email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 190 May Oxford’s Music Magazine 2011

The Epstein After a turbulent start to the year Oxford’s great rock romantics gear up for a summer of festivals plus Gunning For Tamar, Fixers, The Cellar Family, Death By Crimpers, local festival news, five pages of gigs and much much more.

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

has a tradition of providing some of the hidden highlights of the annual festival, including last year’s star turn, Raghut Dixit. Other acts set to play the stage are Deer Chicago, Phantom Theory, The Mighty Redox, Easy Tiger and Slainte. They join headliners James Blunt, Ray Davies and Status GRAHAM COXON, PHIL SELWAY, THE GO! TEAM, RODDY Quo, as well as a cast of big names WOOMBLE and EDWYN COLLINS are among the latest slew of that includes The Faces, Cyndi acts to be confirmed for this summer’s Truck Festival. Lauper, Bellowhead, Olly Murs, They join headliners Gruff Rhys, Bellowhead and Saint Etienne at The Like, Wilco Johnson and the 14th Truck Festival, which takes place at Hill Farm in Steventon Sophie Ellis-Bextor. over the weekend of the 22nd-24th July. This year’s Cornbury Festival Other new acts confirmed include Dean Wareham, who will be playing takes place over the weekend of the a set of songs from his seminal band Galaxie 500; Justin Townes Earle; st rd ROOTS MANUVA will headline 1 -3 July at its new home of The Dry The River; Tunng; The Rockingbirds and The Truck Festival All- Fiesta in the Park in South Park Great Tew Estate, near Charlbury. Stars. nd on Saturday 2 July. The event is Tickets are on sale now, priced As previously announced, this year’s festival will feature a new second a fundraiser for Cowley Road £160 for weekend camping passes, stage, named The Clash Stage, which will host indie labels Heavenly, Carnival, which takes place the with concessions for under-18s and Transgressive and Bella Union showcasing their favourite bands. following day. The doyen of under-16s and over-70s admitted Blur guitarist Coxon, Radiohead drummer Selway and The Go! Team British rap is joined at the fiesta by free. Visit will all be making their Truck debuts, while Roddy Woomble previously Congolese soukous musician Kanda www.cornburyfestival.com for headlined the festival with his band Idlewild. Bongo Man, brass and percussion more details. Tickets for Truck, including day tickets, are on sale now, online from ensemble Brass Roots and local DJ www.seetickets.com, as well as from the Truck Store on Cowley Road Count Skylarkin. Tickets, priced OXFORD FRINGE FESTIVAL and various outlets around Oxfordshire. £10, are on sale now from returns next month, running from Visit www.thisistruck.com for more line-up and ticket details. Wegottickets.com and the Pegasus the 10th through to the 26th June, Theatre. The all-ages event runs featuring a wide variety of music, from 4.30-10.30pm. Visit theatre, cabaret, comedy, dance and Inflatable Buddha and Mustard & THE WINCHELL RIOTS release www.cowleyroadcarnival.co.uk literature across various venues The Monocle at the Wheatsheaf on a new four-song EP, ‘Figure 8s’ on for more details. across the city. Highlights of the Friday 17th; My Piano Is A June 6th, the follow-up to last festival’s live music programme Rocketship at St Michael’s Church year’s sold-out `Red Square’ EP. THE EPSTEIN, The Rock of include Chris TT, Listing Ships and on Saturday 18th; The Afropean The EP is released as a numbered Travolta, Charly Coombes & The Tamara & The Martyrs at the Choir and Jali Fily Cissokho at 10” record and CD, both formats th New Breed, Borderville and The Wheatsheaf on Friday 10 ; Black Fusion Arts Centre on Friday 24th limited to 300 copies. Fans can Family Machine are among the Hats and Sketches at the Jericho and Ju Ju and Ben from Little Fish pre-order the EP from May 3rd at th local acts confirmed for the Tavern on Saturday 11 ; Goodwin with Matt Winkworth at the www.thewinchellriots.co.uk and Riverside Stage at this year’s Sands and Tamara Parsons-Baker at Jericho Tavern on Saturday 25th. A receive an immediate five-song th Cornbury Festival. The Riverside the Honeypot on Monday 13 ; full programme of events and ticket download EP. The band play a details are online at launch gig for the new record at the www.oxfringe.com. O2 Academy on Saturday 11th June. Tickets are on sale now from WITTSTOCK FESTIVAL returns wegottickets.com or the Academy this month. The free live music box office. festivals runs over the weekend of 13th-15th May at the Railway Inn in TINDERBOX FESTIVAL brings a Culham. This year’s event will be a little experimental music mania to photo: Daniel Paxton fundraiser for local mental health unofficial folk capital of England, charity Oxfordshire MIND with Cropredy, on Saturday 11th June. fans invited to donate money on Organised by local free jazz the door or through raffle tickets freakout combo Red Square, the and merchandise. Acts confirmed one-day event takes place at The include Black Hats, The Rock Of Old Wharf in Appletree Lane. Travolta, Barry & The Described by organiser Jon Beachcombers, Superloose, Vicars Seagroatt as “a mini-micro of Twiddly, Quadrophobe, The festivalette of all that’s good and YOUNG KNIVES played a special live set at Truck Store on Cowley Mighty Redox, Prohibition weird in the wonderful world of the Road as part of National Record Store Day last month. Truck made a Smokers Club, Headington kind of stuff you read about in full weekend of the event, which saw Little Fish, The Epstein, Spring Hillbillies and Laima Bite. As ever Wire Magazine”, Tinderbox Offensive, Half Rabbits, Phantom Theory and Richard Walters amongst there will be a limited amount of features Snorkel, Red Square, a host of acts playing live in the shop. free camping available on site. Temperatures, Bitten By A photo: rphimages Monkey, Bolide, Morgen Und Backwards, King Of Cats and We Nite, Brighton Safehouse, Oxford Aeronauts. Visit Improvisers and Trevor Taylor. www.thishaslegs.com for more Information and tickets, priced £5 info. advance / £8 on the door, are available from www.myspace.com/ A CUBAN MUSIC WORKSHOP tinderboxfestival. is running at East Oxford Community Centre on Sunday 8th OXFORD CONTEMPORARY May, led by Sara McGuiness of MUSIC’s Ethnometric Museum, a Grupo Lokito. For more details celebration of myriad experimental email: sound devices, which has been [email protected]. running all through April at the Oxford Museum Of The History AS EVER, don’t forget to tune Of Science, returns for two special into BBC Oxford Introducing activations on the evening of every Saturday evening between 6- Saturday 14th May. Performances 7pm on 95.2fm. The dedicated are at 7.30 and 9pm. More info at local music show plays the best www.ocmevents.org. new Oxford releases as well as featuring interviews and studio THE ROCK OF TRAVOLTA sessions from local acts. The show AND LISTING SHIPS contribute is available to stream or as a a track each to a new post-rock podcast all week on the BBC compilation album released this iPlayer. month. ‘A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters: Volume Two’ REGULARLY UPDATED features new tracks from eleven OXFORD MUSIC NEWS is SEASICK STEVE will headline the Friday night of this year’s Cropredy acts and is available to download available online at Festival. He joins traditional Saturday night headliners Fairport for free at bleaklow.bandcamp.com. www.musicinoxford.com. The Convention and Thursday’s bill toppers, UB40. This year’s Cropredy interactive site also features plenty Festival features a more eclectic line-up than usual, with Hayseed Dixie, THISHASLEGS gig promotions of local live and release reviews, The Coral and The Blockheads joining more traditional folk acts like have launched their own bi- interviews, a local gig photo Horslips, Lau, The Urban Folk Quartet and The Travelling Band over monthly fanzine to coincide with gallery, free track downloads, the 11th-13th August. Other acts confirmed include The Dylan Project, their gig nights. The online zine exclusive live sessions from local Home Service, Charlie Dore, Badly Drawn Boy, The Shee and Richard concentrates on local indie bands. acts and a regular podcast. Visit Digance. Weekend tickets for the festival are £90. Visit The first issue features Alphabet them; they’re nice people. www.fairportconvention.com for more details. a quiet word with The Epstein

“Stornoway, Foals and Fixers AS WELL AS A DEVOTED including Truck, Cornbury and this out of us individually and ultimately have raised the bar in terms of what local following, The Epstein have month’s Wood event, as well as the collectively. Rowland in particular they have achieved and the rest of previously found themselves next in their series of EP releases. put a huge amount of his own us have to aim to keep up with handpicked to play at Glastonbury engineering and mixing skills into them.” and count legendary DJ Bob Harris NIGHTSHIFT CAUGHT UP these songs and for that we will be as a fan; with a series of EPs set for with Olly and Jon ahead of an EP eternally grateful. OLLY WILLS, SINGER, release this year and a new album to launch show at the Bullingdon and “So we entered 2011 with a new guitarist and chief songwriter with follow, the scene definitely seems asked first how the departure of EP to release, others in the pipeline The Epstein is contemplating his set for The Epstein to follow their Roland, along with drummer Paul and suddenly two men down... not a band’s place in Oxford’s musical friends Stornoway onto a bigger Denley late last year, affected the great feeling at all! There were firmament and their hopes of stage. pair. certainly a couple of dark January emulating the success of those acts OLLY: “There is no doubt that their nights when it seemed all a bit much who have come through the scene FATE, AS EVER, WAS NEVER departures were a massive blow. but Jon, Seb and I got together and with them in recent times. going to give them an easy ride. Rowland had been with us since the very quickly decided that there was We’ve put it to Olly that The Late last year the band, for most of very start so it was really sad to see still much to be done and much to Epstein are now Oxford’s best kept their lifetime a five-piece, lost two him go after all the wonderful be positive about and above all that secret following on from key members, including founding experiences that we have had over there were new songs to write as Stornoway’s leap into the big league member Rowland Prytherch. Olly, the years and all the work we have well as old ones to release, so we last year. along with guitarist Jon Berry and done together. Paul had been a solid have just got our heads down and Having regularly graced local multi-instrumentalist Seb were left member for over a year and we were concentrated on getting creative venues and festivals over the past all dressed up with no place to go: looking forward to doing a lot more again and it has been a real new lease five years, they’re established as new recordings to release, gigs lined with him in the future. of life for us all. Change is a good one of the best loved and most up. “There were a number of reasons thing and hopefully it will serve The respected bands in town, a A band so well liked weren’t going for their departures but I guess that Epstein well.” captivating blend of widescreen to be cast adrift though: up to the more than anything they just felt Ollie from Stornoway and Joe from musical ambition and romantic plate stepped Stornoway’s Ollie that they had put in as much as Truck stepped in temporarily; are campfire warmth, a musical Steadman and Truck’s Joe Bennett they could and were not up for all you looking for permanent realisation of the high mountains, amongst others to fill in for various the plans that we had for 2011. The replacements? arid grasslands and huge, open skies live shows. After a brief crisis, The whole process of making the new OLLY: “Having Joe and Ollie Olly experienced in his time Epstein are once again set for a recordings was lengthy and at times helping out with bass was fantastic working on a farm in Wyoming. summer of festival appearances, stressful and it certainly took a lot as both of them are such great musicians and vocalists... Joe brings album, ‘Last Of The Charanguistas’, where the real magic is.” have always tried to stay busy on the violin and brass too. Ollie with a heavier emphasis on the live front and we will be playing played with a double bass, which arrangements and fuller production. THE EPSTEIN’S NEW EP a good number of festivals this was a first for The Epstein and we Elsewhere on the last EP, The features three songs, ‘Calling Out summer in Germany, Holland and hope to get both of them down on Epstein sound like easy equals of Your Name’, ‘Chimes’ and ‘Sophia in the UK. some new recordings that we plan bands like Giant Sand or The Low Loren’, building up to the full “We are still working with our to do in the next few months. Anthem. album later this year. With the band German label (Dandyland) and are Andrew ‘Warnie’ is another local OLLY: “I hope that people can hear reinvigorated and sounding more currently looking at the possibility musician who has done a few shows how far we have progressed since confident than ever before, what of of releasing something in July so as on drums for us and who has really our first record. Every time you this tag of being Oxford’s best kept to coincide with a number of stepped up and brought some new record you learn a huge amount secret? festivals that we are playing over ideas to the band. about the processes involved. We OLLY: “With these releases we there. In Holland we have a great “Jon, Seb and I are also doing a really set out to make a proper want to raise our profile both in live agent who is always booking good number of shows as a three studio album this time round and for Oxford and further afield.... so yes, us good shows and pushing us to piece and seeing how far we can the most part I think we have we certainly want to have a good do more so hopefully the more take the sound in this form. After a achieved this. I guess that is crack at breaking out! It is an good coverage that we have here good number of years as a four, five probably the most noticeable aspect inspiration to see other Oxford will lead to more decent shows and six-piece it’s refreshing to have of these new recordings. bands doing so well. Having been over there. We have a couple of this new and open approach to live Songwriting wise I think that it is part of the Oxford music scene for festivals in Holland in August as shows and as long as we can just as strong but in a different way a few years I have to say that we well as one in mid October.” maintain the level of quality and and we hope that people will like are so lucky to have so much going And of course you’re playing range in the songs then we may well the direction that we have taken.” on in this city live music wise and Wood Festival this month; is this continue along like this and bring in How do you feel your songwriting we hope to help reinforce that the sort of setting The Epstein feel guest players as and when we can has developed since the first album? reputation a little more.” most at home? and want to. Do get in touch if you Olly: “I hope that we are getting You’ve played Glastonbury and OLLY: “We can’t wait for it... the want to come in for a session...” better at writing and self editing Wychwood and had some pretty midnight slot on Saturday night... it JON: “Playing with new people when it comes to our new songs and good press coverage in the past; is is going to be magical! Truck has has been like a re-awakening. It’s this comes from experience and lots the band’s name out there in the been really kind to us over the made us reassess why we do what of live shows throughout the years. big, wide world? years and we always seem to have we do, and how. And it keeps us on We wanted to move away from the OLLY: “I think that our name is great shows at their festivals, so our toes! Particularly playing as a quite Americana-country sound of still out and about and hopefully long may this continue.” three-piece, there’s nowhere to hide! our first album and focus on the these new releases will please old It’s also great to have different sound we have developed and I feel fans as well as bringing us a whole ‘Held You Once’ is out now on people playing with us now because that we have achieved that. load of new ones. `I Held You Zawinul. The Epstein play Wood st it pushes us to explore new areas in Hopefully people feel that they Once’ has brought us some national Festival on Saturday 21 May. our songs, and it has injected us retain the intimacy of our earlier coverage in magazines, newspapers Visit www.myspace.com/theepstein with a new creativity and passion songs but they are delivered in a and some BBC radio sessions. We for tracks and gig dates. for playing and writing.” grander and more confident manner.” You say you wanted to capture the SINCE WE LAST FEATURED epic sweep on your songs on ‘Held The Epstein on the cover of You Once’ rather than try and get Nightshift the band has recruited your live sound down as on the Seb into their ranks. A veteran of album. local bands like Sexy Breakfast, The Olly: “I really do feel that we Keyboard Choir and Braindead succeeded in achieving that; we Collective as well as the man behind spent months adding layer after pioneering promotions company layer onto the tracks... strings – Pindrop Performances, Seb brought thanks to Joe Bennett – horns, a wealth of experience and talent pianos, harmonies and much more with him. and all these layers hopefully give OLLY: “Seb and I talked about him the songs some grand peaks as well playing some shows with us about a as intimate moments too. Our next year ago and I am really glad that we couple of releases will be in this have got him on board. He and Jon style and after that we will reassess are soundscape musicians; they’re our options for the next one. constantly playing with new ideas, Perhaps we’ll have another crack at new pedals and new approaches and a stripped-back live sounding record what they do together is really again. We’re starting to do some working well with our songs. Seb home recording in preparation for has also brought a couple of studio time so we’ll live with the beautiful songs to the table – one of new songs for a while before which we have been playing for a deciding where to go with them.” while now – so I think that between JON: “Although there is a lot in us we can really take the band’s terms of instrumentation on the sound forward in a good, good recordings, the essence of the songs way.” is there. Whether it’s a recorded Such soundscape thinking is version, or a live version played by evident on The Epstein’s last just a few of us, the initial energy release, the sumptuous, epic ‘Held we put into the writing of the songs You Once’, a glorious tidal swell of will always come through. In the a song of the sort that The recordings, you can really hear that Waterboys’ Mike Scott would have energy, that excitement and rejoice been proud to call his own. The in writing the song. The base tracks song marked a distinct move on on the recordings are pretty much from The Epstein’s rootsier debut the first or second take. That’s RELEASED Sponsored by FIXERS ‘Here Comes 2001 So Let’s All Head For The Sun’ (Vertigo) No, we haven’t typed the year in wrong in the like the distillation of freshly cut grass, ice cream title; it’s Fixers going all wibbly wobbly timey van chimes and birdsong. If the succinct wimey on us, with this new four-song EP, ‘Another Lost Apache’ is The Beach Boys themed on UFO-obsessed religious cults. reinvented for a romantically imagined synth- Not that they’ve gone all mad-eyed and Sun Ra pop age, EP highlight ‘Crystals’ is pure just yet; the band’s lysergic, harmony-drenched exuberance, bouncing along like the Easter Bunny summery psychedelia is all still here, a musical on a hippety skippety hi-hat beat, a grin as wide ripple of warm air rising over the bonnet of a T- as a caffeinated Scientologist across its face as it Bird on a West Coast beach somewhere – dares to name-check Haight-Ashbury. everywhere – between 1966 and 2066. The twin As is becoming traditional with Fixers releases, obsessions with Brian Wilson and Animal ‘Passages/Love In Action’ provides a flipside to Collective are no less apparent on songs like their cheerily acid-frazzled pop, a more like a wild wood hippy band discovering techno ‘Another Lost Apache’ and ‘Uriel’ but the abstract, dissonant slab of electronica, all a couple of decades too early. welcoming warmth they bring with them feels crashing beats and furtive falsetto that sounds Dale Kattack

get the pair on a stage together. Their spacious, ALPHABET BURNING BEES wistful blend of folk and something stranger BACKWARDS ‘Goodseedbadsoil’ would be perfectly suited to the event. Dale Kattack ‘White Russian EP’ (Apiary) Although originally hailing from Scotland, one (Own label) half of Burning Bees is now resident in Oxford, Anyone looking to find a perfect encapsulation the other in France. The duo, Neil Grant and THE SCHOLARS of what twee, summery, resolutely indie pop Stuart Hobbs, have some serious history behind ‘Arrival/Departure EP’ music might look and sound like need only them, having played with the likes of David glance at Alphabet Backwards’ latest release. Keenan and Brendan O’Hare in the past, while it (Incremental) From their winsome boy-girl vocals and almost was local producer Sam Williams who proved Having announced themselves on the local scene nursery rhyme simplicity, to the self-conscious the catalyst for this debut album to be made. in some style at Truck Festival in 2009, The hipster-referencing lyrics and dinky afrobeat- While the two sides of Burning Bees’ sound are Scholars’ shiny early-80s fetishism quickly borrowing guitar twinkle, they’re a pretty, hardly incompatible, there seems to be a clear drew admiring comparisons with Editors and polka-dot wearing, zine-reading hairclipped divide between their more inventive psychedelic Interpol. Their big, synth-heavy sound, topped tickle under the chin of a band. The squelchy, side, exemplified by album opener ‘Hello by Adrian Gillet’s bold baritone, suggested a brassy synth stabs that punctuate ‘Elton John’ Mama’, with its stately glide and oddly pastoral stadium band in waiting. This new EP furthers are as cheesy as it gets, a none-too-subtle electronica that gets you to thinking what their cause in this direction, sounding yet more reminder of mid-8s soul-funk, but sneak past Vangelis might have sounded like had he been an polished and with an even bigger production. the indie filter disguised as the long-forgotten English trad folk fan, and a rootsier, laid-back ‘Mind Games’ stomps in like a mid-80s Miami theme tune to some obscure 80s kids TV show. Americana, where the duo lapse into pretty Vice club hit, all brassy synth and disco beat; it There’s nothing here as fun or substantive as straight 60 country-pop, all multi-part harmonies reminds us of when Psychedelic Furs cleaned ‘80s Pop Video’ or ‘Polar Bears’ and there are and a hefty dose of The Band in effect. up their act in the wake of ‘Pretty In Pink”s moments where the Twee-ometer threatens to This latter style tends to dominate the second mega success and hit the American arena circuit go off the scale, but equally it’s heartening to half of the album, sapping it of a little of its big time. Likewise, ‘New York Smile’ is epic know that in Alphabet Backwards’ hearts it’s initial strangeness, although the hymnal ‘Far To and sweeping, a latter-day Simple Minds-style always springtime and today is always a Fall’ is a gorgeous coda. They’re far more sky-punching anthem crossbred with The perfect day for a picnic. engaging on songs like ‘Half Inch Punch’, a Killers’ stadium-friendly electro-rocking. Sue Foreman dreamily devotional cruise that, like much else ‘Birth’, meanwhile, is crying out for a here, harks back to The Beta Band’s languid Wembley-scale lightshow to herald its psychedelia, and particularly ‘Eat The Crash’, bombastic arrival. By contrast ‘Escape Plan’ is which unfurls wonderfully from its sombre cello- too po-paced, all paranoia and portent, too led intro, by way of a wandering sax lead into determined to be taken very seriously indeed. something far more expansive and commanding. The upshot of The Scholars’ bigger, brassier There’s a brassy, soulful euphoria about ‘Tug At sound is they’ve maybe lost that bit of grit that The Sleeves Of Nightmares’, while the chiming underpinned their early songs, but the strength Hammond and multi-part harmonies of ‘Nature of their songwriting remains undiminished. Boy’, with its airy country lope is the best of These tracks sound like big-budget, major-label the more trad-leaning tracks. produced, second album material, set for big- The press release suggests Neil and Stuart’s time MTV rotation and festival sing-along geographical separation makes touring a near status, beyond the scale of what you’d expect impossibility but listening to ‘Goodseedbadsoil’ from an unsigned bunch of local youngsters; makes you wonder if maybe Truck Festival such grand ambition is admirable and audacious. wouldn’t be a perfect window of opportunity to Dale Kattack MIRIAM JONES ROGER DALRYMPLE ‘Fire Lives’ ‘When The Crisis Comes’ (Own label) (MC9) Making music isn’t rocket science but if you’re Elegantly produced and handsomely packaged, going to make your lyrics available for everyone this debut EP from local singer and multi- to read, it’s best to get some basic facts right. instrumentalist Roger Dalrymple feels like a Thus, as local singer-songwriter Miriam Jones personal labour of love, but equally suffers the drawls, “And I hear the helicopter drowning common pitfalls of the musician’s perfectionist your life out with every beat of its terrible touch. wings,” we can only sit in gobsmacked awe at the Nominally wandering in the starlit world of utter what-the-fuckedness of what we’ve just folksy country rock, ‘When the Crisis Comes’ heard. There are tins of food in our kitchen rides on a pedal steel twang, Roger’s vocals cupboard that know helicopters don’t have recalling Donovan or even Steve Harley in their wings, and if they did they’d be aeroplanes and intonation at times. It’s a pretty enough tune aeroplanes’ wings don’t beat. Except those mad monstrous dose of medication can save her and, but it feels too measured, bordering on sterile, old ones from ancient newsreels of men trying to more importantly, society. She sounds nothing as if so much time and effort has been spent invent prototypes which subsequently crashed like Patti Smith. Nothing. She sounds like Sheryl trying to make everything sound just so, no off the end of a pier, killing everyone involved. Crow (something she at least acknowledges room or thought was given to the song’s spirit. Still, it’s no more than we’d expect from further into her list) and – gulp – Shania Twain. Similarly the more introverted, wistful ‘Toad’s someone who’s recently supported Sandi We always imagined Shania Twain was Place’, and it takes ‘Heading That Way’ to bring Thom, a woman whose contribution to literary something people tried not to step in on the any kind of freewheeling soul into play. ‘Lord genius was “I wish I was a punk rock girl, with pavement, not try and emulate. Of The Long Run’ could be a long-lost Ralph flowers in my hair.” ‘Fire Lives’ is everything contemporary McTell piece, amiable but too polite to leave its Oh sorry, have we gone off on one? Forgive us, Nashville-centric country music has become – mark, and the most lasting impression of the we’ve just sat through ‘Fire Lives’ twice and are tasteful and polished, mawkish and ultimately entire EP is that next time maybe dump all the feeling a little bit tetchy. It’s like spending the asinine, a world away from the raw, dirty soul of attention to detail and create something that afternoon with only a human incarnation of the its 1920s origins. Only album closer ‘Oh My’ come out of the speaker at least looking like it’s Easy FM playlist for company, eternally escapes; finally, too late, a suggestion that there’s prepared to put up a fight. chuntering away in its tastefully banal way as more here than crowd-pleasing cliché. And now, Dale Kattack you start contemplating exactly which number if you’ll excuse, someone left a window open and bus you’re going to hurl yourself under. there’s a bloody great Chinook flapping about in NEXT MONTH: Gunning For In Miriam’s Myspace ‘Sounds Like…’ section, the office. We think it might have just pooed Tamar; The Anydays; Coloureds, she quote Patti Smith, which is either a wry down the back of the stereo. joke or a delusion of such magnitude only a Victoria Waterfield Pigggasm and more... gig guide

SUNDAY 1st damnedest to put any sane human being off the PENNY & PHIL + MOON LEOPARD + entire genre for the next two decades. Yes, him. BEARD OF DESTINY + MARK BOSLEY: Have fun. Donnington Community Centre (6pm) – Free MAY METAL NIGHT: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Local acoustic session. metal bands showcase. HALF DECENT + GEM’N’I: Izi’s, Witney – Milner, the pair drawn together by the former’s THE RIGHT HOOKS + KINKY BOOT Local hip hop hopefuls give their rhymes an love of British rock’n’roll and the latter’s love of BEASTS + KUBRIS: The Port Mahon – airing. American blues. A new collaborative album has Acoustic soul from The Right Hooks, with just been released. support from Reading’s drummer-fronted outfit MONDAY 2nd SHE MAKES WAR: The Port Mahon Kinky Boot Beasts. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford EARL THOMAS & PADDY MILNER & THE rd Community Centre – High quality mix of BIG SOUNDS: The Bullingdon – Powerful TUESDAY 3 singers, musicians, poets and storytellers at the gospel and soul-influenced blues-rock at the JU JU FISH + IF ALL ELSE FAILS: The long-running weekly open mic club. Famous Monday Blues tonight as Tennessee Wheatsheaf – Little Fish singer and guitarist OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon singer Thomas teams up with Scottish pianist Juju goes solo at tonight’s Moshka gig night. BLUES JAM: Jack Russell, Marston MIKE & THE MECHANICS: The New Theatre – Sadistic Soviet-sponsored laboratory th th Friday 6 experiment designed to prove that, yes, it was FRIDAY 6 PETE DOHERTY: possible to make music more unbearably vapid PETE DOHERTY: O2 Academy – Is it a bird? and soul-crushing than a Phil Collins-fronted Is it a plane? No, it’s a car crash! – see main O2 Academy Genesis back in the mid-80s. preview JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Weekly free JAKE MORLEY + BROTHER & BONES + As an intelligent, articulate lyricist and co- live jazz club, tonight featuring Alvin Roy & WE AERONAUTS: O2 Academy – Soulful frontman of one of the most successful Reeds Unlimited. blues-pop in the vein of Paulo Nutini from young British bands of recent years, you GOOD VIBRATIONS: Café Tarifa – Weekly singer-songwriter Morley, out on tour to have to wonder how Pete Doherty ended up unplugged night, tonight featuring heavyweight promote his new album, ‘Too Many Fish To as little more than car crash tabloid fodder, acoustic act Oxygen Thief, drawing comparisons Fry’. his music largely forgotten amid the endless to Frank Turner. MARY GAUTHIER + BEN GLOVER: The cycle of drug busts, fights, missed court OPEN MIC: The Port Mahon Jacqueline du Pre Building – New Orleans appearances, prison and run-ins with the singer and guitarist Gauthier makes her Oxford paparazzi, the crown prince of scandal to WEDNESDAY 4 th debut, having won a slew of independent and Amy Winehouse’s queen. Still, that’s the folk awards back home for her raw, emotive joy of drugs for you. A lengthy spell out of PHARAOHS + NAIROBI + OUR LOST style of alt.country and Americana, inspired by the public eye should have helped wipe the INFANTRY: The Wheatsheaf her troubled teenage years and problems with THE RIFLES: O2 Academy – Return of the slate clean although he’s still apparently drink, drugs and sexual identity and only helping police with their investigation into a Jam and Oasis-inspired rockers. Although we use starting to write and perform aged 35. Since death at a party and eye-witnesses the word inspired reservedly. then she’s penned songs for Candi Staton and TINIREGAR + MARK ATHERTON & apparently identified him in a robbery at a Jimmy Buffet among others. Joining her is German record store in March, while he was FRIENDS + RAMI: The Hollybush, Osney – sometime co-songwriter Ben Glover, an Irish filming his first movie role, alongside Acoustic session. singer-songwriter who’s been compared to Van Charlotte Gainsbourg. How much his public Morrison and Bruce Springsteen. persona is helping or hindering his ongoing th THURSDAY 5 JAMES VINCENT McMORROW: The solo music career is anyone’s guess, but his UNDERSMILE + K-LACURA + CRYSIS + Jericho Tavern – Wintry wistfulness and recent musical output suggests his songs JUNKIE BRUSH: The Bullingdon – haunting acoustic balladry from the Dublin aren’t so much composed as coughed or Slow’n’spooky sludgecore from the mighty singer-songwriter in the vein of Bon Iver. dribbled out in those brief moments in musical behemoth that is Undersmile at tonight’s KLUB KAKOFANNEY with BODY GLASS between courting further media scrutiny. Skeletor show, coming on like Linda Blair from + LOS CALAVERAS + KARL & KAREN: Still, there’ll likely be a few old Libertines The Exorcist fronting Melvins or Swans. Titanic The Wheatsheaf – Mixed bag of musical and Babyshambles faves in the mix tonight support from metalcore monsters K-Lacura, goodies as ever at this month’s Klub Kak. and anyone not already sick of the sight and thrash newcomers Crysis and agit-punk outfit WHOLE LOTTA DC: Fat Lil’s, Witney – sound of him isn’t going to be told by Junkie Brush. AC/DC tribute. anyone that he isn’t still England’s finest THE CELLAR FAMILY + THE ANYDAYS + SKYLARKIN SOUND SYSTEM: The pop bard. HOT HOOVES: The Cellar – Excellent triple Cellar – Reggae, dancehall and ska from Count bill of local talent with frantic, scouring hardcore Skylarkin and guest DJ Derek, plus a live set pop venom from The Cellar Family, mixing up from Sir Bald Diddley’s 60s-styled Jamaican equal parts Fugazi, McLusky and At The Drive- ska and r’n’b outfit The Nine Ton Peanut In into an unholy but brilliant cacophony. Kinks Smugglers. and Sonics-styled garage rock and 60s beat pop FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon – Classic from The Anydays and oddball indie rocking soul, funk and r’n’b every week. from Hot Hooves. FOUNDATION REGGAE: East Oxford ALI CAMPBELL: O2 Academy – Step aside Community Centre – Roots and dub every Bob Marley; begone Peter Tosh; here, truly is Friday. reggae’s greatest champion, a titan of a…. oh WHO DO YOU LOVE?: The Duke, St. fuck it. It’s the bloke that used to be in UB40. Clement’s – Alt.rock, 60s garage, soul, new Had one decent album in 1980 before doing their wave, punk and electropop DJ session. SATURDAY 7th SUNDAY 8th YOOF! with VARIOUS CRUELTIES + THE COOLING PEARLS + ALICE REAM: TALKING PICTURES + REAL FUR: The The Cellar – Intimate, wistful downbeat pop Cellar – Yoof! continues to showcase some of from The Cooling Pearls at tonight’s Sunday the best emerging indie talent around, tonight Roast chillout session, with support from anti- featuring sweetly lachrymose indie-soul outfit folk songstress Alice Ream. Various Cruelties, sort of a cross between Alex Turner’s more introverted moments and Richard MONDAY 9th Hawley. They’ve lately been out as support to THE MATT SCHOFIELD BAND: The Villagers and The Vaccines. Support from dinky Bullingdon – Return to the Famous Monday electro-funksters Talking Pictures with a retro Blues for the acclaimed guitarist who started his 80s style akin to Friendly Fires and La Roux. career playing with Lee Sankey and Dana th Openers Real Fur are similarly 80s obsessed, Gillespie, as well as the Lester Butler Tribute Friday 13 partway between Orange Juice and Talking Band, before going out on the road with his own WARPAINT / CONNAN Heads. Later on DJs Ollie Russian, Will band, mixing traditional electric blues with New Gilgrass and Blues Flowers play indie and Orleans funk and soul. Amid a slew of awards MOCKASIN: electro tunes. he’s been hailed as one of the ten greatest UK BROTHER: O2 Academy – Slough’s blues guitarists of all time, alongside Eric Clapton O2 Academy previously much-heralded saviours of rock and Peter Green and his eclectic style It’s crazy and not a little tragic that all-girl continue their ascent up the gig ladder after their incorporates influences from The Meters and bands are still so rare these days that last Oxford show at the Jericho Tavern back in Box Tops alongside more traditional blues mention of gender even comes into it when December, kicking out a solid brand of laddish innovators such as Freddie and Albert King. they’re talked about, but so it’s been for Los rock somewhere between Oasis, Kasabian and Angeles quartet Warpaint who we’ve The Bluetones. th TUESDAY 10 bizarrely seen compared to The Bangles FIREBIRD + DESERT STORM + DEVLIN: O2 Academy – Grime MC and recently by dint of being all-female and DOPEFIGHT + RUNES: The Wheatsheaf – rapper Dagenham Dev plugs his debut album, playing guitar-based pop music. Their sound Buried In Smoke metal night. ‘Bud, Sweat & Beers’ is far darker, more spacious and atmospheric THE BRITISH PINK FLOYD SHOW: The SECRET SISTERS + SIMON LYNGE: O2 than that, ranging from the ghostly country- New Theatre – A tribute to the Australian Academy – Great 50s and 60s-style pop in the tinged ambience of Mazzy Star and Cowboy prog-rockers, perhaps? style of The Chiffons, with a country twang and Junkies, through to the mellower, more HOT CHOCOLATE: The Regal – Errol surf-pop shimmer from Alabama sisters Laura melodic side of Nirvana by way of 60s Brown’s enduring disco and pop hitmakers and Lydia Rogers, whose debut album was Motown and The Shangri-La’s. Having been crack open their barrel of timeless chart singles, produced by T Bone Burnett. Support from together for seven years, Warpaint finally from ‘Emma’ and ‘It Started With A Kiss’ to Simon Lynge and his musical mynge. released their debut album, ‘The Fool’, while ‘Everyone’s A Winner’ and the immortal ‘You JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Funky, seductively spooky single ‘Undertow’ Sexy Thing’. keyboard-led jazz grooves from The Howard showing off the exquisite three-way vocal MATT SAGE + DUOTONE: The Pegasus – Peacock Quintet at tonight’s jazz club. harmonies of Jenny Lee Lindberg, Emily Warm, 60s-influenced pop from Catweazle GOOD VIBRATIONS: Café Tarifa Kokal and Theresa Wayman. Such is the supremo Mat Sage at the newly revamped OPEN MIC: The Port Mahon gently spectral nature of Warpaint’s music at Pegasus tonight, launching his new album, ‘Let times, it’s tempting to draw a line between The Music Out’, and joined on stage by a host WEDNESDAY 11th them, Zola Jesus and Esben and the Witch of local musical guests. Support from Barney and suggest there’s a new gothic movement Morse-Brown’s loop-heavy cello-based MAX RAPTOR: O2 Academy – Beefy, punk- tinged heavy rocking in the vein of New Model on the rise. Tonight’s show is part of the experimental pop, tonight performing a set of band’s biggest UK tour to date and should material from his forthcoming ‘Ropes’ album. Army or late-period Therapy? from the Midlands outfit out on tour to promote debut bring a little chill back into the early summer RELIK + COWBOY RACER + BREATHING air. Support tonight comes from oddball lo-fi LIGHT + BROWNIAN MOTION: The album ‘Portraits’, following on from supports to The Stranglers and Billy Talent. electro-psychedelia chappie Connan Jericho Tavern – Daisy Rodgers club night, Mockasin. tonight with solid indie rockers Relik playing CRYSIS: The Wheatsheaf – Promising young alongside trippy electro-pop duo Cowboy thrash metallers. Racer. the literate jangle pop of Orange Juice and the GLAM NATION: Fat Lil’s, Witney - 70s THURSDAY 12th rousing, footstomping soul of Dexy’s, equally glam rock party hits. SPARROW & THE WORKSHOP + ROB St emotional and satirical and fronted by the KNIGHTS OF MENTIS: The Folly Bridge JOHN + BETHANY WEIMERS: The foppish, bequiffed Frankie Francis, an indie Inn – Old time country string band launch their Bullingdon – Return to town for Glasgow’s heart-throb in waiting, already compared to new monthly residency, mixing original ancient sometimes bleak folk, country and blues outfit, Morrissey and Edwyn Collins. tragic ballads with the odd hip hop classic injecting a playful lo-fi indie edge into their tense, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford reinterpreted for fiddle and banjo. atmospheric pop, with versatile vocalist Jill Community Centre CLAUDE BOURBON: Rose & Crown, O’Sullivan drawing comparisons to PJ Harvey, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Charlbury – Romantic Spanish blues. Sandy Denny and Emmylou Harris along the BLUES JAM: Jack Russell, Marston PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: way. They’re on tour to promote new album O2 Academy – Weekly three-clubs-in-one night ‘Spitting Daggers’ after supporting Idlewild, The FRIDAY 13th with indie and electro at Propaganda; kitsch Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Pogues. WARPAINT + CONNAN MOCKASIN: O2 pop, 80s and glam at Trashy and metal, punk MC LARS: O2 Academy – Return of the post- Academy – LA’s ghostly folk-gothsters make and alt.rock at Room 101. punk laptop rapper and regular visitor to Oxford their Oxford debut – see main preview LANDSCAPE: The Bullingdon – Old and over the years with his literate, indie and punk- MILES KANE: O2 Academy – A solo headline new school house and techno. sampling brand of hip hop. New album ‘Lars show from the former-Rascals singer and Last BELSHAZZA’S FEAST: Thomas Hughes Attacks!’ promises a return to his original lo-fi Shadow Puppets co-frontman, alongside Alex Memorial Hall, Uffington roots. There’s a special aftershow at Baby Turner. Miles’ debut solo album, ‘Colour Of The THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Bear & Simple too, featuring live sets from local rappers Trap’, features collaborations with Noel Ragged Staff, Cumnor – Eccentric blues Half Decent and Inspekta, plus DJ sets from Gallagher, Gruff Rhys and Dan The Automator, rocking from the local stalwart. Lars himself and Akira The Don. and after supporting Beady Eye on their first TREVOR WILLIAMS: The Magic Café, FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS: The few live shows, he’s set to support Arctic Magdalen Road (1pm) Cellar – Sunderland’s new stars in waiting recall Monkeys later this summer. STEREOPHONIES: Fat Lil’s, Witney – JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Featuring a Stereophonics tribute. live set from The Hugh Turner Band. FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon GOOD VIBRATIONS: Café Tarifa FOUNDATION REGGAE: East Oxford OPEN MIC: The Port Mahon Community Centre NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK: The Port WEDNESDAY 18th Mahon SET YOUR GOALS: O2 Academy – Melodic skate punk and pop-punk from the Bay Area th SATURDAY 14 rockers, out on a headline tour to promote new WITTSTOCK: The Railways, Culham album ‘Burning At Both Ends’, after supports to (2pm) – First full day of the free festival, today New Found Glory, The Blackout and You, Me headed by symphonic electro-rockers The Rock At Six. Of Travolta, plus sets from surf-rockers Vicars ALESSI’S ARK + GEORGE SEDDON: The Of Twiddly, funk-popsters Quadrophobe, folk- Jericho Tavern – The Twee-ometer is set to rockers Mundane Sands, bluegrass and overload as Hammersmith songstress Alessi Americana outfit Headington Hillbillies and Laurent-Marke brings her musical alter-ego to the many more. Tavern. Occasionally compared to Laura Marlin, ROME PAYS OFF + ADRIAN WARDLE + she’s far more whimsical, a childish sense of ROB St JOHN: Modern Art Oxford – wonder infecting her psychedelic lullabies, like a Pindrop Performance show with former Rothko particularly kooky female Syd Barrett. chaps Rome Pays Off bringing their ambient MISTY’S BIG ADVENTURE + THE form of shoegaze to town, alongside Keyboard ASHBIES: The Bullingdon – Grandmaster Choir’s Ady Wardle, playing a solo laptop set Gareth and his motley gang of artful feelgood and Lancastrian alt.folkster Rob St John. popsters return to town, replete with a man in a Monday 16th GUNS TO ROSES: O2 Academy giant cape made of rubber gloves. PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: GRUP LOKITO: Chipping Norton Theatre – NME RADAR TOUR: O2 Academy OCM presents a re-connecting of Latin salsa and SELECTA: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass. West African soukous in the form of Congolese O2 Academy ANIMALS IN LOVE: The Port Mahon rumba outfit Lokito. The latest NME Radar tour brings the LIZ GREEN + ROB YOUNG + JAMIE startling vocal talents of Anna Calvi to SUNDAY 15th HARRISON: Arts Jericho Gallery – First of a town, already heralded as one of the artists WITTSTOCK: The Railways, Culham (2pm) regular series of experimental and DIY gigs at set for success in 2011. Not difficult to see – Oddball punk outfit Barry & The unusual venues under the banner Adventures why: although she’s most readily compared Beachcombers headline the final day of the free Close To Home, tonight featuring earthy blues, to Polly Harvey the similarities are charity weekend, in aid of Oxfordshire MIND. folk and jazz musician and singer Liz Green, plus superficial, although Calvi’s eponymous They’re joined by a cast that includes Zim author and journalist, and currently editor-at- debut album was produced by Harvey’s Grady, Starky & The Moon Doctor, The large of The Wire, Rob Young, reading from his drummer Rob Ellis. Vocally she’s closer to Mighty Redox, Laima Bite, Phil Bird and a Pint book ‘Electric Eden, exploring the history and Siouxsie Sioux, Edith Piaf and even Julee and a Half of Blues. evolution of folk music in the UK. Cruise at times, her operatically gothic voice BEETROOT JAM: The Port Mahon HOWARD TIMBERLAKE + SCOTT an evocative howl or seductive croon by GORDON + WIRELESS: The Hollybush, turns, while musically her songs are spacious, MONDAY 16th Osney – Acoustic session. haunted and minimalist, owing as much to NME RADAR TOUR with ANNA CALVI + cinematic soundscapes. Little wonder that THURSDAY 19th GROUPLOVE: O2 Academy – Sex’n’death Brian Eno is such a fan he lent backing vocals from the operatic gothstress at tonight’s NME THE NAKED & FAMOUS + CLOUD to a couple of songs on the album. Live Calvi Radar Tour show – see main preview CONTROL: O2 Academy – Electro-charged is an intense performer whose chosen black GILES ROBERTSON & THE DIRTY summer anthems from the Kiwi starlets – see and red clothing theme is suitably deathly ACES: The Bullingdon – Rated as the best main preview and sexual. Support for the tour comes from harmonica player on the European blues circuit, THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE: The LA’s Grouplove, recent support to Los Giles Robertson brings his soulful blend of Jericho Tavern – Tales from the Canadian Campesinos! and quintessentially noisy and blues and r’n’b to the Famous Monday Blues frontier from the Neutral Milk Hotel acolytes – indie in the vein of Pixies, Pavement and Club, a rising star of the UK scene after being see main preview Dinosaur Jr; brooding boy-girl duo Big Deal spotted playing back-up to Muddy Waters’ son WE AERONAUTS + MATT SAGE + DEER and dreamy surf-jangle outfit The History Mud Morganfield. PARK + VERY NICE HARRY: The Of Apple Pie. BEN MONTAGUE + LOTTE MULLAN: The Bullingdon – Benefit gig for MacMillan Cancer Jericho Tavern – Slick power-soul balladry Support, featuring expansive folk-rockers We from the Kent singer-songwriter. Aeronauts and 60s-inspired popster Matt Sage. BELLERUCHE: The Jericho Tavern – Sleazily COLOUR CHANGE FOR CAMOUFLAGE + soulful beats-led pop from London’s Belleruche, th THE GOODNESS: The Port Mahon – Hip creating a trippy form of blues that’s seen them TUESDAY 17 hop-tinged bluesy pop from CC4C at tonight’s compared to The Xx, Portishead and Blondie. THE DIRTY ROYALS + HOT HOOVES + Live & Loud show. IN DECADENCE + FRAGMENT: The AGNESS PIKE: The Wheatsheaf – Moshka MIDGAR: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Emo-ish post- Wheatsheaf – Death-metal and thrash from club night with harmony-heavy fuzz-popsters hardcore rocking in the vein of 30 Seconds From Stockholm’s In Decadence. The Dirty Royals mixing it up somewhere Mars. WITTSTOCK: The Railways, Culham – between The Beach Boys and Buzzcocks, plus CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Opening night of the annual charity festival. support from classic garage rockers Hot Hooves Community Centre Tonight’s headliners are power-pop trio Black and idiosyncratic hardcore metallers Agness Pike. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Hats, mixing a little post-punk jaggedness into CULTS: The Jericho Tavern – New York’s BLUES JAM: Jack Russell, Marston their moddish 60s-style rock. Support comes twee-core duo come to town, casting a winsome from Superloose, Khamsina and The Prohibition eye back to the pure pop perfection of 60s girl th Smokers Club. Entry is free but there’ll be a groups, not unlike Vivian Girls et al. FRIDAY 20 collection and raffle in aid of Oxfordshire MIND. THE ALARM: O2 Academy – Once more THE ROCK OF TRAVOLTA + FLIES ARE TAMARA & THE MARTYRS + ABOVE US round the block for the veteran Welsh rockers, SPIES FROM HELL + LISTING SHIPS: The THE WAVES + BEN WALLER + GEORGE cranking out 80s hits like ‘68 Guns’ and… erm, Wheatsheaf – A night of vocal-free musical fun CHOPPING: Isis Farmhouse, Iffley Lock oh you know, all them other ones. with symphonic electro-rockers TROT, Chopin- meets-Shellac mayhem from FASFH and elegant, inventive acoustic songsmith King Of Cats and electro-heavy krautrocking from Listing Ships. Velvet Underground and Spiritualized-inspired THE BIG TEN INCH: The Cellar – Count psychedelic drone rockers The Graceful Slicks. Skylarkin hosts his monthly celebration of jump PROPAGANDA with HUW STEPHENS: O2 blues, rockabilly and swing, tonight featuring Academy – Radio 1’s champion of the indie veteran skiffle crew Railroad Bill, alongside surf- underdog spins a selection of his fave dancefloor rock clergy Vicars Of Twiddly. fillers at tonight’s Propaganda. IRON-ON MAIDEN: Fat Lil’s, Witney – GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB: O2 Academy – Tribute band. Leeds’ livewire nine-strong reggae collective bring HEADINGTON HILLBILLIES: Chester the party to the O2 ahead of another summer of Arms festival appearances, the band having played FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon alongside Madness, Roots Manuva, The Streets Thursday 19th FOUNDATION REGGAE: East Oxford and The Wailers along the way. Community Centre SHAKER HEIGHTS: The Wheatsheaf – THE NAKED & DAVID JAMES + INSIDE OUT: The Port Americana-tinged power pop. Mahon CARAVAN OF WHORES + PROSPEKT + FAMOUS: O2 Academy DEDLOK + FRAGMENT + CRYSIS + LAST While MGMT seem intent on alienating SATURDAY 21st DAYS OF THE SUN: The Port Mahon (4pm) their more pop-conscious fans, young New Zealand starlets The Naked & Famous seem UTE + GUNNING FOR TAMAR + VIXENS + – Extended local metal extravaganza, featuring ready-made to step into the breach. Having KING OF CATS + THE GRACEFUL expansive sludge-rockers Caravan Of Whores, become the first native band to enter the NZ SLICKS: O2 Academy – The Academy launch technical prog-core outfit Prospekt, thrash super charts at Number 1 in 16 years, with single ‘Upstairs’, their new monthly local bands night, heavy weights Dedlok and more. ‘Young Blood’, the Auckland quintet found tonight featuring musically ambitious alt.rockers W.A.M: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Ska-punk party themselves nominated for the BBC Sound of Ute, rising high on the acclaim accorded new tunes. 2011 Award earlier this year and set to single ‘Innocent Tailor’, which found them SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Monthly house provide at least a couple of this summer’s waltzing into more vaudevillian territory. Great and techno club night. big festival anthems. Their euphoric riff-heavy math-pop somewhere between Biffy BABA JACK: Rose & Crown, Charlbury – psychedelic electro-pop is pretty Clyro and Youthmovies from Gunning For Folk-roots and blues. irresistible: big, meaty synth hooks, fun Tamar (see Introducing feature) in support, TREVOR WILLIAMS: St Michael’s Church, boy-girl vocal duelling, massive dancefloor alongside epic goth-tinted alt.rockers Vixens, Cornmarket St. potential and a simple approach to giant nd pop tunes. Formed by music college chums th SUNDAY 22 Thursday 19 Thom Powers and Alisa Yayalith, and VILLAGERS: O2 Academy – After last year’s named after an old Tricky lyric, The Naked Mercury Prize nomination for debut album THE RURAL ALBERTA & Famous are influenced by the Bristol trip ‘Becoming A Jackal’, Conor O’Brien brings his hop sound, as well as the likes of Bjork and ADVANTAGE: dark, disquieting brand of folk rock back to town, early-90s shoegazers like Curve and a dreamy, emotionally intense twisting of the Slowdive, and as they release their debut The Jericho Tavern genre that’s somewhere between The Waterboys album, ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’, be Having named themselves after a local and Tindersticks. slogan, The Rural Alberta Advantage spent sure you’re going to be hearing a hell of a lot more of their life-affirming noise this year. most of their brilliant debut album, MONDAY 23rd ‘Hometowns’, documenting their locale, HAMILTON LOOMIS: The Bullingdon – whether it was smalltown lives and loves or Soulful Texan-flavoured blues from the singer, OPEN MIC: The Port Mahon bleak Canadian winters, and generally guitarist and blues harpist. charming everyone who heard them, NATHANIEL RATELIFF: The Jericho Tavern th drawing comparisons with lost cult heroes WEDNESDAY 25 – Raw, rootsy folk-blues from the Denver singer- Neutral Milk Hotel, whose reclusive Jeff THE DUTCH UNCLES + NAIROBI: The songwriter. Mangum is an obvious inspiration for Jericho Tavern – Off-kilter, prog-tinged TWO WINGS: The Port Mahon TRAA’s songwriter and singer Nils Macunians who’ve toured with Maximo Park and Dananananackroyd, tour their new album, Edenloff, although you could equally point th to The Low Anthem or Smog for TUESDAY 24 ‘Cadenza’ on Memphis Industries, injecting a bit comparisons. Having signed to Saddlecreek YOUNG KNIVES: O2 Academy – Last of King Crimson-style technicality into their Records, the band now release their second month’s Nightshift cover stars play their first epic, Mew-like indie rock. full album, ‘Departing’, expanding those hometown show in an age as part of a UK tour SPACE HEROES OF THE PEOPLE + MR G lyrical horizons while sounding more like a to promote new album ‘Ornaments From The + ONE GEAR GO: The Wheatsheaf – glorified solo project than the full band Silver Arcade’. Moshka club night with synth-pop duo SHOTP effort of ‘Hometowns’. They’re best when THE WAVE PICTURES: The Jericho Tavern kicking out their shiny retro-futurism somewhere multi-instrumentalist and backing singer – Seedily romantic, defiantly underachieving between Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and Baby Amy Cole gets to share centre stage, but it’s indie pop from the prolific London outfit, Ford. Edenloff’s emotionally raw voice and words heavily influenced by Jonathan Richman, Violent BRAINDEAD COLLECTIVE + that remain the focus of the music, music Femmes and Hefner and who have previously BASTARDGEIST + OXFORD that manages the rare feat of making rootsy collaborated with Jeffrey Lewis and Daniel IMPROVISERS + SET ENSEMBLE + rural folk music sound as fresh and raw as it Johnston, out on tour to plug new album, ‘Beer SYZYGY: Christchurch Cathedral – is comforting. In The Breakers’. Experimental musical interpretations of LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO: The Cornelius Cardew’s Treatise, featuring local New Theatre – Joseph Shabalala and sons (and improvisational collectives. assorted others) continue to take their traditional SHOWCASE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – New local Zulu harmony singing and dance routines to the bands session. world, over 25 years after their contribution to Paul Simon’s classic ‘Gracelands’ album made THURSDAY 26th them international stars – and a good forty years 13 GAUGE + ONCE A WOLF + NERVOUS on from their formation. ENDINGS + IN DECADENCE: The JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With guests Bullingdon – Skeletor metal and hardcore night The Howard Peacock Quintet. with grindcore outfit 13 Gauge launching their GOOD VIBRATIONS: Café Tarifa new EP. nebulous local folk-pop-jazz collective, joined SUNDAY 29th tonight by Billy Ray Cypher and Left Outer Join. th RICH BAT JIM: The Cellar MONDAY 30 CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford MAYDAY PARADE: O2 Academy – Florida’s Community Centre ever-touring pop-punkers prepare for the release OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon of their third album this summer, the follow-up BLUES JAM: Jack Russell, Marston to 2009’s ‘Anywhere But Here’, having previously supported Madina Lake and The FRIDAY 27th Academy Is… as well as numerous Warped tours. BRAIDS + BETA BLOCKER & THE BODY JOE D’URSO & STONE CARAVAN: The CLOCK: The Jericho Tavern – Intricately Bullingdon – Straight-up rock’n’roll, acoustic textured ethereal pop from the fast-rising balladry and storytelling from the New Jersey Canadian starlets – see main preview singer and guitarist at tonight’s Famous Monday AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL Blues club. OF DEAD: O2 Academy – The enduringly BLUES JAM: Fat Lil’s Witney chaotic Texan garage-rockers return to town, well over a decade on now from their first, st sublime, showing at the Point. Given their TUESDAY 31 Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd combustible internal set-up (they’ve made it ED SHEERAN: O2 Academy – Already sold- through over a dozen members so far), never out show from the soft-centred r’n’b balladeer, WOOD FESTIVAL: mind their onstage guitar vandalism, it’s a beloved of Elton John and Rio Ferdinand. wonder they’ve made it this far, but they’re up JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With Braziers Park to album number seven now - ‘Tao Of The renowned jazz singer Alison Bentley. Started four years ago as a reaction to the Dead’ - and showing no sign of letting up on the GOOD VIBRATIONS: Café Tarifa floods that devastated Truck Festival, Wood swaggering raunch-rock that’s made their name OPEN MIC: The Port Mahon has grown from humble but innovative for them. Come on, don’t tell us you’d rather go beginnings to an award-winning local and see Brother, would you? institution already. The eco-friendly festival RAGGASAURUS: The Wheatsheaf – the was awarded a Gold Green Festival Award local Arabic reggae collective reunite in aid of recently and even its toilets have won Oxfordshire MIND. prizes. Testament to the vision and work of SEIZE THE DAY: The Bullingdon – Friday 27th Truck, with solar-powered stages and a Greenpeace fundraiser. cycle-powered cinema and disco to go FUNKY FRIDAY: The Bullingdon BRAIDS: alongside the wood stove catering and FOUNDATION REGGAE: East Oxford compost loos. In keeping with the spirit of Community Centre The Jericho Tavern things, the music at Wood is genteel, leaning Startlingly fresh of sound and face, towards the folk side of things and this SATURDAY 28th Montreal’s Braids have only just released year’s line-up boasts American troubadour GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with THE their debut album - ‘Native Speaker’ – but Willy Mason as well as English trad folk TEMPLARS + SWIMS + KING OF CATS: the plaudits are rightly flooding in. Having princess Eliza Carthy, alongside the likes of The Wheatsheaf – Eclectic mix of bands as made their tentative first steps in their Thea Gilmore, Mama Rosin and ever at the monthly GTI night, tonight headed native Canada under the name The Uiscedwr (who themselves live on an eco- by local downbeat folk-pop types Templars. Neighbourhood Council, supporting friendly commune where they create their Support comes from Worthing’s nervous, Deerhunter along the way, the quartet’s rustic brand of celtic folk music when twitchy rockers Swims, in the lineage of reputation is rapidly spreading far and wide. they’re not growing their own fruit and veg). Youthmovies and Foals, plus local songsmith Musically Braids’ extended, cyclical songs, This year’s local contingent includes The King Of Cats, whose dramatic, occasionally buoyant yet baroque, evoke ‘Feels’-era Epstein and Robin and Joe Bennett’s unnerving delivery proves that acoustic singer- Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene’s Dreaming Spires, plus naturalised Oxonian songwriters can be fun and entertaining when expansive folk-tinged pop and The Sundays’ Jali Fily Cissokho. Despite its growing they put the effort in. playfully ethereal indie shimmer, deeply reputation Wood remains a compact 800- MISSTALLICA: O2 Academy – Self- textured and intricate but strongly melodic, capacity affair to keep its characteristic proclaimed “all-chick tribute to Metallica”. but it’s singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s atmosphere and it’s likely to sell out in How classy. gloriously pure, almost ghostly voice that advance, so get in quick for a festival that’s RIVER RATPACK TOUR: The Stocks, really stands out, acrobatic enough to see as far removed from the industrial cattle Crown & Thistle, Abingdon – The touring gig her compared to Björk at some juncture, but markets of Reading and Glastonbury as it’s on a boat stops off in Abingdon again for a more in tune with either Julee Cruise or Edie possible to find. party at the Skittle Alley’s monthly gig night. Brickell in the way it sweetly soars and Headliners at tonight’s unsigned talent show are bends notes at will. Hopefully tonight’s NICK HARPER: O2 Academy – The acoustic London-based, female-fronted rap crew Sound show will sell out; there’s little doubt that guitar virtuoso and political folk singer returns to Of Rum. They’re joined by Bastille, Holy next time Braids come to the UK, they’ll be action after a brief hiatus, touring his latest Vessels, Joker & The Thief, Beans On Toast playing far larger venues, so catch a little of album, ‘The Last Guitar’, having made his name and Dark Moon. the magic up close while you can. first as a member of his dad, Roy’s band, before DOGSHOW: The Cellar collaborating with Glenn Tilbrook and The PROHIBITION SMOKERS CLUB: Café Levellers, among others. Tarifa LAVINGTON BOUND: The Port Mahon – VAUDEVILLE RAVE: The Regal Folky acoustic pop from Lavington Bound. PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: PROHIBITION SMOKERS CLUB JAM: Fat O2 Academy Lil’s, Witney – Band sets and open jam with the DUBSTEP: The Bullingdon

Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is the 20th of each month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm) or email listings to [email protected]. All listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without permission MAY Every Monday THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. 2nd EARL THOMS & PADDY MILNER & THE BIG SOUNDS (USA/UK) 9th THE MATT SCHOFIELD BAND (UK) 16th GILES ROBSON & THE DIRTY ACES (UK) 23rd HAMILTON LOOMIS (USA) 30th JOE D’URSO & STONE CARAVAN (USA)

Every Tuesday THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am 3rd ALVIN ROY & REEDS UNLIMITED 10th / 24th THE HOWARD PEACOCK QUINTET 17th THE HUGH TURNER BAND 31st ALISON BENTLEY

Wednesdays 18th MISTY’S BIG ADVENTURE / THE ASHBIES Tickets on sale now at wegottickets.com

Thursdays 5th SKELETOR presents UNDERSMILE / K-LACURA / CRYSIS / JUNKIE BRUSH 12th COO PROMOTIONS presents SPARROW & THE WORKSHOP / ROB St. JOHN / BETHANY WEIMERS 19th WE AERONAUTS / MATT SAGE / DEER PARK / VERY NICE HARRY (benefit for MacMillan Cancer Support) 26th SKELETOR presents 13 GAUGE / ONCE A WOLF / NERVOUS ENDINGS / IN DECADENCE

Every Friday FUNKY FRIDAY Funk, soul, boogie and R&B. 10.30pm-2.30am; £3.

Early Friday shows 6th DEER CHICAGO / THE SCHOLARS / TIGERCATS 13th TEMPLARS / ADAM BARNES / MUSTARD & THE MONOCLE 27th GREENPEACE FUNDRAISER with SEIZE THE DAY Includes entry to FUNKY FRIDAY afterwards

Saturdays 7th LANDSCAPE – house & techno 14th SELECTA – drum’n’bass 21st SIMPLE – house & techno 28th DUBSTEP Join us on Facebook: Backroom @ The Bully photo: Johnny Moto LIVE

THE CELLAR FAMILY / AMY’S GHOST / THE GRACEFUL SLICKS The Wheatsheaf Named, punningly, after Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick, and playing tonight’s set under the psychedelic glow of an oil wheel projector, The Graceful Slicks are one step away from being a ramshackle tribute band, until you realise that it’s that very ramshackle nature that makes them so authentic. Dressed all in black, right down to their scuffed Chelsea boots, their dirty, droning psychedelic garage- rock is probably more like The Velvet Underground actually sounded in their early incarnation than people would care to imagine. The singer has Lou Reed’s laconic drawl down pat and their final number is a deadringer for Buffalo Springfield’s ‘Something Happening Here’, but they can inject a bit of Spiritualized’s gospel-tinged space-rock into proceedings too. One or two numbers are little more than bluesy jams and they need to end the set with a more stellar climax but at their best The Graceful Slicks prove they’re not just here as a museum piece. Gappy Tooth Industries’ mix’n’match gig line- ups throw up many fun surprises but we’re not sure if Amy’s Ghost live up to initial impressions. Fronted by a singer in an cutting out feverishly angular shards of post- like had they ditched the surrealism and humour impressively ornate gothic dress and possessed hardcore noise that throw assorted body parts in favour of a chronic speed addiction of an equally dramatic voice, they should be of McLusky, Fugazi and At The Drive-In into a somewhere around ‘Walking On The otherworldly and unforgettable, but end up blender and turn them into a clanging mess of Autobahn’. sounding like a low-rent Esben & the Witch obstinacy and industrial funk. Songs seem to Having named themselves with dubious taste with an eye on the burlesque circuit. lurch into view, explode and fuck off back again after Joseph Fritz’s children and barrelling The Cellar Family, though, are astonishing. before you quite know what’s happened, like an through songs about Fred West and the like, Three songs in and we wonder their singer old Tango advert; the drummer lurches off his The Cellar Family might be here for the nasty hasn’t ground his teeth to stumps amid all the stool as if he’s worried his kit is going to hit him things in life, but on tonight’s evidence they’re hyper-nervous urgency of the songs. He has the back at any moment. It’s not just a load of noise set to a be a very particular pleasure in the edgily ultra-normal look of a man who would Though; they have great tunes too and it feels months to come. kill you as soon as draw breath when he isn’t like what Young Knives might have sounded Dale Kattack

THE KILL CITY SAINTS/ HOT HOOVES/ ZEM/ is swigging vodka and Dr Pepper only confirms suspicions. RAISING HARLEY And somewhere in this sea of Not Quite Finished and Hideously Ill Conceived fall Hot The Bullingdon Hooves, a band featuring former members of The difference between most US sit coms and snag our attention. Oxford favourites ATL and Talulah Gosh, their British counterparts is the writers. In this Similarly, new trio Zem have a lovely chunky bursting with approachable character and short country we have shows penned by a single rhythm section – despite injuries – but the chap on self-consciousness or pretension. Their author, probably in a four week blast in some strumming and moaning at the front is drabness melodic new wave thrives on taut concise provincial town, fuelled by tinned soup and personified. Seriously, it’s like someone won a structures, but if that suggests Wire they’re as Cash In The Attic, whereas American shows are competition. The arrangement of Paul Simon’s much Eddie & The Hot Rods. The music’s thrashed out by huge rosters of writers, sat ‘Richard Cory’ is a strong start, but again thumping economy comes balanced by a wry round a big glass table somewhere vastly anonymity is their worst crime. airiness (Sample lyric: “My telekinesis/ Is important. It’s why an episode of Friends may Still, it all pales compared to crass Southern falling to pieces”) whether it’s delivered in Pete have rafts of clever lines, but can feel distant, fried rockers Kill City Saints, a band so Momtchiloff’s spasmodic mumble or with Bash disconnected and arid. We’re reminded of this generically dire it looks like they’ve been Street cheekiness by Mac. At points Hot by Raising Harley, not only because he plays created by committee to supply “Blues Rock Hooves remind us of acts as disparate as The the theme to Scrubs (turns out after those eight Solutions”. The truly hideous renegade skull Auteurs and Ten Benson, but they doubtless bars it gets quite dull, and you really miss the backdrop, lyrics about midnight trains, and have better, more obscure bands influencing theremin), but because his amiable busking is adept but charmless guitar solos indicate a band them. Hell, they were probably in them. promising, but needs a little more character to with a huge taste deficit; the fact the singer Richard Catherall THE UNTHANKS/ TREMBLING BELLS The Regal Trembling Bells manage to grab your every song, nearly all of which are about attention despite having to battle against death and rejection. So instead of the the curse of the support act. The vast driving rhythm of the CD version of space of the Regal feels cold and empty ‘Lucky Gilchrist’, who is of course far when they arrive on stage. Problems with from lucky, we get a sad John Adams-like the sound balance don’t help, with the pulse and with Becky adding some solo powerful soaring vocals of Lavina clog dancing it makes this sad song even Blackwell drowned out by the band. They bleaker. even seem awkward introducing their What the Unthanks put us through is a songs. 90-minute emotional marathon. With the Most of their short set has an songs building a quite intense atmosphere, experimental rock feel, perhaps as neither the applause at the end of each is like a their cello player nor trombonist is dam bursting. It’s impossible not to get Records, CDs and present, and things only start to improve caught up in the powerful emotional when they unleash some dirty slide guitar. currents when the band cover the late, ‘Love Made Me An Outlaw Of My Heart’ great Alex Glasgow’s ‘Close the Coalhouse DVD Fair is the standout but just as things are Door’. getting good they are gone, leaving me With all the emotion flying about the SATURDAY 7th May wanting more. room, the homely banter about pregnant The Unthanks are becoming specialists in Rachel being banned from clog dancing and 10.30am-3.30pm making the miserable sound beautiful. Becky being engaged comes as welcome ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- Their five core members are joined by light relief. While they don’t stretch the SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- three more string players, making up a full boundaries musically and only with their DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- sting quartet, and by a trumpet player. version of King Crimson’s ‘Starless’ is 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 While the group’s focus remains the their use of the string quartet musically instinctive harmonies created by the interesting, The Unthanks have become contrasting voices of sisters’ Rachel and brilliant at making sadness pleasurable. Becky, Rachel’s direct and earthy and But if they continue to push this further, Becky’s more breathy and vulnerable, by the next time they come to Oxford the Rachel’s husband Aiden McNally is a banter might not be relief enough, and a major influence as the band’s pianist, helpline might be needed for anyone songwriter and arranger. He uses the string adversely affected by the contents of their quartet and trumpet to add extra layers of songs. mournful, soulful sound on just about Colin May

ESBEN AND THE WITCH / TEETH OF THE SEA The Jericho Tavern Barely five months ago I described Teeth would be very fine indeed. Unfortunately of the Sea as ‘wild and abandoned’ but tonight they come over more like Siouxsie tonight they’re anything but, to the point and the Banshees with a ketamine R A D I A T E of checking it was really was the same problem. New album ‘Violet Cries’ is a A NEW MONTHLY BAND NIGHT band. Songs are still long, drawn-out, post- delicately crafted little symphony, rock instrumentals building up to a half- twisting and turning in unexpected ways THE JERICHO TAVERN, OXFORD satisfying climax, but someone seems to as it takes the listener on a journey, as all have told the guitarist to tone down his good records should. But here they just band submissions : act. Last time he could have doubled for turn up all the instruments and shriek their [email protected] Robin Simon (Ultravox, Magazine) or even way through a genuinely painful set, in Michael Karoli, all awkward angles and every sense of the word. Rachel Davies thrilling sci-fi noises, but tonight he’s too has a fine voice, though she appears to No covers bands, please restrained and fights a losing battle with only like singing in one key. Long-time www.radiatepromotions.com the bloke with the trumpet, and there’s favourite ‘Marching Song’ shines out for nothing good in that. There remains plenty having a semblance of a proper tune and of potential, they just need to loosen up a structure but too much of the rest sounds VENUE PHONE NUMBERS bit. like re-working the same formula. Only Tonight’s audience seems to be silently towards the end, when she shares vocal O2Academy: 0844 477 2000 (ticketweb) reminding me I’m not in East Oxford. duties with keyboardist Thomas Fisher The Bullingdon: 01865 244516 Dressy doesn’t start to describe it; this is does the interest perk up, if only by The Wheatsheaf: 01865 790380 like walking onto the set of a Fellini film. offering a short break from the one- The Cellar: 01865 244761 Brighton’s Esben and the Witch have solid dimensional onslaught. Their voices work The New Theatre: 0844 847 1585 Oxford credentials, supporting Foals on together perfectly, his low and menacing, The Jericho Tavern: 01865 311775 their recent North American tour and then hers ethereal and other-worldly. Next Fat Lil’s: 01993 703385 returning the favour to Trophy Wife. month they’re off to continental Europe, East Oxford Community Centre: Musically they could be described lazily where this kind of thing generally goes 01865 792168 as The Cocteau Twins meets Fucked Up, down well. Personally I’m staying at home. The Port Mahon 01865 790970 and if indeed were they that good they Art Lagun photo: James Lyon where theyintersperse tunesfrom Theyfollowthis withtwosets on thestompboard. stomper toowithBodenstamping come alive.Thesongbecomesafoot theatrical abilitytomakeagoodtale Boden’s high-pitched vocalandhis driven alongbythemelodeonand their individualskills.Thesongis sum ofwhichissomuchmorethan melodeon andBoden’s fiddle,the effortless interplaybetweenSpiers’ changes ofrhythmandseemingly are about.Thereconstant which encapsulateswhattheduo They openwith‘Tom Padgett’, Oxford ontheirtour. put onagigsothattheycouldplay they askedBig Village iftheycould were duetoheadline,wascancelled, Oxford FolkFestival,whichthey Oxford linksmeantothem:when a celebrationofwhattheirstrong their tenthanniversarytour. It’s also folk tradition. Tonight ispartof uplifting andcheerfultakeonthe folk sceneandbeyondwiththeir duo havebecomemainstaysofthe Once thenewkidsonblock, launched theirbigbandBellowhead. revival asaduobeforethey leading lightsofthecurrentfolk already wellonthewaytobeing John SpiersandJonBodenwere The North Wall SPIERS AND BODEN Colin May they’ve gotplenty moretocome. triumph, andon The duo’s lastten yearshavebeena them asaduo,oneoftheencores. associated withthebandratherthan doing ‘New York Girls’,anumber hugely successfulBellowheadby acknowledge theircreationofthe and ‘TheTractorHornpipe’, have justwritten,‘Giant’s Waltz ‘ couple perform a a hundredtimesbefore.Theyalso which theymusthavedoneatleast of RobinHood’ and‘CaptainWard’, performing numberslike‘TheBirth putting enthusiasmandenergyinto Ontonight’s showingtheyarestill with Bodenworkingthestompbox. from themelodeonincombination as Spiersbringsoutadirtybassline methinkingofdrum&bass even gets Boden’s tuneto‘TheRainItRains’ the ECMlabel.Theirplayingof folk mightsoundlikeifrecordedby minimalism ofSteveReichorwhat ‘Horn Fair’conjuresupthe them. Sotheirsparseplayingof the folkworldandnotovercooking by creatingresonancesfromoutside this materialsoundnewlyminted Their skillandcreativityistomake to 2001’s, ‘Throughand Through’. their wholecareer,goingrightback tonight’s of newtunesthey evidence Stuart Fowkes here. A loadofdroningboxesreallyhaveneversoundedsogood. and ofgigs–thisfeelslikeatrueoriginalthatcouldonlyreallyworkright Oneofthehighlights2011calendar–bothintermsexhibitions something muchgreater. packaged withsuchattentiontodetailandshowmanshipthatitbecomes sounding analoguedrones(morethanenoughforsomeofusasitis),but light source. At itsheartit’s littlemorethanthirtyminutesofwarm- museum, whileswishinghumsenvelopus,redspinningLEDstheonly ascribed clickorbuzz.Withinthirtyminutes,we’realoneinadark craning onlookers,allowinghimselfagratifiedhalf-smileaseachmakesits his ownsoundworld,stridingfromonedevicetothenextsurroundedby RayLee,asthesoleboffinishperformer,leadsuslikePiedPiperof there wasahundredquidinitforyou. the kindofdevicesyoucouldn’tkeepyourhandsoffforaminuteevenif tentacles, woodpanelling,whirringdiscsandornamentallights.They’re labelled withspeciousnameslike‘HypnocillatronMk.I’,allspinning We’re ledintoaroomfullofglasscabinets,filledwitharcanedevices theatre. the collection’s vaunted,andentirelyfictional,centrepieces,thisispure curator’s warningofpotentialradiationleaksandprouddescriptions vaudeville masqueradingasascientificdemonstration.Rightdowntothe between livemusic,thestageandexhibitionspace–aone-mansound-art TheEthometricMuseumfallsintothehitherto-unexploredspace suspension ofdisbelief. offer here,unitingOxford’s scholarlyandculturalsidesinabeautiful it helpsusrememberandcelebratethediversityofmusicalexperienceon remit ofthispublication. Yet thisisaperformancesoextraordinarythat museum scarcelyconstituteslivemusic,andthereforefallsoutsidethe You couldargue thatalivedemonstrationofnoise-makingequipmentin Museum oftheHistoryScience ETHOMETRIC MUSEUM of FleetFoxes,who gotthemtosign hair, andfast-tracked bythesuccess long-standing timberland beardsand playing poets,sheep-shornoftheir are Thousands. Two Seattleguitar- KristianGarrardandLukeBergman they’d nevermet. how muchpoorerlifewouldbeif `Cheap Wine’thatmakeyouthink like `TheLion&TheUnicorn’and labelmates, butit’s theirownsongs Greenwood, bothHeavenly They coverPepeBelmonteandPete two micswouldhavediminished. Hannah’s richphrasing, reedier, almostfemalevoice,to vocal brilliance,tying Trevor’s doing thisisthecherryatoptheir kiss. You soonrealise,though,that an inchawayfromafullonFrench microphone andlooktobelessthan faces whileusingthesame melted harmoniesintoeachothers “Get aRoom”astheysingtheir England. At firstyouwanttoyell byways ratherthanhighwaysof blue-green grassevocationofthe with wifeHannahLou,theyarea stage atopaPennyfarthing. Along and youhalfexpecthimtorideon look ofastereotypicalEdwardian Trevor Mosshasthetallwillowy The Jericho Tavern HANNAH LOU THOUSANDS /TREVORMOSS& in awaythat Records Paul Carrera for theirnextturn aroundtheisland. rainy-night-home-alone ephemera, with somethingotherthanjust are they’llhavetofilltheirsongs literally that,butpromisingasthey ‘The SoundofEverything’being recording concept,withdebutalbum Ilovetheirambientoutdoor surface orintroducingcharacter. without evergoingbeneaththe nature, andmaudlinspirituality, words pluckedfromthecosmos, poetry, splashingondescriptive touchstones onapondofflat over this,Kristian’s lyricsskiplike starting intheoddestplaces,and hard guitarpart,stoppingand plait togetherintooneextremely John Fahey-likeguitarpartsthat music; theirsongsaredense,fullof Butnotforthembr-eezylistening Town’ andblowusallouttheroom. they woulddoacoverof‘MyLittle Simon andGarfunkelthatyouwish together, somuchlikelate-period moments whentheybothsing They areattheirbestontherare naturally nervousandbemused. their firstUKtour,theyseem key.deliberately beinglow Nowon to BellaUnionafteradecadeof RUMER The New Theatre Cruise ship music for the masses audience, motionless and seemingly seems to be the order of the day. unaffected. With a musically brilliant band and Whilst low-key, chilled-out music impeccable vocals Rumer’s has its place (namely an idle performance cannot be faulted in a Sunday afternoon when you want technical sense. Sadly this doesn’t to relax) it only ever translates always transpire to a perfect when it has a lyrical punch. ‘Slow’, concert. Though the set list is well however, seems to mark the depth pitched, variation weaving its way of Rumer’s songs, leaving me throughout, the upbeat numbers lyrically unfulfilled. Just as the come in the form of covers, which covers pack the musical weight, it’s leave Rumer’s own material feeling the rendition of Paul Simon’s somewhat lacklustre. ‘Long, Long Day’ that fills the The editorial pitch of Dionne desire for substance in words. Warwick-meets-Karen Carpenter Perhaps this is where the cruise should have been a giveaway and I ship vibe really sinks home, since can’t help but nod and agree to the it’s Rumer’s ability to deliver comparisons as Rumer’s smooth covers with an authentic twist that but sadly somewhat nondescript captures me most. The likes of The vocals fill the theatre with their Miracles’, ‘You’ve Really Got A lullaby quality. In fact, the “close Hold On Me’ and Bread’s your eyes and see what stands out” ‘Goodbye Girl’ mark the peak of advice of a hardened reviewer the night. As a female vocalist nearly sees me spiral into the land enthusiast, I leave disappointingly of nod. Were it not for the impressed but uninspired, feeling occasional punch of drums and the that her acclaim comes only in her up-tempo saxophone additions in ability to reawaken the songs of her ‘Saving Grace’ I probably would predecessors. have been left like the rest of the Lisa Ward

LIBRARY TAPES / MATT WINKWORTH / BETHANY WEIMERS St Michael at the Northgate Church DOCTOR SHOTOVER Going to a gig doesn’t always have the spot. Whilst the music and Planet Of The Canapes to be about the sound of clinking performance is very, very competent “Spryngge has sprungge”, as my ancestor the poet (Guillaume Le Batard du Chateau Vert) once wrote. Oh the parties, the launches, the lunches! glasses at the bar, or of all-too- and slick, it all seems to ring less true The East Indies Club has been a-buzz with receptions, canapés, fine audible crowd mutterings getting in than it could, and consequently wines (and the odd spot of Chateau Vert cooking sherry when the good the way of the quiet bits. So, this seems more of an opportunity to stuff has run out). Excitement has been hard to contain at the prospect of evening, a gig in a church: it’s a quiet demonstrate a skillset than to Lord Spyrograph’s forthcoming rockumentary-cum-thriller, Who Killed The Candyskins?, with its veiled revelations of organized crime links to the and awe-inspiring setting, even for a connect with an audience. Whilst not local band scene. Older readers of this column may recall dark Godless heathen. Tonight’s sparse, every performance should rip one’s undercurrents in the 1990s relating to the sinister and shadowy body yet appreciative crowd file into the heart out with its honesty and known as Oxford Music Central. The question “Who IS Mr Big?” has been pews as twinkling lights play off integrity, such cheekiness as this on everyone’s lips… and some of our longest-serving members have the stained glass windows in a doesn’t quite add up in a church. been disturbed to find, under hypnosis, that they know the answer. But my honest advice, Bud, is to keep schtum on that one, unless you want to hushed, semi-lit environment. One-man act Library Tapes strip end up dressed in cement trousers making friends with the prawns at the Bethany Weimers fits the scene things back – way back – with a set bottom of the Farmoor reservoir… Meanwhile Sir Radclyffe Maconie and perfectly; she talks almost in a that seems longer that it probably is. those fearless cub reporters Adam and Jolyon have been taking the whisper between songs, leaving the This is probably due to the investigation to the airwaves, along with members of popular local jazz focus to fall on the content of her extraordinary emptiness of the combo The Radiohead Five, who are keen to name the guilty men but seem to be suffering from an attack of film noir-ish amnesia. (E.g. “I found work. With voice and guitar or piano music, which is three-quarters space, myself in the Jericho Tavern in 1991, wearing a trench-coat and sipping only, the songs are crisp, clear and fill one-quarter single notes on piano. a lager and lime… Oxford had just got cool, baby!”) What did we fight the space impressively. Melodically There’s certainly melody here, it just the Great Punk Wars and lyrically, they’re relatively demands to be found by the listener for, that’s what I’d like to know… let alone straightforward pieces, but that’s not by their providing full attention. the late 80s Indie a problem when material is played Doing so repays the effort, however, Skirmishes? Still, with such quiet confidence and such as this is a sound to drift off into, and amnesia can do that a pure, strong voice. The setting, and get lost within. It’s almost a to a man, as I myself the simplicity of instrumentation, are meditative aid, providing one note to well know. What is your name again? perfect for this music. consider for several minutes, before Why am I here, Matt Winkworth approaches things the surprisingly startling effect dressed in a wetsuit from another direction, bringing along generated by nothing more than the and shades? Are a set of musicians including next note coming along. If this is a those your prawns? percussionist and trombone player venue in which quiet contemplation And, most importantly, whose to generate a ‘show tune’ feel to his is the order of the day, this is a round is it? set. It is perky, humorous and very musician that enables nothing but. Next Month: The “Why, Dr Shotover! Is that a wetsuit? self-confident, yet it doesn’t quite hit Simon Minter Prawn Identity Or a wet suit?”

Introducing….

Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under Gunning For Tamar Who are they? Gunning For Tamar began life as Rise East Strike West in 2009. They released one EP before discovering a similarly named band. Gunning For Tamar (Joe Wallis: vocals/guitar; Dan Pollard: guitar/keyboards/vocals; D’Arcy King: drums and Ben Green: bass) announced their arrival with two tracks on a split EP with Phantom Theory. ‘The Organs. The Senses. The Muscles. The Memories.’ and ‘Norse Blood’. ‘The Organs...’ was selected as NME’s Breakthrough Track Of The Week. It also got airplay on BBC Introducing and XFM and made it into the end of year Nightshift Top 25. The band subsequently went into the studio with former-Forward Russia! in a pretty triumphant mood until we discovered that the promoter had told frontman Tom Woodhead and recorded a new four-song EP, `Deaf Cow the previously decent sized crowd that the gig was cancelled.” Motel’, which will be released release on 30th May by Walnut Tree Records. Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: What do they sound like? “The Winchell Riots. They are consistently spectacular live and that’s just Like local kindred spirits Spring Offensive and Ute, Gunning For Tamar in modest venues in Oxford” follow in the path of Oxford pioneers Youthmovies, and prog-tinged rock If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: manglers The Mars Volta, exploring off-kilter song and time structures, “`Deloused in The Comatorium’ by The Mars Volta; it manages to be mixing math-rock textures with a spangly pop sheen and moments of completely mental at the same time as having a collection of rock solid ferocious guitar noise, while Joe’s strong, emotive voice gives them a songs, hooks and melodies hidden amongst the madness.” dynamic melodic kick. They describe themselves as the sound of building When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? something new and beautiful from the wreckage of a destroyed Lego model. “21st May at the O2 Academy. We can’t dance but we do.” What inspires them? Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: “We’re interested in the two routes to the brain. You can smash your way “The standard of bands here is truly unbelievable. Didcot power station through the face in an unrelenting fashion, or subtly creep up the spine. must be burning a potent mix of music books, seminal albums and spinach Either way, we want your brain.” and wafting the smoke over Oxford. We’ll probably all get ill from the Career highlight so far: fumes one day, but we’ll leave behind some excellent records. The only “Seeing our faces in the NME at a service station and leaving that page downside is that gigs regularly clash.” open next to a copy of Zoo was a particularly satisfying moment.” You might love them if you love: And the lowlight: Youthmovies; Biffy Clyro; Billy Mahonie; The Mars Volta. “A show we played in London where the PA packed up before our set. We Hear them here: spent half an hour building our own PA from things we could find. We were www.myspace.com/gunningfortamar

Whatever happened to… those heroes WHEN? The Crimpers packed a lot of gigging into their three-year lifetime, regularly touring the UK and selling out local venues where they played alongside other local acts like Radiohead, The Daisies and Sevenchurch. Death By Crimpers After a couple of demos and dalliances with a number of recod labels they signed to Sonic and ‘Obsessive’ was released on pink vinyl in 1993, by which time their own record label’s machinations had accentuated in-band WHO? tensions to breaking point; the band split up after a final, sold-out show at Goth-hardcore-indie-punk-metal quintet Death By Crimpers were one of the the Oxford Venue (now the O2 Academy). most popular bands on the local scene – and some way beyond – in the WHY? early-90s. The band (Karen Nolan: vocals; Teresa Hooker: guitar; Lin Because they were brilliant and fun and rocked harder than most boys and Lloyd: guitar; Jo Reid: bass and Clare Howard: drums) formed in 1990 to made a serious reputation for themselves on the underground gig and zine enter a band competition at Oxford Polytechnic (they didn’t win but quickly scene, but also because they defied the inherent sexism of the music industry eclipsed the competition). Supporting the likes of UK Subs, Th’Faith before succumbing to its more sinister workings. While Oxford is by no Healers and riot grrl faves Seven Year Bitch around the UK they became cult means worse than any other scene, The Crimpers remain one of very few faves, picking up rave reviews in NME, Melody Maker and Kerrang! as well all-female bands to make a mark locally. Also their cover of ‘Are Friends as a startlingly fanatical touring band of followers before being picked up by Electric?’ was an unholy triumph. German label Sonic for whom they released one single, ‘Obsessive’, before WHERE? splitting in 1993. Post-split Teresa and Clare went on to form the equally popular Beaker, who WHAT? released singles for Fierce Panda and Shifty Disco; Lin formed goth outfit A ferociously melodic collision of Passion Play, who released a brace of bubblegum pop fun and hardcore albums before frontman Justin Stephens venom dressed up in lurid colours, relocated to Berlin, while Jo later joined painted Docs and crimped hair; they Ivy’s Itch, with whom she still plays. She found themselves compared to is the only former Crimper still playing; everyone from The Stooges and all of the band still reside in Oxfordshire, Motorhead to The Runaways and All except Teresa who now lives in North About Eve, while NME called them “a Yorkshire. bottle of venom shaken up and sprayed HOW? over the crowd” and declared that ‘Obsessive’ is now a minor collectors’ “Their shit is so hot they have to use item in goth and riot grrl circles. The special asbestos bogs”. Singer Karen dormant www.myspace.com/ had the raw, throaty voice of a young deathbycrimpers site features the single Joan Jett or Janis Joplin, while the and its b-side while the video for band’s blitzkrieg pop found favour ‘Obsessive’ is up on Youtube. Demos across the board with goths, metallers for the band’s unreleased debut album and less timid indie kids. might one day surface. DEMOSDEMOS and featuring former-Witches drummer Dave DEMO OF Balch, Listing Ships continue in FLTS’s bullish updating of Neu!’s motorik instrumental THE MONTH journeys. Each track is nautically themed, so we get ‘Skipper’s Daughter’, ‘Equus Ager’ and ‘All Aboard The Andrea Doria’. Really, there’s VIENNA DITTO not enough music written about Italian An Oxford-Reading-London-based trio, battleships. Fewer still that actually sound like Vienna Ditto sent us a great one-song demo Italian battleships. As you’d expect with such just over a year ago, which we thought subject matter this is pretty aggressive stuff, sounded like Portishead soundtracking a lost steadfast linear grooves providing a solid base Tarantino movie. This four-song follow-up for the guitars to go off like a twenty-gun is even better. ‘Best Shot’ is a gorgeous, salvo, lulls in the action brief respite from the shimmering slice of film noir soundtrack next barrage of tightly-reined noise. At full pop, Hattie Taylor’s lazily spectral voice pelt they’re close to fellow modern coasting on a funereal marching snare beat; krautrockers like Einstellung, managing to it reeks of tragically failed romance, dark deliver musical violence with admirable Parisian backstreets and claustrophobic discipline, serrated synths occasionally cutting regret, Beth Gibbons mentored by John through the sheet metal guitar, all the while Barry by way of Twin Peaks. ‘This Is striking a fine balance between pensive and Normal’ finds Hattie’s sweet vulnerability cathartic. One of a very few demos that could rolled away to reveal a predatory soul diva justifiably come complete with a Play Loud surrounded by siren synths as she croons sticker attached. “This is fucked up” in a manner even the most prudish maiden aunt couldn’t object to. ‘Wintertime’ is a bitter counterpoint to the BRICKS classic ‘Summertime’, with its “Wintertime, We wonder if Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre and the living is hard” refrain. Only the realised just how influential they were going incongruously grinding ‘Dang’, with its big, to be back in the days when the music press nasty guitar lacks the subtle magic of the had little but bile saved for their respective rest of the demo. It’s not so much dream- takes on ambient electronic music. Of course, pop as fog-pop; seedily exotic tripped-out three-plus decades of filtering through the pop heard through late-night mist. “This is likes of Autechre, Future Sound of London fucked up”? No, this is fucking great. and, latterly, Radiohead, have nominally upgraded their visions and nowadays anyone with a laptop can create soundtracks to imaginary astronomy documentaries. Like CARAVAN OF fellow local soundscapists Euhedral and Neon Pulse, Bricks (or possibly Just Bricks, WHORES depending on how you interpret their online Dirty by name; dirty by nature. Caravan of address) twinkle, shimmer and glitch discreetly Whores are so entrenched in the stoner-rock and generally sound like the backdrop to milieu, you can almost smell the pungent something on the Discovery Channel. scent of hash as demo opener ‘03 9 Bar’ ‘Lawrence’ is Jarre’s ‘Zoolook’ filtered slopes in, an eleven-and-a-half-minute slow- through Radiohead’s recent offerings, while burner that waits well over a minute before ‘Mwmamww’ could well be nabbed straight off delivering its first crunching power-riff, like a of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. Pretty and pleasantly slow-motion bus through a shop window. relaxing, if maybe a little too polite. From hereon in it’s all big, ballsy blues riffage and gravelly hollering, an almighty edifice of a song in the steady, relentless lineage of CIRCUIT CHASE Kyuss, Sabbath and Monster Magnet, a Nothing pretty or polite about this lot, a 876084 winding psychedelic guitar excursion taking it Bicester-based band who substitute finesse further out from its earthy beginnings. The and technical expertise for several barrels of comparatively compact nine-minute gusto and discover it actually works better. ‘Crowfeet’ is sludgier still, a horror film They’re hopelessly blokey in a soundtrack rumble of timeless metal riffage, Britpop-cum-pub-rock kind of way, the lead guitar increasingly disconnected from brilliantly-monikered singer Thomas Muddle the solid hull of the rest of the band as they shouting like Billy Bragg trying his hand at downtune and slow down classic Led Zep. Rod Stewart karaoke, while the band hammer Closer ‘Now’ is an almost blink-and-you’ll- through songs filled to capacity with big, miss-it four and a half minutes and harks back unsubtle hooks and big rolling punk further still, to the classic gonzoid hard rock powerchords. ‘Paris In The Springtime’ is as of Steppenwolf, albeit coated in some nasty cheesy as it’s possible to get, like a Menswear Motorhead-flavoured grit and grime. tribute band trying to cover ‘The Final Admirably unreconstructed stuff. Countdown’, replete with ludicrously OTT synth chorus. Token slowie ‘Architecture Is Frozen Music’ is, predictably, utter crap – LISTING SHIPS laboured, strained and tuneless, with the Formed from the fallout of electro-tinged band’s shocking lack of subtlety laid bare, a krautrock exponents From Light To Sound frozen block of shite and onions. Thankfully ‘I Can’t Live Without You’ is on hand to gallop to the rescue, a brazen spaghetti THE SLOW DEATH western tribute, complete with mariachi horns and beefy guitar chords. The whole OF JULIUS WAY thing is borderline abomination, but when The picture accompanying this album-length all’s said and done, if a band’s got a bloody demo is of someone, head in hands, face great daft chorus or two tucked away in their down on a desk in a picture of despair. At set, you’re a fool to argue technicalities. last, a band that understand how we feel every month when we go through the demo pile, and particularly when an act announce DALLAS DON’T that their principle influences are Nick Drake Dallas Don’t are named, we’re informed, and Elliot Smith. Not because we don’t like after a whisky distillery in Scotland called Drake and Smith, but the people they inspire Dallas Dhu. More bands should be named do tend towards the, y’know, miserable after whisky-related puns; it’d cheer us up no fucking mumbling shitebag side of things. Not end sitting through a session that included so with The Slow Death Of Julius Way, Cragganfaithnomore, Trembling Bell’s, The though. TSDOJW is the solo work of THE COURTYARD STUDIO Johnny Walker Brothers and Matthew Adams and for the first song here Glenncampbellmorangie. Even better, Dallas we picture him sitting in a woody glade PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ Don’t’s opening track is called ‘Burning penning odd medieval campfire jigs. Soon 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE Furniture’, which is what we tend to end up after that we picture him prancing like a tit MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB doing after a few drams too many of a wet round said campfire with someone called CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION Tuesday evening. Only one of Dallas Don’t Jessie, who owns a yurt. It’s all starting to tip OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI is from Scotland, singer Niall, but his rich, into the land of preposterous. Matthew’s FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI strength though is in keeping on moving, rolling accent dominates the band’s sound, S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) variously a fuzzy but cuddly sort of punk- musically speaking, through wistful, pastoral folk, a more contemplative, semi-acoustic pop, into bolder full-band efforts and the Residential facilities included. Idlewild and a fidgety indie spangle. It’s all occasional soppy duet of the sort you feel www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com highly likeable but you wonder if they maybe dropped off the back end of an old Fleetwood PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS Mac album. Some of it’s a bit monochrome – need some stronger songs to bring the best ON 01235 845800 out of Niall’s strong voice. typical strum and mumble stuff’; elsewhere it’s really rather nice. Probably a bit much expecting us to sit through a full 13 tracks of TOMMY VINE the stuff, particularly when the final number Tommy lives in Bristol but was apparently is entitled ‘Slow Death’, something we feel based in Oxford “in the good old days of the we’ve metaphorically endured too many Zodiac and when The Young Knives were the times in the pursuit of demo nirvana, but cool new band that only you knew about,” enough talent and good ideas to make for a which makes you wonder why he’d even decent EP. consider moving away with all that fantastic stuff going on. Maybe he was sad. We think he might have been. And still is. Because he’s THE DEMO written some songs about the general unfairness of things. On his acoustic guitar. DUMPER One of which is called `Do You Want Me To DUMPER Go?’. Which is a bit daft since he already has done. To Bristol, remember? Please keep up LUTECE CONSTANT at the back. `Oxford Patch’ is an Only 16 years old we should perhaps go easy autobiographical tale about playing local on Lutece here, but sod it, if we want open mic sessions and asks us to take him something small warbling and squawking in round the world but bring him back again, our ear constantly, we’ll buy a budgie or a doubtless to some benighted corner of a pub parrot. Armed with an acoustic guitar, where failed Bob Dylans gather to declaim discreetly plucked throughout, Lutece the lack of authenticity in modern pop music practises her scales with what we guess passes before whining endlessly through blocked for not inconsiderable ability, but being adenoids about being like a rolling stone. technically gifted does not necessarily great `Beat Hands Down’ is all about losing out in pop music make. Using six notes when one love or something, delivered with all the will suffice might get the X-Factor massive euphoric gusto of an expiring rodent and we whooping like an army of deranged gibbons, start to wonder if maybe Tommy didn’t who might mistake such an ostentatious leave of his own volition, but was driven out display for emotional authenticity but an of town by fellow open mic denizens, worried elongated “oh-oh-wo-oh-oh-wo-oh. Oh-wo- that he was in danger of monopolising oh-oh-wo-umbongo” or whatever just makes Oxford’s quota of self-absorbed misery and us think you forgot to go to the loo before general utter fucking soul-crushing tedium. you pressed the record button. Maybe Lutece Well Tommy, some things have moved on in would be better off auditioning for a Mariah Oxford: it’s no longer the Zodiac; Young Carey tribute act, or some Andrew Lloyd- Knives aren’t quite as new as they once were Webber production, where technical but at least some things never change: perfection is better appreciated. Here it just Nightshift are still a bunch of total bastards. feels like style over soul, and for all its You’re welcome back any time. acrobatics, it feels remarkably pedestrian.

Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1ZU. Or email song links to [email protected], clearly marked Demo for review. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact address and phone number. No more than four tracks on a demo. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo.