[email protected] nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month NIGHTSHIFT Issue 219 October Oxford’s Music Magazine 2013

C A N D Y S A Y S

C A N D Y S A Y S

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CALIFONE headline this year’s Audioscope festival. The Chicago collective, known for their inventive GATHERING blend of rock, country, electronica and spaghetti western-style LOCAL NATIVES LONDON GRAMMAR soundtracks, top the bill of the annual SEVENCHURCH celebrate the all-dayer which raises money for DRENGE TEMPLES TO KILL A KING WAXAHATCHEE twentieth anniversary of their seminal homeless charity Shelter. Audioscope `Bleak Insight’ album by releasing 13 takes place at the Jericho Tavern AOSOON CANDY SAYS CHASING GRACE rd two new albums-worth of material on Saturday 23 November, from CHARLIE BOYER & THE VOYEURS CHEATAHS CHLÖE HOWL this month. ‘Stealing From The midday through to midnight. Joining DANCING YEARS DENAI MOORE FINDLAY FYFE Dead’ is an eight-track, re-mastered Califone across the day are gothic GAVIN JAMES GOLD & YOUTH HUDSON TAYLOR compilation of all of Sevenchurch’s tribal-pop types Esben & The Witch; JAKE HART JAYMES YOUNG JAY BROWN JJ ROSA demo recordings. It includes the Blessing Force lynchpins Pet Moon; drums’n’electronics krautrockers KIMBERLY ANNE LAURA WELSH MT. WOLF classic ‘Nefarious’ demo, the rare ‘Old Truths, Ancient Magick’ and the Eat Lights Become Lights; Thrill NATHAN BALL PAWWS PYYRAMIDS PORT ISLA YOUNG KNIVES launch their new self-released album `Sick Octave’ previously unreleased ‘The Rubber Jockey’s psychedelic electro crew with a special low-key Oxford gig at The Cellar this month. The band, PYLO RYAN KEEN RHODES RUEN BROTHERS Room’ session, recorded shortly Grumbling Fur; riotous punk band who financed the new album with a fundraising auction on Kickstarter, will SPRING OFFENSIVE SWEET WILLIAM before the band split up. All tracks Sauna Youth; Truck faves Fonda return to the venue where they first made their name on the Oxford music TROUMACA WOLF ALICE have been re-mastered. ‘Stealing 500; Tomaga; Salvation Bill; Pye scene as Ponyclub over a decade ago, on Saturday 26th October, prior to From The Dead’ will be available for Corner Audio and Listing Ships. heading off on a UK tour. £4 at sevenchurch.bandcamp.com. Tickets, priced £14, are on sale now Young Knives frontman Henry Dartnall explained to Nightshift the idea to On the same day they also release from Wegottickets.com. Visit www. play such a low-key local gig: “We opted for The Cellar because we wanted ‘Festival Of The Spoons’, a re- audioscope.co.uk for more details. to have fun this time round and do something a bit more special. I always TICKETS SELLING FAST! imagined release of the long-lost feel that our hometown shows should be a bit of a party and the Cellar KLUB KAKOFANNEY celebrates O ACADEMY OXFORD // ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST // THE BULLINGDON // PORT MAHON three-track EP featuring ‘Inavoid’, seemed like the perfect venue, plus we haven’t done it for yonks. We’ve 2 its 22nd birthday this month with EAST OXFORD COMMUNITY CENTRE // COWLEY ROAD METHODIST CHURCH // TRUCK STORE which runs for over 18 minutes. This made a kind of ‘fuck it’ record so the shows are going to reflect that to some will be available as a free download a weekend of live music at the extent and everyone can get a bit more involved there. from the band’s website at Wheatsheaf. The long-running club “The album was just a fun record to make. It was really hard to make SATURDAY 19TH OCTOBER // WWW.GATHERINGFESTIVAL.CO.UK www.sevenchurch.co.uk. night, which prides itself on its because when you get older you’ve got loads of other shit you have to do or ALL AGES, UNDER 14 TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT In a statement, Sevenchurch said, anything-goes approach to booking you will go to jail. We wrote a pop record last time and it’s not my favourite “After two decades of fans asking us bands, hosts two evenings and an one we’ve done. There were some real bullshit pressures to be a successful when this or that would be available, afternoon of music over the weekend band, which I think every band gets when things start going okay for th th we decided that it would be really of the 4 -6 October. On the Friday you. We’ve been kind of fighting that ever since it started because it’s got Tuesday 24th September Saturday 19th October Wednesday 6th November Thursday 21st November cool to celebrate the 20th anniversary the regular Klub Kakofanney night nothing to do with music. Some c**t gets a load of money to tell you what’s THE 1975 GATHERING WILLE & THE BANDITS TURIN BRAKES of the `Bleak Insight’ release by sees Black Hats, Listing Ships and wrong with your song, and even if they do it really nicely it’s your fucking giving our fans as much access to our Knights of Mentis performing. song. Painters don’t get a dude round to analyse their composition; the O2 ACADEMY | SOLD OUT VARIOUS VENUES THE BULLINGDON O2 ACADEMY2 archive material as possible. As well Saturday features an extended gig composition is the thing that makes your work stand out from the others, as these two releases we have also with Fuzzy Logic, Osprey, The so to try and make it more like the others is baffling but for some reason Thursday 26th September Thursday 24th October Saturday 9th November Thursday 28th November added live video clips to YouTube Mighty Redox, Mary’s Garden, this still goes on, and the reason behind it is money. So we made this one in MELANIE PAIN LANTERNS ON THE LAKE RUARRI JOSEPH PALMA VIOLETS and various other audio clips to our Charms Against The Evil Eye and my house, and a bit at a studio in Northleach. We just kept redoing bits and website and new Facebook page. Purple May, while Sunday sees the messing with bits and trying new songs out when the mood took us. The THE JERICHO THE BULLINGDON THE BULLINGDON O2 ACADEMY The other question we are constantly club decamp to the Sheaf’s downstairs result is that it’s a bit all over the shop and some of the recording is a bit asked, is when are Sevenchurch bar for a free afternoon of unplugged dodgy, but I think it’s possibly the most joyful record we have ever made, if Tuesday 8th October Sunday 27th October Sunday 10th November Thursday 5th December reforming? Well, never say never; music, including sets from Siobhan I’m allowed to say that.” FOSSIL COLLECTIVE ALUNAGEORGE BROTHER & BONES NIGHT BEDS if there’s a demand there we will Mclusky, Jeremy & Des Barkus, `Sick Octave’ is released on the 4th November. The Cellar gig will feature O ACADEMY2 O ACADEMY THE BULLINGDON O ACADEMY2 have to come up with some way of Beard Of Destiny, Maeve Bayton, a full run-through of the new album, followed by a set of old Young Knives 2 2 2 celebrating the next big anniversary!” Twizz Twangle and Mark Atherton. favourites. Visit www.young-knives.com for more news.

Thursday 10th October Wednesday 30th October Sunday 10th November Saturday 22nd February PROSPEKT release their debut album next month. The local progressive tech-metallers launch KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES BEANS ON TOAST VILLAGERS LAUREN AQUILINA `The Colourless Sunrise’ with a headline show at the O2 Academy on Friday 15th November. O2 ACADEMY2 THE BULLINGDON O2 ACADEMY O2 ACADEMY2 The band, who featured as a Nightshift Introducing band back in 2011, have been hailed as one of the most technically gifted young bands in Oxford. Guitarist Lee Luland told Nightshift, “We’ve Friday 11th October Saturday 2nd November Tuesday 12th November been up to a lot in the last two years. We spent a lot of time working on the album, writing and recording. Recently we got signed to American label Sensory Records and are now currently JOHNNY FLYNN THE GROWLERS THE RIFLES preparing a video shoot and rehearsing for our up and coming shows in line for the album’s O2 ACADEMY2 THE BULLINGDON O2 ACADEMY2 release. Compared to the first EP this is in a different league. It’s nine tracks, clocking at just over 65 minutes and features all the qualities we look for in good music - melody, technicality and

Monday 14th September Sunday 3rd November Thursday 21st November emotion. Sonically the album is far superior as well. We hired Jens Bogren to mix and master it. He’s a genius and has produced the likes of Symphony X, Opeth and Devin Townsend, so thanks SUPERFOOD MAD DOG MCREA MOULETTES to him we’ve never sounded better! THE BULLINGDON THE BULLINGDON THE JERICHO GIGSINOXFORD.CO.UK “ The launch show at the O2 will be a special occasion and we have a few treats lined up. A video of the album’s single will be out around the time of release and then we plan to hit the road and tour the album early next year.” Visit www.facebook.com/ProspektUK for more news and gig dates. ALTTICKETS.CO.UK FACEBOOK.COM/ALTTICKETS.CO.UK ALTTICKETS.CO.UK ALTTICKETS.CO.UK FACEBOOK.COM/ALTTICKETS.CO.UK

Nightshift_October.indd 1 20/09/2013 14:18 ALCOPOP! won Best Small Label at the AIM Awards last month. The AIM Awards celebrate COMING SOON TO THE NEW THEATRE truly independent music; as well as the Oxford- based record label, renowned for their inventive NEWS releases, including last year’s Gunning For WICKERMAN director Robin Hardy will Tamar `Time Trophies’ EP, which came out as a attend a Q&A session at the Ultimate Picture download code on a wristwatch, other winners at Palace on Friday 11th October ahead of a this year’s ceremony included Enter Shikari; The singalong screening of the cult horror film, xx; Warp Records; Vampire Weekend; Billy Bragg hosted by Irregular Folk. The Wickerman, which and DJ Steve Lamcq. celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has Talking to Nightshift about winning, Jack Pop just been restored to its original length, features a from the label said, “When we found out we’d won soundtrack that has proved massively influential the award, Kev and I genuinely couldn’t believe it. on the British folk revival of the past decade. Fans They announced the winners, and everything went are encouraged to dress up in Wickerman-themed a bit floaty, and not just because of the cacophony costumes for the singalong. Tickets, priced £12, of free booze. We had our award presented by Huw ED BYRNE HALFWAY TO PARADISE ROARING FORTIES THE BILLY FURY STORY SIXTIES GOLD are on sale from the UPP box office. Stephens and Steve Lamacq with Enter Shikari, and then got sent to a buffet where, in between a TUE 1 OCT THU 3 OCT SUN 13 OCT LAMPOST GULLIVERS release their debut load of interviews, we got all the crisps we could album this month. The now London-based band, eat. Who says indie music doesn’t pay? fronted by former-Suitable Case For Treatment “In all seriousness though, we were absolutely and Mephisto Grande frontman Liam Ings- delighted. It’s a weird one, because directly Reeves, and featuring Nought drummer Johnny you’re not going to sell any more records through Mitchell and one-time Silverfish bassist Chris it, and we’ve never been a label who care much Mowforth, release `All Your Worldly Schmutter’ about awards, but the nod to us from all of the on Marble Ear Records. indie industry was cool. The record labels we Other new local releases on the way include a beat, like Hyperdub, Gringo and especially Too “It’s been a good year so far, but we’re not new EP from Vienna Ditto and an album from Pure, are all people we look up to, and I guess it resting now. We’ve got new stuff coming up from ambient doomsters Abandon - reviews of both makes you feel like all your hard work and ideas the likes of Anamanaguchi, Fight Like Apes and releases in next month’s issue. are being noticed. Radstewart, not to mention a new single to show “Most importantly though, the reaction on the off the new Gunning for Tamar sound, and a THE KNIGHTS OF MENTIS launch their social media stuff was mental. We had hundreds compilation coming out on a Mountain Bike in AN EVENING WITH BRYAN FERRY debut album, `New Pound Coin’, with a gig at the and hundreds of tweets and messages and November – yes, really – that features Pet Moon.” Cellar on Friday 25th October. The nine-strong Facebook comments buzzing through, and people Visit www.ilovealcopop.co.uk for more label TUE 15 - SAT 19 OCT TUE 22 - SAT 26 OCT SUN 3 NOV Americana, folk, country and bluegrass ensemble seemed to be really delighted. news. have made a reputation for themselves for their raw, rootsy style, recently appearing at Cornbury Festival. They’re joined for the launch gig by handpicked by themselves and featuring a become a local institution. Bands interested in Liverpool folk-rockers Burning Wheel and local live set by the act alongside those artists they playing should email Joal at mblproductions@ steel guitar and Chinese erhu duo Sweet & Sour have chosen. The opening night takes place on gmail.com or via Facebook at www.facebook. Swing. Hear the album at Saturday 9th November when Tom Williams and com/wheatsheaf.oxford. knightsofmentis.bandcamp.com the Boat will be hosting. Visit cellaroxford.co.uk for more details. TRUCK STORE are launching a new mixtape THE MIGHTY REDOX, SUPERLOOSE exchange from October 12th. The record store on AND BEARD OF DESTINY are among the OXFORDSHIRE MIND are looking for singers Cowley Road wants customers to make their own acts appearing at The Donnington Community and musicians to perform at a brace of pre- mix tape or CD, with tracklisting, and drop it into Music Festival on Saturday 12th October. The free Christmas shows. The local mental health charity the store in exchange for another mix by someone festival runs from 2-10pm and is an extension hosts gigs at Langdale Hall in Witney on Saturday else, with the emphasis on anonymity. WITH WILL YOUNG SCOUTING FOR GIRLS of the monthly free music nights at Donnington 7th December and at St. Michael’s church in Truck also host a series of instore shows through TUE 5 - SAT 9 NOV MON 11 NOV TUE 12 NOV Community Centre in Townsend Square hosted Oxford on the 14th. Email nicky.clargo@ October, starting with local indie act The Sea, by local musician Jeremy Hughes. Other acts oxfordshire-mind.org.uk for more details. The Sea on Sunday 6th. Following that are sets confirmed include Moon Leopard, STEM, Oxford from Johnny Flynn (Fri 11th); Candides (Sun13th); Ukuleles, Richard Brotherton and Mark Atherton. THE WHEATSHEAF are hosting this year’s Jessica Law (Sun 20th) and Lanterns On The Lake annual Your Song party on New Year’s Eve and (Thur 24th). As ever, visit www.truckmusicstore. THE CELLAR HOSTS A NEW LIVE MUSIC are looking for acts to play. Your Song started co.uk for more news. CLUB NIGHT from November. Mixtape will off in the early 1990s as a birthday party for then feature a national act with a high standing in Jericho Tavern promoter Mac, with local bands FROM NEXT MONTH NIGHTSHIFT will Oxford curating an evening of music and art playing a short set of cover versions and has be running a musicians wanted section. Bands looking for members, or musicians looking for bands can advertise for free by emailing details BRYAN FERRY kicks off two months of big- to [email protected]. Ads are limited name music acts coming to the New Theatre. The to 30 words and will be included on a first come, former Roxy Music singer plays Oxford’s largest first served basis where space allows. concert venue on Sunday 3rd November. LUDOVICO EINAUDI JOOLS HOLLAND Ferry’s show is followed later in November by AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into BBC Oxford THU 14 NOV FRI 15 NOV SAT 16 NOV Scouting For Girls (Tue 12th); Jools Holland’s Introducing every Saturday evening between R&B Orchestra (Sat 16th); Texas (Sun 17th); The 8-9pm on 95.2fm. The dedicated local music Soweto Gospel Choir (Wed 20th) and Show of show plays the best Oxford releases and demos ATG THEATRE CARD MEMBERS: PRIORITY TICKETS, GREAT SAVINGS. Hands (Fri 22nd). as well as featuring interviews, studio sessions, MORE INFORMATION - ATGTICKETS.COM/THEATRECARD Moving into December and the theatre plays host gig reviews and local music news. The show is (SELECTED PERFORMANCES, TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY) to Go West, Hue & Cry and The Christians (Sun available to stream or download as a podcast at * 1st); Five (Thur 5th); Deacon Blue (Sat 7th); Union bbc.co.uk/oxford. 0844 871 3020 J (Sat 14th) and The Waterboys (Sun 15th). Regularly updated local music news is available * Scan here to see full listings Ticket details and more concert date are on the online at www.musicinoxford.co.uk. The site atgtickets.com/oxford New Theatre website at www.atgtickets.com/ also features interactive reviews, a gig guide, venues/new-theatre-oxford. photo gallery and more. facebook.com/oxfordnewtheatre | twitter.com/NewTheatreOx *SUBJECT TO BOOKING/TRANSACTION FEE A quiet word with “No, it wasn’t a big a wrench. as best we can.” sign. `Favourite Flavour’ also got venues on our Space tour but we’ve Nez had other things to do, and played by Lauren Laverne and Steve almost finished making our space we’re still good friends. It’s always One of the most Lamacq on 6Music, which is more outfits, and we’re going to put on difficult to break up a band, but it noticeable changes Candy Says has than Little Fish ever did...” quite a show.” was the right time.” brought is with the recruitment of There seemed to be an imagery of It was as the Rotunda that the Elisa, who also plays in the rock breaking free, or moving on to a seeds of what was to become CANDY SAYS After Nez left, Juju band Black Casino & The Ghost higher plane about that song, and the Candy Says supported Gaz carried on doing shows as a duo in London. Where Juju was always video. Would that be accurate? Coombes a couple of years back. with Ben for a while. At what point very much the centre of attention in “Absolutely.” In fact Juju duetted with Gaz on a did she start to think about getting a Little Fish, with Elisa in the band, ‘Kiss Kill’ is much more electronic cover of the song `Candy Says’ that new band together and changing the the lead role is more shared; is that and on a different tack completely, night. A long-time champion of the name? Was it a conscious attempt to something Juju more comfortable almost 80s in many ways. What was band, he’s produced them and had leave Little Fish behind? with? the aim for here? them on tour with him. “I hadn’t written anything for about “I’m completely comfortable with “We wanted to see if we could “Gaz is a really nice guy, and we a year, and wasn’t feeling very it and I think it makes for a great make a Radio 1-style r’n’b pop enjoy hanging out with him. He inspired to play at all. Ben kept show, both musically and visually.” record using our lo-fi garage gear. asked us to play the song `Candy dragging me out to play gigs in an While Candy says are now playing `Kiss Kill’ is the result of that Says’ with him at one of his shows, attempt to keep me engaged with an almost entirely new set of songs, experiment.” and that was definitely part of the music. It was really heart-warming one or two – radically reworked – And the video has a retro electro reason that name was in our minds. to play at small events where older numbers do creep back into feel about it too… Our other idea for a band name was everyone is very supportive and their live sets, noticeably `Lord’s “Completely. Once we had Get A Haircut, so I guess we have genuine, away from the industry. I Mistake’ and the simply magnificent recorded the song, we had the idea Gaz to thank for that!” started discovering loads of great `Only A Game’. Always a prolific of making the video an extension local musicians and poets, and writer Juju never had a problem of the obviously auto-tuned chorus, With `Kiss Kill’ out this started to feel inspired again. dispensing with songs in Little something very pixellated. Luckily month and the Space tour imminent, “We had a Little Fish headline gig Fish, but will there come a time we know Matt Westcott, who what comes after for Candy Says? booked in Istanbul and a show when even these retained gems are happens to be a bit of a superstar “We’re working towards a full at the Paris Olympia supporting dispensed with for good? in the ZX Spectrum demo scene. album release at some point next Roger Daltrey but no band to play “With Candy Says I’ve tried not to He made the video entirely on his year. In the meantime we’ve them with, so we decided to put use any Little Fish songs, to make Spectrum, and it suits the song released a live album of our St a new line-up together to play the Barnabas show on Bandcamp, and songs we had started writing. For every month we’re putting out a a while it was still Little Fish, but “I never had any taste in music when new garage recording of a song with it quickly became obvious that this liner notes and other goodies in our was something different, something I started Little Fish. It was a very pure mobile app – just search for Candy new. The name change was clearly and naïve idea; I didn’t really know Says on the app store.” necessary.” And then where to? Having spent While Little Fish’s sound what I was doing.” your summer away from it all in morphed and mutated – and maybe France how you feel about the band? mellowed – over time, Candy Says people understand that it really is a perfectly.” Could you envisage a time where is a completely different musical new band. A few have crept through, Your releases so far have been on you leave fickle old England behind proposition; how much does that of course, and I don’t think old indie labels or done yourselves. and move abroad full-time to a more “One day I was sitting at the most talented and powerful departure they are very much a new this time purely on their own terms. reflect Juju’s changing tastes in songs ever really go away. I like to Would you ever wade back into open audience? my desk, three months pregnant, and singers the city has ever produced, band. music and how much influence have recycle bits of old songs into new those treacherous music industry “English audiences are the best. decided to leave behind all my anger the band had hit heights that most To start with there are new recruits First off though, it must the new members had? ones. Also, I have a terrible memory waters again after you past They don’t just like any old thing and frustration and stop living in the other acts can only dream of – being in the shape of singer and keyboard have been tempting for Juju, who “I never had any taste in music for anything I write – sometimes I experiences? – they have taste and opinions and past. I decided to start something signed to Universal, working with player Elisa Zoot and drummer also became a mum for the first time when I started Little Fish. It was a just need reminding.” “We’ve released a few things they care. It makes the whole thing new, something that I wanted to hugely influential producer and Mike Monaghan. And then there’s around the demise of Little Fish, to very pure and naïve idea; I didn’t Increasingly there are strong ourselves, and we’ve put out our more interesting. Even though do, without caring about whether A&R lynchpin Linda Perry, and the music – wholly unlike the garage simply give up on music. really know what I was doing. elements of French pop in Candy cassette singles through a great everyone might not like everything people liked it or approved of it. touring Europe and the States with rock blast and anthemic power-pop “The band had come to its natural Having been through that journey Says’ music, a reflection of Juju little label called Cool For Cats in you do, the fight makes you Once you stop caring about other Blondie, Hole, Supergrass and of yore. Instead it’s exotic, playful, end, but I wasn’t ready to give up and seen loads of bands and actually being half French. What things have London. The experience has been stronger. We’re looking forward people’s expectations, you become Placebo, until they were royally contemplative, busy, summery, on music. I had a lot of creative discovered my musical taste, I’m played the biggest part in that side great – much more human – and to playing some gigs abroad too; free and you can get right to the shafted by their label who delayed synthetic and pretty by turns, often ideas that I wanted to express, and much more aware now of how my of things? we’ve been able to do things in a we love travelling. We’re actually heart of what makes you a musician. releasing the band’s album, `Baffled within single songs. Little Fish wasn’t the right vehicle vision for Candy Says fits into the “I’ve started writing partly in creative way. I think if I were ever playing a fashion show in Gibraltar As Beth Orton once wrote, `all that & Beat’ for two years before it was Candy Says have released three for most of them. When it finished wider world of music.” French, which I never thought I to wade back into industry waters, the day after our Space tour ends in expectation to weigh heavy on your shuffled out with little fanfare. In the singles so far, displaying the I was quite lost – I had this innate The original Little Fish was rock would do. My French isn’t as good it would be on my terms, and I Glasgow, which should be fun.” heart’. I started collaborating for interim Little Fish co-founder Nez variety within their sound, each creative drive to do something new, and roll stripped bare and basic, as my English, and I wouldn’t want would wear some serious wellies.” And, having experienced the the first time, writing songs with Greenaway had left music behind accompanied by imaginative videos but didn’t have a clear vision of how while Candy Says is often elaborate to write rubbish French lyrics – all The DIY approach also extends best and very worst of the music Ben, and it opened up so many new and Juju was left in musical limbo. that reflect their musical diversity. If to make it work. That took time.” and exotic; is the way you write and my French family would cringe. I to Candy Says’ local live shows, industry, any specific advice for possibilities. `Favourite Flavour’ was a chirruping What exactly happened with the compose a natural evolution or has it really like the simple, chic, under- which take place off the beaten your younger self, or any young At the end of 2012 peach melba-flavoured ice cream of label and the album and the way you taken a while to adjust to new ways sung style of a lot of the 60 French gig circuit track, whether in the woman going into a life in music? Julia Sophie Heslop – aka though, Little Fish played an a summer pop anthem, the band’s were treated? of making music? chanteuses like Françoise Hardy.” intimate confines of the Rotunda, “Do things. Make good art. Tell Juju Fish, simply Juju to her mates intimate show at the Rotunda new single, `Kiss Kill’, out this “The label treated us well in a “I just ran out of anger! Also, with ‘Favourite Flavour’ was a perfect or the grandiose and ornate people about it. And don’t let the – is telling Nightshift about the in Iffley where they announced month, is a seasonally-affected `you’ve won X-Factor’ sort of way; Little Fish I had no way to use the summer song. What was the reaction surroundings of St Barnabas church sound guy tell you there’s reverb in moment she left her old band, Little that band was dead and Candy retro-electro r’n’b stab, which being flown out to LA and getting recording process creatively, it was to it, both from long-term fans and in Jericho. Is that an attempt to the monitors when there obviously Fish, behind and headed off into a Says – named after the Velvet comes accompanied by a pixillated new guitars and so on was very just me and a guitar, writing songs, from audiences like at Cornbury avoid the usual ‘rock’ trappings, or isn’t.” bright new pop dawn with Candy Underground’s song about the 80s-style video made on a ZX exciting at the time. But in the end and they were inevitably of a certain Festival this summer? a desire to make shows something Says. transsexual Candy Darling – were Spectrum. Already the band have the label was just useless. It took style. With Candy Says, I can come “It was great! Everyone seems to special? `Kiss Kill’ is released on the 30th It’s no overstatement to say that born. been picked up on by 6Music DJs them two years to release the record, up with a concept for a song, some be enjoying the new songs, and “Both of those. There’s nothing September on Cool For Cats. starting over for Juju was a brave Candy Says might be seen as a Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne by which time any momentum we melody ideas, some lyrics, a vision most of our fans have supported us more satisfying than being able to Candy Says play at Gathering move given what she’d gone continuation of Little Fish – as well and after a select series of local, had built was lost and we were sick of how we will perform it, then I all the way. The crowd at Cornbury give people an exciting, immersive, Festival on Saturday 19th October. through previously. Little Fish as Juju, Fish keyboard player Ben London and European shows, they of waiting around. work on the music and structure was surprisingly large, considering multi-sensorial musical experience. Visit candysays.it for more news weren’t just huge favourites on Walker, Ju’s partner, remains in the head off on tour next month to make All that precipitated Nez leaving; with Ben and finally we go into the that we were the first band on at the You don’t get that at a normal rock and tour dates and to watch the St the Oxford scene, with Ju one of line-up. In truth they’re so radical a that bright new dawn their own – was that a big wrench for you? garage and try to realize the vision festival, and we took that as a good venue. We will be playing normal Barnabas show video. Sponsored by ‘Whispered Half Asleep’, ‘The Light’ and ‘Boathouse’ all demonstrate a knack for sweet-natured, warm- hearted, country-tinged folk music of a kind that Oxford seems to lap RELEASED up. Indeed, as often happens in a city overrun with decent musicians and THE ORIGINAL RICHARD WALTERS bands, there are signs of local influence being at play – the mid-tone vocal style RABBIT FOOT SPASM `Two Birds’ of The Epstein; neo-Americana crystal (Beard Museum) clear guitar lines à la Empty White BAND Of course everyone and their mum is a singer- Circles; the restrained swagger of `Party Seven’ songwriter these days. It’s been a long time Spring Offensive. Toliesel are nothing since I’ve walked down Cornmarket without if not embedded deeply in Oxford’s (Jump Steady) passing two or three guitar-wielding ‘musicians’ music scene, and it’s this that perhaps When Charles II returned to the throne in 1660 and playing seemingly endless set lists of cut-price gives them an air of confidence and restored the monarchy after the death of Oliver Ed Sheeran imitations, with the occasional understanding that the bar has been set THE OXFORD RECORD Cromwell, he ushered in a new era of partying, Green Day cover chucked in for good measure. TOLIESEL pretty high for local music. undoing a decade of puritan austerity. Appropriate The resultant musical lethargy means it would Fourth track `Brothers’ is the one that DVD & CD FAIR then that Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band be quite forgivable to write them all off with `Contours’ suggests Toliesel can pull things in St ALDATES PARISH CENTRE frontman Stuart MacBeth expressed a desire to barely a second thought. But in doing so, you’d (Own label) directions of a more interesting nature; its 40 Pembroke St, St Aldates, OX1 1BP dress the entire band up as the party monarch for miss the irrefutable genius that is a genuinely Tough one, this – writing a review can use of minor key, rather dour feel, some a video of `King Of Wine’. Here is the band who great singer songwriter, something Richard rd sometimes create an unbearable tension decent chunks of overdriven guitar and a Saturday 23 November brought back partying to the local gig scene. Walters demonstrably is. between what one hears and what one song length that allows the piece to breathe 10am-4pm Translating the party-hearty spirit of the band’s raw, lively r’n’b of `Nancy Mitford Disco’ and the Following on from last year’s `Regretless’, feels. Toliesel’s debut EP `Contours’ has an all contribute to something that begins live shows onto record is never going to be easy, jungle rumble of `King of the Swingers’, while `Two Birds’ sees the honey-voiced Walters exceptionally high hit rate when it comes to address that sense of wanting more Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie/all other genres but away from such raucous inebriated jollity, you `Eynsham Witches’ changes tack completely, a return with a four song EP of indisputably to Things That Make For Good Music mentioned earlier. But that’s just personal Accessories/memoriabillia/books. experience the band at once with new ears – tuned slow gypsy polka that allows Stuart’s gravelly beautiful acoustic folk. – carefully-constructed songs, assured taste coming to bear; it’s clear that Toliesel Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl into their fine, unfettered sense of melody – and vocals centre stage as it explores the sinister Opening song `The Letters’, originally intended vocals, very high production values, an know what they want. Here’s (selfishly) www.usrfairs.co.uk with the same sense of old-fashioned glee as each fairytale underside of smalltown English life. The to soundtrack a William H Macy film, is a overall sense that they care for what hoping that it’s what I want, too. time they tread the boards. doleful, atmospheric `Judy Blues’ similarly proves hauntingly fragile missive from a father to they’re doing – and yet I’m left wanting. Simon Minter `Party Seven’ – even the title speaks of a more that they can slow it down and colour it a lighter his dead son, naked guitar, sombre strings old-fashioned approach to cutting loose – just shade of black without letting spirits flag. and delicately-crafted, gut-wrenching lyrics, wants to invite you inside and inhabit its simple, With influences stretching back to the likes detailing “all the things you would have seen, carefree world for a while before the serious of Muggsy Spanier, Cab Calloway and Louis all the men you could have been”. MANNY O business of reality drags you back out again. Armstrong, The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm As a whole the EP is very poetic; these are `Reality’ There’s an almost Falstaffian conviviality to band indisputably have one foot planted firmly stories as much as they are songs. Second songs like `King Of Wine’ and album opener in a distant musical past, but like the very best track, `Dead End Lover’, depicting the mindset (Own label) `Birdman of Barley Mow’, which follows a similar revivalists – revitalisers would be a better term – of a misguided lothario, feels more resigned, A rapper lives or dies by his rhymes and particular is heavy-handed to the point theme, while the warm, rich, playful horns dance they add both love and just the right amount of spit subtle piano murmurs behind plaintive vocals, flow; everything else is superfluous, of clunky, something not helped by the throughout the album, inducing an almost hypnotic and polish to the music. Hell, they even manage to bemoaning the hopelessness of the protagonist’s however inventive or fulsome the musical squalling guitar funk that backs it up. sense of bonhomie. reference Iggy Pop on `Highwayman’. Doubtless self-inflicted situation. armoury behind him. It’s not all bad by any means. Manny Of course, this being The ORFSB, drinking Cromwell would have disapproved in the sternest `When You Gonna Come Back’ sees Walters On this debut EP, Manny O is far from loosens up considerably on the mellower recurs as a theme throughout the album, from the possible manner of `Party Seven’, but that’s even depart from the norm, with ostensibly his moribund, but a course of vitamin r’n’b of `Swag Production’, with its brassy swing of `Boomtown Carnival’, to `King more reason to cast off the cowl of puritanical self- poppiest song to date. Animated piano and supplements might be in order. soft-centred production and orchestral Of Wine’, though even moments of booze-fuelled denial and crack open a bottle or two. Hell, make airy percussion second to positively upbeat It’s not what he’s saying that’s at fault, swell. Such lush back-up is done better regret here sound like they were fun at the time. it a nice round seven. Regrets – we’ll leave those vocals and apt harmonies. EP closer `The Rules though the platitudes of `Express Yourself’ on `College First Term’ with its electronic High points of `Party Seven’ come clustered for tomorrow. For Lovers’ sees a return to his trademark and clichéd protestations of `Bye Haters’ edge but it’s dominated by vocals that lack together in the middle of the album; there’s the Dale Kattack beautifully climactic despondency, opening don’t help the cause. More it’s the lack of authority. with ethereal organ-esque harmonies, and much fluidity in his rhyming. Too often it As a first demo `Reality’ is decent enough, building to a poignant chorus of falsetto vocals feels like Manny’s reading his lines from but it rarely feels like a fully-fledged release RAWZ & NEMROT and intensifying piano, well placed synths a notebook rather than naturally venting; and you feel Manny will benefit massively interjecting throughout. everything’s too precise. His very slightly for casting off any inhibitions and letting `Live From the Pantheon’ Expertly manoeuvring a change in direction, clipped accent probably doesn’t help either. his lines flow more freely in future. (Own label download) Walters has managed to retain all his previous `I Don’t Follow Trends I Set Trends’ in Dale Kattack Bandcamp tells us that Rawz is sponsored by the and flagrant use of the word “badness” (it sounds charm, whilst reaching new impressive levels. Oxford Duplication Centre. For a great number clumsy no matter how handily it might rhyme An absolute triumph. of urban artists, this would be fuel for an easy with “madness”, people), there are some excellent Caroline Corke FOCI’S LEFT joke about unoriginal identikit tunes and hastily bars here, all delivered with evident verbal relish: xeroxed hip hop generica. Fortunately this duo, some lines are chewed over like Tangfastics, and `Grumpy Love’ with connections to Flooded Hallways and some are rattled out like sticks across corrugated (Own label) roots in east Oxford’s G Block, have more than tin, and all in natural, unaffected tones. Not only After the disconcerting dissonance of his seamlessly. `Regurgitated Impulses’ adds enough ideas to make that jibe redundant; the do the lines flow, but they are intriguing: we last demo, Foci’s Left – the solo work of a necessary glitchy interlude, while `Piano only downside is that this record is more exciting spotted references to 70s sitcom The Good Life occasional Nightshift contributor Mick Paint’ is both light in tone and texture but lyrically than musically. Our favourite hip hop and celluloid classic Citizen Kane, and there Buckingham – casts forth a full album set random enough to be distracting. productions pull off the paradox of sounding are doubtless further depths. The cultural riffing on a far less turbulent plane. Where the album occasionally falls down raw yet lush, whereas most of these cuts are the has an MF Doom air, but the delivery is more Nine tracks of stretched-out electro- is a lack of brevity on a few of the tracks – opposite – thin but busy. Perhaps it makes sense melancholically thoughtful, as encapsulated acoustic ambient pianism and electronic `Piano Paint’ for example has run its course over smartphone speakers on the night bus. `Game on the album’s bleak, mortality-themed closer, minimalism drift and shift with soporific long before it concludes – while `For Fluid’ Of You’ is the only track to give us a proper head- which is more Godot than ghetto. At the moment, intent, microtonal drones morphing and is anything but and sounds like Mick’s nodding heavy beat, and the dirty trumpet smeared the synthesised loops lag behind the lyrics in gradually mutating with precision-restrained simply plonking random keys on his piano, over the rinky-dink Spanish twiddles of `Always invention, and their pen is mightier than their variation. Best of the pieces here is the but beyond such lapses, `Grumpy Love’ is There’ is an all too rare bit of grit in the sound. Korg, but get these boys in with a killer producer drone-drift of `Decompress The Magnet’, a neat enough addition to the ambient drone The words, though, edge towards excellence. and something very special could happen. while its marginally more imposing twin cannon. With the exception of one trouble/bubble platitude David Murphy `An Upward Slope’ dovetails into it Dale Kattack SUNDAY 6th William, coming on like a very young Marc ZICO CHAIN + LONELY THE BRAVE: O2 Bolan, and Zulu pop combo Count Drachma. Academy – London’s post-grunge metallers head THE SEA THE SEA: Truck Store – Airy, out on a headline tour to promote last year’s `The quavering indie in the vein of Foals and Trophy Devil In Your Heart’ album, having earned their Wife from the local newcomers. spurs supporting the likes of Velvet Revolver and ROWAN COUPLAND + FREADA + The Cave In. Quality support from Cambridge’s SAMUEL ZASADA + JULIA MEIJER: GIG GUIDE fast-rising epic rockers Lonely The Brave, set to Albion Beatnik Bookstore – Eccentric folk-rock release their debut EP, `Backroads’, on Hassle troubadour Rowan Coupland heads up tonight’s TUESDAY 1st pop, partway between Gang of Four and The Records this month. intimate unplugged Pindrop Performance show. Autumnal gothic folksters Samuel Zasada join FAT FREDDY’S DROP: O2 Academy – A Who, through Listing Ships’ dreadnought-heavy SIOBHAN McLUSKY + JEREMY & DES the fun. th rare visit to Oxford for New Zealand’s premier OCTOBER post-rock, to Knights of Mentis’ country folk BARKUS + BEARD OF DESTINY + MAEVE Friday 11 WHAT YOU CALL IT GARAGE: The Cellar musical export, Wellington’s reggae/dub/r’n’b/ and Americana. Happy birthday Klub Kak folk; BAYTON + TWIZZ TWANGLE + MARK – Garage club night. funk fusion collective Fat Freddy’s Drop, the nd don’t go changing. ATHERTON: The Wheatsheaf (2.30pm) NO AGE: WEDNESDAY 2 SKYLARKIN SOUNDSYSTEM: The Cellar – Concluding Klub Kak’s birthday bash, an band moving from their early 90s days as a jam THE WAILERS: O2 Academy – On the one – Count Skylarkin’s monthly roots, reggae afternoon of unplugged acts in the downstairs th The Jericho Tavern band to become regulars on the European tour hand The Wailers are not only one of Jamaica’s MONDAY 7 and dancehall party, tonight with veteran bar, including long-time KK fave Twizz Twangle Plenty of bands claim to be DIY, usually bands circuit and, with 2005’s `Based On A True Story’ original roots bands but also the biggest name KRISSY MATTHEWS: The Bullingdon – British reggae band Talisman, who toured with with his decidedly oddball take on something who have to do stuff themselves because the best selling New Zealand album of all time. in reggae; on the other hand, even while they Bicester’s hotly-tipped young blues guitar talent Burning Spear, The Clash and The Rolling approaching music; folk-blues balladeer Maeve no one else wants to touch them with a JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Weekly continue to tour and keep that legacy alive, only returns to the Haven Club after supporting The Stones back in the 70s and 80s. On the decks Bayton; bluesman Beard of Destiny and acoustic bargepole. But everyone seems to want a bit Spanish-flavoured acoustic music session, Aston `Family Man’ Barrett remains from Bob Hoax here last month. are east London’s Wreck-It-Up Crew with Mark folk duo Jeremy & Des Barkus. of No Age, and yet they still insist on doing followed by live jazz, this week from club Marley’s classic band. He’s joined these days by THE QUIREBOYS + BONAFIDE + BAD professor, plus the Count. THE YARNS + COUNT DRACHMA + everything themselves. Their new album, regulars Heavy Dexters. former-Upsetter and renowned reggae session TOUCH: O2 Academy – The Quireboys, still DISCO MUTANTES: The Library – Disco, SWEET WILLIAM: The Cellar – EP launch `An Object – their fourth, amid a slew of EPs OPEN MIC SESSION: The White Rabbit man Keith Sterling as well as his son Aston led by singer Spike, and once hailed as “The boogie and old skool house club night. gig for local indie-folksters The Yarns, joined by and singles – was released on SubPop, but OPEN MIC SESSION: James Street Tavern Barrett Jr. These days Dwayne Anglin takes on British Poison”, return to town for a headline SANCTUM: Varsity Club – Metal club night. tender-hearted acoustic folk-pop singer Sweet the LA duo – singing drummer Dean Allen vocal duties, providing a pretty authentic Marley after supporting Saxon here in May. th Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall – insisted Friday 4 vocal style, and this current tour will include BRILLEAUX: The Jericho Tavern – Visceral, th driving blues-rock from New Zealand’s Brilleaux on not only writing and producing all the a complete run-through of classic 1977 album SATURDAY 5 th songs themselves and designing the album EMPTY WHITE CIRCLES + DUCHESS Wednesday 9 at tonight’s Famous Monday Blues, the band MY DARLING `Exodus’, recorded while Marley was in exile artwork, but packaging and shipping the + CHRIS RYDER: O2 Academy – Intimate inspired by Nine Below Zero, Wilko Johnson and in London following an assassination attempt. blessed thing all by themselves. Dedication CLEMENTINE / indie-folk and Americana from Empty COMANECHI: Dr Feelgood, and mixing up classic 60s r’n’b So there’ll be `One Love/People Get Ready’, to the cause, you see. It’s all part of the duo’s White Circles at tonight’s Introducing show, covers with their own material. `Jamming’ and `Waiting In Vain’ alongside other make up of course. They emerged from LA’s CROOKED WHITE alongside exuberant afropop crew Duchess and The Jericho Tavern classic hits. Anyone lucky enough to have caught fertile Smell scene, based around the all-ages, acoustic local songsmith Chris Ryder. th CALLIGRAPHY: The Cellar – UK hip hop, Comanechi’s eviscerating set at Supernormal TUESDAY 8 no-alcohol, no-drugs club that’s spawned TEETH: CHURCH OF THE HEAVY with THE garage and house club night, tonight with Dr festival back in August will already be FOSSIL COLLECTIVE + STORYBOOKS: a healthy DIY music and arts community. REAPER + FALLEN FROM GRACE + The Bullingdon Syntax, alongside Rhymeskeemz and Kotch. salivating at the prospect of a return visit O2 Academy – Warm, harmony-heavy indie- High-end production values have never been 14TEN: The Cellar – Classic thrash, tech- Between them, husband and wife duo My ACOUSTIC LOUNGE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – to Oxfordshire for the band. Led by the country and Americana from Leeds’ Fossil on the agenda, the band preferring to hammer metal and metalcore from west Oxfordshire’s Darling Clementine have clocked up several Open mic session. indomitable Akiko Matsuura, the London- Collective, making the leap from headlining the home their message – and messages they have rising teen heavyweights at the monthly metal, decades of successful, critically acclaimed based quartet are less a band more a musical Jericho Tavern earlier this year to the O2. The aplenty – accompanied by lashings of noise punk and rock night. solo and collaborative work. Singer and rd firestorm, Akiko a banshee punk rock warrior wraith-like pop of debut album `Tell Where I and feedback. After the heights they hit with THURSDAY 3 VIENNA DITTO + THE TROPHY songwriter Michael Weston King was LIMEHOUSE LIZZY: O2 Academy – A with few if any inhibitions – sometimes Lie’ recalls Midlake, Fleet Foxes and Teenage their last album, `Everything In Between’, `An CABINET + MATT MIDGELY + THE previously a member of pioneering British Greatest Hits set from the Thin Lizzy tribute playing topless, always exorcising demons Fanclub, while revealing a band with a neat line Object’ sounds stripped-back, less virulent, but LARKS: The Jericho Tavern – Vienna country band The Good Sons – dubbed act. with a ferocity that’s genuinely rare in in lovingly-crafted melody. if you’ve yet to cotton on to No Age, and you Ditto launch their new `Ugly’ single, The UK’s answer to Uncle Tupelo – and SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – modern rock music. Musically the band’s JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Acoustic love everything from The Ramones and Minor fusing subterranean jazz and blues with has written for and collaborated with Nick Canadian pianist Francois Bourassa brings his sound veers towards machine gun hardcore, Spanish music session, followed by jazz club Threat to Sonic Youth and Pavement, this electronic noise and rockabilly, pitched rather Cave, Steve Earle, Roger McGuinn and inventive modern jazz quartet to the Spin. spiteful, badly-brought up melodies pop with The New Jazz Collective. noise is for you. fantastically between Nina Simone, Portishead, Ron Sexsmith, while Townes Van Zandt has THE REVELATORS: The Wheatsheaf – Free melodies lashing out from beneath the brutal INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial, Gary Numan and Suicide. Support from covered his songs; Lou Dalgleish, meanwhile, gig in the downstairs bar from the local blues riffage, while the lyrics – or what little you ebm and cyberpunk club night. traditional English folk, Latin, Balkan and 80s-styled indie janglers Trophy Cabinet and has worked with Elvis Costello and Bryan duo. can discern – tend toward the depraved and OPEN MIC SESSION: The White Rabbit gypsy dance with dub, punk and reggae from more. Ferry as well as releasing a succession of solo SONIC: The Bullingdon – The monthly club potty-mouthed. Recent album, `You Owe OPEN MIC SESSION: James Street Tavern Cornwall’s ever-touring trio. FUZZY LOGIC + OSPREY & THE OX4 albums since the early 1990s. But after ten night celebrates its first birthday with DJs Trikk, Me Nothing But Love’, brought Comanechi’s FREERANGE: The Cellar – Drum&bass, hip ALLSTARS + THE MIGHTY REDOX + years of marriage the pair have finally started Zyklon Sound, Sharky and George. splenetic dedication to sonic catharsis into th hop and dubstep club night. MARY’S GARDEN + CHARMS AGAINST WEDNESDAY 9 to write and perform together, bringing their CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford sharp focus, particularly on centrepiece COMANECHI: The Jericho Tavern – THE EVIL EYE + PURPLE MAY: The voices together on debut album `How Do You Community Centre – Weekly showcase of `Patsy’, but live they’re just crazy visceral Venomous banshee hardcore from the recent stars th Wheatsheaf – Klub Kakofanney’s birthday THURSDAY 10 Plead?’, an album of classic Nashville-style singers, musicians, poets, storytellers and more chaos with bells on. And you should love them of Supernormal festival – see main preview weekend continues with an extended evening KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES + PROPELLORS: duets that explore the timeless themes of the at Oxford’s longest-running open mic club. unreservedly. NINA NESBITT: O2 Academy – Breathlessly of live fun. Genre-blending hip hop-ska-pop O2 Academy – Punky power-pop from Cardiff’s country duet, inspired by, but often equal OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon emotive confessional pop, pitched somewhere crew Fuzzy Logic top the bill. They’re joined Kids In Glass Houses, out on tour to promote to, the likes of George and Tammy Wynette BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston between Laura Marling and Kate Nash, from by veteran local songsmith Osprey and chums; new album `Peace’, having risen to headline or Carter-Cash, sounding like they could be Edinburgh’s Swedish/Scottish singer, who’s Klub Kak hosts The Mighty Redox, with their status after early supports to Lostprophets, The forgotten hits from the 50s or 60s, and proving th previously played alongside Ed Sheeran and FRIDAY 4 swampy psychedelic blues; epic gothic pop Manics and 30 Seconds to Mars. that old country adage that the joining of two Example, as well as somehow deciding EVAROSE: O2 Academy – Alt.rock and post- types Mary’s Garden, and more. great voices in harmony is usually the signal to cover David Gray’s `Babylon’. hardcore pop from Banbury’s rising starlets, ELLA MARTINI: The Bullingdon – Sultry for tales of the utmost disharmony. Great local HOT HOOVES + HEADCOUNT playing their first major Oxford headline show. pop and r’n’b from the local singer. support for tonight’s Empty Room promotions + DIRTY SWEET LIES: The MY DARLING CLEMENTINE: The SELECTA: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass show from local Americana/folk chap Jack Wheatsheaf – Different shades of the Bullingdon – Marital disharmony by way of with Sigma, Serial Killaz, Mampi Swift and Olchawski from Toliesel, here in his solo punk beast at tonight’s Moshka club, sweet, sweet vocal harmonies from the premier Spookasonic. Crooked White Teeth guise. with Hot Hooves’ melodic fuzz-pop couple of UK country – see main preview PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + JACK FM drawing comparisons with Guided KLUB KAKOFANNEY with BLACK DJs: O2 Academy – Weekly three-clubs- By Voices, Husker Du and Teenage HATS + LISTING SHIPS + KNIGHTS OF in-one bash with indie classics and more Fanclub, while Headcount bring the MENTIS: The Wheatsheaf – Klub Kakofanney at Propaganda; kitsch pop, 80s and glam at industrial sturm und drang, channelling kick off a weekend of music at the Wheatsheaf Trashy and dancefloor faves from Jack FM’s Killing Joke and early Adam & The to celebrate their 22nd birthday. Tonight’s regular DJs. Ants as they rage against the machine. Klub Kak night features a strong local triple bill BREEZE: Fat Lil’s, Witney 3 DAFT MONKEYS: The that brings a characteristically wide range of EXTRA CURRICULAR: The Cellar – Bullingdon – Eclectic blend of styles, from Black Hats’ spiky post-punk power Weekly house, techno and bass club night. literate and jaunty folk-pop in the vein of Bright Beard of Destiny; swamp-blues faves The to the Spin, fresh from winning Best Ensemble does to Otis Redding, his voice a rich amalgam Eyes from London actor-cum-singer, touring his Mighty Redox; Americana crew Superloose; at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, touring their of the two. new `Country Mile’ album. trippy electro duo Stem and Jeremy’s own Moon new album, `Internationally Recognised Aliens’ GUNS 2 ROSES + METALLICA JOHNNY FLYNN: Truck Store – Instore set Leopard among the myriad acts on show across and counting Grammy Award-winning producer RELOADED: O2 Academy – Double dose of from the London singer ahead of his O2 show. the session. Steve Rodby on bass, as they mix British jazz hard rocking tributes. NO AGE: The Jericho Tavern – Stripped- UK FOO FIGHTERS: O2 Academy – Do you elegance with more groove-led American FROM THE JAM: O2 Academy – Bruce down noise-rock from the LA DIY duo – see really need this one explaining? sounds. Foxton and Rick Buckler keep waiting for main preview BRICKWORK LIZARDS: The Jericho SINFICTION: The Jericho Tavern – Indie Paul’s phone call. In the meantime…. SINGALONG WICKERMAN: Ultimate Tavern – Turkobilly fusion from the local faves, rocking in an Oasis vein. FLIGHTS OF HELIOS + ISLET + AFTER th Picture Palace – Dig out your Salmon of mixing up Arabic and eastern European music, CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford THE THOUGHT: Modern Art Oxford – Friday 11 Knowledge costume, we’re going to burn a jazz, rockabilly and hip hop. Community Centre Ambient psychedelia and electronica from Christian copper – see main preview PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + JACK FM OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Flights of Helios launching their debut EP SINGALONG th ANNERO + MASIRO: The Wheatsheaf – DJs: O2 Academy BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston tonight, mixing the widescreen soundscaping Saturday 19 WICKERMAN: Heavy, heavy monster sounds from Annero, SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – House, techno of Pink Floyd with the psychedelic drones straddling thrash, NWOBHM and grindcore, and bass club night with Ejeca and Friend FRIDAY 18th of Spiritualized and the intimate melodies of GATHERING: Ultimate Picture Palace alongside ferocious math-core beasts Masiro. Within, plus residents Em Williams and James JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND: Mercury Rev. Support comes from Wales’ art- Dig out your Salmon of Knowledge costume, GRAPHIC SCORES: St John the Evangelist Weston. rockers Islet and local electronic tripmeister Various venues The Bullingdon – Hailed as the hottest young After last year’s sold-out inauguration, raise a tankard of mead to Nuada, god of – Oxford Contemporary Music launch their EXTRA CURRICULAR: The Cellar American soul act around recently, Chicago After The Thought. the sun, and prepare to sing lustily along to new autumn season with an ambitious concert, THE MIGHTY CADILLACS: Florence Park DALLAS DON’T + X-1 + SPINNER FALL: Gathering returns to stake its place as an singer JC Brookes and his band come to Oxford essential part of Oxford’s gig calendar. classic cult horror film The Wicker Man’s celebrating the connection between visual arts, Community Centre as one of only two UK dates to promote their The Port Mahon – Spiky noise to the max mesmeric soundtrack at tonight’s Irregular symbols and music, featuring a supergroup SYNTRONIX: Fat Lil’s, Witney – 80s synth- tonight with an excellent triple bill of local More precisely, east Oxford, as the all-day second album, `Howl’. Having made a name for event takes place across eight venues on and Folk spectacular. Forget the camp trash of The of pianist Joanna MacGregor, singer Elaine pop covers. himself with a cover of Wilco’s `I’m Trying To fretmanglers. Dallas Don’t mix doleful melody Rocky Horror show or all those unpleasantly Mitchener, trumpeter Tom Arthurs, cellist with serrated riffage, between Arab Strap, Pixies around Cowley Road, featuring some 40 acts Break Your Heart’, Brooks’ blend of soul, r’n’b, over twelve hours. This year’s festival takes kitsch Abba karaoke nights, here’s where Oliver Coates and electronic artist Isambard th and Sonic Youth, while X-1 make extreme ire SUNDAY 13 gospel and rock owes as much to Prince as it place at the O2 Academy, The Bullingdon, the singalong comes into its own. Having Khovstaliov performing pieces by the likes NADINE SHAH: O2 Academy – Darkly an artform with their old-school hardcore attack. th East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley taken place at festivals from Supernormal of John Cage, Fred Frith, Cornelius Cardew, intense, baroque songs from singer and pianist Saturday 12 Spinner Fall hark back to the likes of Jesus to Wilderness, it comes to the perfectly George Crumb, Cathy Berberian and the Lizard and Fugazi for their melodic take on the Road Methodist Church, The Port Mahon, and recent Eels support Nadine Shah, bringing Truck Store and St John The Evangelist appropriate setting of the UPP, complete with highly influential Tom Phillips, all set against Arabic and Pakistani musical traditions into her OXJAM TAKEOVER: 80s hardcore blueprint. a Q&A session with director Robin Hardy, backdrops of the composers’ scores. BLACK FEATHERS + MOMENTO + church. Nominal headliners are LA’s afro- gothic pop world. pop influenced indie act Local Natives, over who’ll also be joining the singalong. Tonight’s BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – The world CANDIDES: Truck Store Various venues ELLIE CADDICK: The Wheatsheaf – Folk show is particularly special since it coincides dance club night celebrates it ninth birthday, The Oxford leg of Oxfam’s annual series and Americana from Cirencester duo Black in the UK to promote their second album, th of regional music festivals returns, having `Hummingbird’. They’re joined in various with the 40 anniversary of the film’s release spinning an eclectic mix of dancefloor Latin, th Feathers at tonight’s It’s All About the Music and the recent restoration of its original cut Balkan beats, global grooves and nu-jazz, MONDAY 14 previously raised upward of £10,000 for the show. places at various times by pensively ethereal with the discovery of lost footage. So that tonight featuring a live set from eleven-strong SUPERFOOD + KILL MURRAY + charity. Once again the event ranges across HOWLIN’ TAILDRAGGERS: The Jericho moodists London Grammar; brotherly two- means we get `Gently Johnny’ alongside the fusion band Lokkhi Terra, mixing traditional ARTCLASSSINK: The Bullingdon – several venues in the city centre, running Tavern – Soulful rocking Chicago blues from piece noisemongers Drenge; epic London roustabout `Landlord’s Daughter’ and the Bangladeshi folk music with Afro, Latin and Rearranged from last month, psychedelic pop from 3pm through to 3am. The emphasis is the local newcomers. folk-rockers To Kill A King; retro-modern impossibly fantastic `How Do’, famously the funk and baggy revivalism from Birmingham’s again on local acts, with a mix of established CASH: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Johnny Cash psychedelic popstrels Temples; Alabama’s soundtrack to that dance scene. The evening MATT CHANARIN + SIMON DAVIES Superfood, out on their biggest tour to date favourites and newcomers. Among the former tribute. lo-fi acoustic guitar pop lass Waxahatchee; is led by David Bramwell alongside Eliza & COLIN FLETCHER + SAMANTHA having previously supported Peace on tour, are spiky post-punk power-pop trio Black surly blues crew Findlay, recent tour support to Jake Bugg; energetic dance-popstress Skelton, whose dad was the voice of the TWIGG-JOHNSON: Albion Beatnik showing off influences from Blur and Oasis to Hats; soulful acoustic balladeer Adam SATURDAY 19th Happy Mondays. Local support from intricately Barnes; epic alt.country outfit ToLiesel; Chloe Howl; London’s New York 70s-style Daleks as well as George and Zippy from Bookstore – An evening of acoustic music in GATHERING: Various venues – Twelve-hour, grungy rockers Kill Murray. shoegazey rockers Deer Chicago; sunshiny scuzz-rockers Charlie Bowyer & The New Rainbow. Nightshift proudly admits to having aid of Amnesty International, with acoustic soul east Oxford-spanning music extravaganza with DEVON SPROULE + MARK STARLING: electro-pop faves Alphabet Backwards; Voyeurs and grungy etherealists Wolf Alice. watched The Wicker Man at least thirty times singer Matt Chanarin and local folk stalwarts Local Natives, London Grammar and many The Cellar – Canadian-American songstress afrobeat starlets Duchess; country-folksters As ever there’s a strong local contingent over the years and never, ever gets tired of Davies and Fletcher more – see main preview Devon Sproule returns with her seventh album, Empty White Circles and electro-heavy involved, chief among whom are this month’s it, and its soundtrack has become one of the THE SMOKING HEARTS + IDIOM + MAN MAKE FIRE + THESE ARE `Colours’, fusing elements of jazz and blues post-rockers Listing Ships, while Skeletor Nightshift cover stars Candy Says, and most influential British folk pieces in history. REIGN UPON US + PERCEPTION + BAD OUR DEMANDS + DAN McKEAN: The into her hazy Americana, her airy, host their own metal night at the Sheaf, fidgety, angular indie experimentalists Spring Altogether now… Sing cuckoo, loudly sing REIGN: The Courtyard, Bicester – A special Whitehouse – One Gig Closer to Wittstock conversational style telling tales of rural bliss, featuring tech-core ogres Mutagenocide, and Offensive. This is just touching the surface of cuckoo… benefit gig for Huskies In Need in honour of fundraiser, with Chipping Norton rockers Man reflecting her idyllic upbringing on a Virginian stoner-blues heavyweights Desert Storm course, and if last year’s genuinely impressive the late Tony Jezzard, who worked with young make Fire and atmosphere alt.rock somewhere commune. (pictured) among others. Among newer names debut is anything to go by, there’ll be lesser SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – Tenor musicians at the Courtyard over the years. A between Radiohead and The Cramps from These are the likes of Alex Lanyon; Jasmine Hill; known gems littered about the line-up for you saxophonist Josh Kemp plays tunes from his double headline tour of splenetic punk and Are Our Demands. th Brightworks; Jenny Bracey; Stroke of to discover as you trek between venues. For new `Tone Poetry’ album. hardcore crew Smoking Hearts, and Rage TUESDAY 15 PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + JACK FM Luck and Red Crow, with many more acts full line-up details and tickets, visit THE MIGHTY REDOX: The Wheatsheaf – Against the Machine-meets-Incubus metallers JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Spanish DJs: O2 Academy set to be confirmed nearer the date. Venues www.gatheringfestival.co.uk. Free gig in the downstairs bar from the swamp- Idion comes to Bicester, joined by a local acoustic session, plus The Heavy Dexters. EXTRA CURRICULAR: The Cellar blues stalwarts. heavyweight supporting cast that includes thrash OPEN MIC SESSION: The White Rabbit participating this year are The Cellar; The DIRTY EARTH BAND: Fat Lil’s, Witney – and Buddy Guy. WORLD OF TWIST: The Whitehouse – New and metalcore merchants Reign Upon Us. OPEN MIC SESSION: James Street Tavern Purple Turtle; The Wheatsheaf; St. Michael at Rock covers, 50s to noughties. BIG DEZ BAND: The Jericho Tavern – acoustic club night, tonight curated by Oli THE MIGHTY REDOX + FIREGAZERS: the Northgate; Turl Street Kitchen and New Texan-style blues from Parisian band Big Dez at Steadman from Stornoway and Count Drachma, James Street Tavern th Road Baptist Church. Like the Punt it’s a great WEDNESDAY 16 th tonight’s Famous Monday Blues show, formed who’s picked renowned violinist Anna Phoebe, way to discover all those local bands you keep SUNDAY 20 SUBVERSE: The Cellar – House, garage, by singer and guitarist Phil Fernandez and a virtuoso player who straddles celtic, gypsy th meaning to check out, and doing your bit to JULES PENZO + MEGAN JOSEPHY SATURDAY 12 techno and bass club night, with Berlin’s first keyboard player Bala Pradal. and middle eastern folk styles as well as jazz help alleviate global poverty in the process. + THE AUGUST LIST + CLAIRE LE OXJAM CITY TAKEOVER: Various venues lady of house Tama Sumo, the Panorama Bar and modern classical. She’s worked with Ronan Visit www.oxjamoxford.co.uk for line-up MASTER + RAGDOLL + BLIN JONNIE: – Multi-venue gig night as part of Oxfam’s resident mixing up an extended session of deep, Keating, P-Diddy and George Michael as well news and tickets. The Wheatsheaf (2.30pm) – Free afternoon nd annual Oxjam festival – see main preview soulful dance. She’s joined by Harry Scholes, TUESDAY 22 as touring with Jethro Tull and playing with of unplugged local acts in the downstairs bar, RUNDFUNK: The Cellar – Deep and minimal DONNINGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL with James Shirley and Midnight Mary. Trans Siberian Orchestra and Oi Va Voi. She’s hosted by Klub Kakofanney, including garagy house club night aiming to bring a taste of BEARD OF DESTINY + CELESTE + SPARKY’S JAM NIGHT: James Street joined by rising local acoustic pop songsmith porch song duo The August List and electric Berlin’s club scene to town, with resident DJs DAISY + DANNY KAYE + GOT MY Tavern folk ensemble Ragdoll. Sweet William and Zader Sharp. JOMO WORKING + MARK ATHERTON Ilghazi, Knightlife and Xinxan. CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford RED CEILIDH: The Bullingdon – Folk dance. EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY & FRIENDS + THE MIGHTY REDOX th JESSICA LAW: Truck Store Community Centre + MOON LEOPARD + OXFORD THURSDAY 17 HALO: St John the Evangelist – The Aussie CANTERBURY: O2 Academy – Return visit OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon UKULELES + RICHARD BROTHERTON singer and multi-instrumentalist heads off on to town for Farnham rockers Canterbury – st BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston + THE RIVERSIDE VOICES + STEM + MONDAY 21 her biggest headline tour to date to promote new previous tour support to Deaf Havana and Billy PHOUSA T: Fat Lil’s, Witney SUPERLOOSE: Donnington Community JULIAN SAS: The Bullingdon – Rocking album `Dear River’ Talent, as well headliners at July’s Yardfest. Centre (2pm) – A full afternoon and evening of blues from Dutch guitarist Julian Sas making his JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – Anglo- FRIDAY 11th music at the Donnington Community Centre, Oxford debut at tonight’s Haven Club show, the OPEN MIC SESSION: The White Rabbit American quartet Impossible Gentlemen come OPEN MIC SESSION: James Street Tavern JOHNNY FLYNN: O2 Academy – Wry, with Jeremy Hughes hosting sets from bluesman man inspired by Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan otherworldly post-rock-cum-ambient-folk from self-described cuddlecore. MONDAY 28th COASTS + EMPTY WHITE CIRCLES Newcastle’s rarefied soundscapists, back in SONGWRITERS CIRCLE: The Port Mahon RICHARD WALTERS WITH STRINGS: +THE KITES: The Cellar – Indie pop and town to promote new album `Until The Colours – Intimate acoustic songwriters session hosted The Holywell Music Room – Angel-voiced dance-punk from Bristol’s Coasts out on tour, Run’, their gilded mosaic of Mazzy Star, Sigur by country-blues faves Swindlestock and tonight local songmeister Rich Walters heads off on alongside local indie-folksters Empty White Ros and Cocteau Twins both intricate and epic, featuring Samuel Zasada, Matt Midgely and The tour with welsh string quartet Vulcan Strings, Circles. Hazel Wilde’s swooning, breathless vocals a Oh So Many. who have previously worked with the Manics, BEN WATERS & HIS BAND: The Jericho wonder of nature all by themselves. Ben Montague and Bill Fay, here helping strip Tavern – The acclaimed boogie woogie pianist LANTERNS ON THE LAKE: Truck Store – SATURDAY 26th his hushed, hurt songs down to voice, acoustic makes a rare Oxford showing at The Famous Instore set ahead of their Bully gig. YOUNG KNIVES + LISTING SHIPS: The guitar and strings, pretty much as they should be Monday Blues, having played alongside OUTPATIENTS: O2 Academy – Former- Cellar – Henry, House and Ollie warm up for heard. Should be quietly, gently brilliant. The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and Jerry Sikth man Mikee Goodman returns to what he their forthcoming UK tour with a return to THE QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA: O2 Lee Lewis, as well as being picked to play Friday 25th does best – screaming his lungs to a bloody their roots. We first caught the trio, then still Academy – Queen tribute. No, extravagant Meltdown by Ray Davies, who declared him pulp in the name of rock music with his new called Ponyclub, at this same venue over a one of the greatest pianists ever. He’s received Queen tribute. It says here. Wednesday 30th MARK EITZEL: band, formed together with disconcertingly decade ago, so it’ll be an interesting change CHANTEL McGREGOR: The Bullingdon – similar plaudits from Jools Holland, who knows elfish Japanese singer Yuuri, and sometime from their usual bigger local shows as they set Bradford’s fast-rising guitar virtuoso Chantelle a thing or two about tinkling the ivories. In his DEEP VALLY: The Bullingdon Prodigy drummer Kieron Pepper among others. about self-releasing their new album, `Sick McGregor returns to the Haven Club. Having own right he interprets Prohibition-era songs Pour yourselves a large one and prepare to see Not much to go on music-wise so far, though Octave’, financed via a kickstarter campaign and played from the age of six, she went to and rock’n’roll standards. the world through the bottom of your empty O2 Academy their first leaked track, `Throw Rocks’, is promising to be their most outré album so far. Leeds College Of Music, becoming the first For a band who met at needlework class, glass as the undisputed king of whisky-ruined suitably virulent and features screaming. Lots They’ll be playing the new albm in its entirety, student to graduate from the world-renowned TUESDAY 29th LA’s Deep Vally are a right noisy bunch. melancholy returns to Oxford for the first of screaming. (Note to dullards – screaming is followed by a set of old favourites. Electro- establishment with a 100% pass mark and HADOUKEN! + SONIC BOOM SIX: O2 Drummer Julie Edwards runs a shop back time since 2006. As the founder and leader of good, okay). heavy instrumental post-rocking support from 18 distinctions. Since then she’s honed her Academy – Exuberant genre-mashing electro- home called The Little Knittery, but sit American Music Club, Mark Eitzel practically SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – Listing Ships. skills, playing alongside Joe Bonnamassa as grime-indie-techno-rocking from Hadouken!, her behind her kit and she’ll thrash seven invented the genre quickly dubbed sadcore. Saxophonist Dave O’Higgins plays material SILENT SCREAMS + DEDLOK + well as joining Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and now signed to Ministry of Sound, for whom shades of hell out of it. Singer-guitarist Julie In the process he became a major inspiration th from his new `The Two Minds Big Band’ album. EMPIRE DIVIDED + EYES OF EVE + Albert Lee for a 60 anniversary celebration they’re just about to release new album `Every Edwards, meanwhile, compacts all the raw for Radiohead and Coldplay who, along with THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Wheatsheaf THE REAPER: O2 Academy – Skeletor’s of the Fender Telecaster. Following her Best Weekend. Support from Manchester’s hard- blues and soul venom of Janis Joplin, Karen REM, are long-time admirers of his work. – Free gig in the downstairs bar from the local monthly metal extravaganza plays host to Newcomer award at the 2011 British Blues gigging punk, hip hop and ska crew Sonic Boom O and Alison Mosshart into a strident howl Although born in California, Eitzel spent blues-rock veteran. Coventry’s ogreish prog-metal-cum-hardcore Awards and she’s just won Best Guitarist and Six. that sings of female empowerment (`Gonna much of his early life living around the world DEEP COVER: The Cellar – Hip hop, r’n’b blasters Silent Screams, previous support to Best Female Vocalist. Musically she’s inspired JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – The Hugh Make My Own Money’) or fires broadsides as part of a military family. He dabbled with and reggae club night. Bring Me The Horizon and Your Demise. A by everyone from Hendrix to Robin Trower Turner Band play the weekly jazz club, at creepy blokes (`Creeplife’). Together born-again Christianity before hitting the bottle CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford strong local metal supporting cast includes and Walter Trout, while vocally she’s drawn preceded by Spanish acoustic session. the pair distil rock and roll back to its base with rather more vigour and this probably Community Centre virulent industrial punk-metal titans Dedlok; comparisons to both Stevie Nicks and Bonnie ROCKSOC LIVE: The Wheatsheaf elements by way of some biblically distorted accounts for the rootless despair at the heart of OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon crushing death metallers Empire Divided; thrash Raitt. OPEN MIC SESSION: The White Rabbit stoner riffage. Such a grunged-up, primal his songs. Despite all that he’s a highly prolific BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston merchants Eyes of Eve and tech-thrash teens OPEN MIC SESSION: James Street Tavern approach to stripped-down blues rocking has, artist, both with AMC and solo, and this latest The Reaper. th of course, been done plenty of times before, tour comes in the wake of his latest album, th GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with Sunday 27 FRIDAY 25 th from Led Zep and Sabbath, through to Royal `Don’t Be A Stranger’. Tonight’s show is a WEDNESDAY 30 MARK EITZEL: The Bullingdon – The bottle AGNESS PIKE + THE GRAFHAM Trux and The White Stripes, but if you’re solo performance from Mark so the sumptuous ALUNAGEORGE: DEEP VALLY: O2 Academy – Lady sings the and the blues from the former American Music WATER SAILING CLUB + KID KIN: The going to let that spoil your fun, more fool arrangements he often employs on record will Wheatsheaf – Another pleasingly mixed bag of blues. In a decidedly unladylike fashion – see Club cult hero – see main preview O2 Academy main preview you. Deep Vally knit. They crochet. Most of likely make way for his more stark voice-and- sounds at this month’s GTI, featuring theatrical, While r’n’b became increasingly bland and BLUE: O2 Academy – Anthony, Duncan, Lee, EUROS CHILDS + LAURA J MARTIN: all though, they bloody well rock. guitar style. It’s not a heap of unrestrained idiosyncratic thrashers Agness Pike; dark-hued homogenous after its pioneering 90s peak, Dave, Dee Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch reunite The Wheatsheaf – Former Gorky’s Zygotic misery, though. He’s a romantic at heart and post-punk from Coventry’s GWSC, and swishy- London duo Alunageorge – conveniently for a run through of their extensive catalogue of Mynci frontman Euros Childs heads out on the tradition of Syd Barrett. His show at the darkly humorous, as well as a personable swashy electronics and treated guitar ambience named after their component parts: singer hits, from `Too Close’ and `If You Come Back’ tour to promote his ninth solo album, stripping Academy a few years back found him joined performer. But you’ll probably be weeping into from Kid Kin in the vein of Ulrich Schnauss and Alunah Francis, and prodcer George Reid – to `Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’ and down the folky twist on Beatles-y psychedelia, on stage by most of REM, while Radiohead your shot glass before the end of the night. Sigur Ros. seemingly remembered what made the likes of `Hamburger Lady’. painting a sweet, idiosyncratic and sepia-tinted watched on from the front row and his influence AHAB: The Bullingdon – Country rocking Timbaland, Neptunes and D’Angelo sound like SUSHEELA RAMAN: O2 Academy – An picture of beauty and despair on new album on and affection from myriad other musicians rd and old time American folk from London’s the future back in the day. Reid’s production WEDNESDAY 23 exotic blend of Bhakti, Tamil and Sufi traditions `Comedy Situations’. Excellent, inventive alt. far outweighs his commercial success. Ahab, back in town after their headline show at typically mixes pitch-shifted vocal samples CAT EMPIRE: O2 Academy – Good-time with jazz, pop and folk from Anglo-Indian folk from singer and flautist Laura J Martin, SUBVERSE: The Cellar – Casino Times – the Academy back in June, now out on tour to and almost incongruous synth hooks, with Latin dance, reggae, ska and jazz fusion from singer Raman, nominated for the Mercury Prize heavily inspired by Kate Bush. production duo Nick Church and Joe Spencer coincide with a new studio album. everything often feeling like it’s fading in and Melbourne’s festival-friendly collective The for her 2001 debut `Salt Rain’. BEANS ON TOAST: The Bullingdon – – return to Oxford where they first met at uni, LES CLOCHARDS + VON BRAUN + THE out of focus; over the top of this Francis croons Cat Empire, mixing up lively Cuban-style party THE PORTICO QUARTET: The Newman Hoarse, ramshackle protest folk from Essex’s with their deep, disco-infused house. OTHER DRAMAS: The Jericho Tavern – with sweet, kittenish devilry – a reminder tunes with Marley-esque reggae numbers and Rooms – A first visit to Oxford – we think – for Mumford and Frank Turner-collaborating Jay Les Clochards launch their new album, `Any sometimes of Sneaker Pimps’ massively over in the UK to promote sixth album `Steal the buskers-turned-Mercury Prize nominees McAllister. st and their experimental jazz, based around sax Fool Can Wear Their Heart On Their Sleeve’, underrated Kelli Ali. Having stamped their THURSDAY 31 The Light’. ROBYN HITCHCOCK: Fat Lil’s, Witney – A SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – Fast- and percussion but notable particularly for the on Big Red Sky tonight, the Francophile café- existence all over Blogland with the pure pop ZATOKREV + GALVANO + FROM THE particularly intimate show for cult psychedelic rising trumpeter Andre Canniere is the star turn band’s use of the Hang, a modern steel-drum- folk-cum-rock’n’rollers joined by taught Pixies splendour of `You Know Why You Like It’ BOGS OF AUGHISKA: The Wheatsheaf pop legend Hitchcock over Witney way. From at tonight’s Spin. like percussion instrument. Influenced as much and Nirvana-inspired grungers Von Braun and and the trippy `Your Drums, Your Love’, their – An evening of dense, doomy and desolate his origins in the seminal Soft Boys in the HIPPY HAZE: The Wheatsheaf – Free gig in by Steve Reich and Radiohead as classic jazz, acoustic pop duo The Other Dramas. debut album `Body Music’ finally arrived back apocalyptic noise, taking black and doom 1970s, through fronting his own band The the downstairs bar their sound is highly rhythmic and ambient, RECKLESS SLEEPERS + SNIPE + in the summer, to expectedly rave reviews, and metal into new territories, with Switzerland’s Egyptians in the 80s, to teaming up with Peter CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford dipping into African tribal music at times. Five PURPLE MAY: James Street Tavern – tonight’s show may well be the last time the Candlelight-signed Zatokrev adding an almost Buck in the Venus 3 more recently, he’s been a Community Centre years after their debut, `Knee Deep In the North Pre-Halloween party gig with lilting, folksy pair play in venues this size. Because they do symphonic feel to their death-rock, not a quintessentially English practitioner of surreal, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Sea’, brought them to national notice they bring psychedelic popstrels Reckless Sleepers and that simple but rare thing – make unadulterated million miles away from the mighty Deaf idiosyncratic, sometimes comic psych-pop in BLUES JAM: The Jack Russell, Marston their third, eponymous, album to the stage. chums. pop music, all lightness and space, and twist it Heaven at times. They’re joined by Swedish PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + JACK FM doom monsters Galvano, and the brilliant Irish KNIGHTS OF MENTIS + BURNING just enough to make it feel bright and new. WHEEL + SWEET & SOUR SWING: The DJs: O2 Academy ambient black metallers From The Bogs Of EXTRA CURRICULAR: The Cellar Aughiska, taking their native Celtic folklore for Cellar – Local nine-piece (a nontet?) acoustic ensemble Knights of Mentis launch their debut SHEPHERD’S PIE: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Rock an unnerving journey through the doomlands. and metal covers. Inventive, punishing stuff. album, `New Pound Coin’, awash with their rustic blend of bluegrass, country, folk and MR TOM: The Jericho Tavern – Funky guitar th pop from Southampton’s Mr Tom. American roots. They’re joined by Liverpool’s SUNDAY 27 FREERANGE: The Cellar folk-rockers Burning Wheel and local steel ALUNAGEORGE: O2 Academy – Tripped- guitar and erhu duo Sweet & Sour Swing. out r’n’b from Aluna. And George – see main th ACE BUSHY STRIPTEASE: The preview THURSDAY 24 Wheatsheaf – Proudly dishevelled fuzz-pop BLUES JAMES: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Open jam Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is 6pm on the 20th of each LANTERNS ON THE LAKE: The from Birmingham’s lo-fi darlings, channelling session, with The Mighty Cadillacs and more. month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm), or email listings to nightshift@oxfordmu- Bullingdon – Sorrowful, spectral and the spirits of The Pastels and Huggy Bear in their sic.net. Gig listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without permission. photo: Marc West Evil Blizzard

about it, and if tonight’s show is a glimpse into about it, and if tonight’s transcend even Swim should Wild their future, venues this elegant when their album sees the light of day. Dale Kattack

go get fucked – here’s a band who have about eight different t-shirt designs a band who have about eight different go get fucked – here’s on sale (our favourite is the one with the panther with a skull in its mouth) AC/DC, Judas Priest and Huge chunks of riffs. and only four different get chucked in the blender and fired out the far end by beardy Turbonegro lunatics in a hurry. The thing is, instead of getting wilder and dafter as they go on, the band seem to drop down a gear for the latter part of the set, which sounds more No getting down and dirty. Top or ZZ bender, like classic Quo on a caffeine keep up that initial barrage, but and it’d be some task to bad thing really, not nitpick too much though, maybe the set itself needs a bit of a rejig. Let’s exactly designed to tickle your cerebral nor overanalyze a band who aren’t Whatchoo doing cortex. Just heads-down, no-nonsense mindless boogie. taking your brain to a gig anyway? Ian Chesterton

attention, his voice carries all the presence of a leading opera singer. The Night’, a Glimpse Into They close with `A comparatively more robust song with its chiming guitar glissando, but that spectral air still lingers

LIVE and apparent discomfort at being the centre of Richard’s voice full rein; for all his boyish looks voice full rein; Richard’s than flute and the sparsest of percussion allowing standout though, is `Part One’, nothing more prevalent throughout the set. Tonight’s real Tonight’s prevalent throughout the set. never imposing on the sense of understatement you’ve a chance to get comfortable with songs tendency to veer down different paths before tendency to veer down different to Joy Division, the busy compositions and Night’ is spooked and full of a similar sombreness Night’ before rising to more epic heights. `Another echoes Japan’s early-1980s textural expeditions echoes Japan’s conceals intense drama and depth, while `Bones’ conceals intense drama and depth, while `Bones’ Wild Swim songs inhabit, though its subtlety Swim songs inhabit, though its Wild `Spectre’ hints at the non corporeal world so many hints `Spectre’ puncturing the ambience. Even the title of voice hesitant and breathless, harsh electronics voice hesitant and breathless, harsh electronics promising. `Solace’ finds Richard Samson’s finds Richard Samson’s promising. `Solace’ their local fans, and the results are more than from Wild Swim’s forthcoming debut album to Swim’s Wild from Tonight’s show is aimed at showcasing songs Tonight’s from mists. envelope the room, like mountaintops emerging envelope the room, like mountaintops emerging taking shape from gentle drifting fogs of sound to taking shape from gentle drifting fogs of sound cautiously, melodies and instrumental distractions cautiously, circle before exploding, theirs unfurl more rarefied environs. While Kill Murray’s songs While Kill Murray’s rarefied environs. Wild Swim, by contrast, are built for more Wild in a hot, sweaty pub venue, though. rolling rock thunder. Still a band best experienced rolling rock thunder. shifts up from plaintive, wraith-like sprawl to shifts up from plaintive, wraith-like sprawl to hoping for a cover of the Ice-T classic before it hoping for a cover of the Ice-T is `Colours’, whose stark electronic intro has us is `Colours’, whose stark electronic intro has and giving it some serious welly. Best of the set and giving it some serious welly. lacking purpose before stomping on their pedals lacking purpose before stomping on their pedals repeat the trick of sounding slightly muddled and repeat the trick of sounding Dinosaur Jr-style grunginess. In between the band grunginess. Dinosaur Jr-style while bullish set-closer `Pheromones’ is full-on `Pheromones’ while bullish set-closer is like a slightly stoned, mellowed-out Pixies, is like a slightly stoned, their slacker side. `Chris’s Gun’ for example, Gun’ their slacker side. `Chris’s of their guitar fuzz thunder, we hear more of of their guitar fuzz thunder, setting of the North Wall, which steals much which steals much Wall, setting of the North but tonight, in the possibly not entirely suitable but tonight, in the possibly releases so far have steered closer to the former releases so far have steered approaching grungy nonchalance. The band’s The band’s approaching grungy nonchalance. act between high-wired tension and something act between high-wired Kill Murray’s music is a constant balancing music is a constant balancing Kill Murray’s quickly, noisily and with as little frippery as possible. Frankly, subtlety can as possible. Frankly, noisily and with as little frippery quickly, guitar solos for sure but the premise seems to be to get from start to finish as Initially they’re unreconstructed, almost primordial speed-metal. There are Initially they’re unreconstructed, almost primordial speed-metal. cartoon onslaught. gang thronging the venue, a perfect setting for PPSR’s Motӧrhead-inspired gang thronging the venue, a perfect setting for PPSR’s contingent of what appears to be the Stoke on Trent chapter of some biker Trent contingent of what appears to be the Stoke on sweaty and smelly for tonight’s Buried In Smoke-hosted gig, a sizeable sweaty and smelly for tonight’s than a Valkyrie desperate for the loo. The Wheatsheaf is suitably packed, Wheatsheaf is suitably The desperate for the loo. Valkyrie than a but Peter Pan Speedrock make enough noise for ten bands and ride faster amphetamine rock vehicle of former-Winnebago Deal guitarist Ben Perrier, Deal guitarist Ben Perrier, amphetamine rock vehicle of former-Winnebago It’s a damn shame we just miss support act Blasted, the current a damn shame we It’s The clue is in the name, right? Coldplay and the heirs to Snow Patrol’s pop thro… ah, who are we kidding. Coldplay and the heirs to Snow Patrol’s The Wheatsheaf Speedrock have variously been hailed as the new Peter Pan Eindhoven’s PETER PAN SPEEDROCK PETER PAN The Wall North KILL MURRAY KILL WILD SWIM / WILD EVAVOID / RETRIBUTION / MERCHANDISE / DALLAS DON’T / DEAD MESA JEFF WODE O2 Academy The Jericho Tavern Tonight is the second of local metal sledgehammer and don’t let up until Jeff Wode, a spin-off project from the inescapable swampiness of EP promoters Skeletor’s‘New Breed’ their thirty minutes of carnage are Empty White Circles, treat us to a `Total Nite’ – a listening experience nights, giving newer local bands a through. A straight-up approach to catholic set of lacerating guitar and akin to having one’s head doused chance to prove themselves on the metal, reminiscent of both the thrash sparing but growled vocals – not a in some seriously slimy seaweed Academy’s big stage. The turnout of early Metallica and Machine Head, million miles away from the territory – is abandoned in favour of a is pretty impressive, and shows the as well as more modern metalcore occupied by current indie-noise tighter, more rhythmic set. So, only fantastic strength of Oxford’s metal bands like Lamb of God and Trivium darlings Hookworms. They finish `Anxiety’s Door’ features their scene at the moment. Highlights resonates extremely well with the the set with a medley incorporating newfound swirling psychedelia, from tonight include Mordecai (since crowd. There’s some excellent hair `Wild Thing’ but stop well short of while it’s transformed into a renamed Black Mesa), who play action on and off-stage, and the band lapsing into Jive Bunny territory. protracted closing wig-out, more an effects-laden, reverb-drenched use a dual vocal call and response Dallas Don’t have developed into than a few leagues away from the set that is strongly evocative of technique to great effect. It’s nothing one of Oxford’s finest bands and straight edge scene from which they alternative metal kings Tool. That new, but if you like your metal ‘on following their literal barnstorming sprung. said their influences are a little more the rocks’, Retribution is the band of the stage of that name at Truck Hailing from Tampa, the angst diverse than they might at first seem, for you. Festival in July show up tonight that inevitably accompanies turgid with vocal nods towards Placebo and The final band on tonight is Evavoid, in spiky mood. With long-time suburban life is evident among Coheed & Cambria, alongside big who do a great job of invigorating favourite `The Witches’ Stone’ an astonishing sequence of guitar soundscapes that evoke the space a worn-out crowd. They cater to a confidently jettisoned for the effects: squiggles of virtuosity that rock of the 1970s. Sadly, tonight’s slightly more mainstream audience; if evening, new tune `It’s Problematic’ leaves me attempting to peer on to sound doesn’t quite do Dead Mesa Avenged Sevenfold had been about in recalls the Seattle sound at its most the stage in search of a hidden set justice, and a few slightly sloppy the 80s they’d probably have sounded visceral, while singer Niall Kennedy of keyboards. A recent change that moments definitely don’t help a bit like this. It’s high octane, it’s delivers powerfully on the vocal saw the four piece hire a drummer matters. Mid-set, the band pull on a punchy, it’s rock’n’roll, and it comes front; the punky `Work for Nothing’ to replace a machine has also slightly sheepish Kyle Quinell – ex of complete with low-slung axes and is also unleashed for a first airing seemingly paid dividends with older Crysis – who is taking over on bass in big hair. Lead guitarist Rory Drohan and whets the appetite for a possible songs `Time’ and `In Nightmare lieu of Oen Biggs. If Kyle can retain totally outclasses the competition album to come. Room’ rattle along at a fair old pace; Oen’s jazzy bass grooves, and inject with superlative skill, making up for Taking to the stage in shades, Cox’s baritone resounding off the some of the famed Crysis live energy vocals that at times feel a little weak, Merchandise frontman Carson rafters. into Dead Mesa, these guys could and perhaps also incongruously harsh Cox exudes cool languor although Robert Langham make serious waves in Oxford. for this style. Evavoid definitely In stark contrast to the progressive aren’t a polished act, but there’s sensibilities of Dead Mesa, undoubtedly potential here. Retribution hit the stage like a Tal Fineman THE FALL FESTIVAL James Street Tavern The James Street Tavern has If I said they are the only Oxford become a solid fixture on Cowley band with a bagpiper someone Road’s live music scene, with would only write in to point out that well supported free gigs every there’s another two. Probably. week. Saturday’s opening of their Sunday afternoon sees Rag start-of-autumn beer and music Doll soothing the faithful with festival kicks off without a proper some gentle but upbeat folk-pop, running order and we miss the unremarkable but for some fine wonderful John Thompson, but violin playing that lifts them above things soon start to look up. what a number of similar Oxford The Dublings come across as a bands are producing. lightweight reggae band but quickly A stripped-down four-piece reveal themselves as something version of Swindlestock provide more interesting. A well balanced a country twist on proceedings, sound with two singers, a solid with elements of talking blues and drummer and an inventive guitarist a singer with more than a little make for a highly satisfying set, Johnny Cash in him. No-one’s got further enlivened by covers of songs the energy to dance but plenty of by Katy B and Dr Dre. toes are tapping. The Indescribable Unknown Hannah Bruce has a rhythmic, may have split but singer Leon, attacking approach to playing playing solo with a borrowed guitar, her acoustic guitar that fits well intrigues us with a cover of Joy with her deep and soulful voice. Division’s ‘New Dawn Fades’ that Unfortunately the PA isn’t clear does full justice to what is in every enough to allow us to make out sense an uneasy song. Fragility and many lyrics there’s enough promise self-doubt are frequent ingredients here to easily justify further in great music and there is evidence investigation. of both here. Overall this is a great example of Returning later we find an intense what can be done with little more wall of rhythm shaking James than sheer goodwill and a common Street. The Gees are yet another commitment to having a good time. project from the indefatigable Matt Respect due to everyone who gave Sage: a small but powerful mass of up their time without expecting a horns, percussion and energy that payback, putting the music first. turns the room into a heaving mass. Art Lagun Mondays 24th LANTERNS ON THE LAKE INTRODUCING.... THE HAVEN CLUB Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local music bubbling under 7th KRISSY MATTHEWS £8adv / Fridays £10door ONE BIG CHICKEN – student 14th SUPERFOOD / KILL night. Cheesy pop anthems. MURRAY / ARTCLASSSINK 10pm; £1 entry; 20% off selected drinks. Yellow Fever 21st JULIAN SAS £8adv / £10door Who are they? South Oxfordshire indie/Afropop crew Yellow Fever are Dele Adewuyi 28th CHANTEL McGREGOR Early Friday gigs (vocals / guitar); Alexis Panidis (drums); George Readshaw (bass), and £10adv / £12door th 4 MY DARLING Aaron Kenyon Gwerts (lead guitar). Dele, Alexis and George got together CLEMENTINE while in year 7 at school, playing random medleys of The Darkness and Every Tuesday 18th JC BROOKS & THE Dizzee Rascal for a couple of years before deciding to take it seriously. Aaron UPTOWN SOUND joined a year ago. Yellow Fever’s first gig was at an Ark T live session; it was, THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB in their own words, “an absolute shambles, but really fun.” An early recording Live Spanish-flavoured music. 8-10pm; free 25th MARK EITZEL earned them a Nightshift Demo Dumper, but they’ve since become one of entry. Jazz bands from 10pm; £2 entry / £1 students. the fastest-rising young bands around, picked to play the Punt back in May 20% off selected drinks Saturdays as well as a main stage slot at this summer’s Truck Festival. They released Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: th a single, `Wax’, last month, and while they are all off to university from this “Desert Storm: Alexis was a groupie when they played in Holland a few 1st /15th THE HEAVY DEXTERS 5 ELLA MARTINI 7.30pm; £5 th th month they will reunite for local gigs during holidays as well as playing each months ago. And we play football with them quite a lot. They really know 8th / 22nd THE NEW JAZZ 5 SELECTA’S 4 BIRTHDAY featuring SIGMA / MAMPI other’s uni town during term time. how to get a crowd going and they have some cracking riffs.” COLLECTIVE What do they sound like? If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: SWIFT / SERIAL KILLAZ / 29th THE HUGH TURNER BAND Riding that cresting wave of Afro-pop-inflected indie disco (see also Duchess “Probably `Silent Alarm’ by Bloc Party, because it introduced to us a new SPOOKASONIC 10.30pm; £11 and Bright Works) Yellow Fever’s sprightly, pop-friendly take on the sound type of music and we all made friends over it. We all came out of a Green th Wednesdays 12 SIMPLE – House, techno, bass has made them one of the most promising young acts in the area, drawing Day phase at the same time it came out. It’s an example of a good album with EM WILLIAMS / JAMES comparisons to Foals, Talking Heads and Paul Simon at times. made during the halcyon days of the post-punk revival.” 9th 3 DAFT MONKEYS WESTON 10.30pm: £12 What inspires them? When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? 30th BEANS ON TOAST 19th GATHERING FESTIVAL “Normal pop music staples like love and death. Because that’s all that “Most likely the Wheatsheaf in December, when we’ve all regrouped happens to us. We like the idea of making a living off just experiencing from Uni. Hopefully we’ll have some brand new stuff to show everyone. 26th AHAB Thursdays things. It certainly beats the boredom of a 9-5 office job.” Newcomers can expect lots of movement and good clean disco fun.” Career highlight so far: Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: 3rd SONIC presents 1st birthday with Sundays “We went to Grenoble for two weeks just after we finished our GCSEs and “Favourite is probably that there are a lot of bands to look up to that are an TRIKK / ZYKLON SOUND / 20th RED CEILIDH 7.30pm; £5 got to collaborate with musicians from around the world. Playing the main inspiration. They help you remember that it is possible to go somewhere with SHARKY / GEORGE. 10.30pm; £5 27th HUMOUR TUMOUR stage at Truck last year was pretty awesome too. it. Least favourite is the lack of venues for under 18s.” 17th WE WANT OXFORD LAUNCH And the lowlight: You might love them if you love: – comedy night 7.30pm; £5 with BROOKES BROTHERS / OCTOBER “We once played at a football clubhouse whilst watched by Very Nice Harry. Vampire Weekend; Arctic Monkeys; Foals; Paul Simon; Bombay Bicycle Club.” ALPHABET PONY 10pm; £5 And only Very Nice Harry. Which Alexis was in anyway. We did get paid in Hear them here: the end, though.” thisisyellowfever.bandcamp.com DR SHOTOVER – Duvet of the Dead Aha, là vous êtes, mon ami. Willkommen and bienvenu to the East Indies THIS MONTH IN OXFORD Club Bar, where…. [drum-roll] Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to ALL OUR YESTERDAYS MUSIC HISTORY the cah-bah-RAYYY! Ahem. Nasty attack of the Liza Minnellis there, what? Must have had too many pink gins yesterday at Weimar Berlin 20 YEARS AGO 10 YEARS AGO 5 YEARS AGO Theme Night. Buy me a bottle of that 1970s cider-flavoured drink, October 1993 saw the release of a landmark As Nightshift approached its 100th issue, it was Five years on from that debut album, pop a quaalude in it, and my digestion will, I am sure, settle down. Ah, Oxford album, but one that is rarely mentioned announced we’d be hosting a series of celebratory Youthmovies were still going strong, October good man [glug, glug]. Let de-Minellification commence. Talking of in terms of Oxford’s musical legacy. shows around town. Long-time Shift faves The 2008’s Nightshift reporting the now monikeredly- gay icons, what’s happened to Kylie Minogue recently? Oh yes, Lady Sevenchurch’s `Bleak Insight’ came out on Bigger The God were down to perform at the shortened band were set to release a new EP, Gaga kidnapped her, stole her moves and her fanbase, then added a vat Noise Records, the band plumbing new depths Zodiac in what was to be their final ever show, `Polyp’ for Blast First, Jonquil’s Hugo Manuel, of Aladdin Sane make-up and some sausages. Frankly if Minogue and of Gregorian doom metal. supported by Nought, Meanwhile, Back In Oregon poet Adam Gnade and 65Daysofstatic’s Gaga appeared all hot-panted-up at Shotover Towers after dark, I would The album was later acclaimed by Terrorizer Communist Russia and Sexy Breakfast, while Joe Shrewsbury all guesting or providing not kick them out of the ancestral four-poster… but Gaga would have to magazine as the third greatest doom album of the Bullingdon hosted The Young Knives, remixes to the project. leave the sausages outside the bedroom door. Where Christina Aguilera all time – beaten only by Black Sabbath and Near Life Experience and Spacehopper, and Gracing the cover of this month’s issue were would probably retrieve them Cathedral – and Sevenchurch have developed The Wheatsheaf saw Dive Dive, Coma Kai, Xmas Lights, making their second appearance on and… no, no, it’s too early in a cult following around Europe. “Buy it today Suitable Case For Treatment and Sunnyvale the cover, described as the sound of “metal into the evening to contemplate that and watch your neighbourhood go into terminal Noise Sub-Element showing what was great and flesh, future factory brutality and screaming,” in sort of frightful frightfulness, decline,” concluded Curfew magazine’s review. good about Oxford music at the time. an interview that found what was then Oxford’s my dear. If we are not careful Beyond this epoch-making moment, the month Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies – still yet most brutal band discussing who was the most brutal act in the world; Converge, Napalm Death, we will all end up on the cover also saw the birth of another great Oxford act, to shorten their name – were all set to release Rolo Tomassi and Swans winning the day. of the next Lee Smilex solo with The Egg playing their first ever show, their debut album,` Let’s Get Going… You’re at the Jericho Tavern. Curfew’s pun-laden Fracturing Me With This Misery’ on Quickfix Also this month A Silent Film released their album wearing a pair of leather review described the techno-funk quartet as Records. The math-rock pioneers were also album `The City That Sleeps’ on Xtra Mile while trousers with the gusset missing “clucking magic”, as well as looking forward lining up a joint EP with rising local post-rockers This Town Needs Guns released their debut and Madonna’s old pointy bra… to “their triple concept albumen” to come. The The Edmund Fitzgerald, who would soon `Animals’ on Big Scary Monsters. Meanwhile, while we’re on the band subsequently named their debut album change their name to Foals and become very Roots Manuva, Enter Shikari, Rachel subject of things ending in ‘-x’, `Albumen’, so we were, like, prophetic geniuses slightly famous. Unthank, Spiritualized, British Sea Power and that healing draught of mandrax- or something. Get us. As well as an interview with Sexy Breakfast Holy Fuck were all coming to town, while over infused Cydrax has gone down Playing venues around Oxford this month were October 2003’s Nightshift saw the likes of Frank in the demo pages, Spunkle was making a one- well. Another would go even local indie darlings Heavenly at The Oxford Black, Shack, and a couple of up’n’coming off comeback atop the pile. Down at the bottom down-er, geddit? Ah, thank’ee Venue; Transglobal Underground and Mouth young hopefuls called Snow Patrol and Biffy Deeds of the Nameless were “this month’s kindly [glug, glug, glug-o-rama]. Music at the same venue; Moose, Terrorvision Clyro coming to The Zodiac – yet again proof obligatory unreconstructed soft-rock whipping Now, [yawning slightly] what’s and John Otway at the Jericho and some young that the best way to see big, fat famous pop bands boys, sounding like Whitesnake having a midlife my favourite American rock band pop pup called Gary Numan at the Apollo. is on the way up at smaller venues for a fraction crisis and trying to turn into Kaiser Chiefs.” Time again? Ah yes, ZZZZZZ… ‘Time for your encore, Ms Aguilera… Ms He’s back again next month you know. And yes, of the price they’ll be charging a couple years moves on, things change but, dear reader, there Next month: TOP Aguilera?’ we are excited. later. You’re not even listening, are you? will always be shit bands to laugh at. horrifying teenage memories for Nightshift’s closer to Foals and The Maccabees’ fidgety- demo reviewer. yet-airy guitar trill and twinkle. Their best claim for a place at the feast is demo opener `The Winter Parade’ whose sense of nervous DEMOS MUTES urgency is neatly counterpointed by an almost Sponsored by This demo arrives from Tim Mobbs who nonchalant airiness, the vocals owing much, Demo of the Month wins a free half used to be in Banbury indie rockers The if not all, to Yannis Phillipakis’s questing Scholars, though the only name listed day at Silver Street Studios in Read- falsetto. From there we get the lightweight anywhere is James, so we’re not sure `Something Happened’ and the ponderous ing, courtesy of Umair Chaudhry. whose work this really is. Possibly Kevin `Waterfall’, which is fluffy but forgettable, Visit umairchaudhry.co.uk/nightshift Shields’. Whoops, sorry, we made a promise even as it rises towards the end on a warm to ourselves not to mention My Bloody air current of shoegazy noise. `The Straight ambience Vangelis brought to Cosmos and Valentine in this review, and now we have. The Narrow’ similarly lacks a sense of either 01865 240250 DEMO OF Bladerunner. Paul’s voice isn’t always Twice. Sort of. Anyway, that seems to be urgency or the weightlessness the likes of the strongest point but he never stretches the starting point for Mutes, and there are Foals possess to rise above the morass of himself too far and with each set of tracks many, many worse starting points for any musical hopefuls, though it comes with the THE MONTH he sends in he’s getting closer to the sound band. See that bit about Curiosity Killed the band’s strongest melody and suggests they’ve and spirit of those indisputably great Cat earlier. Demo intro `Hope’ is a series got better things to aim for. It’ll be interesting influences he quotes. of overlapped chants that echoes’ Animal if they can emerge with songs that sound GRUDLE BAY Collective’s psych-pop mantras before it’s more wholly their own next time as right now, We’ve never been able to properly work swallowed by enveloping static, shifting into that’s a bloody crowded market out there for Grudle Bay out. Their first couple of demos TRIDEM the swooning, drifting jangle of `M.P.D.G’, this kind of thing to stand out in. were pleasantly spaced-out chill-pop, more “Tridem were formed simply to make you our first taste of those shoegaze influences. texture than tune but decent comedown fare hurt. And eat lots of Mr Kipling apple This is what Mutes do best, something for hazy Balearic nights. But then their live & black current pie,” runs the band’s repeated on the dreamy `Smother’, but too shows found them all funked up, sounding introductory letter, which seem like more often it’s all too underplayed, the ambient THE DEMO unpleasantly more and more like Level 42 than admirable purposes for any band to soundscapes wafting and waning without with each encounter and we’d near enough exist. Tridem also state that they fuse all ever imposing, as if the whole thing is just DUMPER given up on the whole exercise; in fact, last sorts of different styles, from ska and jazz initial ideas for something grander and more time round we walked out of their set lest to blues and punk, but what we pretty much fully formed yet to come, or just modern day we be compelled to rip someone’s throat get on this one-song taster is metal, albeit montage muzak, `Port Sunlight’ in particular JACK LITTLE Incapable of forgetting a decent tune even out – ours or theirs, we’re not sure. And less frantic, macho, chest-bearing metal, sounding like a too timid attempt to emulate if someone tried to dig it out of our brain then this turns up. Like the early sounds more drunken/acid-frazzled (delete as Fixers’ sepia sunshine soundtracks. TURAN AUDIO.co.uk with a trowel, Nightshift remembers Jack they were making, only loads better and you see fit) metal with one foot in stoner Professional, independent CD mastering here turning up in the demo pages earlier with proper songs and stuff. Where last blues, the other down the pub with Mark E in the year with a one-song offering called Artists mastered in the studio last month include; time we found the funk elements hamfisted Smith from The Fall, who’s possibly taught PEERLESS PIRATES `Snowflake’. This new five-track demo and overly rigid, here the bass wanders Tridem’s singer how to mumble and ramble Across numerous demos over the years THE DARK SINATRAS, SWERVEDRIVER, THE MOTHS, MARK includes that sweet wee melancholic folk- fluidly around the background, leaving with an odd sense of purpose. The song Peerless Pirates have displayed little sign pop nugget as a reminder that the lad’s got CORBETT, TRAPS, JIM PENFOLD, CHARLY COOMBES, the guitars and synths to twinkle prettily itself, `Hovel’, feels like an incomplete jam that they’re going to change their battle plan, a bit of talent in that department. Sadly it’s upfront, while the spaced-out harmonies waiting for a few finishing touches, but that and really, why should they when the one RECOVER, THE OCTAVES, HECKNER, EARTHSHIP, RUTH, stuck at the end of four other songs that fluff and float about eight feet off the doesn’t detract too much from its slightly they’ve employed up til now works so well. veer heavily towards the infuriating side of SWEET THING, DEAD AT ELEVEN, THE CRAMATICS, RUSSELL ground with nary a care in the world. The skewiff appeal, and the core riff here is quite Essentially a pirate-obsessed gang of Smiths- laughable. `Break The Boards’ toddles in electric piano runs across the mantra-like the beast. loving indie-pop brigands, the band deal in SWALLOW AND THE WOLF, PESTILENCE, LITTLEBLOOD. `Running’ remind us of `Riders on the broad brushstrokes and heroic gestures, led with a jaunty ukulele intro, but when Jack starts singing he sounds like a nutter at a Storm’, but even as autumn encroaches, by the inveterate Captain Cliff Adams, a man 01865 716466 [email protected] this is music for warm, cloudless days and DIAZ who truly seems to see himself as the bastard bus stop who feels compelled to interrupt nights. The influences of Toro Y Moi and Talking of beasts, there are monsters lurking offspring of Blackbeard and Morrissey. your conversation to point out that cheese Trophy Wife aren’t exactly hidden away, in 1980s pop that might be best left buried. `The Greatest Explorer On Earth’ continues is a funny old drink. Thereafter the lines THE COURTYARD STUDIO but it’s all so sweetness and light you’d Church Hanborough band Diaz apparently their seafaring ways in fine rambunctious and rhymes (and what rhymes: shared style, while `The Two Of Swords’ simply coupled with impaired; eyes with subside) forgive them most anything. Except turning flew over to New York to record their album, PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/24, back into Level 42 again at the next gig, four tracks from which they’ve included dances along merrily in the footsteps of flow with a breathless disregard for nuance OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE MACHINE, okay fellas? here. The bright lights of the Big Apple `This Charming Man’. Given its title, and of any kind, like the poor chap needs to surely couldn’t compete with the retina- their previous ability to kick up a right royal spew everything out as quickly as possible 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB CONTROL ROOM scorching displays of Christmas kitsch that rockabilly ruckus, `Those Heady Days of because he really, really needs a poo. Like, WITH GOOD SELECTION OF MICS & OUTBOARD adorn so much of that village each year, Decadence’ feels a bit reined in, becalmed right now. On `End Of The Road’ he adopts GEAR + MIDI FACILITIES (Inc LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI that horribly adenoidal r’n’b style of singing PAUL EMERY but somewhere along the way the band in the Doldrums, perhaps, but we’ll belay S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND etc.) Back with his third demo of the year, Paul, dug into that forbidden crate and brought cursing them with the black spot for now that every boy band ever seems to employ and ends up sounding like a particularly from Milton-under-Wychwood, quite forth long dormant demons of another since Peerless Pirates’ unstinting adherence Residential facilities included. to an ancient code of indie rock continues to nervous X-Factor contestant trying and accurately quotes Depeche Mode and Mark era. `Harder’ is a good start, a minimalist www.courtyardrecordings.com mark them out as both honest to a fault and a failing to breathe life into an old Mumford Hollis as influences as he glowers through electronic rumble with vocals that sound PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS on 01235 845800 three tracks of dark-hued electronic pop. a lot like OMD’s Andy McClusky, but the whole barrel of musical fun. & Sons number. He’s calmed down by `Fire & Grace’ is all New Order-like wows song dissipates innocuously just as it’s the time he gets to `Deserted’, mumbling and wobbles over which Paul’s doleful building up its own gravity. From here regretful platitudes into his navel, before narratives play out, his voice remarkably we’re into mid-80s electro-soul and funk, THE SEA THE SEA finally coming in to land with `Snowflake’: similar to Mr Hollis at times. `Pulse’ does in particularly The Blow Monkeys, as on Indie of a rather more contemporary vintage hope at last; a light at the end of a tunnel of indeed pulse, with its future factory feel and the professional but slightly dead-eyed `Be here from The Sea The Sea, who were angsty trauma. But it’s not enough to save hymnal electronic backing vocals and an Close To Me’, while the uptight funk of probably barely a daydream of a twinkle in Jack from the Dumper, unfortunately. Come air of doomy resignation hanging pall-like `Say’ brings back memories of all manner of their parents’ eyes when The Smiths were on man, you know you’ve got it in you. Take over everything, like a lost cut from the late-period electro-pop, from Belois Some to setting about dismantling the pop scene. this as a salutary lesson, and come back Mode’s `Black Celebration’. Possibly even The Thompson Twins. When they do loosen Instead The Sea The Sea flutter and flower when you’ve written a few more like that. better is nominally more organic, certainly up, as on `Come Undone’, they sound like more extrovert `Harder’, which is what The Curiosity Killed The Cat, and while there’s Walker Brothers might have sounded like something in what Diaz are doing here that Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU, or email links had they emerged from Basildon in 1980 suggests some kind of freak stardom might to [email protected], clearly marked Demos. IMPORTANT: no review without and taken more heroin, the synth swells come their way, just checking back through a contact address and phone number; no more than four tracks on a demo please. If you and swirls capturing some of the elaborate that list of references brings back some truly can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo. Tues 1st Oct • £22.50 adv Thurs 17th Oct • £8.50 adv Mon 4th Nov • £20 adv Sat 23rd Nov • £6 adv Fri 13th Dec • £28 adv 6.30pm Canterbury Hawkwind 7pm - 11.30pm Happy Moxndays Fat Freddy’s Drop + The JCQ playing the classic album Upstairs ‘Bummed’ 25th Anniversary “Warrior on the Edge of Time” ft. The Epstein + The Sunshine Underground Weds 2nd Oct • £19.50 adv Fri 18th Oct • £18 adv In association with + Sulk 6.30pm - 10pm 6.30pm Weds 6th Nov • £8 adv BBC Introducing + Huck & The The Wailers From The Jam 7pm - 10pm Xander Band + Vienna Ditto Fri 13th Dec • £12 adv Performing Legend ‘All Mod Cons’ Toseland + Empty Vessels + Truly Ford Electric Six in its entirety 35th Anniversary Fri 8th Nov • £18.50 adv Mon 25th Nov • £11 adv Sat 14th Dec • £6 adv Thurs 3rd Oct • £13 adv Fri 18th Oct • £10 adv 6.30pm - 10pm 7.30pm 7pm - 11.30pm 7.30pm 6.30pm Stiff Little Fingers Ms Mr Limehouse Lizzy Guns2Roses Upstairs ft. The Greatest Hits of Thin Lizzy Gunning for Tamar & Metallica Fri 8th Nov • £11 adv Tues 26th Nov • £13.50 adv 7pm - 10pm In association with Fri 4th Oct • £6 adv Reloaded The View BBC Introducing 6.30pm The Doors Alive Evarose Sat 19th Oct • £20 adv Weds 27th Nov • £9 adv Tues 24th Dec • £6 (early) / Fri 8th Nov • £7 adv / £5 NUS 6pm Gathering Festival 11pm - 3am • over 18s only £8 adv Fri 4th Oct • £10 adv / £6 NUS Multi venue festival Vuvuvultures 9pm - 2am • over 18s only 11pm - 3am • over 18s only Switch A Reggae Christmas Switch ft. Breach Weds 23rd Oct • £20 adv ft. Karma Kid Thurs 28th Nov • £11 adv ft. Laidblak 6.30pm Palma Violets plus Count Skylarlkin Sat 5th Oct • £6 adv The Cat Empire Sat 9th Nov • £25 adv + DJ Bunjy + MC Joe Peng 6pm - 10pm 7pm - 11.30pm Fri 29th Nov • £12 adv / £8 NUS Upstairs Thurs 24th Oct • £6 adv Boy George (Live) 11pm - 3am • over 18s only Thurs 30th Jan 2014 • £13.50 adv ft. Empty Outpatients This Is What I Do Tour Switch ft. Dan Le Sac vs White Circles Sat 9th Nov • Rudimental DJ Set Scroobius Pip EP Launch - In association Fri 25th Oct • 6.30pm - 10pm VIP tickets remaining only with BBC Introducing Kodaline Fri 29th Nov • £7.50 adv Sat 25th Jan 14 • £6 adv + Co-Pilgrim + Duchess Blue 6pm - 10pm 7pm - 11.30pm + Chris Ryder + Drakes Oxford City Festival Present Sat 9th Nov • £6 / £5 NUS Upstairs ft. Fri 25th Oct • £12.50 adv 10.30pm - 3am • over 18s only The Goggenheim 6.30pm - 10pm Wild Swim Sun 6th Oct • £7 adv Kodaline DJ set + The Knights Of Mentis Zico Chain Susheela Raman + The Mighty Redox In association with @ Propaganda + The Great Big Bargain BBC Introducing Mon 7th Oct • £15 adv Fri 25th Oct • £8 adv / £6 NUS 11pm - 3am • over 18s only Sun 10th Nov • £12 adv Sat 30th Nov • £15 adv Tues 11th Feb 2014 • £18.50 adv The Quireboys Switch 6pm Less Than Jake + special guests Bonafide Villagers & more ft. EZ The Naked & Reel Big Fish Tues 12th Nov • £15 adv and Famous + Zebrahead Tues 8th Oct • £8 adv Sat 26th Oct • £7 adv The Rifles 6.30pm - 11pm + Life in Film Sun 1st Dec • £25 adv Thurs 13th Feb 2014 • £10 adv Fossil Collective + Dexters The Magpie Tour Skeletor Ocean Colour Scene Cash Payin’ Tribute + Story Brooks ft. Silent Screams Marchin’ Already Tour to the Man In Black + Dedlok Thurs 14th Nov • £12 adv Weds 9th Oct • £8 adv + Empire Divided My Life Story Mon 2nd Dec • £22.50 adv Sat 15th Feb 14 • £6 adv 6.30pm + Eyes of Eve + The Reaper Black Star Riders 7pm - 11.30pm Nina Nesbitt Fri 15th Nov • £25 adv Upstairs ft. Sun 27th Oct • £16.50 adv 6.30pm Mon 2nd Dec • £9 adv Black Hats Thurs 10th Oct • £13.50 adv Gary Numan Tyler Hilton Akala In association with Kids In + Paighton BBC Introducing Sat 16th Nov • £12 adv Tues 3rd Dec • £10 adv Glass Houses Sun 27th Oct • £13 adv 6.30pm + Propellers AlunaGeorge Boot Led Go Kart Mozart Zeppelin Fri 11th Oct • £15 adv Thurs 5th Dec • £13.50 adv 6.30pm - 10pm Mon 28th Oct • £19.50 adv Johnny Flynn The Queen Sun 17th Nov • £13.50 adv Peace Extravaganza Gabrielle Aplin Fri 11th Oct • £8 adv / £6 NUS Thurs 5th Dec • £10 adv 11pm - 3am • over 18s only Tues 29th Oct • £12.50 adv Weds 20th Nov • £9 adv Night Beds Switch ft. Hadouken! The Family Rain Duke Dumont Sat 7th Dec • £12 adv Weds 30th Oct • £10.50 adv Thurs 21st Nov • £20 adv Absolute Bowie Sat 12th Oct • £10 adv Turin Brakes Deap Vally Weds 11th Dec • £17.50 adv UK Foo Fighters 6.30pm The No.1 Foo Fighters Tribute Fri 1st Nov • £12 adv Fri 22nd Nov • £12 adv / £8 NUS 11pm - 3am • over 18s only 8pm - 3am • over 18s only Airbourne Sat 12th Oct • £6 / £5 NUS Switch / Ram 10.30pm - 3am • over 18s only Susan Cadogan Thurs 12th Dec • £18.50 adv DJ Derek’s Oxford Farewell, ft. Andy C & more Huw Stephens The Sidewalk Doctors, Adrian Edmondson DJ set Count Skylarkin Sat 23rd Nov • £6 / £5 NUS & The Bad 10.30pm - 3am • over 18s only @ Propaganda + special guests Shepherds Gus Alt-J Sun 13th Oct • £7 adv Sat 2nd Nov • £12.50 adv DJ set @ Thurs 12th Dec • £25 adv Nadine Shah 36 Crazy Fists Propaganda The Darkness

Tickets for Saturday night shows INCLUDE FREE ENTRY to Propaganda (or £6, £5 NUS / members, £4 NHS on the door)

facebook.com/o2academyoxford 190 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UE • Doors 7pm unless stated twitter.com/o2academyoxford Venue box office opening hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-5.30pm youtube.com/o2academytv ticketweb.co.uk • wegottickets.com • seetickets.com • gigantic.com