email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 127 February Oxford’s Music Magazine 2006 The Young Knives The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth - Interview inside

Also inside this issue: The best local music news and reviews plus Six pages of local gigs

NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255

NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected]

THIS YEAR’S TRUCK FESTIVAL takes booking fee, where applicable). Passes are on sale place over the weekend of Saturday 22nd / from Polar Bear Records on Cowley Road or Sunday 23rd July at Hill Farm, Steventon. This online from oxfordmusic.net, from February 1st. will be the ninth Truck Festival and as well as the usual eclectic mix of bands and DJs, THE DOWNLOAD is set to continue to organisers are promising a number of broadcast local music for the foreseeable future improvements on past years, including camping after a successful first year on BBC Radio facilities for the Sunday night as well as a wider Oxford 95.1fm. The weekly show, which goes range of food on sale. Last year’s Truck sold out between 6 and 7pm every Saturday, is set Morrissey makes his first live appearance in out well in advance, with a much higher than to branch out from this month with the first of Oxford for over 20 years when he plays at the usual percentage of out-of-town music fans a series of monthly live broadcast gigs in New Theatre on Thursday 25th May. The pop making the trip to Steventon as the event’s conjunction with The Club That Cannot Be legend last played in town at the same venue reputation grows. As such, tickets for Truck Named at the Zodiac. The first gig takes place with The Smiths, back in 1985. The gig at the 2006 will go on sale to local fans a month earlier on Saturday 11th February, with sets from New Theatre is part of Moz’s most extensive than national sales. Tickets this year are £40 Belarus, A Silent Film, 100 Bullets Back and UK tour in years, to promote forthcoming and are on sale from February 1st, without Where I’m Calling From. There are also plans to album, `Ringleader Of The Tormentors’, booking fee, from The Zodiac, Polar Bear release a compilation CD of acoustic tracks which is released on 3rd April. Tickets for the Records, Windjammer Music (Didcot), recorded live for the show by artists such as New Theatre show are on sale now from the Dawson’s (Abingdon), The Music Box Goldrush, Fell City Girl, Joff Winks, Richard venue’s credit card booking line - 0870 606 (Wallingford), Record Savings (Banbury) and Walters and Ally Craig. In another planned 3500 or in person from the box office in Rapture (Witney). Regular ticket and line-up change to the show, gig reviewer Suzie Healey George Street. details are available at www.truckfestival.org. will be taking over more of the presenting Last year’s festival, headlined by The Magic duties, alongside Download host Tim Bearder Numbers and Biffy Clyro, raised over £40,000 and David Gillyeat. Saturday 18th March with support from Tired for The MacMillan Trust, Amnesty, The Irie and Foals. Tickets, priced, £6, are available Pakistani Earthquake Appeal and local charities. from the box office (01865 420042). Youth Movies are currently recording their new album, THE PURPLE TURTLE has been confirmed as due for release on Fierce Panda later this year. the sixth venue for this year’s Oxford Punt. The annual showcase of the best new bands and BELARUS release their debut single this singers in Oxfordshire, organised by Nightshift, month. ‘Standing In The Right Place’ is out on takes place on Wednesday 10th May, across six Precious Records on February 20th. The band, venues in Oxford city centre. Other venues formerly known as Spacehopper, are being already confirmed are Borders, Jongleurs, The managed by Andy Ross, the man who City Tavern, The Wheatsheaf and The Cellar. discovered Blur and founded Food Records in Any bands or solo artists wishing to take part the 90s. The new single was produced by Dave in what has long been one of the highlights of Eringa, best known for his work with Ash and the Oxford music calendar, can submit demos, The Manic Street Preachers. Belarus play the clearly marked The Punt, to Nightshift at PO Zodiac on Saturday 11th February. Tickets, Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. The only rules priced £5, are available from the box office for consideration are that all acts must be from (01865 420042). Oxfordshire, be unsigned and have some gigging experience. Deadline for demos is the 15th YOUTH MOVIE SOUNDTRACK WITNEY GETS A NEW LIVE MUSIC March. STRATEGIES return to local action next VENUE next month with the opening of As ever there will be a limited number (100) of month with their first Oxford gig in a year. The Ignition at Witney United’s Marriot Stadium. all-venue Punt Passes, priced £7 each (plus post-rock champions play the Zodiac on Ignition is a 200-capacity venue, complete with PA and lighting system and promoters Rich Wickson and Nath Payne are looking for MOGWAI lead an exciting line-up of acts Oxfordshire bands to play the opening night on coming to Oxford over the next few months. Saturday 11th March. Initially at least Ignition The post-rock innovators play at Brookes will be a free-entry venue. Bands interested in University Union on Saturday 1st April. playing should call 07812 948 965 or email Tickets are on sale now, priced £14 from [email protected]. wegottickets.com. Also appearing at Brookes are Brighton’s retro hip hop starkets The Go! JIM REID has rearranged his Oxford gig for Team, who play at the Union on Sunday 5th Thursday 2nd March at the Cellar. Jim’s gig March and American lo-fi heroes Death Cab there late last year was cancelled after his For Cutie on Saturday 11th March. mother died. Reid was the singer in 80s indie Recently booked gigs for the Zodiac include legends The Jesus and Mary Chain. Advance East London rapper Kano on Sunday 12th tickets are available from the venue. March, awesome American symphonic rockers Secret Machines on Thursday 23rd G&D’s ICE CREAM CAFÉS in St Aldates March and cult legends Sleater Kinney on and Little Clarendon Street are keen to play Friday 19th April. Tickets available from the unsigned local bands’ CDs instore. Acts can box office on 01865 420042 drop their CDs off in either of the cafés. A Quiet Word with The Young Knives

“I WAS BEGINNING TO GET think avant garde bands get pretty sick of gigging then reviews in The Wire and no-one turning up to work feeling like listens to them.” shit. Now I can go down to the OLIVER: “The funniest was Coldroom rehearsal studio and the NME saying we looked like feel like shit, or sit in a meeting paedophiles. Sorry, I must have with our accountant. It’s so missed the meeting that set this much more rock and roll.” as the standard for acceptable journalism. I think generally it’s HOUSE OF LORDS, BASS dangerous to label bands, in our player and singer with the Young case the sport jacket look. I Knives, and a young man better mean you might really hate known to his mum as Thomas, sports jackets, be put off our is talking to Nightshift about music and miss something really quitting his job to concentrate special.” full time on the band he formed Are there any other bands with his brother Henry Dartnall around at the moment that you and drummer friend Oliver feel particular affinity with? Askew five years ago. The Young Knives get used to comfortable living. L-r: Henry, Oliver, House. HENRY: “Most of the bands that Having become firm favourites we play with. We are all in on the Oxford music scene since HOUSE: “I think the highlight of 2005 for me similar boats so there is always something to their relocation from their childhood home of was either playing at V Festival or at the talk about. We spent 30 days on the road with Ashby de la Zouche, The Young Knives have Barbican with Gang of Four. Playing in front of The Rumble Strips. I think they are amazing been earning themselves an enviable reputation those size of audiences is a really surreal and I would definitely buy their records, which in the music industry and national press since experience. Also going on bigger tours has been is the most important thing, isn’t it? But their teaming up with ultra-hip label Transgressive really great. I’ve really enjoyed not having to go sound is not one that is successful yet; I mean last year and releasing the ‘Junkie Music Makes back to my house and see all the plates that there is no one in or near the charts like them so My Heart Beat Faster’ EP, produced by Gang need washing.” they have to carve their own furrow. But Of Four guitarist Andy Gill. Attention towards With the thrill of so much expectation on a hopefully the time is right for original music; the band has gradually risen over the past band, comes pressure, doesn’t it? then again let’s all keep listening to the shit twelve months to the point where they’re being HENRY: “I don’t feel that pressure really. I people tell us is good.” tipped as the band to watch this year by mean we can only do what we can do and the Do you feel that the time you’ve had beneath journals as diverse as The Guardian, The rest is up to the gods, or something. I mean the glare of the national press has allowed you Sunday Times and NME. when someone says we are the ones to watch, to become the band you want to be? hopefully that makes people watch us, and if HENRY: “We have sort of always been the FOLLOWING ON FROM LAST they do watch us then hopefully they will like band that we have wanted to be but we always autumn’s acclaimed ‘The Decision’, The Young some of the songs we write. If they don’t then want to be better. None of this is really down to Knives release a new single on Transgressive there isn’t much we can do about that. Anyway the national press because they don’t effect how this month, ‘Here Comes The Rumour Mill’, haven’t we been the ones to watch since 2002? we write music, well not that I am conscious of with their second album due in the summer. I am hoping we will still be the ones to watch in anyway. The rewarding part of being in a band is With the band’s career in the ascendancy and gig 2015; `Will this be their year?’” definitely recording, writing and performing. Of commitments coming thicker and faster, it was course the number of people that watch us doing finally time for the three friends to make the MUCH IS BEING MADE IN THE these things is increased by press exposure so I break from 9-5 drudgery and live the dream, a national press about the new wave of am probably talking horse shit.” move that singer and guitarist Henry describes eccentricity in British bands. For their part, The HOUSE: “You aren’t this time, Henry. We as “fucking wicked”. Young Knives have been name-checked have always written songs together and many OLIVER: “Me and Henry left the office on our alongside Maximo Park and former labelmates of the ideas come from just jamming together. I last day to rapturous applause but I think they The Mystery Jets as well as being singled out think it would be very difficult for us to start were just pleased to see the back of us. We as the avant garde of sports jacket chic How do writing songs thinking, ‘we better make sure would always turn up late the morning after a they feel about such labelling, and particularly this one’s a hit single.’ Plus we became aware gig, stinking of booze and then pretend to work. that most uncomfortably ambivalent term, very quickly that most of what is written about Having no day job has enabled us to concentrate eccentric? bands in the national press is a lot of old shit. more on gigging and rehearsals but also allowed HOUSE: “I am always a bit weirded out by The journalists have probably never even seen us to drink more and stay up later.” reviews that talk in great detail about our image. the bands and have just read the press release or It doesn’t seem all that important. We are what someone in another magazine has written 2005 WAS QUITE A YEAR FOR THE definitely not avant garde and I don’t really like about them.” band; as well as the two releases on the term eccentric, it makes me think of people Transgressive, the band embarked on a series of in Oxford riding round on an antique bicycle THE YOUNG KNIVES SHOULD BE national tours, including a month-long stint with with a white Panama hat on and a French stick familiar to any regular follower of Oxford fellow rising starlets The Rumble Strips, and in the basket. It’s like they’re screaming, `Look music. Since they arrived on the local scene as played at V Festival, featuring on Channel 4’s at me I am goofy and odd-ball like Quentin Ponyclub they’ve thrilled audiences with both televised highlights of the event. 2006, Crisp or Lovejoy!’. Hopefully we are their music and their increasingly entertaining meanwhile, looks likely to see the band’s star interesting musically and people recognise that stage presence. For the uninitiated, The Young rise even higher. we are trying to do something a bit different. I Knives’ sound is a tightly-wound, effervescent collision of great guitar pop music – understand how we can change something Supergrass, The Pixies, Adam and the Ants that we have been playing for ages in one Exeter Hall Pub – and some of the more bizarre gems of the way but I have always found it a really Corner Cowley / Marsh Road New Wave movement, notably Pere Ubu, positive experience; Like re-wallpapering 01865 776431 Sparks and Gang Of Four. Songs like the front room.” ‘Coastguard’ or ‘The Decision’ are oblique, Transgressive is often thought of as a www.thex.co.uk often surreal vignettes about strange launch pad label, a bit like Fierce Panda. In happenings in a mundane world. Their its short lifetime the label has launched the Live Music in February lyrics are littered with freakish, careers of The Subways and The Mystery Every Tuesday Open Mic 8:30pm incongruous imagery (most famously, Jets, and more recently Battle and Regina Every Wednesday Folk Session 8pm horses in the New Forest running in their Spektor. Are you sticking with the label or Thu 2nd True Rumour (8.30pm) FREE Sunday best). As much as the music and are there plans afoot to go to a major? Fri 3rd King B (8:30pm) £3 Sat 4th And No Star + Ally Craig + Jamie Hyatt + their gently caustic humour, it’s what HENRY: “They are pretty neat and really Chris Beard (8:30pm) £3 marks The Young Knives out as something enthusiastic. You can’t buy that.” Sun 5th Electric Jam (8.00pm) FREE wholly special. HOUSE: “Yeah, if they will keep us we Thu 9th Acoustic Showcase - John Thompson + Osprey + Bob & Claire Lloyd + Ade Davey (8.30pm) FREE HENRY: “I like odd lyrics, ones that are staying. They two guys who run the Fri 10th Mike Ellis Blues Band (8.30pm) £3 make you notice the words, so it’s a bit of label are like a young Ant and Dec. If we Sat 11th Tounsi & Raggasaurus (8.30pm) £3 both. I like to steal things from suggest doing something or write a new Sun 12th Wittstock Fund-raiser Audio Pollution, conversations and things I see written in song they invariably scream, `We love it’, Glenda Huish, Nat & Peach + more (7.30pm) £4 Thu 16th Agents of Jane + Nat & Peach (8.30pm) FREE shop windows. So we are like lyrical and then run round hugging everyone. It’s Fri 17th Headcount + Beelzebozo + Junkie Brush + wombles. There is a line in one of our quite a positive working environment.” More (8.30pm) £3 songs that goes `we were fighting on the Sat 18th Assassins of Silence + The Mood (8.30pm) £3 Sun 19th Electric Jam (8.00pm) FREE drive under the security light’, which I got Before the release of the new single, The Thu 23rd Nicholas Lyne + Laima + Jamie Huddleston from my old boss at work; he had a punch Young Knives will play their biggest local (8.30pm) FREE up on his drive with a neighbour who was headline show to date, upstairs at the Fri 24th Uniting The Elements + Mary’s Garden (8.30pm) £3 Sat 25th Reservoir Cats (8.30pm) £3 being too loud. He came in to work in all Zodiac. Their last Oxford gig downstairs at Sun 26th And No Star + Meet Me In St Louis + Wait his business clothes with gravel in the the Zodiac sold out; how does it feel now For Coniston + The Vanity Score + From The Ashes palms of his hands. It just made me laugh.” coming back to headline upstairs? What (5pm) £3 What drives you and influences you now are their feelings now about the Oxford as a band and how much has that changed music scene, particularly having been out since you started out? on tour for so much of the last year? HENRY: “Showing off & no.” HENRY: “I didn’t know we were playing OLIVER: “I think we’ve always enjoyed upstairs until you told me, that is writing music and this definitely pushes us exciting.” on. If it ever became a chore I’m pretty OLIVER: “The Zodiac gig will be our sure the band would implode. Presently biggest Oxford gig to date so it’s a bit we’re all gearing up to the next single and daunting. We want to make sure that it’s a then album release, which we’re really really amazing gig, particularly if it’s excited about. It’s exciting to see the next someone’s first Young Knives experience. ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- level we’re all reaching for become a It will be a novelty to be allowed to use SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- reality. We’ve always been a striving band the dressing room too – when we’ve DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- and I don’t think that will ever change. supported bands there before we would be 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 HOUSE: “I think we have always done half naked in the stairwell out back with each. Brand new chart CDs £5 - £10 each that thing where we listen to music as a people walking through all the time. band in the car or I’ll hear something and I think the Oxford music scene is still as play it to Oliver and we all say, `shit, how vibrant as ever. It’s annoying not being DELICIOUS MUSIC did they think of that?’ That always able to go to Oxford gigs as often. Most Presents inspires us to try and do something better recently I missed a Foals gig I really FEBRUARY LIVE! the next time we write a song.” wanted to go to as we had to play to some Sundays @ The Old School House trendy wendy London types.” Open Mic - FREE!!! 8:30pm till Midnight ‘HERE COMES THE RUMOUR MILL’ Tuesdays @ The City Tavern is the latest fruit of The Young Knives’ FOR NOW AT LEAST THEN, THE NEW! The Tasty Jam Night - 8:00pm till 11:00pm, working relationship with producer Andy Young Knives can busy themselves writing COME JAM WITH OTHER PLAYERS. £2 Entry (£1 Performers) Gill, which began after the band sent him a and recording the new album and dreaming FEB 14th Valentines Day LOVE IN Jam- demo early last year. As one of the most of imminent fame and fortune. If they Love songs for lovers-Bring your love or find love! in-demand producers around, not to could have one thing happen to them as a Wednesdays @ Far From The Madding Crowd mention a member of the recently- band, aside from instant fame and fortune, Open Mic - FREE!!! 8:30pm till 11:00pm reformed Gang Of Four, the name to drop what would it be? Thursdays @ Far From The Madding Crowd for aspiring young rock bands over the HENRY: “House and Ollie get laid.” Free Entry, Live Jazz, Blues & Folk 9:PM past couple of years, Gill’s association HOUSE: “Henry gets a heroin addiction 2nd Chico & The Man 9th Duo Viente Dedos with The Young Knives has only enhanced and me and Ollie get to watch him slowly 16th The Yukons 23rd The Jazz Emporium their critical and popular status. fade away.” Fridays @ St Aldates Tavern HOUSE: “Andy was our first choice for a OLIVER: “Henry would get a haircut and Open Mic Feb 3rd & Feb 17 CHICO & THE MAN producer and he instantly wanted to do it cheer up.” FREE!!! 8:30pm till 11:00pm so there was really no question about Maybe they’ll all have their dreams come Saturdays @ The City Tavern’s Charisma Bar doing it with anyone else. He constantly true. Fame and fortune at least would seem 4th The G’s + She Cries + Mars Rynearson challenges us to think about the songs. to be the safest bets for now. 11th Foxes + 3 Second Memory + The Yukons Sometimes we will decide that we 18th Delphi + Arctic Wolf + The Divinity School definitely have it exactly right and The Young Knives play The Zodiac on 25th Mr Fogg + Kaned Citizen + The Turbulence sometimes it will change in the studio. A Saturday 18th February. ‘Here Comes For Bookings Call: 07876184623 lot of other bands we have met have found The Rumour Mill’ is released on 27th or Email: [email protected] this idea really difficult and can’t February on Transgressive. Sponsored RELEASED by SMILEX cacophony. There are cut-up drum&bass reworkings from DJ Juicy and drone-heavy ‘Smilex Vs Oxford electronics from The Monroe Transfer, while (Quickfix) The Young Knives – who have already covered Smilex’s ‘Sex For Sale’ on 2004’s split EP – Remix albums are always a minefield, come on like synth-pop pioneers The Normal particularly if, like Smilex, you haven’t even as they tackle ‘She Won’t Get Out Of Bed’. released a proper album yet. It’s all too easy to Maybe a little surprisingly, the best remix here get a bunch of mates to twiddle about with your songs and then slap each other on the back as comes courtesy of All You Miss, who do some you admire your incestuous tomfoolery. Except heavy-duty damage to ‘Pennies From A that Smilex have a pretty substantial line-up of Pigskin’, a world away from their grunge-pop mates. day jobs. The dozen remixes offered here come courtesy Taken as a whole, the combination of Smilex’s of The Young Knives, Boywithatoy, The spiky rock and the electro-heavy treatments Evenings, Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies meted out points more to the likes of Marilyn and Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element amongst Manson and Fear Factory than the often others. Maybe not household names, but pretty adding a glitchy drum&bass sheen to ‘Quickfix’, poppish originals would ever suggest. The much the elite of local noise experimentation. while the latter electrofies ‘Sex For Sale’ – album might be little more than a niche curiosity And with Smilex’s hectic blend of glam and others bludgeon the songs into their own image. for local die-hards, but it stands together as a garage rock providing an uncluttered blueprint Chief amongst these is The Gentleman successful experiment. And now, I think it’s to work from, the results are pretty decent. Distortionist with his dissection of ‘Kidz Klub about bleedin’ time they furnished us with a While Boywithatoy and The Evenings prefer to 666’ and Sunnyvale’s epic, nine-minute debut album proper. tweek the originals a little – the former remodelling of ‘Noize!’ into an industrial Dale Kattack

its pastoral psychedelic magic to full effect, it honest and the b-side, ‘Juniper’, would have needs likeminded company, or at least be made a far better single, floating where ‘Share twenty minutes long. There’s barely time to My Blues’ wallows. Pitched somewhere load up a fat one here, never mind let its effect between Steely Dan’s poppier moments and take hold. Supergrass’ more reflective side, it rides on a Victoria Waterfield softly circling keyboard riff with an air of nonchalant 60s folk-rock. That it’s over five minutes long, and Joff is already making inroads into radio play perhaps explains why it’s JOFF WINKS BAND tucked away at the back-end of the single, but in an overcrowded market place of self- ‘Share My Blues’ consciously melancholic songsmiths, the chinks (JWB) of light ‘Juniper’ let in will probably take him The title sounds too much like that great clarion further than anything. cry of angsty grunge bands the world over: feel Dale Kattack my pain. What the world really doesn’t need right now is another young man feeling sorry SUPERGRASS for himself. ‘Fin’ In fact Joff Winks doesn’t sound too imbued with self pity on his second single, which (Parlophone) follows on from airplay on Zane Lowe’s Supergrass restate their indie credentials with a Evening Session as well as Xfm and Radio 6 for coloured 7” and download-only single release, last summer’s debut, ‘Someone Else’s Words’. the third to be taken from ‘Road To Rouen’. And nor should he feel sorry for himself. Dipped in hazy sunshine and drenched in Because although he’s a relative newcomer on lysergic delay, it’s spaced-out and cut adrift the block, Joff sounds like he’s been around for even by the easy-going standards of the album. years, both in the accomplished songwriting Not really sure how it’ll work as a single, but arrangements and the slightly weary style he that’s equally the case with the previous two adopts. singles. ‘Road To Rouen’ works best as a mood ‘Share My Blues’ is lachrymose but equally piece taken as a whole. ‘Fin’ is intricately uplifting, tending heavily toward wee small palatial, like delicate oriental china, but to work hours AOR; it’s a bit staid and stilted to be

Selected Oxford releases are now available on the ground floor HMV Oxford supports local music Open Sundays 11-5pm & late Thursdays till 7pm. 10% student discount every day tumble but it’s too discreet and considered – the Dave Eringa, who has previously worked with flanged guitars too reined in, the jazzy shuffle The Manics and Ash. too scared to really let loose. Belarus’ stock in trade remains epic, almost Contrast this with a reworked ‘Disappointed’ soulful torch songs that expand to fill whatever from the last album – free-flowing Mariachi space they’re allowed. In small pub venues horns and a far looser spirit give Kate’s warm, they sound huge; give them a stadium and strong voice a firmer base from which to soar, they’d fill it with sound. Vocalist Lee Alder’s while Pete’s voice works better as a back-up. soft Jeff Buckley-style vocals will inevitably Perhaps the problem lies with the band’s draw comparisons with Coldplay and Keane, individual strengths as musicians: it’s only and it’s a crowded market place they’re moving when they sound like they’re not afraid to let into, but ‘Standing In The Right Place’ also go of their tight grip on arrangements and hints at Belarus’ more rockist edge, closer to maybe make mistakes that their spirit really Feeder at times. blossoms. The song billows up from its slight, acoustic Dale Kattack beginnings to a bombastic finale and a life on the big stage seems certain. Better still, they’ve got about half a dozen songs in their set that dwarf BLUE KITE this. ‘Ways Of Knowing’ BELARUS Dale Kattack (Own Label) ‘Standing In The Right After recruiting local chanteuse Kate Garrett Place’ into their ranks, Blue Kite released their third, and best, album last year, ‘Resolution’, a (Precious) complex, carefully crafted amalgam of gothic Having started life as Spacehopper, wowing us pop, acid-folk and jazz rock. Reports from the with the understated grandeur of debut single band themselves suggest Kate may be on her ‘Silent Film’, as well as some seriously way out of the band, which will become a more stadium-sized gigs around local venues, studio-bound project. That would be a shame including one for Nightshift’s 100th issue because if this latest EP proves anything, it’s celebrations back in 2003, Belarus have been that Kate really is their secret weapon. Pete quietly busy getting ready to be properly huge. Lock’s reedy voice can’t quite stamp its To wit, they’ve been snapped up by manager authority on ‘Ways Of Knowing’, relying on Andy Ross (who started Food Records and Kate’s hushed backing vocals to lend it strength. discovered Blur), and this first single under their The song itself wants to be a carefree jazz-pop new guise is produced with an elegant touch by gig guide

WEDNESDAY 1st SATURDAY 4th DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC NIGHT: FEBRUARY BE YOUR OWN PET: The Zodiac (upstairs) Far From The Madding Crowd – Ebullient Texan garage rockers – see main OXFORD IMPROVISORS: The Port Crowd – With blues duo Chico & The Man. preview Mahon LETZ ZEP: The Zodiac – Led Zeppelin JR EWING + BLOODROSES + FROM THE IMSOC BATTLE OF THE BANDS: The tribute. Perhaps unsurprisingly. ASHES + ESCAPE ROUTE PATTERN: The Wheatsheaf PORT MAYHEM with THE DHARMA + Zodiac (downstairs) – Norwegian progressive PHONIK SESSIONS: The Cellar – Live NICHOLAS + SYLVIA: The Port Mahon – punk cult stars make their Oxford debut, funk jam session. Psychedelic funk rock with touches of The following on from their All Tomorrow’s Parties FOLK SESSION: The Exeter Hall, Cowley Doors and Pink Floyd from The Dharma. showing, where they appeared at the request of THURSDAY 2 nd POLAR REMOTE + GLOW: The Cellar – kindred spirits The Mars Volta. Support comes DELICIOUS MUSIC JAZZ, BLUES & Sweeping, epic indie rocking from Reading’s from local screamo newcomers Bloodroses, plus FOLK NIGHT: Far From The Madding Polar Remote, plus glitchy electro-pop from post-rockers ERP. Glow. AND NO STAR + ALLY CRAIG + JAMIE TRUE RUMOUR: The Exeter Hall, Cowley HYATT + CHRIS BEARD: The Exeter Hall, th Saturday 4 – Mellow, 80s-styled pop. Cowley – Wantage post-rockers ANS headline SUGAR MONKEY: The Bullingdon – with support from promising singer-songwriter BE YOUR OWN PET: Touring indie rockers. Ally Craig, plus Family Machine’s Jamie The Zodiac JAZZ NIGHT: The City Tavern Hyatt and Harry Angel frontman Chris CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Beard. Ever more dangerous times, these, for young Community Centre – Weekly all-comers THE G’s + SHE CRIES + MARS bands hoping to make their own little way in music, poetry and performance art club. RYNEARSON: The City Tavern – Local life. Teenage DIY punkers Be Your Own BARCODE TRIO: The Hollybush, Osney – bands showcase featuring promising newcomers Pet, all sweet 17 and used to producing lo-fi Weekly ‘energy jazz’ residency. She Cries, leaning towards the mellower side of punk rock singles with hand-drawn sleeves SKYLARKIN: The Brickworks – Weekly Led Zep, plus Moocher frontman Mars. in their Nashville basement, suddenly find dose of reggae, funk, ska, Afrobeat and Latin. SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house themselves swept up in a particularly SABOTAGE: The Zodiac – Weekly rock club club night frenzied A&R scramble after wowing all and night from The Club That Cannot Be Named AMYAS MERIVALE: The Port Mahon sundry at the South By Southwest and CMJ playing the latest metal, hardcore and indie PETE & JAMES: Magic Café (1pm) music conferences. Suddenly they’re The sounds. th New Yeah Yeah Yeahs and signed to XL SUNDAY 5 rd Records, home to The White Stripes. It’s FRIDAY 3 DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC unusual for an American band to get this KLUB KAKOFANNEY with THE SESSION: The Old School House treatment so quickly, but the band’s EVENINGS + BARRY & THE ELECTRIC JAM: The Exeter Hall, Cowley youthful exuberance seems set to carry them BEACHCOMBERS + MARY’S GARDEN + – Jam along with the in-house rhythm section; along while they fully hone their sound – a RISING DRAGON: The Wheatsheaf – Top all musicians welcome. sound that takes in the likes of Sonic Youth, dollar local bill at tonight’s Klub Kak, with off- FEVER PITCH: The Black Horse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pixies, Life Without kilter synth-rockers The Evenings headlining. Kidlington th Buildings and – oh yes – Bis along the way. Madcap punk jokers Barry & The MONDAY 6 Chaotically melodic, their main focal point is Beachcombers continue to dig up strange KENT DUCHAINE: The Bullingdon – vivacious blonde singer Jemina Pearl, a lass artefacts from their warped little world, while Return of the long time blues favourite and full of squealing, cartoonish vitriol who darkly-tinged rock newcomers Mary’s Garden former partner of the late Johnny Shines, Kent occasionally reminds you of Kathleen find a splendid middle ground between Sinead Duchaine, singer and slide guitarist out of Hanna. With early singles ‘Damn Damn O’Connor and The Mission. Minnesota, playing traditional Delta blues in Leash’ and ‘Fire Department’ already HAMMER Vs THE SNAKE + ZERO POINT becoming collectors items, the band release FIELD + ACCIDENTALLY INNOCENT + their latest offering, ‘Let’s Get Sandy’ this THE GULLIVERS: The Zodiac (downstairs) – month with their debut album due soon. Eclectic local bands showcase. Expect music press overload any day. SKYLARKIN with THE NINE-TON PEANUT SMUGGLERS: The Zodiac (upstairs) – Authentic old school ska and soul from Sir Bald Diddley’s Peanut Smugglers at tonight’s Skylarkin’ extravaganza, while Ska Cubano’s Natty Bo, Aidan Larkin and Jason King spin ska, reggae and r’n’b sounds. OXFORD FOLK CLUB OPEN NIGHT: The Port Mahon BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Live jazz dance and urban Brazilica with Sirus B. ACOUSTIC NIGHT: The Victoria, Jericho KING B: The Exeter Hall, Cowley – Live blues with singer Claire Johnson. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC SESSION: The BLUNTED: The Cellar – Funk, soul and Hobgoblin, Bicester breakbeats club night. CHIARINA: Café Rouge – Weekly acoustic ACOUSTIC NIGHT: The Victoria, Jericho jazz, folk and pop residency. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon WEDNESDAY 8 th SATURDAY 11th HITECHJET + THE ONCE OVER TWICE: BELARUS + A SILENT FILM + 100 The Bullingdon – Boisterous but melodic BULLETS BACK + WHERE I’M CALLING punk-metal from Hitechjet in a Wildhearts vein, FROM: The Zodiac – The first live broadcast plus infectious hardcore noise from The Once gig from BBC Radio Oxford’s Download local Over Twice. music show. Belarus, who release their debut DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC NIGHT: single on Precious Records this month, headline, Monday 13th Far From The Madding Crowd bringing a bit of epic indie rocking to the HIT & RUN: The Cellar – Drum&bass and Zodiac, while A Silent Film are equally JACK ROSE / hip hop club night. impressive with their emotive and complex FOLK SESSION: The Exeter Hall, Cowley rock. 100 Bullets Back mix up 80s synth-pop CHRIS CORSANO / IMSOC BATTLE OF THE BANDS: The LAST OF THE REAL Wheatsheaf THURSDAY 9 th Tuesday 14th HARDMEN: AGENT BLUE + HALF RABBITS + JULIAN COPE: The Port Mahon HARLETTE: The Zodiac – Glam-tinged indie punkers out of Stoke, slowly but surely making The Zodiac And just to prove that acoustic nights don’t their way to the top of the pile with a new Eccentric genius might be an overused term have to be an endless succession of dull album, ‘Stolen Honda Vision’, for Fierce Panda Dylan wannabes, here are three of the but Julian Cope is one person it can be after a failed dalliance with Universal. Big applied to without a hint of embarrassment. scene’s more idiosyncratic performers. Jack favourites with Babyshambles, but don’t hold Rose is better known as guitarist with From the sublime synth-soul pop of that against them. Local supports come from Teardrop Explodes, through the spaced-out psychedelic drone-rock band Pelt, but his new wavers Half Rabbits and grungey punklets solo material, as shown on recent album, brilliance of solo albums like ‘World Shut Harlette. Your Mouth and ‘Peggy Suicide’, to the ‘Opium Musick’, is a far gentler beast, MULES + NATIONAL SNACK + harking right back to pre-war American wilful nihilism of his Brain Donor project, WITCHES: The Cellar – Oddly-shaped Cope has been both prolific and blues, ragtime, Appalachian mountain folk rockabilly-cum-punk noise from Nightshift tips and Indian temple music. Rose plays in the consistently inventive. A prodigious Mules, coming on somewhere between Talking consumer of hallucinogenic drugs, but also style of John Fahey and Blind Willie Heads and The Meteors, with a polka edge. Johnson, whose ‘Dark Was The Night, Cold an intelligent and articulate author of books Zappa and Primus-influenced jazz rocking from on krautrock and ancient stone circles; a Was The Ground’ he radically reworked, and National Snack, plus understated orchestral has succeeded in taking acoustic folk music songwriter with few equals over the past 25 electro-pop from Witches. years, but also a chaotic performer, one of right back to its most basic form, while DELICIOUS MUSIC JAZZ, BLUES & keeping it fresh. Contrasting with him is the most fascinating things about Julian FOLK NIGHT: Far From The Madding Cope is guessing which one will turn up to drummer Chris Cosano who plays dynamic Crowd – Featuring Jazz duo Viente Dedos. and inventive rock and jazz solo sets and has play on any given night. His last visit to the JOHN THOMPSON + OSPREY + BOB & Zodiac, two years ago, was a solo affair that played with Thurston Moore and Jim CLAIRE LLOYD + ADY DAVEY: The Exeter O’Rourke, while Last Of The Real Hardmen exposed his most esoteric side, but tonight’s Hall, Cowley – Local acoustic showcase. show features a full band, including is the solo project of Lords guitarist Chris JAZZ NIGHT: The City Tavern Summerlin, like Rose, taking a more serene sometime Spiritualized guitarist Doggen. PEACH & NAT + DAN AUSTIN + NICK He’ll be promoting most recent album, path from his band job, with a style more MAKE THEATRE: The Port Mahon akin to Ry Cooder or Dave Pajo. ‘Dark Orgasm’, inspired both by CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford humankind’s alienation from an increasingly Community Centre the style of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson technological world, the oppression of BARCODE TRIO: The Hollybush, Osney religion and the Iraq war, as well as by his and Lightning Hopkins on his trusted SKYLARKIN: The Brickworks Leadbessy National steel guitar. return to psychedelic drug intake. With it SABOTAGE: The Zodiac he’s back on rocking form and remains an IDIOT PILOT + THE SEAL CUB FRIDAY 10th CLUBBING CLUB: The Zodiac – Another unmissable live spectacle. THE KOOKS + THE AUTOMATIC: The chance to catch the much-vaunted Washington Zodiac – Brighton-based poster boys for the State duo, finding some middle ground between new wave of British indie rock. Which roughly Deftones, Aphex Twin and Radiohead, plus translates as, they sound a bit like The support from offbeat Wirral newcomers The Libertines and Razorlight. Don’t get too excited Seal Cub Clubbing Club. at the back. Any road, it’s already sold out so FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS DJs: The Zodiac what harm can we do? – FLC frontman Huey and long-term DJ SEXTODECIMO + SOW + partner Mateo play a selection of hip hop, rock SKULLTHRASH: The Wheatsheaf – None- and party tunes into the wee small hours. more-heavy night of uber-metal with sonic th TUESDAY 7 carnage incarnate Sextodecimo pitting their OPEN MIC SESSION: The Exeter Hall, sludgy grindcore up against raging metalcore Cowley tyrants Sow. JAZZ CLUB with ROGER INNES: The OXFORD FOLK CLUB with BRIAN Bullingdon PETERS & GORDON TYRRALL: The Port DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC JAM Mahon – Traditional English folk featuring SESSION: The City Tavern flute, guitar and accordion. BEARD MUSEUM with CHRIS BEARD: Ba GOODFELLAZ: The City Tavern – Good- Ba, Cowley Road – The Harry Angel frontman time party tunes. does his solo acoustic thing at tonight’s Beard MIKE ELLIS BLUES BAND: The Exeter Museum excursion to the Cowley Road. Hall, Cowley new album, ‘The Night Don Benito Saved My OPEN MIC SESSION: The Exeter Hall, Life’. Taut, angular hardcore noise that mixes Cowley Fugazi’s propulsive dynamics with a jerky JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY Devo edge and a goodly side order of primordial QUINTET: The Bullingdon rage. DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC JAM PORKER: The Port Mahon SESSION: The City Tavern TOUNSI + RAGGASAURUS: The Exeter DELICIOUS MUSIC VALENTINES NIGHT Hall, Cowley – Exotic world dance sounds LOVE-IN: Far From The Madding Crowd from Tounsi. INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth and COALTION: The Bullingdon industrial club night. JONNY FLETCHER: Magic Café (1pm) CHIARINA: Café Rouge SUNDAY 12th WEDNESDAY 15th Friday 17th THE BEARD MUSEUM with EARNEST DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC NIGHT: COX + SHUYTER JANSEN + NAAMA HILL Far From The Madding Crowd COLDCUT: The Zodiac MAN + CHANTELLE PIKE: The Purple FOLK SESSION: The Exeter Hall, Cowley Despite being one of the most influential and Turtle – Gloucestershire’s finest pop eccentrics IMSOC BATTLE OF THE BANDS: The innovative acts of the past 20 years, Coldcut headline tonight’s Beard Museum night, mixing Wheatsheaf remain an elusive and maverick presence on up Go-Betweens style sunshine melodies with THURSDAY 16th the underground music scene. DJ duo Matt more esoteric synth-rock noise. THE PADDINGTONS: The Zodiac (upstairs) Black and Jonathan Moore came together at AUDIO POLLUTION + GLENDA HUISH + – Shambolic teen punkers making inexplicable (the then still pirate station ) Kiss in the NAT & PEACH: The Exeter Hall, Cowley – rise through the Brit indie ranks. mid-80s but quickly earned a reputation as Fundraiser for the Wittstock music festival. REGINA SPEKTOR: The Zodiac one of the most influential remix teams on DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC (downstairs) – Kooky, arty jazz-folk the planet – notably their reworking of Eric SESSION: The Old School House strangeness from New York’s Moscow-born B & Rakim’s classic ‘Paid In Full’ – as well SALSANEROS: The Cellar – Live salsa. songstress Regina, virtually unknown on this as pioneers of cut-up technique and the SCOOBY DON’T: The Black Horse, incorporation of multi-media into their live Kidlington th shows and releases. The duo also helped MONDAY 13th Saturday 18 launch the careers of Lisa Stansfield (on CARVIN JONES: The Bullingdon – ‘People Hold On’) and Yazz (as part of the KOMA & BONES: Flamboyant Phoenix-based electric blues-rock Plastic Population), and started up Ninja guitarist very much in the Jimi Hendrix vein, The Cellar Tune Records, but it’s for their highly drawing praise from the likes of Eric Clapton innovative melding of hip hop, electro, The Cellar spent much of last year quietly and Albert Collins, kicking out covers of sampling and video manipulation, as well as becoming the best place to catch Hendrix, Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan their fervent pursuit of the DIY ethic that underground dance acts and DJs on the way amongst others. has made them the force they are today, up and tonight’s appearance by Koma & HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW + FASTLANE + forever remaining on the cutting edge of Bones can only enhance the venue’s CHINESE FINGERTRAP: The Zodiac – music and video technology. Coldcut have reputation. The Lancaster-based trio (that’s One-off headline date for the New Jersey taken William Burrough’s cut-up technique, former DJing partnership Koma and Bones Drive-Thru emo rockers in between tour dates Throbbing Gristle’s fake corporate and DIY – Andy and Chris to their mums – and bass supporting Simple Plan, keeping it fast and marketing and Grandmaster Flash’s producer Proteus – Jude to his mum) are simple and looking at the dark side of life with groundbreaking hip hop and created currently enjoying a meteoric rise on the new album, ‘Life In Dreaming’. Promising local something unique. Tonight’s show, breakbeat scene with their heavyweight hardcore rockers Chinese Finger Trap support. promoting new album ‘Soundmirrors’ should style that makes the crossover into house JACK ROSE + CHRIS CORSANO + LAST be a unique experience, and afterwards you and electro. As well as releasing records for OF THE REAL HARDMEN: The Port can stay for Peepshow, Oxford’s premier Doriga and Freakaboom Records, they’ve multi-media dance club that probably owes Mahon – Bare-bones blues and Mountain folk been signed to TCR, the label run by house its entire existence to Coldcut’s pioneering from the sometime Pelt guitarist – see main luminary Rennie Pilgrem. The result has work. preview been two albums, a fresh-sounding but MAIRE Ni CHATHASAIGH & CHRIS primitive debut, ‘Blinded By Science’, and with a bit of Franz Ferdinand post-punk. NEWMAN: Nettlebed Folk Club – Maire, the more expansive and realised follow-up, Newcomers WICF continue to promise great rated as the greatest living Celtic harpist, teams ‘Shutterspeed’, which not only proved to be things with their oddball mix of new wave and up with acclaimed acoustic guitarist Chris for a a formidable mix of sharp, skippy sonics, th alt.country. night of 17 Century jigs and reels and modern meaty electro, grainy synths and weighty METRONOMY: The Cellar – More quality folk song. breakbeats, but also showcased their ability underground electro noise down at the Cellar STACKS OF SOUL: The New Theatre – to move from pure dancefloor into more with the visit of Brighton’s Metronomy – aka Classic hits-themed soul review. song-based material – perhaps not so th former rock drummer Joseph Mount. Armed TUESDAY 14 surprising for a band as in thrall to with an out of date computer and a drum JULIAN COPE + NOUGHT: The Zodiac Radiohead and Joy Division as they are to machine, he’s drawing on influences as diverse (upstairs) – Return of the artist formerly the likes of Mantronix. They’ve also made their name remixing New Order and Kosheen as Devo, Zappa, NERD and The Ramones to known as My Sqwubbsy in full rocking style. and tonight will probably be the last chance create lo-fi electro-punk noise that captures the Oxford’s magnificent jazzcore heroes support – to catch them in such intimate surroundings. spirit of primitive 70s synth-pop, along with see main preview rudimentary rockabilly and ambient electronic MORNING RUNNER: The Zodiac music. (downstairs) – Coldplay… Keane… Athlete… FOXES + THREE SECOND MEMORY + Morning Runner. Gonna be huge, don’t you THE YUKONS: The City Tavern – Local doubt it for a minute. bands showcase. TWIZZ TWANGLE + GLENDA HUISH + THIS AIN’T VEGAS + THAT FUCKING JEREMY HUGHES: The Port Mahon – Off- TANK + OCTOBER ALL OVER: The kilter electro-pop and general rock mayhem Wheatsheaf – Sunderland’s finest return to from Twizz, plus sometime Phyal frontwoman Vacuous Pop’s live music club night, touting Glenda Huish. BARCODE TRIO: The Hollybush, Osney SKYLARKIN: The Brickworks SABOTAGE: The Zodiac FRIDAY 17th COLDCUT: The Zodiac – Groundbreaking electro duo – see main preview OXFORD FOLK CLUB with MARTYN WYNDHAM-READ: The Port Mahon – Laid-back songs and stories from the Australian singer and guitarist. CHRIS BROKAW + GET CAPE, Monday 20th WEAR CAPE, FLY + SCARECROWS + THE JESUS INFADELS: YEARS: The Wheatsheaf – Singer- The Zodiac songwriter Chris has played with Come, Codeine and Evan Dando in Dance-rock crossover? It usually means an his time as well as his own band but ill-fitting mess of self-consciously hip tonight is a solo set in support of his reference points and fails to satisfy on both new album on Mogwai’s Rock counts. But when it does work, you’re onto Action label. London acoustic-electro a winner. And East London’s Infadels could maverick Get Cape supports, be this year’s surprise breakthrough act, alongside Worcester’s Tortoise- having played a blinder on the John Peel influenced jazzers Scarecrows and Stage at Glastonbury last year, as well as Derby’s post-hardcore supporting Faithless and the like-minded instrumentalists The Jesus Years. Radio 4 on tour. The band’s debut album, HEADCOUNT + BEELZEBOZO + ‘We Are Not The Infadels’, shows off a JUNKIE BRUSH: The Exeter band possessed of both a melodic punky Hall, Cowley – Heavyweight St swagger, and the requisite big beats. Echoes Valentines-themed gig with local of both The Clash and Chemical Brothers punk-metal titans Headcount going put Infadels in the same ballpark as Hard-Fi, head to head with doomy metallers but with their laidback trancy vibe and Beelzebozo and frenetic new wave cockney geezer vocals, they might even be terriers Junkie Brush in the ultimate the reincarnation of Flowered Up. The lovers tiff. band’s live shows come replete with smiley ACOUSTIC NIGHT: The faces on sticks and a come-together clarion Victoria, Jericho call. So, are you ready for another Acid BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – House-fuelled summer of love? You might Afro dance, jazz, Cuban funk and just get one whatever. reggae fusion with Sa-Mon-Di. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The side of the Atlantic but having made her Bullingdon reputation by word of mouth Stateside THE PETE FRYER BAND: The with a trio of acclaimed albums as well as a Magdalen Arms The Charisma Bar tour support to The Strokes in 2003. A SATURDAY 18th Upstairs @ The City Tavern new compilation album is released this THE YOUNG KNIVES: The Zodiac GOODFELLAZ month to introduce her to British music (upstairs) – Home-town show for Valentines gig. Friday 10th. fans, showing off her contorting vocal Oxford’s brightest rock stars – see main style as well as her gypsy folk, avant-jazz interview feature Party rock with lots of energy… these guys really will have you dancing on the tables! Doors open 8.30pm, £4 entry. and grungy pop musical leanings. IONICA + SYLOSIS: The Zodiac NAPOLEON III + JEREMY SMOKING (downstairs) – Double bill of local DELICIOUS MUSIC AND UP’N’COMING JACKET: The Cellar – Lo-fi abstract hardcore metal. ENTERTAINMENT EVERY SATURDAY laptop and guitar pop from Napoleon III, KOMA & BONES: The Cellar – Fast- Oxford’s finest up and coming bands live every week! plus excellent oddball experimental rising stars of breakbeat – see main 4th The G’s + She Cries + tba th electronic noise from Rose Kemp’s Jeremy preview 11 Foxes + Three Second Memory + The Yukons Smoking Jacket project, coming on 18th Delphi City + Arctic Wolf + The Divinity School SWAY: The Coven – Rising star of UK 25th Kaned Citizen + Mr Fogg + tba somewhere between Flux and Pram. hip hop plugs his debut album, ‘This Is Doors 8pm, £4 entry or 3 persons for £10 AGENTS OF JANE: The Exeter Hall, My Demo’, following on from tour Cowley support to Dizzee Rascal DELICIOUS MUSIC GREEN SPACE: The Bullingdon – Live DELPHI + ARCTIC WOLF + DIVINITY Open Mic Jam Night Every Tuesday rock. SCHOOL: The City Tavern – Local If you want to play just turn up early and get your THE EPSTEIN: The Port Mahon – bands night, including funk rockers Arctic name on the list. Doors open 8.30pm, £2 entry fee, Country rocking in a Flying Burrito Wolf. £1 for artists. Brothers style. ASSASSINS OF SILENCE + THE JAZZ NIGHT EVERY THURSDAY DELICIOUS MUSIC JAZZ, BLUES & MOOD DOOR: The Exeter Hall, Jazz night with Oxford University’s finest, everyone FOLK NIGHT: Far From The Madding Cowley – Hawkwind tribute. welcome. Doors open 8pm. Small fee occasionally Crowd – With ukulele duo The Yukons. TARNISH: The Port Mahon – Gothic when guest musicians are playing. JAZZ NIGHT: The City Tavern synth-rock. The Charisma Bar, upstairs @ The City Tavern, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford THE CLIFFHANGERS + DEADZILLA: 8 Market Street, Oxford Community Centre The Wheatsheaf – Long overdue farewell Phone: 01865 248388. Email: [email protected] singing keyboardist Tony Amato, a veteran of JAZZ NIGHT: The City Tavern the Asbury Park music scene since the 1970s. NICHOLAS LYNE + LAIMA BITE + JAMIE Muscular r’n’b, rocking blues and barroom HUDDLESTON: The Exeter Hall, Cowley – boogie in the vein of Springsteen, Nils Lofgren Local acoustic showcase. and Southside Johnny. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford BOB FOX: Nettlebed Folk Club – The Community Centre amiable English folk singer does his trad thing. BARCODE TRIO: The Hollybush, Osney TUESDAY 21st SKYLARKIN: The Brickworks JOSEPH ARTHUR: The Zodiac – Much- SABOTAGE: The Zodiac th vaunted singer-songwriter- see main preview FRIDAY 24 OPEN MIC SESSION: The Exeter Hall, GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with Cowley UNDER THE IGLOO + SCRIPT + JAZZ CLUB with PADDY MILNER: The HARVEY: The Zodiac – Ambient electro- Bullingdon – The UK jazz piano virtuoso rocking from Under The Igloo, promoting recent guests at the Bully’s weekly jazz club, mixing debut album, ‘Circlesend’, at tonight’s GTI, up blues, jazz and boogie woogie. with support from eclectic local popstrels Tuesday 21st SHUYLER JANSEN: The Port Mahon Script, plus Fairport and Nick Drake-influenced DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC JAM folk-rock from Wiltshire’s Harvey. JOSEPH ARTHUR: SESSION: The City Tavern ALMANDINO QUITE DELUX + HARRY CHIARINA: Café Rouge ANGEL + HARLETTE: The Wheatsheaf – The Zodiac WEDNESDAY 22nd Spazz-jazz rockabilly action, Italian style – see Discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-90s SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN + main preview and signed to his Realworld label, Ohio HUSH ARBORS: The Port Mahon – More UNITING THE ELEMENTS + MARY’S songsmith Joseph Arthur is another of those esoteric sounds courtesy of Vacuous Pop GARDEN: The Exeter Hall, Cowley – Ever- artists for whom widespread critical acclaim Records, tonight featuring Boston beardy touring melodic German rockers return, with (a Rolling Stone album of the year) as well Sunburned Hand Of The Man, aka Jon Maloney, support from gothic rockers Mary’s Garden. as celebrity endorsement (REM and Wilco prolific but inconsistent purveyor of ghostly free are also huge fans) has never translated into jazz, space rock drones and ethereal folk ballads. Friday 24th commercial success. His debut album, ‘Big Support comes from Missouri’s Hush Arbors, City Streets’ virtually disappeared on aka Keith Woods, solo acoustic performer in a ALMANDINO QUITE release and by the time he relocated to New blissful forest folk tradition. Orleans to record his last album, 2004’s DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC NIGHT: DELUX / HARRY ‘Our Shadows Will Remain’ Arthur has lost Far From The Madding Crowd both his record deal and his manager. Still, all FOLK SESSION: The Exeter Hall, Cowley ANGEL / HUNTING fuel to the fire because, get past the DOUGHNUT KINGS: The Bullingdon LODGE / HARLETTE: occasional pseudo-Buddhist mysticism, and HIT & RUN: The Cellar he’s an occasionally visionary writer and IMSOC BATTLE OF THE BANDS: The The Wheatsheaf performer, forever injecting global influences Wheatsheaf Forever conscientiously scouring the globe into his intense brand of country rock. THURSDAY 23rd Musically he mixes up eerie atmospherics, for crazy rock and roll sounds, this month STELLARSTARR*: The Zodiac (upstairs) – repeated phrases and dense washes of Oxfordbands.com unearths some serious Return of New York City’s rising stars, effects, while vocally he shifts between swampabilly gothic rocking from Italy in the following in the slipstream of Killers and baritone and shrieking falsetto, owing as big shape of Almandino Quite Delux, a band Editors, promoting rather ace new album, a debt to the likes of Bowie and Barry prone to taking to the stage dressed in ‘Harmonies For The Haunted’: new wave with Adamson as he does to the master of Mexican wrestling outfits while riding epic scope and some theatrical bent, inspired by morose, Leonard Cohen or Jeff Buckley. kiddies bikes. Theirs is a female-fronted The Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs and Teardrop form of high-wired, spasticated blues and gig from the theatrical local rockers. Explodes. rock’n’roll that owes plenty to Pussy JUNKIE BRUSH + EXP + NARCISSISM: JOHNNY TRUANT + WATERDOWN: The Galore, The Cramps and Captain Beefheart, The Mill, Banbury – Spiky new wave and Zodiac (downstairs) – Return trip to the Zodiac while remaining cartoonishly fun at heart. punk racket from Junkie Brush, plus proggy for Brighton’s heavyweights, currently scaring It’s the essence of rock music deconstructed, hardcore from Narcissism. emo crowds with their metalcore racket and set stripped bare and played good and loud, SIMPLE: The Bullingdon to release new album, ‘In The Library Of much in the same manner as Guitar Wolf; no LES CLOCHARDS: The Chester Arms – Horrific Events’ this month, produced by place for fiddly guitar solos tonight, kids. Louche ballads in French, English and Spanish. Killswitch Engaged’s Adam D. Support comes Joining them on a bill of seriously good new JON-PAUL DAVIES: Magic Café (1pm) from Germany’s Waterdown, last seen at the talent are local favourites Harry Angel – last th Zodiac headlining over Funeral For A Friend. month’s Nightshift cover stars with their SUNDAY 19 DJ DEREK: The Zodiac (downstairs) – The intense gothic rock attack, plus convoluted, THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO: The Zodiac Bristolian ska DJ launches his new ‘Sweet jazz-sprinkled metallic mayhem from – Lo-fi pop duo already being touted as the new Memory Sounds’ album on Trojan Records. Bristol’s Hunting Lodge, and effervescent Badly Drawn Boy, writing plaintive love songs HELLSETT ORCHESTRA + UTER + grunge-punk lasses Harlette. with nods to Teenage Fanclub and Blur, fresh ECONOLINE: The Cellar – More camp from supporting James Blunt on tour. gothic cabaret from Nottingham’s Hellsett DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC Orchestra, at turns operatic, theatrical and SESSION: The Old School House farcical with their jazz-flavoured, organ-led ELECTRIC JAM: The Exeter Hall, Cowley Hammer Horror pop, partway between The NATION: The Black Horse, Kidlington Cardiacs and Zutons. Glasgow’s lo-fi electronic th MONDAY 20 pop trio Uter support, along with long-standing INFADELS: The Zodiac – Infectious rock- underground indie tryers Econoline. dance crossover starlets – see main preview DELICIOUS MUSIC JAZZ, BLUES & BOCCIGALUPE & THE BAD BOYS: The FOLK NIGHT: Far From The Madding Bullingdon – New Jersey rockers fronted by Crowd – Featuring Jazz Emporium. OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon SUNDAY 26th THE DRIFTERS: The New Theatre – Easy ACOUSTIC NIGHT: The Victoria, Jericho AND NO STAR + MEET ME IN ST LOUIS soul legends. HQ: The Cellar + WAIT FOR CONISTON + THE VANITY DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon SCORE + FROM THE ASHES + MORE: SESSION: The Old School House PETE FRYER + PHIL FREIZINGER & SUE The Exeter Hall (5pm) – Extended bill of rock SALSANEROS: The Cellar SMITH: The Chester Arms noise at the Ex with promising young Wantage BIG EYED FISH: The Black Horse, th SATURDAY 25 instrumental post-rockers And No Star Kidlington th LOUIS XIV: The Zodiac (upstairs) – San headlining. There’s also spasticated post- MONDAY 27 Diego glam-rockers, resurrecting the ghosts of hardcore from Meet Me In St Louis, intricate CONNIE LUSH & BLUES SHOUTER: The T-Rex and Ziggy Stardust with their post-rock from Wait For Coniston, emo in a Bullingdon – Powerful blues singing from eponymous debut concept album about a boy Taking Back Sunday vein from The Vanity Monday night blues favourite Connie, regularly who believes he is the 18th Century French king Score and melodic metal from Coventry’s From voted best female blues singer in the UK. of the same name. Takes all sorts. The Ashes, plus more bands to be added. CHRIS & KELLY WHILE: Nettlebed Folk WOLF MOTHER: The Zodiac (downstairs) – THE KEYBOARD CHOIR + MICHAEL & Club – Mother and daughter folk duo. It’s time to ROCK! Australia’s hottest new LUCY WRIGHT + REBECCA MOSELEY: TUESDAY 28th guitarslingers make like the last 30 never The Port Mahon (5pm) – The second Pindrop CALIBAN: The Zodiac – German metalcore happened, crunching through the Led Zep, Productions session finds local synth orchestra heroes and recent tour support to Hatebreed, Sabbath and Hendrix riffs with admirable The Keyboard Choir playing a specially- back to promote new album, ‘The Undying aplomb and taking their heavy rocking sound on composed piece, inspired by Steve Reich and Darkness’ on Roadrunner Records. an epic psychedelic trip on the back of sky- Brian Eno. Support comes from vocal and THE OSMONDS: The New Theatre – reaching organ solos and extended guitar solos. Jewish harp duo Michael and Lucy Wright, Donny, Jimmy, Merrill, Jay and Dave return to They’re about a fingernail’s width away from plus local songstress Rebecca Moseley. the UK for a headline tour after last year’s being Spinal Tap and as such are to be heartily THE RIFLES + MILBURN: The Zodiac – package tour alongside The Bay City Rollers encouraged. Mod revivalism from Jam-indebted rockers The and David Essex, and bizarrely finding RESERVOIR CATS: The Exeter Hall, Rifles. Considerably more exciting support themselves undergoing a critical reappraisal Cowley – Party-friendly heavy blues rockers. from Sheffield’s Milburn, recent tourmates with after all but disappearing from view having sold MR FOGG + KANED CITIZEN + THE kindred spirits Arctic Monkeys, replete with nearly 80,000,000 records in the 70s. All the TURBULENCE: The City Tavern – Local witty, acerbic lyrics and hook-heavy punked-up hits, teeth and more from the men in white. bands showcase night. pop anthems like cracking recent single, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Exeter Hall, AMBERSTATE: The Port Mahon ‘Showroom’. Expect big things very soon after Cowley ROLLERCOASTER Vs CHICKS WITH a series of riotous London and hometown gigs. JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY DECKS: The Cellar – Indie, new wave, BEARD MUSEUM with RICHARD QUINTET: The Bullingdon electro and 80s alternative sounds. WALTERS + BAREFOOTIM + MISTER DELICIOUS MUSIC OPEN MIC JAM LES CLOCHARDS: The Flowing Well, LEE: The Purple Turtle – more gentle pop SESSION: The City Tavern Sunningwell thrills at The Beard Museum with ace local VERTIGO: The Cellar – Live bands and indie SEV: Magic Café (1pm) songsmith Richard Walters headlining. hits. thethe portport mmahonahon Live Music in Febuary 1st Oxford Improvisers 2nd Port Mayhem with The Dharma + Nicholas & Sylvia 3rd Oxford Folk Club Open Night 4th Amyas Merivale 9th Peach & Nat, Dan Austin and Nick Make Theatre 10th Oxford Folk Club with Brian Peters & Gordon Tyrall 11th Porker 13th Vacous Pop presents Jack Rose + Chris Corsano + Last Of The Real Hardmen 14th Twizz Twangle + Glenda Huish + Jeremy Hughes 16th The Epstein 17th Oxford Folk Club with Martyn Wynham-Read 18th Tarnish 21st Shuyler Jansen 24th Oxford Folk Club Open Night 25th Amberstate + wRants 26th The Pindrop Performance presents The Keyboard Choir + Michael & Lucy Wright + Rebecca Mosely (5pm)

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BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH The Zodiac On the back of Radio One airplay, and a tour with the Ordinary Boys, Bedouin Soundclash’s first UK headline tour rolls into Oxford and, perhaps surprisingly, to a sold out crowd. Upping their value for money rating, the Soundclash serve as their own support band, simply surrendering the vocals over to Vernon Mayton for some more traditional dub and reggae sounds, which set the tone nicely. Taking a quick break, the band bounce back with ‘Living in Jungles’, one of the livelier tunes from last year’s ‘Sounding a Mosaic’. What should be a fiery opener comes off dimmer than on record, and following it up with ‘Shelter’ the three piece become a two piece as the guitar is lost to technical difficulties which continue, stifling the showcase of new material. While the crowd is happily forgiving, composure isn’t fully recovered until they pick things up with ‘Rude Boys Don’t Cry’ which, given the band’s penchant to throw in covers, disappointingly isn’t a dub take on the Cure classic. Nonetheless we still get Eddie Grant and Sean Penn thrown in and the party picks up with songs like ‘Gyasi Went Home’. This is all well and good, but when their material veers to slower dub grooves, the passion and pounding power that captivates with such music is missing, something that can be sensed in the apparent lack of chemistry between band members. At times it works, as on ‘Shadow’, but it takes crowd pleaser, ‘When The Night Feels My Song’, to give this set a truly happy ending. Strangely it is the encore where Bedouin Soundclash seems to win over the waverers, putting the Clash in Soundclash with a Joe Strummer cover, followed by a stripped-down new song, and an intriguing cover of U2’s ‘New Years Day’, meaning that when the night comes full circle and Mayton returns for the evening’s closer, it’s hard not to crack a smile as crowd and band at last lock into this last groove. Patrick Casey

THE EPSTEIN / THE DHARMA the sunbaked country rock of melodies, drenched in slide guitar Creedence Clearwater Revival, and gorgeous three-part harmonies, The Cellar Crosby Stills Nash & Young and and an odd combination of bluegrass For The Epstein, it’s forever 1969 Californian desert. A confusing and the Byrds in their ‘Sweetheart of and desert music – something like a and lazy days are spent tuning up conflicting supposition that may the Rodeo’ period. Tonight they Zabriskie Point hoedown, if you banjos, wading through the bayou be, but you get the point. They are oscillate between heartfelt, blues- will. Whilst the modern equipment and having cosmic flashes in the firmly and stubbornly in thrall to tinged Gram Parsons-esque the band uses sometimes eclipses the purity of the songwriting, resulting in an unfortunate ‘modern country’ sheen, when The Epstein get it right it’s impossible to deny the charm and warmth exuding from the stage. They could be something special. The Dharma share their blissed- out sense of psychedelic haziness, but dress it up in layers of swooping synthesisers, sound effects, featherlight funk rhythms and oddly soulless vocals, like if Syd Barrett had been replaced early on by Mark Knopfler. Whilst they’re technically flawless – an almost note-for-note ‘Riders On The Storm’ gets heads nodding, for example – they don’t engage. Like a band who have practised and practised but don’t know what they’re aiming for, The Dharma have all kinds of sounds at their disposable but no clue how to organise them into something new. Simon Minter NOVEMBER / THE MONGROLS / SHE CRIES / SILENT ECHOES The City Tavern Four new bands; two electric, two performed. They sound more like a acoustic, two great, two pretty band with years of experience and a shit. A great thing about nights like huge back catalogue, from which this is that you get a snapshot of they’ve picked out the very best for bands in the throes of us. Their demo hasn’t left my development, learning to walk so to machine since. speak. Too many gig lists are On to the full bands now, and The getting clogged up with bands Mongrols look like they’re not used recalling past glories, even if they to being on stage. Enthusiastic and February do keep promoters happy. energetic, they make a lot of noise It’s difficult to say anything but little of it seems to make any Every Monday: positive about Silent Echoes, an sense. They do look good, acoustic three-piece, except that especially the bassist who looks like THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT they exude enthusiasm and seem he’s just arrived from New York, BLUES blissfully unaware of just how 1976. A triumph of style over woeful they are. Too much substance, maybe they just need to The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. £6 plaintive wailing, too little listen to some better bands like… 6th KENT DUCHAINE (USA) attention to song structure. That November are more like it. Sharp, 13th CARVIN JONES (USA) said, many a good band has started tight, controlled, they’ve obviously 20th BOCCIGALUPE & THE BAD BOYS (USA) from a lower point and they get a put a lot of time and effort into 27th CONNIE LUSH & BLUE SHOUTER (UK) better reception than Coldplay did honing their songs and style. at Brookes in 2000. Tipping a nod to US bands like Every Tuesday: She Cries are the diamond in the Dinosaur Jr and The Strokes, mud tonight and another acoustic they’ve already developed a THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB three-piece, who also perform as a refreshingly original set of numbers Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am rock band. From the outset they that could easily get some record 7th ROGER INNES bowl us over with dazzling company cheque books flapping. 14th THE TOM GREY QUINTET maturity and astonishing depth and ‘Sarah’ already sounds better than a 21st PADDY MILNER subtlety. Reminiscent of Led Zep’s lot of the dross currently filling the 28th THE TOM GREY QUINTET acoustic moments, with a hint of airwaves, and they pleasingly defy Nick Drake, they blend perfectly the stereotype of student bands crafted, very British pop melodies being crap. Every Thursday: with clever wordplay, all exquisitely Art Lagun BULLSEYE Student Indie, Festival, Funk (10pm-2am - £2 or free entry with flyer from The City Arms) STINKING LIZAVETA / DEGUELLO The Cellar Every Friday: Deguello are much more than your ENORMOUS riffs as a greyhound BACKROOM BOOGIE average hairy rock band in thrall to is to chase those little metal Funk, soul and R&B. 9-2am Free B4 10pm; £4 after. the lure of distortion. Lurking rabbits. Confusingly labelled as beneath an ostensible shell of post-rock, probably ‘cos, y’know, Every Sunday: bristling hardcore, taking in elements they don’t have a singer and THE CHAPEL - LOCAL BANDS SHOWCASE. of Black Flag’s bullish aggression Chicago’s own Mr Clangy, Steve 8-11pm. £3 and the fuzzed-up sounds of early Albini, recorded them, they owe far Mudhoney, there’s a pretty vicious more to a mute Sabbath or the beast lurking. Passages of repetitive, behemoth doom of Kyuss. For all doomy riffing, locked into place by the ostentatious, wah-drenched Plus loping, circular bass hooks that turn soloing of mad scientist frontman Wed 1st COMEDY CLUB with GLEN WOOL, NICO & in on themselves, escalate into Yanni, it’s the crushing rhythms JOE. Compere Silky (8.30pm; £6.50) trippy, almost Swans-like gravity. supplied by puissant metronome Thu 2nd SUGAR MONKEY plus support (8.30pm; £3) Elsewhere, the addition of a lap Cheshire Agusta that lend followed by Bullseye steel adds the kind of atmospheric coherence to the Lizaveta sound, Sat 4th SIMPLE – Funky House with Justin Robertson (9- aftertouch otherwise picked up by and in short bursts, they’re 2am) Bardo Pond or Skullflower. For absolutely exhilarating. At length, th every moment of faintly however, structural similarities Wed 8 HITECHJET plus ONCE OVER TWICE – Punk, uninvolving, heads-down rocking, across tracks and the same metal and hardcore night (8.30pm) there are at least two of fascinating signature squalling guitar sound Sat 11th COALITION (9-2am) contrast, and the sense that even if throughout don’t do Lizaveta any Wed 15th LIVE BAND NIGHT – call for details they’re not quite the finished favours, lending a sense of Thu 16th GREEN SPACE (8.30pm; £3) followed by product, a lot of the most monotony to the tail end of a forty- Bullseye interesting local noises in 2006 will minute set that would have been Sat 18th SIMPLE – Funky house, residents night (9- be coming out of Camp Deguello. joyously exhausting left at the half- 2am) By contrast, after celebrating their hour mark. More of a short sharp Wed 22nd DOUGHNUT KINGS (8.30pm) tenth anniversary as a band recently, kick in the teeth than a drawn-out, Stinking Lizaveta are a finely-honed brutal mugging, as it were. outfit, as well-bred to churn out Stuart Fowkes SHIRLEY/ THE BROTHERS/ THE THE RELATIONSHIPS / SHAKER HEIGHTS/ BABY GRAVY LES CLOCHARDS The Zodiac The Exeter Hall Young people are great. They have onto the stage in a flurry of mid- Tonight is a night of revelations, a sounding fuller and more rounded such belief that things will work 80s funk rhythms and oodles of time for Oxford’s best kept musical than before, while making it appear out, no matter how implausible it glistening Rhodes, headed by a secrets to be unveiled to a select effortless at the same time. looks. Take teenage band Baby frontman strutting about like a few. That Richard’s lyrical overview of Gravy. They have the youthful fire bantam impersonating John Inman. First of these is what a great little suburban England helps to give the to believe that they can start a six At times it’s somewhat uninspired, venue The Exeter Hall is becoming, band an edge over indie pop piece melding Sexy Breakfast-style but the best tracks sound like The the small room coupled with the contemporaries is known, but prog-pop with dubby bass, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Start Me Up’ minimal PA make for a crisp, fresh tonight it’s the understated beauty Psychedelic Furs’ sax parts and played in the style of Beck’s sound. of Angus Stevenson’s guitar lines vocals in the style of The Slits, and ‘Midnite Vultures’ LP, which is Les Clochards (that’s French for (especially on the twelve string) make it work. Of course it doesn’t something you don’t see everyday. The Tramps) soon achieve the and Tim Turan’s powerful work at all. It sounds like two Shirley’s music is a frightening remarkable feat of making the Ex drumming that drive the band. bands playing two songs at once. mixture of Bryan Adams, Los seem like a Parisian café. The The lilting ‘English Blues’, playful Badly. But sometimes a noble Lobos and McFly with occasional combination of accordion, stand up ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Something Santana guitar solos and fists aloft failure is worth a hundred safe bass, guitar and drums soothes the Strange’ are the pick of the bunch choreography. Risible on paper, successes. Watch out for this lot, atmosphere magically. One of the tonight and the set ends to they could really surprise us. As but in a weird inversion of the biggest compliments you can pay rapturous applause. long as they don’t start taking the Baby Gravy principle, Shirley get Les Clochards is that their own They’re tempted back for what easy route. away with it by putting in the hard numbers sit easily alongside the Richard introduces as “a medley of Much as The Shaker Heights do. work. Thus their songs are works of Kurt Weill and Bertolt songs about long forgotten fifties They could really use some of impeccably arranged, convincingly Brecht. The closing number, one of comedian Brian Wisdom”, which Baby Gravy’s open-minded performed and all a neat two their own compositions, is just translate as new song, ‘Living in a outlook. Their chiming, slightly minutes long, with barely the space beautiful. House with Brian Jones’ and long- drony rock is a bit like early U2 (if for their adulatory fans to catch a The Relationships start their set time live favourite, ‘Wisdom of the you’re being kind) and a bit like breath in between. Four grown men shakily but hit their stride about Ancients’. The Velvet Underground’s ‘Loaded’ throwing shapes and singing about three songs in when Richard ‘Brian Jones’ proves they’ve got (if you’re being saintly). Listening their outlaw status is clearly Ramage’s and Andy Smith’s vocals the songs to carry on where ‘Scene’ to them is like finding a pebble ridiculous, and Shirley’s relentless start to gel nicely. The set draws left off. Time to unlock the secret washed smooth by the sea: chirpiness is guaranteed to make mainly from last year’s ‘Scene’ Oxford. immediately pleasant to the senses, the more straight-faced music fan album and sees the Relationships Russell Barker but ultimately forgettable. physically sick, but I’ll admit they Oxford music is known for many made me grin for 30 minutes. things, but white funk is not one of Which is no mean feat, when you them, which makes The Brothers think about it. REBECCA MOSELY / ALLY CRAIG / an unusual proposition. They burst David Murphy TOM PARNELL The Exeter Hall MY FATHER THE BEAT Tonight’s gig concludes with all style is so unusual half of the three performers sharing the stage, evening is spent trying to work out The City Tavern basking in a mutual respect that is exactly how he plays at all, and Local shoegazing popsters Tiger menace. Still, with its brittle rarely seen outside of folk gigs. then there’s his voice. At its best in Club were just hitting their stride machine beat and unsettling However it’s the individual the quieter moments of the set, his when they split two years ago; atmospherics, courtesy of former performances that really impress, voice is soaked in a gentle warmth Meanwhile, Back In Communist MBICR keyboard player Tim and Tom Parnell commences that calls to mind some of Jeff Russia were at their creative peak Croston, it manages a pleasingly proceedings (he will later appear as Buckley’s most sublime moments. when they dissolved shortly uneasy middle ground between Joy Rebecca Mosely’s cellist) with his You could quite happily listen to afterwards. As such the coming Division and Soft Cell. piano driven ballads. It’s not often him all night long. together of refugees from both MFTB are more at home when that you find the words ‘pedantic’ Similarly, Rebecca Mosely is camps should make for one of the they get a bit baggy and casual, ‘spurious’ or ‘pretentious’ gracing a equally blessed. Hers is a voice that more highly anticipated new bands ‘Bad Green’ following the path of rock band’s lyrics, but here they is dangerously fragile, at times in Oxford this year. ‘Sympathy For Devil in the sullen are in Parnell’s sharp and witty strangely detached and yet Tonight’s gig at Delicious Music’s style of Happy Mondays, while tunes, which appear to be about somehow still steeped in emotion. new City Tavern residency is My their awkward stabs at funk work subjects as diverse as religion and She brings out the best in Father The Beat’s third gig and in a Talking Heads kind of way, VAT. At times he can seem a little accompanist Tom Parnell, whose there’s still plenty of untidiness while forever threatening to lurch po-faced, but when he finds the cello parts are rarely overbearing, about the band to be ironed out, into Heaven 17 territory. More point between parody and self- instead fleshing the songs out and but equally more than enough abstract, almost orchestral importance he is totally engaging. adding a mournful yearning quality. evidence that some of the things instrumental tracks find some Ally Craig also has plenty of songs Despite the sorrowful nature of the that made their previous useful ideas searching for a bit of that are drenched in humour, songs, Mosely often has you incarnations a bit special have made cohesion, but set-closer ‘S.L.A’ is a although more often than not, it’s a dreaming of sun blessed summer the trip with them. Singer James fine old clamour of old Velvet wit that is ever so slightly dark. evenings where beards and thick Robson sometimes has trouble Underground influences with James That said, he still manages to find woollen jumpers are nowhere to be stamping his authority on the finally revealing some timbre in his room for those staples of the folk seen; chilled lager takes precedence moody, rambling tracks, notably voice. They’ve got the pedigree, scene: trains, and Aussie soap over foaming nut brown ale and the synth-heavy ‘Alice’, which My Father The Beat are already opera Neighbours. Whatever his unnecessary stereotyping is a thing cries out for a vocalist of the calibre looking like they can run with it. subject matter, Craig is an of the past. of Grace Jones to infuse with real Victoria Waterfield engrossing performer. His guitar Allin Pratt REBUS / MARY’S GARDEN ACTION AND ACTION / The Cellar MEET ME IN ST LOUIS / The demise of The Factory was while the epic scale of the twin THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS one of last year’s greatest guitar and keyboard wash flows disappointments. The band looked from grandiose folkiness to full-on The Wheatsheaf and sounded so damn near perfect Euro-rock pomp. In these latter If the soulless mediocrity of 21st happy-slapping spree. Both it was almost inevitable they had to moments you can see small cracks Century pop is enough to make Jimi talented and molar-grinding in its implode under the weight of appear: tonight is Mary’s Garden’s Hendix turn in his own vomit, then brattish pugnaciousness. interpersonal friction. second gig and at times they’re still he’d be heartened to know that deep Locals This Town Needs Guns, Singer Laima Bite and guitarist unsure of where to go. For the in the MySpace.com underground may well have started out at the Moty Dimant have emerged from most part though, this is a massif , whole armies of post- same time as Fell City Girl, only to that break up to form Mary’s seductive a journey into the dark hardcore and indiemo guitar bands be left tinkering in the garage and Garden, along with former-Bridge side are cranking their axes up to 11 and coughing in their smoke as FCG frontman Colin MacKinnon, By stark contrast, Reading’s leaving blood on the frets. burned rubber to the horizon. But tonight playing keyboards while Rebus offer competence over Action and Action, the first of like a weighty turbo-charged wearing a rather incongruous magic every time. tonight’s fresh and very high quality Bentley, TTNG are now picking feather boa that makes him look Perhaps they’ve spent too long line-up, batter the Million Dead up a relentless speed, and on the like a bus driver in drag. hanging out with neighbours The legacy with sharp unpredictable evidence of this maturing behemoth The darkly shaded glamour of The Cooper Temple Clause, but rhythms and earwax-melting drums. of a set, by the end of the year Factory has re-emerged with without learning too much along Like Spy Vs Spy moshing with they will be hurtling, brakeless, Mary’s Garden. The band cut an the way. They adopt the Coopers’ Burning Airlines, and a singer who onto everybody’s ‘Best Of’ lists. almost gothic groove – strip away all-out sonic attack tactics but sounds like James Dean Bradfield In doing so the windswept anthems Laima’s voice from a couple of here’s a case of empty vessels fronting Mineral, A&A beggar belief will gradually shed their Radiohead, tracks and you’d find something making the most noise. how hard and tight a band can play Incubus, Sunny Day Real Estate not a million miles away from The Occasionally the antiquated without collapsing. snakeskin for one of even brighter Mission – while songs billow up synthesizer will cut an interesting Surrey’s Meet Me In St Louis originality. Singer Stu Smith’s like storm clouds, Laima’s voice, shape and promise to lift the match them for calamity and refrain Johnny Greenwood-meets-Buddy full of portent, the siren that drives whole affair onto another level, but with a more ‘skinny white Holly lovechild looks will break the them on. but just as quickly it’s back to the boys in tight jackets’ look. “We hearts of the festival girls and boys The opening number sounds like workaday. need to act like we don’t need this and with luck the bassist’s Sinead O’Connor fronting Dead Rebus have named themselves shit, and then they give us this shit moustache will be lying in his Can Dance before it spirals off on a after a Scottish TV sleuth. for free” is a typical dose of their bathroom basin. Dodgy name, very, heroic stadium rock trip. Elsewhere Perhaps they could ask him to theatrical panache caught in the very promising band. the bitter purity of Laima’s voice is investigate where all their tunes whirlwind of a This Ain’t Vegas Paul Carrera undercut by a coyness that recalls have vanished to. Mekons singer Sally Timms, Dale Kattack DR SHOTOVER FRESH OUT OF THE BOX Greets A New Dawn PRESENTS DEVIL’S GUN Top of the morning to you! You’re looking well! The Zodiac So am I, you say? Why, thank’ee sir! Yes, it’s all Fresh Out Of The Box have been and keyboards, a female vocalist wonderfully wonderful, running breakbeat nights at the and a male MC with hair to rival isn’t it? Birds tweet, Cellar in Oxford for about two Afroman. flowers flower etc etc... I years now and tonight marks a A blinding opener ensues with big, even quite like Coldplay’s move up the scale to a big venue. meaty bass, guitar licks to kill for new DVD! (No, all right, You know it’s going to be a good and some excellent percussion that WAS a slightly night when you’re the first one from a guy who seems to have his tasteless joke...). Back on dancing. My head is bobbing as drumsticks in his mouth more than the booze? Yes I am as a soon as I walk upstairs to the in his hand. matter of fact, how astute sounds of some funky old school Although Devil’s Gun manage to of you to notice! What do hip-hop. When The Invisible keep the pace and energy going, I think of the new Man steps up to the turntables the rest of the set lacks the punch government directives he’s set up pretty well to take the they open with, with a lot of the banning Gentlemen’s party further, dropping breakbeat tunes sounding more like Clubs from being for classics like ‘Funk Hits The Fan’ Goldfrapp than the raw breaks Gentlemen only? Doesn’t “Oh yes, Dr S! Is it THIS way to the and a remix of the jungle anthem they’re known for. For me the worry me at all, to be quite billiard room?” ‘Original Nuttah’. party seems at the fullest with frank - this place is full of Next up is the man Soundz, a Fresh Out Of The Box residents, chaps one couldn’t describe as gentlemen, what? “Pikey” Pilkington- wicked producer hooking up with telling us all we should probably Smythe springs directly to mind, as does Lord “Chavvy” some heavy talent at the moment come back next time for a funky Charlesworth... Anyway, I’d be quite happy to see more members of and killing it in the mix every party with these guys. That’s the, ahem, fairer sex around the place... nothing wrong with some time. By now the place is packed what it’s all about: not who’s lightly clad aristocratic totty perched prettily on the leather and the party is alive. playing, but the atmosphere. armchairs, ha ha ha, as long as it’s not Tara Palmer Tompkinson, So cue Devil’s Gun, a six-piece Which was definitely soaring. heaven forfend! What do you mean, have I forgotten something? The production and live outfit We’d recommend FOTB every Oxford music scene, you say...? Maybe next time. comprising a guitarist, time. Roll on Krafty Kuts. Next month: More blushing debutantes percussion, two members samples DJ Indecision DEMOSDEMOSDEMOS If you do not supply us with a proper contact number and address as stated below, we will not review your demo.

DEMO OF JABERWOK www.appletreestudios.com If Oxford can produce a decent hip hop THE MONTH band in Big Speakers, it can sure as heck produce a decent funk band as former Nightshift Demo Of The Monthers ZUBY Jaberwok once again ably prove. As ever, Zuby, or Nzube Udezue to give him his full such music is always best appreciated live name, is a UK-born, Saudi Arabia-raised where the uncomplicated party vibe can be Oxford University student previously infectious, but this five-track demo grabs a educated in an American school in the goodly slice of their live sound and shakes Middle East. During that time he’s its rump for 25 minutes. The main source immersed himself in hip hop and now at 19 of inspiration is still The James Taylor years of age is recording his own songs. Quartet and Isaac Hayes (there’s even a And remarkably accomplished they are track knowingly-titled ‘A Proper Shafting’), too. While Zuby tends very much towards although this new demo is rockier than its the commercial end of US hip hop, and predecessor, leaning far more towards The tends to rap with an Americanised accent Red Hot Chili Peppers (notably the (probably forgivable given his schooling), singer’s Anthony Kiedis-styled rapping), he mostly avoids the gangsta clichés, while the spaced-out ‘Juicebox’ moves keeping the bragging to a minimum on from classic Blaxploitation soundtrack to tracks like ‘Before’, with its slick, almost spacey rock and a breakdown talky bit that jazzy backing that sounds like it was could be Hawkwind at their most stoned recorded and produced somewhere way and cosmic. Mostly Jaberwok are about 5K beyond a bedroom four-track. Here he raps simple funky rock and acid-jazz, all 32 about mixing with Oxford Uni’s public choppy Hammond and heavily-flanged school elite and their attitudes towards a guitars; the rapping occasionally borders on young black guy. His style is pretty parody but give them a room full of shiny, laidback but the delivery is clear. happy people and you can bet they’ll get Sometimes you think it’s all a bit too clean them moving. cut or in thrall to the American rap big guns, but there’s enough invention here, notably in the backing tracks - ‘Baby POPULAR Baby”s moody synthetics and ‘Tonight”s WORKSHOP chipmunk backing vocals, to suggest a Based in London but an Oxford band by serious commercial future could be Zuby’s proxy, Popular Workshop feature former if he wants it. members of Querelle, Tiger Club and Xmas Lights and this demo appears to have been produced by demo page resident Umair Chaudhry, although it’s some way away NETWORKS OF from is normal industrial-strength doom stock-in-trade. Instead first track ‘All WIRE About Vikki’ is frantic, spasticated punk- More students but of very different nature funk that might be mistaken for Gang Of here, with three-piece band Networks Of Four fronted by John Lydon but actually Wire skulking in the shadows of Coldplay. sounds remarkably like 80s art rockers Age There’s a hint of Glaswegian moodists The Of Chance. Sometimes shouty, sometimes Blue Nile in songs like ‘Buried Deep thrashed-out and screamingly belligerent, it Beneath The Snow’, although young’uns sets a good scene for the rest of the demo would doubtless point more readily to the but the band don’t rise to the occasion, likes of Keane as the singer emotes wearily preferring a more considered approach on in a Jeff Buckley style over the top of ‘Pop Song’, coming on like an Eastenders some serene indie pop where the bass Futureheads, and the drone-abilly skronk throbs gently and guitars spangle of ‘Fuck Shit Up’, with its languorous discreetly. It’s all executed with cockney rant that draws on The Fall and consummate professionalism, though you Stump for inspiration. Plenty of evidence worry it’ll all get horribly lost amid the that there’s a potentially excellent band all veritable ocean of similarly inclined bands set to emerge, and they’ve already picked around at the moment. But that shouldn’t up airplay on Xfm, but for now they’re detract too much from an accomplished still looking for a stronger sense of their debut. own identity. what Congolese or Iraqi emo would sound ACTION AND like? If it was even allowed in the first ACTION place. More belligerent, tightly-angled off-funk post-punk noise here from Action And RUBIX Action, promising much fizzing, frenetic Abingdon newcomers Rubix are one of fuzz in a typically Fugazi-inspired kinda those pleasantly unassuming bands who fashion. And so it is for the first few simply ask us to tell them what they sound minute of the demo, first song ‘Square’ like, since they aren’t quite sure, like the scraping out of the blocks armed with a musical equivalent of slightly bemused guttural bark that sounds like the singer’s tourists with an upside down map shouted himself hoarse at the footie the wandering around Barton looking for day before they went into the recording Magdalen Tower. Well, it’s our duty, if not studio, but from thereon in, it gets pleasure, to inform them that what they depressingly generic, every standard facet mostly sound like is a bit of a mess, but of post-hardcore noise chucked into the one that might be sorted out with a few THE COURTYARD STUDIO mix but with scant regard for any real soul months hard practice and a bit of divine OTARI MTR90 MK11, 24 TRACK TAPE or fire until the whole thing collapses in an intervention. It’s bluesy indie rocking of a MACHINE & MTA 980, 32/24/24 CONSOLE, untidy heap of slowly simmering angst and rudimentary nature, notable mainly for the SOUNDSCAPE DIGITAL EDITOR, SUPERB resignation. There’s no real aggression or singer’s apparent inability to do much more CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION OF conviction here and most of the songs here than shout each line at the top of his voice OUTBOARD GEAR, MIDI FACILITIES INCLUDE sound like something Dive Dive might have before pausing long and hard for a sharp LOGIC AUDIO, 8 MEG S1000, etc toyed with and discarded at rehearsals. intake of breath. Most of the songs here outstay their welcome at around the six- RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES OPTIONAL YVONNE LAKE minute mark before simply fading out innocuously, like a rather dull party guest A young lady from the school of earnest, who’s just realised nobody is listening to Phone KATE or PIPPA for details overly-serious singer-songwriters, we guess his excruciating anecdote about the time he on 01235 845800 Yvonne does this all solo as her photo swallowed a lump of hash, mistaking it for shows her on stage armed with a guitar in a toffee and ended up talking to a shrub in front of an empty drum kit. Her acoustic Cutteslowe Park. songs are melodic but glum heartbreak pop of the kind you can generally find at any and every open mic session. She does earn bonus points for not warbling, whining or THE DEMO getting all Mother Earth-ish on us, but generally the music is too timid and – dare DUMPER we say it – bland to grab your soul and twist it. Her best effort is the slightly jazzier ‘Send A Postcard’, which is similar BLOSSOM BROWN in mood to Laima Bite, but sadly lacking Gentle reader, we get sent some rancid old the spark of desolate brilliance that makes shit here at Nightshift, really we do, but Laima such a star in waiting. there are depths to which even the most execrable of bands never sink in their quest to create The Worst Demo In The World GREENACRE Ever. And one of those depths is singing Young men from the provinces playing over a karoake CD. Blossom here even rang rock music. That’s rock with a capital R us up to check we’d received her CD, so and probably an exclamation mark after its keen was she for a review. That was before name. Oh, and the prefix emo. Yes, there we’d actually listened to it in its full are loud bits and quiet bits, slow bits and appalling glory, else we’d have climbed fast bits. Verses where the singer yelps down the telephone and stuffed several gently and choruses where someone shouts kilos of cement down her throat just to very loudly and ferociously so you can’t stop her from singing anything ever again. really tell what the fuss is all about. There So anyway, here are nine ‘interpretations’ is some standard metal riffage and plenty of old singalong faves as diverse as ‘That of punky, spunky power play, but it is all Old Devil Called Love’, ‘Eye Of The extremely formulaic in its not entirely Tiger’, ‘Holiday’ and, worst of all, ‘Tainted unenjoyable way. Not that we’re Love’, each as cheap and tinny as you’d discouraging such things. All teenagers expect from a kiddie’s home karoake should be made to join a punk rock band as machine and knocked out with the style a rite of passage, just so long as young men and finesse of an out of tune, mortally ill from prosperous English market towns Robert Wyatt. Blossom: please, please just don’t start thinking they’re in any way fuck off, okay? Even a bunch of stoned hard done by in life. Hey, can you imagine students wouldn’t find this funny.

Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1ZU. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact address and phone number (no email or mobile- only). No more than four tracks on a demo. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo. Aw heck, you’re not taking the slightest bit of notice of this are you?