bobby Cook returns to town in SLEEPERCURVE: The Purple Turtle – Free festival circuit. support, bringing his suave, orchestral brand unsigned bands night. I WAS A CUB SCOUT + ROLO TOMASSI: of pop with him, mixing up influences as SHAKE: The Academy The Academy – Lo-fi synth-punk-emo-disco diverse as Ryuan Adams and Sigur Ros. from Nottingham two-piece I Was A Cub Scout, Local indie-ska hopefuls Tristan & The SATURDAY 2 nd previously tour support to Babyshambles. Troubadours complete the bill. NINE BLACK ALPS: The Academy – Sublime support from Sunderland’s incredible Manchester’s Nirvana acolytes celebrate the Rolo Tomassi: venom-spitting teen math-core release of their new album, ‘Love / Hate’, demons beyond compare. Love them; fear them. introducing a little bit of Teenage Fanclub and JOHNNY FLYNN & THE SUSSEX WIT: Lemonheads-flavoured pop into their grunge The Jericho Tavern – Literary, rootsy pop in sound. the vein of Two Gallants, Bonnie Prince Billie THE PAN I AM + BOBBY COOK & THE and Nick Drake from the London thespian- SLEEPERS + TRISTAN & THE turned-pop singer and recent tour support to TROUBADOURS: The Cellar – Former- Jack Penate and Iron & Wine. Larrikin Love frontman Ed returns with his new THE BATTLEFIELD BAND: Nettlebed Folk band – see main preview Club – Scotland’s premier proponents of trad SHIRLEY: The Wheatsheaf – Good-time Celtic folk return. sunshine rock and roll. MELTING POT with STRAIGHTJACKET + TUESDAY 5th OK TOKYO + VIB GYOR + THE SIRENS RICHARD HAWLEY: The New Theatre – CALL: The Jericho Tavern – Mixed bill of Re-arranged gig for the Sheffield bard – see main rock from Melting Pot. Local headliners preview Straightjacket give it some 60-styled blues AIRBOURNE: The Academy – Melbourne’s rocking, while Reading’s OK Tokyo go for a classic rock and rollers hit the UK after more electro-indie noise sound. There’s some supporting Motley Crue and The Rolling Stones and telling you everything you need to WEDNESDAY 6 th know about their no-frills brand of power rock THE ROCKET SUMMER: The Academy – with album titles ‘Ready To Rock’ and ‘Runnin’ Uplifting emo-tinged punk-pop from Texan Wild’. one-man band Bryce Avary, out on tour in THINGUMA*JIGSAW + SHARRON support of his third album, ‘Do You Feel’, his KRAUS + PANTALEIMON: East Oxford first for Def Jam, having spent most of 2007 on Community Centre – A night of dark-natured the Vans Warped Tour and supporting The folk from local singer and recent Nightshift Academy Is… and Armour For Sleep. cover star Sharron Kraus, with Norwegian LATE OF THE PIER: The Academy – Well avant-folk troupe Thinguma*jigsaw bringing cool retro-futurist synth-pop outta their horror movie-inspired splatter-folk Nottinghamshire, in the vein of Gary Numan spookiness to town, alongside London’s and Fad Gadget, as well as The Faint. Good psychedelic folk minimalist Pantaleimon who work. has played with Antony & The Johnsons and PAUL POTTS: The New Theatre – The Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie among others. recent Britain’s Got Talent winner brings Thursday 7th JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free weekly operatic arias to the unwashed masses, with jazz club with regular guests The Howard support from German diva Adele Fitler. BLACK FRANCIS: Peacock Quintet. VICKY STUART + HANNA HAINS: The Purple Turtle – Acoustic night. Brookes Union Tuesday 5th OPEN MIC SESSION: The Temple What can we say about the man that hasn’t HIT&RUN: The Cellar – hip hop and been writ large in huge neon letters a million RICHARD HAWLEY: drum&bass club night. times before? The man who fronted The Pixies, and therefore the man responsible for The New Theatre THURSDAY 7 th three or four of the greatest rock and roll Re-arranged from last September; it’s BLACK FRANCIS: Brookes University albums ever. No contest. No Pixies? No heartening, if a little surprising, that Richard Union – The Pixies legend goes back to his old Nirvana or Radiohead. No rock music as we Hawley is headlining a venue of this size. name – see main preview now know it. It’s that simple. It’s been a The man’s rise and rise has been slow and ART BRUT: The Academy – Return of the good few years since Frank Black last graced steady, his reputation built on a succession arch New Cross art-rockers, having been away an Oxford stage, with his then band The of gently wonderful albums, but you always from these shores apparently gaining a cult Catholics, and that gig was somewhat feel he’s been more of a critics’ favourite following in Europe and the States. Eddie Argos overlong and indulgent, tending towards than a commercial success. Well, it’s good continues his sneery commentary on the music comfortable MOR, but that was before he news anyway, because he more than industry on new album ‘It’s All A Bit reformed The Pixies and changed his name deserves it. Not that you’d have imagined Complicated’. back to Black Francis – something of a dark back in the late-90s that the pissed-up XMAS LIGHTS + 50ft PANDA + DR nemesis to the more amiable Frank – and guitarist from The Longpigs would become a SLAGGLEBERRY: The Cellar – Vicious- now he has a new band together, who will be Radio 2 favourite and Mercury Prize natured industrial-strength math-core from the playing together in front of an audience for nominee. It’s Hawley’s odd juxtaposition of local metal favourites, playing their last gig until the first time as a warm-up show. Whatever earthy humour and low-life tales on the one the Autumn. Support from ace riffmeisters 50ft has happened to him since those hand and his gorgeous Bobby Darin-like Panda and post-hardcore troupe Dr groundbreaking days in the laet-80s, and croon and warm, dreamy romanticism on the Slaggleberry. despite developing a more measured and other that makes his songs special. Each of INTERNATIONAL JETSETTERS: The melodic singing style, Black still produces his albums, ‘Lowledges’, ‘Coles Corner’ and Jericho Tavern – Ace shoegazey indie rocking one of the greatest lupine howls in rock last year’s ‘Lady’s Bridge’, are named after inspired by Ride, Wedding Present and music and lyrically he’s still out there, living his hometown Sheffield landmarks, but the Spacemen 3. in a land of aliens, space travel and strange downbeat lovelorn nature of his laments is PORT MAYHEM: The Port Mahon suburbia. Hopefully there’ll be a handful of universal. So much so that everyone from CATWEAZLE CUB: East Oxford classic oldies in the set, given the Pixies Radiohead and Coldplay to Nancy Sinatra Community Centre reunion and last year’s `Best Of Frank and REM are declared fans, while he’s OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Black’ compilation, plus plenty of new played guitar for All Saints and Gwen SMASH DISCO: The Academy – Electro, songs from last year’s ‘Bluefinger’ and Stefani. It was Jarvis Cocker who first indie and garage club night every week. upcoming ‘Svn Fngrs’ albums. recognised Hawley’s talent (he played on Pulp’s ‘This Is Hardcore’) and the th intelligent, romantic documentation of life is FRIDAY 8 shared by both. Good to see that Hawley is LAURA VIERS: The Academy – Nature- now a star in his own right. obsessed Seattle songstress airs songs from her new album, ‘Saltmakers’, the follow-up to 2005’s excellent ‘Year Of Meteors’, breathing fresh life into the folky singer-songwriter genre with a sparse, electric style. GAMMY LEG PRODUCTIONS with LITTLE FISH + LUKE SMITH & THE FEELINGS + GLENDA HUISH: The Wheatsheaf – Oxford’s most exciting new band, Little Fish, headline the reliably eclectic GLP club night, hopefully set to make the break into the big time after two astonishing support slots to Supergrass at the end of last year, conjuring up a raw, accomplished mix of garage rock, folk and glam that touches on the magic of Patti Smith, Sinead O’Connor and PJ Harvey. Support from singer and pianist Luke Smith, plus former-Phyal singer Glenda Huish. LEAVING DECEMBER + THE GULLIVERS: THE ROGUE DOLLS: The Bullingdon – The Purple Turtle Blues, jazz, 60s rock and funk from the all- THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE PETE FRYER female collective fronted by Bully jazz club BAND + FILM NOIR + TOMMO: The regular Katya Gorrie, drawing on the likes of Magdalen Arms Dusty Springfield, Bessie Smith and Hendrix BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Live jazz and for inspiration. funk with Yabbafunk. JACQUI McSHEE & JOHN RENBOURN: GRIN CITY: The Chester Arms Nettlebed Folk Club – Two of Pentangle’s BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon original cast play a low-key gig ahead of their SHAKE: The Academy – Weekly club night old band’s reformation show at the Royal with Skylarkin chaps playing funk, soul, Albert Hall. rock’n’roll, jazz and disco. TUESDAY 12th th SATURDAY 9 CHARLOTTEFIELD + ACTION BEAT: The ENON + ILL EASE: The Cellar – Theatrical, Wheatsheaf – Double bill of leftfield post- wayward noise-pop from Philadelphia / New hardcore noise – see main preview York trio Enon, making their Oxford debut at GLASVEGAS: The Jericho Tavern – Fast- tonight’s Vacuous Pop gig, fronted by former- rising Glaswegian Spector-pop revivalists hit Brainiac chap John Schmersal and signed to town – see main preview th Touch and Go for whom they’ve just released JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With special Sunday 10 their first album in four years, ‘Grass, guests Tevor Watts and Peter Knight from DROPKICK Geysers… Carbon Clouds’. Fellow New Yorker Steeleye Span. Elizabeth Sharp, aka Ill Ease, returns in INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth and MURPHYS support, an ever-inventive blend of guitar industrial club night. th loops, samples and dervish-like drumming. Friday 29 JUNE + OCEANOGRAPHERS: The THE TOSSERS: Wheatsheaf – Indie rocking from June. Sunday 10th MONKEY PUZZLE: The Port Mahon – The Academy Grungey guitar pop. ROYWORLD: Those of us who fondly remember drunken DR SLAGGLEBERYY + JET PACK: The nights getting battered half senseless in the Purple Turtle – Funked-up math-rocking. The Jericho Tavern company of The Pogues and The Men They TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM This lot could go either way. A quartet of Can’t Hang back in the 80s can look forward 101: The Academy beardy types from London, Royworld to something similar from the visits to town HANGMAN’S JOE: The Port Mahon (whose band name sounds like some long this month from two of The States’ most ABORT, RETRY, FAIL?: The Cellar – lost Nintendo game from the 80s) have a prominent Celtic punk bands. First up, on Electro and new wave club night with live piano and have been working with Keane’s the 10th, are Boston’s Irish-American folk- bands. producer Andy Green. They are also prone, punk crew The Dropkick Murphys. on tracks like ‘Tinman’, to come on a bit Steeped in the traditions of working class SUNDAY 10th Supertramp, or worse, a bit The Feeling. protest songs, theirs are stories of mining DROPKICK MURPHYS: The Academy – Which makes us slightly nauseous. But then disasters and industrial action, all played out Hoed-down-tastic folk-punk fun from there’s recent debut single ‘Elasticity’, to a death or glory soundtrack of raging Massachusetts’ Celtic rockers – see main released on the rather cool Fandango label, guitars and soul-stirring bagpipes. Like The preview which is a deadringer for Roxy Music’s Pogues and TMTCH before them, ROBOTS IN DISGUISE: The Academy – classic ‘Virginia Plain’, only if it had been traditional Celtic-tinged folk and soul gets This month’s most unlikely return to action – performed by Sparks. And there’s the rub: pummelled through The Clash’s rabble- kitsch electro-disco duo Dee Plume and Sue solemn Radio 2-friendly, stadium-bound, rousing garage punk and their live shows are Denim celebrate the release of new album, lighters-aloft cheese pop, or quirk-filled, near-legendary celebrations of their Irish ‘We’re In The Music Biz’, after seemingly operatically bombastic, er, cheese pop? roots and life in general. The band’s sixth disappearing from view about eight years ago. They’re both at the same time and it does album, ‘The Meanest Of Times’ has just ROYWORLD: The Jericho Tavern – our bleedin’ ‘eads in. Because in so many been released. London-based pop hopefuls blurring the great/ ways they deserve to be filling those big On the 29th, meanwhile, Chicago’s finest rubbish line – see main preview arenas, but chances are they’ll have to drop Irish folk-punks The Tossers relive the glory ALISON MOYET: The New Theatre – The all the mad stuff we like best about them to days of Shane McGowan and chums. In the Yazoo electro-pop starlet-turned-soul diva get there. Did we mention they also case of both bands it’s ultimate good-time returns to town in support of her new, occasionally remind us of Ultravox, music in hobnailed boots, and if you can’t eponymous album, mixing up classic Motown Fleetwood Mac and Talking Heads? Rarely party hard with these fellas, you probably sounds with modern soul and show tune have the lines between brilliant and blimmin’ died sometime back in the last century. epicness. awful been so comprehensively blurred. Go OFF-FIELD ALL-DAYER: The Port Mahon – along, make up your own minds. GABRIELLE: The New Theatre – The Experimental noise from ambient doomsters enduring soul-pop star promotes her recent Frogspawn, guitar noise abrasiveness from ‘Always’ album, following on from her early Elapse-O, plus leftfield folk-pop from number 1 singles, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Rise’. Cogwheel Dogs amongst others. OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon FLIES ARE SPIES FROM HELL + OUTRAZE + TALK IN CODE + THE PHILIP INSTRUMENTS: The Purple Turtle – MORRISSEY BAND + BRANDWOOD Vibrant piano-led post-hardcore instrumental PROJECT: The Jericho Tavern – Local rocking from FASFH. bands night with headline set from Banbury’s promising Outraze, mixing swaggering Oasis- MONDAY 11th style melody with darker garage and drone-rock POLYSICS: The Academy – Japanese sci-fi noise. electro-metal rockers return. WEDNESDAY 13th COO COO CLUB with THEM IS ME + LAST GANG: The Jericho Tavern – Melodic SMILEX: The Jericho Tavern – Big rock indie rock bounce in the vein of The Clash and noise from the band formed by ex-Reef singer The Jam from the Wakefield newcomers. Gary Stringer and bassist Jack Bessant, plus JESSE GRACE + MANUEL DEL COSTA: Basement Jaxx fella Nathan Curran and Lady The Purple Turtle – Acoustic night. Sovereign guitarist Jonas Jalhay, kicking off OPEN MIC SESSION: The Temple their debut UK headline tour at the reliably OXFORD IMPROVISERS: The Port Mahon eclectic Coo Coo Club. Local sleaze-punk GREEN: The Cellar – Hip hop club night. rockers Smilex support. MONDO CADA + WIRE JESUS: The th Purple Turtle – Virulent grunge and hardcore THURSDAY 14 from Mondo Cada. MXPX + PUNCHLINE + THE GET GO: The DANNY, CHAMPION OF THE WORLD + Academy – Good To Go tour with headline set THE FAMILY MACHINE + THE EPSTEIN: from Washington State’s pop-friendly Christian Portcullis Club, Wallingford – Gently th skate-punks MXPX, set to release their uplifting Dylan-inspired folk-pop and gospel Tuesday 12 seventh album, ‘Secret Weapon’, after ten years from Truck Records signing Danny Champion CHARLOTTEFIELD / on the road. Support comes from UK punkers Of The World, plus this month’s Nightshift Punchline and hardcore supergroup The Get cover stars The Family Machine and country ACTION BEAT: The Go. rockers The Epstein. SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – With PHISH: The Bullingdon – 90s retro club Wheatsheaf special guest Steve Ro playing with the Spin night. Another night of quality leftfield rock noise house band. TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM from Poor Girl Noise promotions. Tonight’s CATWEAZLE CUB: East Oxford 101: The Academy gig sees the return to town for Brighton’s Community Centre SOULJACKER + DEAD LEG: The Port Charlottefield, visceral, inventive OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Mahon noisemakers inspired by DC hardcore and SMASH DISCO: The Academy post-punk, who come on like a twisted ECLECTRICITY: The Cellar th mash-up of Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard and LINDA’S NEPHEW + THE LOCAL FEW + SUNDAY 17 The Fall at times. Where previously they THE GULLIVERS: The Port Mahon NME AWARDS SHOW: The Academy – The annual NME touring showcase of bands it has were an adrenalised blast of dislocated noise, now the band’s dexterity, melody and FRIDAY 15th teamed up with record labels to try and make famous hits town with The Cribs, Joe Lean & rhythmic edge comes more to the fore. THE MAD PROFESSOR DUB SHOW: The The Jing Jang Jong, Does It Offend You, Yeah? Complex and brooding they can be but Academy – Dub and trip hop legend Mad and The Ting Tings. Dancey DIY popstrels equally when they let the reins slip loose Professor, aka Neil Fraser, opens his box of The Ting Tings are worth getting there early they’re an exhilarating barrage of sound. records and twists them this way and that in for, but the rest of the bill, especially the risible A welcome return to town too for Action pursuit of the ultimate dub trip. Joe Lean, is as uninspiring as you’d expect from Beat, last seen tearing up this same venue CHANTELLE PIKE: The Wheatsheaf – the increasingly desperate weekly. back in November as part of a Permanent Soulful, showtune folk-pop from the local Vacation night. The Bletchley collective are songstress. th inspired by early Sonic Youth and Glenn JIM REECE: The Bullingdon MONDAY 18 Branca and variously feature anything OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon ADAM BOMB + THE MIGHTY REDOX: between one and four drummers, and at least A GHOST DEVOTION + KESHCO + The Bullingdon – High energy hair metal and four guitars; no two sets are ever the same, ACACIA + BEN CONSTANDUROS: The sleazy blues rock from New York’s Adam but carefully-orchestrated mayhem is the Jericho Tavern – Unsigned bands showcase Bomb, who has played with the likes of Van general rule. with London’s scratchy lo-fi indie-punks A Halen, Kiss and Aerosmith as well as tour Ghost Devotion headlining. support to Hanoi Rocks. Support comes from THE PETE FRYER BAND: Fat Lil’s, Witney local swamp-rock and festival funk favourites WEDNESDAY 20th FRESH OUT OF THE BOX: The Cellar – The Mighty Redox. THE ALFONZ + JOOLZ LITTLE FISH + House, breaks and techno with Alex Smoke STEVE KNIGHTLEY & JENNA WITTS: MANTA: The Port Mahon – Sneaky Pete club from Hum & Haw. Nettlebed Folk Club – Show Of Hands fella night with a solo set from Little Fish singer BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon Steve returns with another display of classic Joolz. SHAKE: The Academy English folk songwriting. 100 RESOLUTIONS + JOHN SIDDLE + CHRIS AYER: The Purple Turtle – Acoustic th SATURDAY 16th TUESDAY 19 night. PARADISE ISLAND + TWAT TROT TRA HOT CHIP: The Academy – Like monkeys OPEN MIC SESSION: The Temple LA + PREFONTAINE + SAD SHIELDS: The with miniature cymbals, their rhythm keeps on HIT&RUN: The Cellar Wheatsheaf – Wired leftfield post-punk going – see main preview motoring and country-tinged weirdness from THAT FUCKING TANK + Paradise Island, fronted by Erase Errata singer PLEASE + NERVOUS KID: The Jenny Hoyston, with abstract, dissonant Port Mahon – Swift return to The support from local post-hardcore hopefuls Port for Leeds’ quality instrumental Twat Trot Tra La and guitar mangling duo That Fucking Tank, working up newcomers Prefontaine. a bruising, sweaty cacophony of GLITCHES: The Academy – Oxford noise. University band who have been recording with HARRY ANGEL: The Wheatsheaf one-time Culture Club producer Steve Levine. – Super-fuzzed goth-core storm pop WITCHES + ALL OUR GOOD FRIENDS + from local faves Harry Angel. ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- BROTHER FRANCISCO: The Cellar – JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- Witches continue to speak softly but carry a big With The Howard Peacock Quintet. DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- stick with their sweet-natured but deceptively SKYNY NYRDS: The Jack 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 hefty rock at tonight’s Big Hair session. Russell, Marston each. Brand new chart CDs £5 - £10 each THURSDAY 21st SATURDAY 23rd DAVID CRONENBURG’S WIFE + THE GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with NEW MOON + EXTRADITION ORDER: DOOLITTLE + SUNNYVALE NOISE SUB- The Bullingdon – Swiss Concrete night with ELEMENT + THE CARTER MANOEUVRE: London’s lopsided, ramshackle surf-pop and The Wheatsheaf – Former-Eat and We Know backwoods folksters David Cronenburg’s Where You Live frontman Ange Doolittle Wife, plus lachrymose local acoustic pop trio returns to town with his current band, which The New Moon and trashy garage rockers features local duo Mr G and Rich, playing Extradition Order. reworked versions of some of his old classics SANDI THOM: The Academy – She wishes (and classics they were, even if the great, wide she was a punk rock girl with flowers in her world foolishly chose to ignore them at the hair. We think she might have the wrong sort time) as well as new material from the band’s Tuesday 12th of girl in mind. Possibly the wrong decade. recent ‘Hello To The Fortunate Few’ album; a Whatever she wishes, we wish she was dead genuine overlooked star of English pop music. GLASVEGAS: under a bus for crimes against music. Oh for Support comes from musically confrontational God’s sake, of course we’re fucking joking! post-rockers Sunnyvale and Leamington’s The Jericho Tavern But come on, just for a second there a small grungey math-rockers Carter Manoeuvre. Amid the frantic record label bidding war part of you agreed with that sentiment, didn’t COO COO CLUB with THE LONG currently underway for Glasvegas’ it? INSIDERS + BLACKHATS + DAVID signatures, one company bought singer WHITE SUNDAY: The Jericho Tavern – SANDERS: The Jericho Tavern – Triple bill James Allan a classic T-Bird, which must Reading’s moddish rock’n’soul outfit head out of local bands. Shimmering cinematic pop from have made for a nice bribe, but such reward on tour. The Long Insiders, plus harmony-heavy 60s – looks like being small fry compared to the OCTOBER GAME + THE FAMILY styled rock from Blackhats. riches he will reap if the band fulfil their MACHINE + LIAM: The Cellar – Nightshift ample potential. At the end of 2007 NME cover stars The Family Machine show off Tuesday 19th awarded Glasvegas’ debut single, ‘Daddy’s their country-tinged rock wares. Gone’, the number 2 slot in their tracks of CATWEAZLE CUB: East Oxford HOT CHIP: the year; not bad for an unsigned act. But Community Centre while the hype might seem out of hand, the OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon The Academy Glaswegian band are well worth the SMASH DISCO: The Academy Without doubt one of the great crossover attention, mixing up lo-fi sonics with epic successes of recent times, Hot Chip – who pop ambition and making sweet teen poetry FRIDAY 22nd not so long ago were playing for Vacuous out of gritty slice of life lyricism (notably NOUVELLE VAGUE: The Academy – Sweet, Pop down at the Wheatsheaf – are an on the brilliant, tragic ‘Flowers & Football soulful, often sublime bossa nova reinventions example of how and why electro-dance can Shirts’). The raw simplicity derives from of classic and obscure new wave classics – see still be inventive, melodic and - oh yes – early Jesus & Mary Chain and classic Doo- main preview fun. Obviously ‘Over and Over’ Wop, the grand arrangements come via Phil GET CAPE, WEAR CAPE, FLY: The demonstrated this most amply, but Alexis Spector’s 60s girl groups, notably the Academy – Heroic laptop troubadour Sam Taylor and Joe Goddard’s acclaimed and Ronettes. Add in Allan’s broad, warm Duckworth makes another trip back to his Mercury shortlisted last album, ‘The Scottish singing voice and it’s not unlike spiritual home town, still on the up and up Warning’, was packed with such The Proclaimers reinventing Wah!, but in with his funny, clever, politicised electro-folk mischievous gems, while live their infectious the dark recesses of 70s New York drone- ballads that takes the details of life’s humdrum rhythmic attack is peppered with steals pop. Not surprisingly Alan McGee is nature to poetic new levels. from everyone from Kraftwerk and Aphex loudly singing their praises, calling them the FUSE with AUDIO BULLYS: The Academy Twin to Pigbag and Laurie Anderson. most exciting Scottish band since the Mary – Local electronic and house club nights They’re also in-demand remixers, working Chain, and you can bet Sony’s entire annual Simple, Slide and Eclectric team up for a new with the likes of Gorillaz, Go! Team and profits that six months from now Glasvegas club night, tonight featuring a live set from Queens of The Stone Age along the way. will be headlining the Academy and this gig electro duo Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale, Proclaiming to write folk songs for will have attained some kind of legendary bringing chunky abrasive house, hip hop, synthesizers, they’re equally inspired by status. punk, soul and garage to the party. Joining maverick songwriters like Robert Wyatt and them is energetic electro-punk chap Boys their awkward bedroom-bound naivety Noize, best known for remixing the likes of forever shines through. From glitchy techno- Depeche Mode and Bloc Party, while upstairs soul curiosity they’ve never looked back rising house DJ Nic Fanciulli mans the decks. after their chart-bashing breakthrough and KANED CITIZEN + LITTLE FISH: The now they prepare to release their third Bullingdon – More top-notch garage blues album, ‘Made In The Dark’, already a rocking from Little Fish, plus indie pop from Mixmag album of the month. Renowned for Kaned Citizen. almost completely reinventing their own D-BLOCKERS + THE RUINS: The songs when they play them live, they will, Wheatsheaf without doubt, force you to dance and leave OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon the venue grinning like a loon. SOUTH CENTRAL HEROES + DIVEBOMB REVOLUTION + PETE ROE: The Jericho Tavern – Lightweight pop-punk from local headliners SCH, plus prog-metal support from Wiltshire’s Divebomb Revolution. PHANTOM THEORY: The Purple Turtle BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon SHAKE: The Academy BASSMENTALITY: The Cellar KASIA: The Purple Turtle with Pigeon Detectives, but bigger things DOG SHOW + CLANKY ROBO beckon. GOBJOBS + SPACE HEROES OF THE GRAND POCKET ORCHESTRA + THE PEOPLE: The Cellar – Electro night at Big FOLLYS + LUKE LEIGHFIELD: The Port hair. Mahon – Swiss Concrete night with Dublin’s TRANSFORMATION / TRASHY / ROOM child-like electro-pop weirdoes Grand Pocket 101: The Academy Orchestra, chirpy Beatles-influenced popsters OX4: The Bullingdon – Drum& bass club The Follys and soul-pop pianist and singer night. Luke Leighfield. MONTJOY’S JACKET + TAMARA SUNDAY 24th PARSONS-BLAKE: The Purple Turtle DAVID GRAY: The New Theatre – Little OPEN MIC SESSION: The Temple Richard, Elvis, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Johnny CLUB DUB: The Cellar Rotten, Prince… and of course David Gray. Friday 22nd Rock history is littered with wild-eyed THURSDAY 28th maverick singers who broke the rules and PAMA INTERNATIONAL: The Academy – NOUVELLE VAGUE: performed like it was the last show on earth. Swift return to town for the ska, rocksteady The Academy Seriously, if David’s acoustic headline set at last and dub supergroup, at various times featuring summer’s Cornbury Festival is anything to go members of Galliano, Steel Pulse, The Specials On paper the idea of Nouvelle Vague is like by, the New Theatre won’t know what’s hit it. and Madness, formed by Special Beat duo some indie-inclined marketing man’s kitsch Hopefully a nuclear warhead. Finny and Sean Flowerdew and signed to wet dream: take a bundle of cult new wave ELECTRIC SIX: The Academy – Back from legendary reggae label Trojan. The gig is classics and reinterpret them in an acoustic the brink of obscurity after the chart success of followed by Skylarkin’s regular ska, reggae and bossa nova style: cue a whole wad of ‘Danger! High Voltage’ and ‘Gay Bar’, Dick soul club night with Bristolian legend DJ Derek advert-related dosh landing on the doormat. Valentine and his ever-changing crew of plus Indecision. But that’s to overlook the genuine love for bandmates return to the UK in support of new NINE-STONE COWBOY: The Bullingdon and knowledge of the source material of album, ‘I Shall Exterminate Everything Around – Through-a-glass-darkly lo-fi orchestral pop arrangers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, as Me That Restricts Me From Being The from Mark Cope and his band. well as the often stunning end results of Master’, with their trademark mix of hometown SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – With their reworkings, aided by an assortment of Detroit garage rock and disco. guest Tony Kofi. young female singers from France, Brazil GO FASTER + ELLE S’APPELLE: The THE HAMSTERS: Fat Lil’s, Witney – The and the States, all of whom were picked for Jericho Tavern veteran British blues-rockers return with their their lack of familiarity with the original BEARD MUSEUM: The Purple Turtle – Hendrix and ZZ Top-styled noise. songs. On the band’s debut album fresh life Oddball electro-punk starlets Baby Gravy do CATWEAZLE CUB: East Oxford was breathed into the likes of Dead their thing with support from Repeats and Community Centre Kennedys’ ‘Too Drunk Too Fuck’ and Alphabet Backwards. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Sisters of Mercy’s ‘Marianne’, as well as an SMASH DISCO: The Academy absolutely sublime take on Modern MONDAY 25th PALE BLUE EYES: The Port Mahon English’s ‘I Melt With You’, while the follow up saw hits by Buzzcocks, Blondie THE CARVIN JONES BAND: The ECLECTRICITY: The Cellar – Electro and house with live set from Les Petits Filous. and the Bunnymen rub shoulders with more Bullingdon – Roadhouse-tinged Texas blues- unlikely cuts from Blancmange, Bauhaus rock from the electric guitarist and charismatic th and Visage. And if that ad money did come frontman Jones and his band, inspired by the FRIDAY 29 tumbling in, then it does nothing to cheapen likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker EINSTELLUNG + VON BRAUN: The Nouvelle Vague’s music. Of the band’s and Jimi Hendrix. Wheatsheaf – Awesome (in capital letters, constantly changing roster of singers, many MAGNA CARTER: Nettlebed Folk Club – underlined, twice) krautock-inspired have gone on to further prominence in their Classic English folk from Linda and Chris noisemongers outta Birmingham who tore the native France, notably Anaïs Croze, Camille Thompson. Academy a new exit hole with their stunning set Dalmais, Mélanie Pain and Marina Céleste. at Audioscope last year. Panzer-heavy, pressure Most recently Collin and Libaux compiled a th TUESDAY 26 cooker-intense wall-of-noise motorik rocking CD featuring covers of new wave classics REEL BIG FISH: The Academy – More that sounds very much like Kraftwerk’s by other post-punk bands. stomping ska-punk from South California’s ‘Autobahn’ being played by Hell’s own house ever-touring party rockers. band. We heartily recommend you attend. EPIDEME + AXIS MUNDI + SERFS: The THE BEAT + NEVILLE STAPLES: The RAINCLOUD + HELEN PEARSON: The Port Mahon – More leftfield noise excursions Academy – Double dose of classic Two Tone Jericho Tavern – Sweet-natured, folk pop in a from Permanent Vacation, tonight with veterans with 80s hitmakers The Beat giving Belle & Sebastian vein from rising local stars Brighton’s urgent lo-fi rantcore outfit Epideme, songs like ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’ and ‘Too Stornoway. Manchester/Lyon ambient dissonant crew Axis Nice To Talk To’ a new airing. They’re joined MACHIEVELLIS: The Purple Turtle Mundi and acoustic psychedelic jam band Serfs. by Specials and Fun Boy Three star Neville. SKYNY NYRDS: The Chester Arms JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With The THE TOSSERS: The Academy – Chicago LOST CHIHUAHUA: Fat Lil’s, Witney Howard Peacock Quintet. folk-punks – see main preview BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon SHAKE: The Academy WEDNESDAY 27th STORNOWAY + CANDY & THE HQ: The Cellar ONE NIGHT ONLY: The Academy – All set to become Yorkshire village Helmsley’s biggest export after their hometown-based video, featuring the local castle, teashop, deli and assorted pensioners, became a MySpace phenomenon last year, the teenage indie rockers, mixing up Arctic Monkeys-style froth Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is the 20th of each month - no with occasional moments of Muse-like epic exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm) or email listings to [email protected]. bluster, have most recently been out on tour All listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without permission LIVE Photo: Sam Shepherd

INFLATABLE BUDDHA / KANUTE / TREVOR WILLIAMS The X Stepping in at the last minute to laid-back and chilled-out that it is replace The Minutes, Faringdon- practically impossible to stay awake based singer-songwriter Trev throughout their set. Dream-like Williams’ act of selfless heroism is would be one way to describe it; cruelly overlooked as precisely no- slightly tedious would be another. one appears to be listening to him, Either way, should you find yourself preferring instead the sound of their operating heavy machinery in the own voices. His cover of vicinity of a Kanute gig you should Radiohead’s ‘Karma Police’ does cease immediately on health and cause a few ears to prick up, but safety grounds. generally, when he’s taking their Inflatable Buddhas are a blast; introspective lead poor old Trev initially. Finding a point at which does himself a disservice. It’s when Ian Dury and The Straycats meet, he’s got sunshine in his life (and they blow the cobwebs out of your indeed in at least two of tonight’s ears and wake you from the Kanute- songs) he’s at his best, somehow invoked sleep. Confronted with a occupying similar ground to Ray lead singer that babbles out Davies. scattershot poetry and who looks Introspection is something that sits for all the world like an emaciated at the heart of Kanute’s music and Alexi Sayle causes us to wonder we were quite looking forward to whether a cover of ‘Hello John, Got territory cause the Buddhas to stutter themselves to be a curiously their Portishead-inspired lounge A New Motor?’ is on the cards. mid set, but when they stick to their enjoyable oddity. lizard tunes. However, they are so Forays into shaky world music guns and play it straight, they prove Sam Shepherd

RAGGASAURUS / VIGILANCE DR SHOTOVER BLACK SPECIAL / THE TALC Krautrock In Bonn Square Ah, it’s young Wyngarde, isn’t it? I DEMONS / JEREMY HUGHES was at school with your father, of course. Sit down, sit down, why The Wheatsheaf don’t you – I see from your We’re all justly proud of our music Last time we saw Vigilance Black expression that you wish to buy me scene, but it’s worth remembering Special they had a trombone and a a drink, and also to hear some of what Oxford is: a small provincial lonesome Nick Cave swoon to their my stories from the Burma city. This means that for every music; now they have no trombone Campaign and/or about my time as a Little Fish bursting into the limelight and sound a bit like a sleepier version synthesiser roadie for Amon Duul II we have a bunch of blues bands of Goldrush, the lyric “too much – ja, that crazy bongo player, we dawdling through the classics. It also time kicking around in the half- couldn’t get him out of the Grim means we have Klub Kakofanney, a light” summing the show up nicely. A Reaper cloak for MONTHS... fantastically unglamorous hippy decent band, with a rich lead vocal, Something to do with the strength enclave that has been making people but nothing to get excited about. of the acid in those days, I believe... happy for as long as anyone can Raggasaurus are a group who Anyway, I’m sure that like me you recall, and is about as far from the definitely weren’t formed in their are TERRIBLY excited by the No-one I think is in my tree: Amon Duul flick of a cool kid’s haircut as one stylist’s office: a bunch of stoned- prospect of another year on the II plan a “Terrorist Art Event”. can get. In fact, half the audience looking students playing dub, with a Oxford music scene, especially the haven’t had a haircut in years. And 50 year old Tunisian singing in more experimental aspects of it. the other half are bald. Arabic over the top; who would have What do I mean? Oh, things like... a new Performance Event planned by After mightily-bearded Jeremy thought it? And who would have Stubby Steadman in which the Pan Pipes Orchestral buskers from Bonn Hughes has played some intricate thought they would make such Square do their usual set... but while dangling from a tree! ...No, not by little guitar doodles, The Talc excellent music? The horns are the neck, you cynical bastard – how would they play those lovely warbly Demons take to the stage. Rami’s acidic and subtly used, the rhythms notes then? What do you mean, it’s all pre-recorded anyway and they just band are more often found playing are spry and infectious, and the bass sway around whilst wearing irritating ponchos and coining it from stupid interminable jam sets in empty is simply gigantic, causing glasses to tourists??? How COULD you??? [runs away sobbing into his Pernod and midweek bars, but thankfully they topple to the floor behind the bar. black]. Erm, yes, come to think of it, you’re probably right. Then of produce a taut, condensed thirty Add some searing vocals, that seem course there’s the Gamelan Event... this lovely tinkly, airy Javanese minutes of his own circus freak pop, to communicate messages of love musical phenomenon, we feel, would be just right as an antidote to all in which 70s rock clashes with funky and integrity even though nobody those ghastly heavy metal bands, especially if set up IN A TREE, in Bonn reggae. His songs boast about 90 understands a blinking word, and the Square! Wait a minute, what’s that you say, Bedingfield? They’ve words per minute, buoyed up by effect is glorious. A wonderful band, chopped DOWN the Bonn Square trees? Oh well, bang goes another clipped, nasal guitar lines and bouncy likely to enliven many an Oxford fantastic initiative from us crazy music lovers here at the East Indies rhythms, and they should definitely weekend, and one unlikely to appear Club. Back to Tanz der Lemminge... ditch the dubious covers gigs and on Skins any time soon. Next month: Toxicological Whispering concentrate on this quality fare. David Murphy COMBOFEST The Port Mahon I felt somewhat daunted at the prospect of posturing, with the singer barging his way this all-dayer, promoted jointly by Poor Girl through the crowd and the guitarist lying Noise and Permanent Vacation, assuming an head-first inside the bass drum. Such antics onslaught of noise that would quickly wear are fine, but in this case they seem to me down. Well, assumption made an ass of distract the band’s attention, and their at least me, as the day presents a well- heaviness becomes sloppiness. programmed selection of artists. There is Zettasaur effectively blow them offstage, noise aplenty, but along with it subtlety, taking the same blueprint and forcing it texture and variation. through a stricter songwriting process. Like Things open gently with Spoono’s Charlottefield or Trumans Water, they’re fingerpicked acoustic guitar, mixing Matt chaotic (and at times ear-splitting) but never Valentine/Wooden Wand-style nervous folk cease to be melodic and weirdly accessible. with the progressive melodic lines and This is to a large extent due to a fantastic structures of Love. This is folk through a rhythm section: super-tight messy post-rock lens, with relentless breaking drumming (if that makes sense) and sharp, down of songs into constantly changing almost funky bass cutting through the slabs parts, and it sometimes gets caught up in its of guitar skree. Helhesten then take us own complexity, but it’s interesting to back to an improvised floor-crouching set of examine the fractured style laid bare with Divine Coils-style experiment – and in fact only six strings. the Divine Coils’ members form part of this Divine Coils take the floor (literally) outfit. A delicate, simple gamalan-style after setting up a vast array of sound- dalliance around plucked strings and clanged production tools, all resting on a plinth and bowls gradually builds into squalling, thick a snare, and close-miked so that every charges of high-pitched outsider noise. It’s scratch and movement is projected out to more assured and controlled than Divine the room. The nature of their improvised Coils’ set, and benefits from Helhesten music is such that Divine Coils can seem as controlling their sound, rather than vice if they are reaching for something but not versa. quite finding it. Their set is built around Finally, Bilge Pump jump headlong into scuffles on a high-pitched whine, but it Zettasaur’s world of riffs. They’re a wanes – they’ve shown more power than somewhat perverse band, one that seems to this in previous performances. have created some workable songs and then Traktors, featuring Youthmovies’ Andrew fed them through a random editing sequence: Hammond, are initially an annoying they’re heavy post-hardcore pounded exercise in sub-Wolf Eyes/Dylan Nyoukis senseless by power chord repetition. This power electronics shouty nonsense. Then, provides moments of brilliant idiocy but for pleasingly, the noise levels out into an the most part it’s slightly boring – as if endless rhythmic pulse, gradually modulating they’ve gone too far down a road of and developing with such a slow pace of invention without the correct navigational change that it lulls me into semi-trance. tools in place. They are, though, a fittingly Ostensibly, this is an act not doing much at out-there end to a consistently involving all. But the results are strangely mind- day. Hats off to the promoters for a line-up altering. Whores and Wizards start out as that drops just enough breadcrumbs of magic a killer take on a stoner-rock-goes-screamo to create a day that is as eye-opening as it is sludgefest, but quickly dissolve into a mess challenging. of forced histrionics and egotistical Simon Minter

RESERVOIR CATS The Bullingdon The Blues has come a long way since the Edinburgh, “...and a bit of a bastard in the Mississippi Delta share croppers fanned out nicest possible way”, which catches the eye across America on the newly built railroad and ear, as they take to the stage to the system, spawning along the way a thousand theme of the TV cartoon Top Cat, and launch ‘famous’ and ‘legendary’ blues clubs, and into `The Key To Love’ with a Monster names like “Blind Lemon” Jefferson, “Big Truck demeanour that would get the stodgiest Mama” Thornton and “No Nickname” of joints jumping. Williams. There’s no trademark Hawaiian shirt This blues explosion in turn seeded a million tonight, and only a bit of banter about further clubs world-wide, where keepers of the walking his huskies, before ‘I Can’t Stand flame could play to their congregations, who The Rain’, preferring instead to let the game love the downbeat and the familiar. The flow, with old favourites ‘Suzi Q’ and ‘Handy brightest of Oxford’s keepers of the blue Man’, before goofing off with Status Quo- flame is veteran vocalist and guitarist Tony like three-chord boogie, ‘Tough Enough’. Jezzard, and his band Reservoir Cats, whose It’s halfway through the second of their two punchy, slightly edgy, yet thoroughly rocking 45-minute sets that Baxter does what seems take on r’n’r-laced hard blues is still winning inevitable, blowing up his “cheap Amurkin” over new fans, young and old. Jezzard’s voice amp, and prematurely ending the show. Still, has developed some gritty character over the a band who sound like The Destroyers, and a years and goes well with his nonpareil blues wrecking-ball finale: those lonesome cotton guitar mastery. But its his duelling with pickers would be proud. stunning lead guitarist, Baxter, from Paul Carrera LES CLOCHARDS / DESMOND I NEED TO DISCOVER / ALL THESE CHANCER & THE LONG ARMS / WHISTLER / MEWGATZ MEMORIES Port Mahon Mewgatz are an Oxford-based duo it all work, though there’s plenty of The Wheatsheaf whose recordings use something potential. It’s a testament to all involved that wearing a big, fake, Rasputin-style they call ‘circuit bending’; altering I Need To Discover may will be this gig happened at all: it’s less beard, and between songs Tom circuit boards from toys and cheap the best band in the Lincoln area. than 12 hours since the asks the audience, “Do you want keyboards to make unexpected Another two-piece, they describe announcement that the X was to some more misery?” like the sounds. While the resultant themselves as “mathematic disco close, and the bands booked to villain in a pantomime version of recordings are somewhat uneven, punk”, made with vocals, guitar, play there have found a new home Of Mice and Men. Odd, but their live shows highlight more of drums and laptop. They seem, for the evening across town at the engagingly odd. guitarist Frida, creating a pleasingly initially, nervous but soon get into Wheatsheaf, and the show doth go It’s always a pleasure to feel a bit dreamy early-80s indie sound. their stride with a powerful and on, though the mood is gloomy. French on occasion, so in some When they successfully resolve this studied sonic assault. Of course the Desmond Chancer aren’t planning ways Les Clochards can’t fail to with their wilfully experimental side drums don’t need amplifying in the on lifting anyone’s spirits. Tom entertain. For, you see, the music they can produce charming lo-fi Port so you always get a nice clean McDonell, formerly Tomohawk they play is FRENCH ballads like ‘Arm Control’. sound, and the band’s single, with local rap outfit Big Speakers, MUSIC. They have an Whistler play their last gig tonight, `Mixandmatch’, sounds a lot better currently inventing 1940s jazz rap accordionist, Brel and Gainsbourg before changing their moniker to tonight than the record. Karina in gypsy-folksters The Brickwork covers are present and correct, and Apone, apparently. Don’t worry if Lawrence regularly emerges from Lizards, has reinvented himself there are even breathy, spoken- you missed them as their, ahem, behind her kit to take over vocals again as Desmond Chancer, a word sections inviting other French melodic rock is chock-full of more from guitarist Colin Barstow and funereal crooner with a pathological people to bed. They could only be clichés than a David Cameron they both throw themselves into the hunger for misery. As such, we get more French if they wore stripy speech, both lyrically and musically. performance, like Hot Chip playing torch songs aplenty, made rich by tops and strings of garlic and rode In fact they’re almost so bad a set of punk covers. Like all Oliver Shaw’s luxurious, expressive bicycles round the stage and were they’re good, like something out of tonight’s bands (except Whistler) piano playing. The lyrics are all, well, French. The music’s Phoenix Nights, though a decent they seem a little too keen on math- occasionally astounding; “There’s pretty enough, particularly that rhythm section rescues them from related current trends, like that no pot of gold at the end of the accordion which plays an being completely written-off. All vocoder sound everyone’s using, but rainbow…there’s not even a impressively subtle dynamic role, These Arms, however, are a more when Karina gets back behind that rainbow” is a dark little gem, but more daring arrangements and a enticing affair. A fairly successful drum kit things look up. Ultimately particularly when sung in Tom’s concerted effort to engage with the mix of tuneful rock and math, they they seem to be struggling to find growly, Tom Waits-ish voice. The audience would make this a band radiate confidence and focused their own voice, as all new bands unrelenting darkness of the material worth watching, rather than just a energy. Despite the great singer, do, but my guess is that they soon is undercut somewhat by the fact pleasant accompaniment to a glass most of the songs are a bit too will. that Oliver – or Junk Food Jones to of the Wheatsheaf house red. complex and fussy to make Art Lagun give him his stage name - is Dominic Colquhoun MARY’S GARDEN / FORK VESSELS / HREDA The Bullingdon Few people reading this will have know this because we can’t The Cellar heard of, or even want to have actually see them – they’re Last time Nightshift took in a instrumental guitar music since the heard of, 80s weirdoes Deep completely shrouded in smoke. Hreda show, they may well have untimely demise of the Edmund Freeze Mice but something about And then there’s Moty Dimant’s been experiencing an off day, and Fitzgerald, look no further. Fork reminds us of them. Mostly Sisters Of Mercy-inspired guitar we came away thinking it was just What Hreda have in their favour in the way they typify a certain type runs and Laima Bite’s imperious more of the same instrumental terms of clean, taut instrumentation of band who revel in their lack of vocal performance and the fact she guitar twinkling that’s been doing that relies on interplay and ambition and wear it as a badge of resembles a young Siouxsie Sioux at the rounds of late. Tonight, though, invention over gimmickry, Vessels honour. Fork have been lingering times. they’ve clearly had their three unfortunately fall down by having around the local scene for some It’s Laima’s voice, limpid and Weetabix; it’s little short of loads of gear but too few ideas of years now, which makes their strident, that dominates the lighter outstanding. Their opening salvo in their own. The stage is packed with resolutely ramshackle approach material, like ‘I Live In Your Head’, particular impresses, building a two drumkits, a mountain of both surprising and oddly which can feel disjointed at times, kind of ambient menace until it synths and multiple guitars and refreshing. Initially at least they lacking the driving power of songs approximates the quieter moments vocals, but scarcely an original idea sound like they should have been like ‘Gasoline’, where out and out of Slint. Elsewhere, it’s heads- between them. They display such opening the bill on one of the old bombast is carefully tempered by down, intricate interplay which, blatant obeisance towards their Stiff Records tours back in the skilfully textured arrangements, the thankfully, doesn’t get caught up in influences – bit of math rock here, mid-70s, punked-up pub rock interaction between guitars and its own cleverness and builds bit of a post-rock workout there – cranked out with a snarl and the keyboards adding extra depth, fulgently to a purpose. If there’s that it’s like a series of join-the- odd afrobeat exercise from the allowing the pressure to build and any criticism to be made, it’s that dots, my-first-paint-set versions of drummer, but ultimately their lack the songs to expand. The smoky, there’s still the odd track that other, better material: the tasteless of cohesion, and occasional sultry ‘Mind Control’ encapsulates seems to have been pulled from the musical equivalent of Tesco Value tendency towards dubby hippy Mary’s Garden’s governance of Faber & Faber Big Book of Math Honey Nut Flakes compared to indulgence means that by the end mood and tension perfectly, its Rock, but Hreda are increasingly your full-on, trademarked Crunchy of their set, they’re simply almost folky heart taken to a higher developing their own voice, and it’s Nut Cornflakes, as it were. Do less, treading water. level by the billowing rock that sure to be one of the loudest in but do it better – salutary musical Mary’s Garden’s musical surrounds it. Some kind of cult Oxford this year. For those who advice for 2008 as far as we’re ambition, by contrast, seems to status definitely seems due to their have been craving for some concerned. stretch to the sun. Or perhaps the dark, disaffected noise. technically-outstanding, engaging Stuart Fowkes moon, since they’re goths. We Dale Kattack

DEMOSDEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free day’s recording at Keynote. Call 01189 599944 to claim your prize and get special deals for local bands!

DEMO OF THE SUPERMODELS THE MONTH Okay, so their band name is slightly more dull even than Oasis or Shed Seven, conjuring up images of painfully cool, SPACE HEROES OF Camden trendies with skinny jeans and £200 haircuts, but The Supermodels are THE PEOPLE actually hilariously uncool Watlington freaks We’ve been looking forward to getting hold who here deliver a one-song demo of such of this since we first heard Space Heroes gobsmackingly brilliant awfulness we didn’t play their new song, ‘Motorway To know whether to give it demo of the month, Moscow’, a few months ago. Because it’s sling it in the dumper or nominate it for bloody effing fantastic and sounds like some kind of care in the community award. Visage trapped in a cyborg factory in the The song in question is called ‘Yummy 22nd Century trying to clone Kraftwerk, Mummy’ and features a devastatingly out of complete with ace retro-futurist synth tune vocal over a dreadfully distorted sub- sirens and nasty churning guitar slurry and Velvet Underground dirge, celebrating the the sort of squiggly wiggly techno trance joy of pulling a – you guessed it – yummy squelch that all the best raves pump out in mummy. It makes Twizz Twangle sound fifty-gallon barrel loads. It bleeps, it bloops like Def Leppard or something. It’s so and it’ll make even broken down washing absolutely rubbishly great you can only machines dance like short-circuiting marvel at its audaciousness and wish that Terminators. The rest of the CD is pretty NME and their ilk would stick their necks neat too, especially ‘Barbie Is A Robot’, a out and hail this kind of mentally unstable motorik electropop dirge that’s the meeting crap as This Week’s Big New Thing instead point between Daft Punk and Silicon Teens. of grey, moribund shit like Joe Lean & The What’s great about Space Heroes is that Jing Jang Jong. Just for once, eh? while they can do abstract, sample-heavy glitchiness, there’s nothing clever-clever about them; instead they mostly keep it THE BLITZ CARTEL simple and deceptively hardcore, like some Having worked hard to decipher any kind of great sci-fi disco. musical merit in their previous demo offering, we’re now not sure whether The Blitz Cartel actually try hard to sound like a complete bloody mess, or if the carnage MARK BOSLEY comes naturally. From the acoustic punk Or, to give him his full and proper title, thrash of opener ‘Ben Is The Mayor’, Mark ‘Master Of Misery’ Bosley. Cos where half a distant memory of a tune gets there ain’t gonna be no disco fun and frolics scrawled over a vague folk hoe-down-cum- round his place, mister. Not when he’s got ska skank that sounds very much like a several satchels of grim, gothic lovelorn closing time pavement bundle, to the angst to unload. And we know he’s angst- haphazard chugging of ‘Explaining Is Hard’, ridden because he even includes an extensive we don’t know whether to be charmed by lyric sheet with this demo, which reveals, their adherence to punk’s original unusually for a one-man acoustic singer- philosophy, or appalled by their resolute songwriter, some rather neat poetry, and a lack of a clue. At their worst they’re just a way with almost arcane words that lends bit silly – as on ‘1944’ with its attempt at weight to his woes. ‘Flower’ reminds us a Flamenco guitar and drunken slur about fish little of Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Story Of or somesuch – but at their best – ‘Ninja Isaac’, although Mark’s voice is a some way Punk’ – they sound like a lost Fall classic, all removed from Cohen’s dulcet groan. Best of bastardised rockabilly and buzzsaw fug. the bunch is ‘Bad Bad Cupid’, Mark’s More of that kind of thing and we’ll start cracked, plaintive voice and the lyrical fancy giving them the benefit of any doubt. combining to make the ode to unrequited love sound like an old Belle & Sebastian number. The backlog of demos means that GILLESPIE Mark’s take on ‘God Rest Ye Merry We guess Abingdon isn’t exactly overrun Gentlemen’ is a bit out of season now, but if with budding rap stars, so Adam Gillespie you can imagine a slightly sozzled Andrew shouldn’t struggle too hard to stand out, and Eldritch from The Sisters Of Mercy there are signs he’s got some neat ideas to popping round for Christmas lunch and then back up his MC-ing talents, relying for the singing himself into a festive slumber on the most part on understated classical or sofa, you’ll get some impression of Mr acoustic guitar backing alongside the more 07967 229 102 Bosley’s idea of Christmas cheer. predictable snippets of news reportage and scratching. Vocally he can at least flow with but their innate bolshiness keeps them some fluidity, as on ‘So Hungary’, although chugging along nicely, partway between the well-intentioned ‘Dear Britain’ starts to Biffy Clyro and Q And No U. show his stylistic limitations, lamenting the almost faddish love of guns and knives amongst Young People Today (cue Daily THE YOUNGS PLAN Mail-style huffing and puffing at the mere On the one hand it’d be easy to damn The mention of TEENAGERS). Adam Youngs Plan from the off, falling as they introduces some old-time swing into his do, into that growing clique of generic eponymous title track, but quickly, and Oxford bands that take their cue from local disappointingly, dumps that in favour of innovators like Youthmovies, Dive Dive and more sullen rapping. In the end he sounds Jonquil but possess little of the restless lack he lacks some of the confidence to take invention, to-die-for melodies or folky mania this as far as he could, perhaps needing to of those bands, content instead to hack out ditch some of his earnest commentary in by-rote guitar noise. Everything here has favour of some showbiz swagger or been done better before by another local panache. band, from the fidgety guitars right down to THE COURTYARD STUDIO the trumpets and chanted harmonies. But while it might be frustrating that a form of PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ PHYTE music that so very recently was beating a 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE An album-length demo from Oxfordshire’s path out on its own can now sound like it’s MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB own industrial rock butcher Dan Clarke, slovenly following the herd, we need to CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION whose past projects have included Kazor remember that they’re a new young band OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI and Reactor Mind. Here he promises us and may simply need to find their own FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI some “Ambient destructions”, which sort of identity, which will hopefully come. In the S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) explains what’s on offer – mostly meantime we’ll forgive them and be Residential facilities included. heavyweight electro-doom nastiness, that at thankful they’re at least listening to the its best involves gently pulsing synth-rock right bands in the first place. www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com set pieces that recall Gary Numan’s most PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS recent noisemaking, or some frantic ON 01235 845800 industrial techno. Unfortunately amid all the THE DEMO great ideas there is also some dull musak filler, Dan wandering off to play at being DUMPER Brian Eno, or building up ponderous guitar jams into potentially great plateaux of noise only to let them dissipate and die after a few OBSCENE minutes when he’d do better to keep the ADDICTION mood going and really pile on the pressure. And that’s the album’s major flaw – it There’s no indication of exactly what kind of doesn’t hold together, sounding too much obscene addiction the band are talking about like disparate pieces have been set up in line here, whether it’s hardcore pornography, with little thought to their dynamic crystal meth or a desire to go to every interaction. A shame because with a bit of Courteeners gig, but what we do know is editing and cohesion, this could make for that the band are all 16 years old and come great black mass coffee table music. from various local schools, and as such maybe we shouldn’t be such utter bastards to them, but since they’re a metal band and CITY LIGHTS JUST the only things you need to get right to sound great as a metal band are to play loud, BURN fast and heavy and make a noise that makes Always encouraging to hear a band you want to smash your head – or even developing their own sound over a couple of someone else’s – against a wall out of sheer demos and here City Lights Just Burn leave giddy excitement, and that they can’t even some of their old punk-pop tendencies get that simple task right, makes us despair behind in favour of something a bit harder for all young people everywhere. Come on! and heavier. Claiming to make “edgy The world is dumbing down – at least play alternative rock” they switch from an dumb music properly! The requisite parts urgent, pent-up punk crunch, through to are all here: growly doom metal grumbling choppy math-rock to churning metal noise, and shouting, bit of angst, a couple of Thin the singer’s strong, often dramatic delivery, Lizzy guitar steals, even a pointless ska not dissimilar to Jello Biafra at times, giving break at the end of the final track, but it’s the music added punch. The band still hark resolutely lacking in brutality, instead back to their old emo thrash tendencies on coming on like a non-committal ragged `So, That Makes Me The Assassin’, and the thrash that, if we’re being kind, and we elongated instrumental thrash at the end really are trying to be, sounds a bit like lacks any discernible character or point and Supergrass might have back in their early occasionally it seems like City Lights Just days had they grown up listening to Iron Burn are struggling to get out of third gear, Maiden instead of Ride.

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