email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 141 April Oxford’s Music Magazine 2007

We Are The Robots!

It’s Man Versus Machine with

Keyboard Choir Plus: Festival Frenzy! Oxford Punt, Cornbury, Cropredy and Towersey line-ups announced.

Truck Festival ticket info.

The Music Market to close and The X fights for its musical life - see inside.

NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 THIS YEAR’S TRUCK FESTIVAL will take place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd July NEWNEWSS at Hill Farm in Steventon. Local music fans will get a chance to buy tickets ahead of the rest of Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU the country from Tuesday 10th April when Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] 1,000 tickets will go on sale at Fopp shops in Oxford and Reading as well as Dawson’s in Abingdon. More information on how to buy tickets online is available at www.truckfestival.org. No line-up details have yet been given.

THE MARKET TAVERN in Market Street, home to the Music Market venue, is due to close sometime in the next two months. The pub has been bought by a Japanese restaurant chain. The exact closure date is still not certain but sometime in May looks the most likely scenario. The Music Market has become a great established live music venue over the last few years under the management of Charis Sharpe and is host to many of Delicious Music’s music nights. The Music Market is due to host the Oxford Punt on Wednesday 9th May. In the event of its earlier closure, bands will be moved to another venue in the city centre. In other venue news, the Wheatsheaf is due to undergo a major refurbishment over the next THE LINE-UP FOR THIS YEAR’S OXFORD PUNT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. The event, couple of months. The pub was taken over by st which takes place on Wednesday 9th May, features twenty of the best unsigned acts in Oxfordshire Admiral Inns as of the 1 April and they seem playing across six city centre venues on one night. to be committed to live music, which is The Punt, now in its tenth year, has long been a showcase for emerging Oxford talent with excellent news. No date has yet been given for previous events featuring the likes of The Young Knives, Goldrush, Winnebago Deal, Fell City Girl the refurb but it will involve a new PA and and The Edmund Fitzgerald, who went on to become Foals. lighting. 2007’s Punt line-up is: Borders: Jessica Goyder + Mr Shaodow THE SECOND OXFORD ARTS FESTVAL th The Music Market: Stornoway + Mary Bendy Toy + Brickwork Lizards + Borderville takes place over the weekend of Friday 28 – th QI Club: Joe Allen & Angharad Jenkins + Ape Has Killed Ape! + Les Clochards Sunday 30 September at various locations The Purple Turtle: Foxes! + Colins of Paradise + Mephisto Grande around the county. The festival takes in music, The Wheatsheaf: Mondo Cada + Baby Gravy (pictured) + Thirty Two + Mile High Young Team art, photography, poetry, drama and dance. The The Cellar: The Delta Frequency + The Gullivers + Space Heroes of the People + Smilex. organisers are now looking for acts to perform. Exact set times are yet to be finalised but Jessica Goyder will kick the Punt off at Borders at Local bands and solo artists can submit demos 6.15pm with Smilex rounding things off in raucous style at the Cellar at midnight. to The Oxford Arts Festival, PO Box 339, Fans wanting to catch as many bands as possible can buy an all-venue Punt pass (limited to Kidlington, OX5 NAY. The deadline for entries st th 100) for just £7 from Videosyncratic on Cowley Road, QI Bookshop on Turl Street in Oxford city is 31 July with the line-up announced on 17 centre or online from oxfordmusic.net. Or you can buy passes direct from Nightshift (without August. Wristbands are on sale now at booking fee) from PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Make cheques out to Nightshift. www.wegottickets.com, priced £12 for the weekend (allowing free entry to all venues, all weekend) and £7 for one day. Under-18s can AFTER SELLING OUT THE ZODIAC in buy tickets for £4 for the weekend. More March, rising Birmingham-based baggy information at: www.oxfordartsfestival.com. revivalists The Twang return to Oxford on Friday 25th May with a gig at Brookes THE YOUNG KNIVES cancelled their University Union. Tickets for the gig are on headline gig at Brookes University Union sale now, priced £8.50, from the Brookes box scheduled for Sunday 25th March. The office (01865 484750) or online from cancellation was forced on the band due to visa wegottickets.com. problems delayed their tour of the United Also coming to Brookes in May are Biffy States. No new date has been announced as yet. Clyro, who headlined last year’s Truck Meanwhile Steven Seagal’s planned show at Festival. They play on Monday 21st May; Oxford Town hall on Saturday 17th March was tickets are priced £14.50. cancelled at the last moment when a decision Upcoming attractions at the Zodiac include A was taken to film the following night’s show in Silver Mt. Zion on Thursday 3rd May, Andy London, meaning production commitments Yorke on Fri 4th, A Hawk and a Hacksaw on affected the Oxford gig. But hey, never mind the Sat 5th, The Haunted on Monday 7th, Willy poor sods in Oxford, Steve – just as long as Mason on Tuesday 8th, Simian Mobile Disco your ponytail looks nice and neat on the DVD. on Thursday 10th, and Frank Turner on Saturday 12th. Tickets for all Zodiac gigs are GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES moves from available from www.ticketweb.co.uk or in the Zodiac to the Wheatsheaf as of this month. person (without booking fee) from the Zodiac The long-running live music club night is making box office. The Zodiac is set to close for a the switch in advance of the Zodiac’s closure major refurbishment at the end of May and over the summer. April’s gig features Space will reopen at the end of September. Heroes Of The People, Colours and Non-Stop Tango on Friday 27th. GTI will then run on the last Saturday of each month at the Sheaf

THE X is discontinuing its Wednesday night folk sessions after seven years. The long- running trad folk night is coming to an end as many of the musicians involved are no longer able to commit to a weekly gig. Any promoters wanting to run a regular gig night at the X, which underwent an extensive refurbishment last year, should call Al on 01865 776431.

KATE GARRETT and Barney Morse-Brown from The Kate Garrett Band feature on a track for the upcoming ‘Imagined Village’ album, produced by Afro Celts founder Simon Emmerson and released on Realworld later in the year. The album also features Billy Bragg, Sheila Chandra, Eliza and Martyn Carthy and Paul Weller. Kate’s band headline this month’s Beard Museum club night at the Purple Turtle on Sunday 29th April.

AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into the BLONDIE AND DAVID GRAY have been confirmed as headline acts for this year’s Cornbury Download every Saturday evening between 6- Festival. The two-day festival takes place in the picturesque Cornbury Country Park, near 7pm on BBC Radio Oxford 95.2fm. The Charlbury, over the weekend of the 7th and 8th July. dedicated local music show, which celebrated its Chart-topping Welsh singer-songwriter David Gray tops the Saturday bill with support from second birthday last month, features new local The Waterboys, The Proclaimers, Scott Matthews and Imelda May. Also on the Saturday the releases and demos as well as interviews with World Stage features Echo & The Bunnymen, Midlake, The Broken Family Band, Betty Lavette local and touring acts and a gig and club guide. and Dan Reeder. On Sunday pop legends Blondie round off the festival and are joined on the main stage by The Feeling, Suzanne Vega, Hothouse Flowers and Osibisa. The Oxford Folk Festival stage is headlined by Seth Lakeman, with support from Flook, T & Latouche, Indigo Moss, Rafael and Lola and Wilber. Tickets are on sale now, priced £80 for the weekend or £45 for each day from the credit card hotline on 0871 472 0420. Discounted childrens tickets and special VIP tickets are also available. More information about the festival is online at www.cornburyfestival.com.

SETH LAKEMAN, John Tams and Barry THIS YEAR’S CROPREDY FESTIVAL sees Coope and The Battlefield Band are the main Fairport Convention celebrate their 40th headline acts at this year’s Towersey Village anniversary and to mark the occasion the core Festival, which takes place in Towersey, near of the band’s original line up, including, Ashley Thame, over the August Bank Holiday Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol, Dave weekend (23rd-27th). Swarbrick, Richard Thompson and Chris While The five-day festival specialises in folk, roots will be performing the whole of their classic and acoustic music and includes ceilidhs, music `Liege & Lief’ album on the Friday night. workshops and youth and children’s activities Cropredy runs over the weekend of the 9th - amongst its 150 acts and events. 11th August with the current Fairport line-up, Other acts appearing include Van Eyken, Sid plus various guests, headlining the Saturday Kipper, The New Rope String Band, Hotel night. Palindrone, Parallelogramme and Peatbog Other acts confirmed include: Jools Holland & Faeries. His R’n’B Orchestra, Seth Lakeman, The THE WATERBOYS perform at the New Tickets for the festival go on sale in May. Strawbs, The Richard Thompson Band, Show Theatre on Tuesday 1st May. Tickets are on Weekend passes start from £72 for adults, plus of Hands, Viva Santana, Billy Mitchell & Bob sale, priced £22.50, from ticketmaster.co.uk or camping permits if required. Online booking Fox, Wishbone Ash and Iain Matthews. from the credit card phoneline on 0870 606 and line-up details are avilable online at Weekend tickets are on sale now, priced £67 3500. The Scottish folk-rockers release their www.towerseyfestival.com, or call the booking online from www.fairportconvention.com. new album, `Book Of Lightning’ on April 2nd. line on 1629 827016. Children under 12 get in free.

The X tends to run a no-cover versions policy fundraising gigs featuring some of the band who X IN PERIL and gives all door money taken to the bands have benefited from the venue over the years. who are playing. Al would love to hear from any acts willing to THE EXETER HALL may have stop hosting In March the X’s landlady Al was given a court play the following dates: April: Wed 4th, Sun 8th, live music if it cannot pay a £3,400 Performing order to pay the outstanding amount within eight Mon 9th, Wed 11th, Mon 16th, Sun 22nd, Mon Rights Society bill, despite the fact that the weeks or face losing its music licence. Having 30th; May: Wed 2nd, Sun 6th, Wed 16th. After vast majority of bands the pub puts on play spent a considerable amount on money last that date time will have run out to pay and original material and are not PRS registered. summer in completely refurbishing the venue to Oxford may lose one of its best venues. Any The PRS collects royalties from TV and radio make it an even better venue for local bands, Al acts interested should call Al on 01865 776431. stations as well as any pub or venue where no longer has the money to pay and disputes the Donations are also welcome. music is played, including jukeboxes. This amount owed. With time running out to raise the Oxford desperately needs great venues like the money is then distributed to registered artists. money the X are hoping to stage a series of X. Let’s not let it go under! A Quiet Word With Keyboard Choir

AMID ALL THE MYRIAD visually, I still think we need to try musical pleasures available to 1-0 to humanity - Keyboard Choir a bit harder than more traditional Oxford’s gig goers, one of the most take the fight to the robots bands - hence the elements such startling and unexpected spectacles robots and projections we over the last couple of years has incorporate into our been Keyboard Choir. performances.” As their name suggests they’re not Freddie: “One man and his laptop a band as such, more a mini six- sets are very boring, visually, and piece orchestra of sound occasionally musically too. The synthesists who let the electronics possibilities of modern electronic do the talking. So far, so egged- music are almost limitless, which headed. But wait, Keyboard Choir raises standards but makes a lot of rock. While their sound and set up things sound bland.” owe as much to contemporary classical music as they do to ‘MIZEN HEAD TO GASCANANE techno’s dark underbelly, Keyboard Sound’ was recorded in possibly Choir’s intention from the outset the most remote and rustic place was to make electronic music with possible. An odd choice for a all the live energy and spectacle of explains, “It started off as a (especially the brilliant, trippy purely electronic band? rock. Something they achieve not random collective and the process ‘Skylab’ featuring a snatched Woody: “There’s no electricity in just with musical dynamics but of evolution took effect to leave sample of Ivy’s Itch frontwoman Ireland and all the chairs are on the also lighting and robots. the strongest surviving. Sort of like Eliza Gregory dreamily ceiling and clouds are made of sugar X-Factor.” announcing, “I saw stars then”), and it rains beetroot and they have THAT’S RIGHT, KEYBOARD Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre. one cow. We powered the Choir have robots on stage. How REVIEWS OF EARLY Taking all that into account, equipment with lemon juice and a many rock bands have robots? Not Keyboard Choir shows in Keyboard Choir are a musically potato. In the future I want to even Cradle of Filth have robots on Nightshift marvelled at how a band ambitious project and one that goes record underwater.” stage. Though they do have a scary with such a sedentary stage set-up a long way to dispelling the Freddie: “Ireland was a perfect Valkyrie backing singer in a leather could summon such a rock and roll enduring myth that electronic environment for harnessing bodice, which is pretty cool, so atmosphere and inject their music can’t be as much fun live as creativity. In the future I’d we’ll give them that. But hey, nominally ambient sound with rock music. absolutely love to be sealed in a robots. Robots rule. such gothic menace. The name bunker, but that’s got nothing to do And Keyboard Choir make the Bauhaus was mentioned alongside ALONGSIDE SEB (WHO AS with recording.” sort of music that robots might Brian Eno and Pink Floyd. well as his work with The Evenings James: “Clichéd post-rock make in the future as and when This month Keyboard Choir also performs with electro-jazz locations are not for me. I would they take over and herd us all into release their debut album, ‘Mizen improv collective Holiday In love to record in a beautiful place pens to be turned into human Head To Gascanane Sound’, Vietnam) and Freddie (also out in the country - and that is the batteries to power their all-night recorded in an old farmhouse at keyboard player in Baby Gravy) reason Ireland was so special.” electro-pop discos. You heard. Mizen Head in Cork, Ireland’s are James Cunning, Woody Seb: “That spot in Ireland is one most south-westerly point. Woodhouse (keyboardist in of the most beautiful places on KEYBOARD CHOIR FORMED, ‘Mizen Head…’ goes some way Borderville), Guy Tasker and earth. I’ll leave it up to whoever sort of by accident, at a rehearsal to capturing Keyboard Choir’s live, sound engineer Ady Wardle. listens to the album to decide session by local electro-rockers almost baroque, sound. It’s also According to James, Seb “bullied whether there is a particular The Evenings. That band’s two something like a potted history of everyone into joining”, the addition atmosphere to the thing.” keyboard players, Seb Reynolds electronic music, from the of Woody completing the line-up. How does the songwriting process and Stuart Fowkes, were messing playfully glitchy ‘Deathwank In Despite the haphazard, almost in Keyboard Choir differ from a about while waiting for the rest of Toytown’, with its unconscious unintentional evolution of the traditional band? While there the band to do typically boring steal from The Tornadoes’ group, the intention was clear from appears to be no clear-cut lead part band things like tune up and had ‘Telstar’, to the swirling, the outset: in the band’s live set, Ady seems to the same idea at the same time – a psychedelic magnificence of ‘The Seb: “I wanted to create music act as co-ordinator; Seb, meanwhile purely electronic band playing like Bugs’ that could come straight with the power and spirit of is the most animated performer. a rock band. With his other from Pink Floyd’s most pompous Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Guy: “Seb is the dictatorial leader, commitments playing with stadium extravaganza; from the the only way to do this was to and Ady is his calmer other half.” Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element, monolithic ‘Thinking Won’t Help’ have people playing live. Techno Ady: “I try to impose some kind organising Audioscope and running which samples Liam Inges-Reeves Godspeed is a tag I can live with.” of order, I think most bands need a Oxfordbands.com, Stuart didn’t from Suitable Case For Treatment Ady: “Electronic music can be benevolent dictator. However, have the time to carry the project at his babbling best and comes on problematic in terms of energy in songwriting is very much a on any further so Seb set about like prime Add N To (X) to the live performance - it’s not always collective process. Different songs recruiting likeminded musicians – ambiently expansive ‘Electrical the case though. One of the key come together in different ways; and non-musicians – a shifting line- Unity’, wherein Eno takes on ideas behind the band is to get that sometimes someone will have a up eventually coalescing into Mouse On Mars. On top of that energy and excitement that non- rough idea worked out, sometimes today’s settled band. Or, as, er… you could throw in equal parts electronic bands can create on things will come out of a jam. I’m a keyboard player Freddie Mason Kraftwerk, Orbital, The Orb stage. To make an impression big fan of interesting mistakes.” Seb: “Like a lot of bands that have enthusiastic punter. Who just a strong communal attitude, happened to be Brian Eno, one of someone brings an idea to the table the most important figures in the and it gets developed as a band or history of electronic music. What in smaller units. No one person has did he have to say and what did it veto, most creative decisions are feel like to be complimented by made as a group.” such a seminal figure? Woody: “I just play and take Ady: “His main piece of advice credit for ex-members’ bass lines.” was to look meaner, which was an In what way is the Keyboard excellent suggestion. I’m a huge fan Choir sound evolving and what do of Eno, so I was on cloud nine for you envisage the next album about a week after he saw us.” sounding like? Woody: “It made me feel like a kid Ady: “We’re hoping to explore on Christmas morning.” some more experimental angles, but Seb: “I didn’t meet him, so I’m April also a few more pumping tunes for sceptical that it really happened; if getting the crowd going.” he blags us a major record deal I Every Monday Woody: “By the time the next might.” album is finished, music won’t be Ideally, what would the ultimate THE FAMOUS MONDAY based on sound anymore. And Keyboard Choir concert involve? James will be dead.” Ady: “Something like the Flaming NIGHT BLUES James: “If I live long enough, I Lips at the Albert Hall, crossed The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. £6 hope the next album will have some with Pink Floyd, but with more 2nd SHARIE WILLIAMS & THE WISE GUYS more phat beats and a bit less of a robots. We’re very keen to develop (USA) post-rock influence; maybe the live show into a full-on 9th THE HAMILTON LOOMIS BAND (USA) something more rigid and beat production, but our ideas are bigger th driven.” than our budget.” 16 THE DAVID RAPHAEL BAND (UK) Woody: “Eventually we want to 23rd PONTY BONE & THE SQUEEZETONES FOR NIGHTSHIFT, ONE OF have a giant shed built around us with WES McGHEE (USA) the joys of listening to Keyboard on stage as we play, Pink Floyd’s 30th BIG GILSON (Brazil) Choir is spotting the myriad `The Wall’ style.” electronic influences from the past Freddie: “Or on a ship, in the few decades. As far as the six middle of the ocean. Just us and Every Tuesday members are concerned however, the Navy.” THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB with inspiration tends to come from more traditional sources and AS WELL AS SAMPLING THE TOM GREY QUINTET especially from classical music. local luminaries for the new album, (except 24th – SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY JAZZ ORCHESTRA) Seb: “A lot of the influences on the Keyboard Choir have been moving Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am band are non electronic. We have a into the remix business. Currently shared love of classical, both they’re working on Trademark’s Every Thursday contemporary and romantic, from ‘Toe The Line’ with plans to remix Chopin to Reich, via Ravel. That’s Fell City Girl in the near future. GET FUNKED where those waltzes come from.” On top of this, the various Electromash, bastard pop, broken bass. 9.30-2am. £3 Guy: “I love Aphex Twin, and members are involved with anything that has glitchy, non assorted other bands and have repetitive beats.” histories on the Oxford music Every Friday Ady: “I’m a big fan of the scene. How do they feel they fit in BACKROOM BOOGIE Butthole Surfers, but as far as the with other local bands and how has Funk, soul and R&B. 9-2am Free B4 10pm; £4 after. Keyboard Choir is concerned, all Oxford shaped them? (27th – with guest DJ Aidan Larkin) sorts of electronica, a bit of prog, James: “We’ve all got or had other and a good dose of post rock. The bands, but I’ve only recently th end of the world seems to be an started to play with anyone other early show Fri 20 with DICORA + guests influencing factor too.” than Keyboard Choir. It’s been Ah yes, the end of the world. Back interesting, and in general I’ve Saturdays to those robots then. Robots on found the scene to be very helpful. th stage have been a staple of We’re really happy and grateful for 7 SOUL NIGHT 10-2am th Keyboard Choir shows since the all the support we’ve received. As 14 SIMPLE – Funky House with TOUCHE + band performed at Truck Festival for local bands, I love Borderville, GENERAL MIDI + residents. 9-3am last year, adding to their visual The Half Rabbits and Baby 21st OX4 – Drum’n’bass. 9-3am impact. Will robots eventually take Gravy.” 28th SKA NIGHT with HOPE & GLORY over from us or turn on us? Will it Seb: “In terms of Keyboard Choir be your fault when they do? I can only be positive about the + DJs 9-3amTHE ANY DAYS James: “I’m fairly sure robots will scene, Keyboard Choir was started be the death of me.” as a half joke side project and we Sunday 1st Ady: “I, for one, welcome our new wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t CD single `MONDAY MORNING’ robot overlords.” for Mac giving us gigs and BULLINGDONat Polar Bear COMEDY Records, CLUBCowley Road Seb: The robots were born at supporting us, so cheers!” Live stand-up with LUCY PORTER + LLOYD Truck, they now have a life of their LANGFORD + JAMES LAURANCE own, but can be called on if people ‘Mizen head To Gascanane’ is + compere SILKY.www.theanydays.com 8pm fuck with us.” released at the end of April. Keyboard Choir’s Truck set was Check out www.myspace.com/ www.myspace.com/theanydays also notable for the band being thekeyboardchoir for music, (check websites for local gig dates) approached afterwards by an news and gig dates. Sponsored RELEASED by

overture – it’s the banks of technology that dominate; anyone who has seen Trademark live ANDENSUM will know how much they revel in their role as ‘Lucky Witness’ futuristic boffins. And so we get the sweet, sleek synth lines and wobbling sequencer pulses (Crash) of album opener ‘Raise The Stakes’ with its Previously a young teenage art-metal band shared sense of uncomplicated pop to Pet Shop displaying musical ambitions beyond their Boys, followed by the wired, far heavier throb tender years, Andensum, on this debut album, of ‘Come To Love’, which echoes mid-80s cult still sound like a band that’s been round the stars Thirteen At Midnight. `Self Pity’ is almost world a couple of times already. Such is their hymnal, with a swooning, almost orchestral finely-honed professionalism and musical sweep. Contrast that with the deliberately proficiency, two things that metal, like rap, clunky, robotic ‘Where You Went Wrong’ and relies on if it’s to have any impact. As long as the freewheeling ‘Stuck In A Rut’ and you keep it fast, heavy and tight, you can’t go Trademark emerge as a band with a succinct too far wrong in the realms of heavy, heavy grasp of what makes for great, simple electro- rock. pop. Of course, things have moved on since men TRADEMARK Cousins Oliver Horton and Stuart Meads, with long hair and funny-shaped guitars belted along with Paul Soulsby, grew up with bands out speed-addled songs about girls and ‘Raise The Stakes’ like OMD, Depeche Mode and in particular Pet monsters and these days you apparently need a bit of sensitivity, a bit of artiness to set Shop Boys and they’ve taken to heart what (Truck) everything in perspective. And so for every made those bands work. If there is a criticism The Oxford battalion of the 80s synth-pop full-pelt barrage of grinding thrash, Andensum it’s that the vocals lack variety, tending towards revival army returns with their second album, have a moment or two’s pause for thought, a Neil Tennant’s deadpan-style delivery, and digital weaponry armed and ready. Since their chance for Mr Shouty to rest his tonsils and anchor some songs too firmly when you crave debut album, ‘Want More’, Trademark have let Mr Nice Bloke have a bit of a croon. And some robotic siren to layer on some retro- toured with The Human League and supported thus it all starts to sound rather a lot like Lost futuristic sexuality. Adept at both songwriting John Foxx, two of synth-pop’s most revered Prophets after a while, albeit with an epic and production, surely Trademark can make the luminaries. sense of prog that should be given a looser connections to entice collaborators. With album On the evidence of ‘Raise The Stakes’ rein to stamp its authority on proceedings. Trademark have earned their place in the upper highlight ‘Toe The Line’ already included on the The contrast between what Andensum do best echelons of the new electro movement. soundtrack to Goal! 2, hopefully the exposure and less so comes midway through the album. While they occasionally incorporate strings and will bring Trademark the success they deserve. ‘Just Another Reason’ finds them at their horns into proceedings – including a cornet Dale Kattack heaviest and most bulldozingly immediate, but it’s immediately followed by the album’s title track, which could be Bon Jovi in a slightly bad mood. DAVID K FRAMPTON Better than merely generic, Andensum do need to find their own identity; they also need ‘A Snapshot Of Dying Slowly’ to make their punches count more. There’s no (Eyeless) room for self-contemplation in this battle. David K Frampton’s previous offerings have have a degree of coherence, albeit in a Ian Chesterton bordered on the scarily brutal, using ponderous devotional pop vein, aiming for heavyweight electronics to create the sort of some kind of Spiritualized level of divinity, but incidental music you’d expect to hear on sci-fi elsewhere it’s hard work to keep a straight face horror movies as the protagonists scamper as David stuffs cotton wool balls up his nose to down dark, dank corridors to meet some sing ‘Photography of Faith’, like something gruesome end. Frank Sidebottom would have rejected as a bit Since his last CD, however, David’s become a too galling. dad (to twins he tells us, so congratulations on Further in it gets more pointless as that count) and as we all know, having kids turns rudimentary passages of lo-fi electronic noise you into a BIG SOFTIE (or else a placard- amble aimlessly around looking dishevelled, waving, paediatrician-beating vigilante). And so it while ‘Unsung’ is simply so jaw-droppingly seems to be here. Gone are the throat-ripping, godawful, you crave one of those sci-fi cranium-crushing slabs of electronic nastiness monsters to lurch out of the dark and rip it to and in comes some moribund mumbling and shreds before our previous fondness for Mr somnambulating electro randomness. Frampton’s work is soiled any further. Tracks like album opener ‘Halloween’ at least Dale Kattack

Selected Oxford releases are now available on the ground floor HMV Oxford supports local music Open Sundays 11-5pm & late Thursdays till 7pm. 10% student discount every day TONIC THE ANYDAYS ‘Fooling Around’ ‘Sound’ (Own label) (Super-Tone) If the words smooth, jazz and funk used in Having already enjoyed Radio 2 airplay conjunction with each other turn your blood to courtesy of Mark Radcliffe, The Anydays’ ice, look away now. Tonic’s is a world where debut album is well timed. It brings with it a those words walk hand in hand through summer pretty authentic feel of early-60s pop, meadows and across Po Na Na’s dancefloor for particularly The Beates and Kinks and, clocking blissful eternity. in at a short and sweet 27 minutes, it neatly This seven-track debut EP from the Oxford/ ditches the contemporary compulsion to stretch Reading-based band lounges in the easiest an album over a whole hour and beyond. That corner of soul music’s lounge bar, tip-toeing the album was recorded at Toe-Rag studios (a around the memory of Brand New Heavies’ last favourite of White Stripes and local 60s party, perhaps worried people might notice revivalist Sir Bald Diddley) only adds to the Tonic actually have more in common with any period feel. number of X Factor hopefuls. Fronted by local singer-songwriter Drew Morning’, classic summer-sounding 60s pop, It’s hard to pinpoint why they don’t work: the Atkins, The Anydays keep it simple and to the although even the band would be hard pressed musicianship is professional if unimposing, point, songs like ‘Come On’ and ‘I Feel Free’ to deny it’s nicked wholesale from The while Gabriella Romano’s voice holds its own setting the tone for the album: uncomplicated Monkees’ ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’, while its without really grabbing your heart. Bassist rhythms, sunshine harmonies and plenty of bassline is pilfered from `A Town Called Mark Peace is no natural born rapper but at “hey hey heys”, as well as some pretty Malice’. But, hey, The Jam nicked the bassline least his interjections break the mood up and simplistic rhyming. At their best they’re to `Start’ from The Beatles in the first place. give the band some fight. Perhaps it’s unfair to alternately breezy and punchy, the odd Jam The Anydays don’t seem to be claiming to be judge a simple dance band on its lyrics, but their bassline or Who power-chord bolstering the any great new force for originality anyway, clumsiness doesn’t help the cause. effusive sense of retro fun. content to mine their personal golden age of In the end Tonic probably need a live stage to There is a risk with something this pop. show off their strengths – simple, easy grooves straightforward that it’ll get formulaic over For all its lack of depth, it’s hard not to fall that folk can dance to without breaking into a eleven tracks and the likes of ‘She’s My Star’ for `Sounds’’ simple charms, although the sweat or having their chat-up lines crushed by and ‘Tell Me Something’ follow too rigidly the genuinely awful, laborious ballad ‘It’s Only some bruising bassline. trotting post-rockabilly beat, the latter just Love’ is a poor way to finish an album that for Beyond that, they’re simply too smooth to about salvaged by its Small Faces-styled the most part retains a good-natured impose. psychedelic edge. liveliness. Sue Foreman ‘Sound”s highlight is undoubtedly ‘Monday Sue Foreman DELICIOUS MUSIC Live In April Sun 1st Electric Eclectic Jam & Open Mic Night. Free entry th Sat 7 Midnight Star Promotions in association with DMR Entertainment presents the Trash Stock Tour: JACK VIPER + ZEN MOTEL + PATCHWORK GRACE + DEMONSEED + DISARM 8pm £6 Sun 8th Electric Eclectic Jam & Open Mic Night. Free entry Tue 10th Tuesday Night Blues Club with BLUE MAMA Sat 14th JULIANA MYERS + PAUL SMALL + FULL METAL WAISTCOAT + CATALYST + SLEEPLESS 8pm £4. In association with Up’n’Coming Entertainment Sun 15th Electric Eclectic Jam & Open Mic Night. Free entry Tue 17th Tuesday Night Blues Club with GREEN ONIONS ‘unpeeled’ Sat 21st Hip Hop / Urban Night – NONSENSE + CHRIS MARTIN + SLY + RETROFIRE £3 entry. In association with Up’n’Coming Entertainment Sun 22nd Electric Eclectic Jam & Open Mic Night. Free entry Tue 24th Tuesday Night Blues Club with Blue Mama + Kinky Ring Finger Thu 26th The Oxford Jazz Society Sessions Sat 28th TRUE RUMOUR + LOTS OF DEAD GOLDFISH + TIM MATTHEWS £4. In association with Up’n’Coming Entertainment Sun 29th Electric Eclectic Jam & Open Mic Night. Free entry

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SUNDAY 1st Nick, plus indie rockers Numbernine. John Hollingsworth heads off up north. OXFORD FOLK FESTIVAL: Oxford Town APRIL ECLECTICA + KOMAKINO: The Port Mahon Hall – Final day of the fourth Oxford Folk – Frenetic indie rocking from Derby’s Komakino. Festival (fully previewed last month). Today’s Later on at QI there’s a Friends of Oxford Folk VIN GARBUTT: Nettlebed Folk Club – headliners are Eliza Carthy and The Ratcatchers Festival-only gig by Spiers and Boden. Politicised North Eastern folk singer. in the main hall at 4pm, preceded by John THE DAMO SUZUKI NETWORK with TUESDAY 3rd Renbourn and Robin Williamson. Plenty more YOUTHMOVIES + FUCK BUTTONS + THE FALL: The Zodiac (upstairs) – First of a acts in the old library on the Cornbury Stage as SWORDWIND + TRAKTORS: The Cellar – well as workshops with festival players and The former Can frontman returns once again to two-night residency (ah!) from Mark E Smith and his unexpectedly beardy new band – see main activities and street music over at Oxford castle. Oxford for another of his improvised shows, this preview time backed by local math-rock luminaries CHERRY GHOST + THE FAMILY MACHINE rd th Youthmovies, whose complex, dynamic sound Tuesday 3 / Wednesday 4 + STORNOWAY: The Zodiac (downstairs) – should make a fascinating counterpoint to Understated but luxurious homemade country THE FALL: The Zodiac Damo’s cyclical chants. Support comes from suitably-named Fuck Buttons, providing an pop, somewhere between Sparklehorse and Baby Can there be anything left to say about The Bird, from Bolton’s Simon Aldred, set to release unhealthy dose of evil electronic noise and brutal Fall that hasn’t been said before? For 30 his new single, ‘Mathematics’ after supporting rhythms that’ll fuck your ears up, Witney power years now they’ve been the most Amy Winehouse on tour. Local countrified pop rockers Swordwind and Youthmovies side project consistently inconsistent band in Britain, if faves The Family Machine support along with Traktors. not the world: even their most die-hard fans sweet-natured celtic-tinged rockers Stornoway. – and Fall fans are extremely die-hard – find SCOTT MATTHEWS: Brookes University Union – Biggest Oxford gig yet for the JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY QUINTET: them frustrating and contrary in the extreme. The Bullingdon – Free weekly live jazz club Wolverhampton-based singer-songwriter very What can never be denied, however, is that with resident and guest bands, plus r’n’b DJs until much on the up and up, following on from two 2am. Mark E Smith is a musical genius. Since he sold out shows at the Zodiac, armed with an TOAD + DAVID K FRAMPTON + JON formed the band in 1976 he’s created some intimate mix of rock, soul and funk, drawing FLETCHER: The Port Mahon – A night of of the most startlingly original, awkward, inspiration from Led Zep, Jeff Buckley, Nick exhilarating and obtuse music you’re ever Drake and Robert Johnson. acoustic doom. SHUSH OPEN MIC SESSION: The X, likely to hear. The Fall sound is a constantly COVES + CANDLES + THE PLUTO: The Port Cowley Road mutating beast but forever remains Mahon – Angular hardcore-meets-metal riffage th unmistakably The Fall – an uneasy meeting from Coves, plus support from two-piece WEDNESDAY 4 of Beefheart, Can and Cochran, with an instrumental experimenters Candles and intense THE FALL: The Zodiac (upstairs) – Another oddly arty edge to it, plenty of punk- post-rockers The Pluto. evening in the company of the elite gangsters of inspired bile and a wit and grasp of social SMILEX + LOKEI + DOLLS + THE KICKS: the damned. reality that few songwriters can equal. Smith The Jericho Tavern – Sleazy glam-punk SIX NATION STATE + WITCHES + NINE has also managed to dispense with more histrionics, swearing and general rock’n’roll chaos STONE COWBOY: The Zodiac (downstairs) – collaborators than the entire Borgia family, from Smilex. Reading-based indie-ska hopefuls in the vein of occasionally ‘informing’ bandmates of their DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM: Zutons and Futureheads, plus esoteric rocking and sacking with his fist mid-set. His current The Music Market countrified pop from local boys Witches and the band are American and one of them even has ELECTRIC JAM: The X, Cowley – Open jam return of Mark Cope’s NSC. a beard, something Smith once declared an session with in-house band The X Men THE CONSCRIPTS: The Jericho Tavern – impossibility. Gigs can be unpredictable but ENZO: The Black Horse, Kidlington – Dire Funk and post-punk at tonight’s Crosstown Straits tribute. Traffic gig. on their night The Fall remain, three decades nd OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House on, more innovative and dangerous than any MONDAY 2 OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar SHARRIE WILLIAMS & THE WISEGUYS: teenage rock rebels. A national treasure. th The Bullingdon – Powerful rocking soul and THURSDAY 5 gospel from projects-raised singer Sharrie and BRING ME THE HORIZON + I KILLED THE energetic backing band The Wiseguys, recalling PROM QUEEN: The Zodiac – Full-on Tina Turner at her 60s and 70s peak, as well as screaming hardcore from Sheffield’s BMTH, Etta James and Billie Holiday. winners of Kerrang’s Best British Newcomer TOBY JEPSON + EASY TIGER: The Zodiac – award in 2006; support from Aussie hardcore Anthemic trad rocking from former Little Angels metallers IKTPQ. frontman Tony Jepson, plugging his new solo EP DISQUES VOGUE: The Zodiac – One-off along with plenty of old favourites. Local Easter return for the near-legendary local easy southern fried rockers Easy Tiger provide good listening club, spinning 60s and 70s lounge and time support. bossanova. NICK BREAKSPEAR + NUMERNINE + JOHN MEPHISTO GRANDE + SHIRLEY + NEIMO: HOLLINGSWORTH GOES TO LEEDS: The The X, Cowley – Wired, weird and wigged-out X, Cowley – Solo gig for Black hats frontman gospel blues and stripped-down rock mayhem from former Suitable Case duo Liam Ings-Reeves Mahon – Sweet Cardigans-meets-Garbage rocking and Pete Ward. Jolly 60s pop support from from One Dollar Peepshow. Shirley, plus French indie rockers Neimo. MARK CROZER + ANTONY ELVIN: QI Club FATALLY YOURS + THE BLACK HATS + THE – Excellent scuzzy psychedelia, melancholic GULLIVERS: The Hobgoblin, Bicester – acoustic pop and shoegazing noise from local Smiths-inspired indie rocking from Bicester’s singer-songwriter Mark Crozer, who’s just been favourite sons Fatally Yours, plus guitar pop from recruited to play guitar in the reformed Jesus and Black Hats and indie-punk noise from The Mary Chain. Oh yes. Scott Walker-influenced Gullivers. acoustic pop from Antony Elvin. THE DELTA FREQUENCY + BROTHER CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford FRANCISCO + THE FOCAL POINT: The Community Centre Cellar – Great, bombastic electro-goth rocking OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon from The Delta Frequency, somewhere between FRIDAY 6th Bowie and Marilyn Manson, plus krautrocking BORDERVILLE + THE SWAMIS + BIRDS OF from Southampton’s Brother Francisco. WALES: The X, Cowley – Excellent, theatrical Thursday 12th PORT MAYHEM with GOG + ONE DOLLAR space-rock, electro-funk and vaudevillian pop PEEPSHOW + JOHN THOMPSON: The Port from Borderville, with support from bluesy DEATHSTARS / rockers The Swamis. MORTIIS: The Zodiac th THE BLACKOUT + KIDS IN GLASS Tuesday 10 HOUSES: The Zodiac – Double bill of south If the thought of encroaching summer fills BRYAN FERRY: Wales emo, both bands pretty indistinguishable you with dread, here’s your chance to rejoin from each other, or from Lostprophets for that the darkness with a double bill of The New Theatre matter, playing by-wrote shouty, jump up and Scandinavian doom. Norway’s Mortiis is down metal-lite. Still, over half a million We might not be able to hold it completely something of a legends in black metal circles, MySpace site hits can’t lie, can they? against Bryan Ferry that he spawned vile having played bass for Emperor way back SMASH DISCO: The Zodiac – Fortnightly wildlife-butchering twonk Otis, but we can when. Since then he’s carved out a whole indie, electro and post-punk club night with guest hold him responsible for the mess that was new niche for himself in an ambient black DJs. Tonight, Education DJs pay a visit. metal and darkwave vein, using synths as his last Oxford show: a truncated set at KLUB KAKOFANNEY with PRIMITIVE TIME Cutteslowe Park where he obviously wasn’t much as guitars to create bleak, unsettling MACHINE + AMBER STATE + LOOSE GRIP + sounds. His defining album, ‘The Grudge’, fit to perform but took the cash anyway. G&T: The Wheatsheaf – Lively funk-rock Still that shouldn’t detract too much from was declared a national artefact by the from PTM headlining this month’s Klub Kak. Norwegian government, though it’s for his the fact that Ferry is a genuine musical Trippy jazz-pop from Amberstate in support. trademark prosthetic goblin mask he’s best legend and one of the most distinctive THE RUINS + VELVET HEARTS + FOCAL known. Sweden’s Deathstars similarly rely singers of the past 30 years. From his POINT: The Jericho Tavern – Ride-influenced on synthesizers as much as guitars for their beginnings at the helm of Roxy Music, who indie shoegazing from The Ruins, plus harmony- sound, a beastly hybrid of industrial metal, revolutionised rock music alongside David heavy melodic rock from Velvet Hearts, a band Bowie, through to his suave balladeering featuring former-Elkie Brookes keyboardist goth and glam-rock. But then, what do you days, he’s always exuded a sense of natural Stevie Jones and Randy Newman’s son John expect from a band whose singer is called glamour and sophistication beyond the reach Newman. Noisy indie rockers Focal Point open Whiplasher and guitarist Nightmare of mere mortal pop stars. As well as being a the show. Industries. Musically they find a middle great songwriter (come on, we could fill this OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon ground between Rammstein and Sisters of preview with the titles of every genius Roxy BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon Mercy. Black clothes, black hair, black Music track), our Bryan is also a great DUGOUT: The Cellar – Soul, rare groove and hearts. Good, wholesome family fun. If your reinterpreter of old classics, be it John funk with DJ Jon Kennedy. family name is Addams. Lennon or Wilson Pickett, and his latest SATURDAY 7th album is his tribute to Bob Dylan, CLUTCH + THE SWORD + TAINT: The MELTING POT with THE ANYDAYS + THE unsurprisingly titled ‘Dylanesque’, wherein Zodiac – Return of the legendary Maryland, US SHAKES + NOT MY DAY + ANOTHER LOST he stamps his own identity on songs like metal experimentalists, last seen sharing a stage LEADER: The Jericho Tavern – Effusive 60s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ and ‘Gates Of here with Corrosion Of Conformity. Over the retro pop in the style of The Beatles, Kinks and Eden’. Perhaps not the most radical move in course of fifteen years, seven albums and 2,000 Monkees from The Anydays, launching their musical history but one that again proves gigs the band’s ever-changing sound has moved debut album, ‘Sound’. Support from lyrically the man’s abilities remain undiminished. between metal, hardcore, punk, stoner-rock and intense indie rockers The Shakes and local Let’s just hope we get the full show tonight. most recently blues on album, ‘Robot Hive’. acoustic duo Another Lost Leader, leaning JACK VIPER + ZEN MOTEL + PATCHWORK towards the Simon & Garfunkel scheme of things. GRACE + DEMONSEED + DISARM: The THE PISTACHIOS + TOMORROW IS GO: Music Market – Delicious Music unsigned bands The Temple Bar showcase. SUNDAY 8th GRAIN + FALZONES + MIKE FINLEY: The X, JOHN POWER + BRIAN HOUSTON + Cowley – Hillbilly funk from tonight’s eXposure DUSTY SOUND SYSTEM: The Zodiac – club headliners Grain, with support from Kent’s Former La’s and Cast frontman John Power moddish popsters The Falzones and local continues his pop quest, leaving behind the pop sensitive singer-songwriter Mike Finley. anthems in favour of a new rootsy acoustic rock KILL CASINO + GANGER DRAFT: The Port and folk direction. Irish folk rocker Brian Mahon – Full-throttle garage grunge and pop- Houston supports, along with Robin Bennett’s metal from London’s Kill Casino, plus support folk-country project, Dusty Sound System. from former Verbal Kink and At Risk people DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM: Ganger Draft. The Music Market ABORT, RETRY, FAIL? With FRIENDLY FIRE BIG BAD CITY: The Port Mahon – Chili + NATIONAL PARKS: The Cellar – Promising Peppers-influenced funk rock from the band post-punk funk pop from St Alban’s hotly-tipped fronted by current Miss UK, Ellie Glynn. Friendly Fires, aiming for a Talking Heads-meets- DIATRIBE + KING FURNACE + BEAR IN THE New Order sound at tonight’s ARF? Electro club AIR + ELLA CANAVAN: The Jericho Tavern – night. Authentically scuzzy punk and new wave noise SOUL NIGHT: The Bullingdon from Diatribe, plus lively funk-rock from King SHUSH OPEN MIC SESSION: The X, ADY + SNAKE + WE ARE REASONABLE Cowley Road PEOPLE + BILLY BOB BEAR: The Palace, SIMON DAVIES + FREI ZINGER & CHRIS Witney HILLS: The Port Mahon – Acoustic night with FRIDAY 13th local singer Simon Davies doing his English bossa VAN MORRISON: The New Theatre – Jocular nova thing plus psychedelic flautist Frei Zinger fun from planet Earth’s most cheerful musician teaming up with tabla player Chris Hills. and an artist who is in absolutely no way over- ADAM WALTON + PETE HORSFALL: The rated to an almost criminal degree. Oh no. ‘Astral Jericho Tavern – Live jazz residency. Weeks’ – great stuff. Really. He’s back next OPEN MIC SESSION: Mangos month too doing an improvised comedy show OPEN MIC SESSION: The Plough, Witney with Lou Reed. Wet yourselves in anticipation, th WEDNESDAY 11 kids. ALL THAT REMAINS + MISERY SIGNALS + MIDLAKE + ROBERT GOMEZ + STEPHANIE TEXTURES + ETERNAL LORD: The Zodiac – DOSEN: The Zodiac (upstairs) – Lysergic 70s Global four-band package tour of metal and rock dreamers make their Oxford debut – see hardcore noise, with Massachusetts headliners All main preview That Remains cranking up the thrash in the style DEAD CLASS + VAMOS + TRISTAN & THE th Friday 13 of Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage; TROUBADOURS: The Zodiac (downstairs) – smouldering metalcore urchins Misery Signals Frenetic Irish punks Dead Class promote debut MIDLAKE: The Zodiac return to Oxford after their support to Darkest album, ‘Boo’, hinting at Dead Kennedys and Because of vile Supertramp-aping bilge like Hour last year; Holland’s Textures prove that Ramones along the way, while support comes The Feeling, soft-rock is rightly derided, but even the affable Dutch can rock like bastards, from fellow Irish rockers Vamos and local indie- it needn’t always be so. Take Denton, Texas while Swindon’s Eternal Lord open the show with ska types Tristan & The Troubadours. five-piece Midlake, a band who all sport their brand of sonic violence. neatly-trimmed beards and doubtless spend OXFORD IMPROVISERS: The Port Mahon much of their lives listening to bands like OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House Thursday 19th The Eagles, America and Fleetwood Mac. OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar And yet they’re still great. As was ably PHONIK SESSIONS: The Cellar – Live funk CAMERA OBSCURA: demonstrated by last year’s ‘The Trials Of jam. Van Occupanther’, an album that dwelt TIM WILSON QUARTET + RICHARD The Zodiac BALDING + NIGEL PEARCE: The Court Inn, upon the life and trials of a rustic hermit of Back in 1984 Scottish singer Lloyd Cole Witney – Live jazz. asked, “Are you ready to be heartbroken?” the same name. Musically Midlake ache for th such a lost rural paradise, their lyrics are THURSDAY 12 Two decades later Glasgwegian gems Camera dreamlike and arcane, while musically the DEATHSTARS + MORTIIS: The Zodiac Obscura provide the answer on single, `Hey 60s folk-rock harmonies, strings, flute and (upstairs) – Darkness descends upon the Zodiac as Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken’ in a banjo are possessed of a sweeping, wistful, Scandinavia’s gothic overlords come to wreak moment of perfect pop symmetry. Perfect almost lysergic nature. As well as the above- Ragnarok – see main preview pop being the most apt description of a mentioned influences they point towards DIVE DIVE: The Zodiac (downstairs) – Headline band capable of some of the most gig for the local pop-punk heroes, fresh from Neil Young’s more tender moments as well beautifully emotive lovelorn ballads in recent touring with Frank Turner. as Peter Hammill and The Blue Nile, adding times. For all the string-laden, synth and SABOTAGE: The Zodiac – Fortnightly rock, a rich darkness to their languid songs. Signed horns-bolstered expansiveness of their punk, metal and alternative club night. to ex-Cocteau Twins guitarist Simon sound, Camera Obscura are a sweetly simple THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD: The New proposition with songwriter Tracyanne Raymonde’s Bella Union label (also Theatre – Spectacular light and stage show and Campbell’s voice carrying everything before responsible for discovering The Dears), note-perfect tributes to Floyd’s finest moments. her. The band are in the great tradition of they’ve spent the last year building up a OCEAN COLOUR SCENE: Brookes such fellow Caledonians as The Shop sizeable cult following and hopefully a full University Union – Return of the crown princes Assistants, Belle & Sebastian, Orange Juice breakthrough is now due to them. of dadrock. Rejoice. HELLO BRUNO + SEFTON: The X, Cowley and Altered Images, shimmering and jangling VESTIBULE + GENUINE FREAKSHOW + along a winding road to Heartbreak Central. Furnace and seriously downbeat lo-fi rock in a FOCAL POINT: The Port Mahon - Grunge and Imagine if Phil Spector had handpicked his Nick Cave vein from Ella Canavan. post-rock noise from Biffy Clyro-inspired locals girl groups from a run-down council estate in LARKZ: The Black Horse, Kidlington Vestibule, plus downbeat indie rock from Genuine Strathclyde and given their blissful th MONDAY 9 Freakshow. Noisy local newcomers Focal Point melancholy a sunshine-strewn wall of sound THE HAMILTON LOOMIS BAND: The open proceedings. back-up. It’s a formula to melt the hardest Bullingdon – Young Texan bluesman already STIG + APATT: The Cellar heart. mentored by Bo Diddley, Clarence Brown and MORRISON STEAM FAYE + TRISTAIN & Albert Collins. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist as THE TROUBADOURS: QI Club – Blistering adept at piano, drums and blues harp as he is with psychedelic country blues from London’s rising his trademark Strat guitar, and adding a funky stars of the alternative folk scene, MSF. Local dash to Delta blues. ska-inflected indie popstrels T&TT support. SYBARITES: The Port Mahon ANTON BARBEAU: The Jericho Tavern – BARNYARD SOUNDS + MEATYARD BRICK Bucolic psychedelia from American songwriter + BLUE BEAR: The Hollybush, Witney – Anton Barbeau in the vein of Robyn Hitchcock First night of a week-long live music festival in and The Beatles. Witney with soul, reggae and funk DJs plus live CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford ska and jazz. Community Centre TUESDAY 10th OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon BRYAN FERRY: The New Theatre – The SAMUEL ZASADA + BEE & THE BEAR: artists formerly known as Brain Fury promotes Rapture, Witney (5pm) his new ‘Dylanesque’ album – see main preview BEE & THE BEAR + MINWAH + SAMUEL JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY QUINTET: ZASADA + BIG BAD BREAKFAST + THE The Bullingdon TRUMPET SOCIAL CLUB: The Red Lion, DELICIOUS MUSIC BLUES CLUB with Witney BLUE MAMA: The Music Market DUNCAN QUOFF + BARNYARD SOUNDS + DEPTH CHARGE: The Zodiac – Drum&bass ELECTRIC JAM: The X, Cowley with Kenny Ken and Nicky Blackmarket. MONDAY 16th GAMMY LEG PRODUCTIONS with 36 CRAZYFISTS + TWELVE TRIBES: The HEADCOUNT + TOUPE + BLUE JUNK: The Zodiac (upstairs) – Number-related heavy X, Cowley – Authentic punk rock action from rocking action. Somewhere in between these two Headcount, where Therapy? and Motorhead meet surely are 24 Hour Party People? Adam &The Ants, topping this GLP mixed bill. 65 DAYSOFSTATIC + YOUTHMOVIES + Zappa-esque funk grind from Toupe in support, CATS & CATS & CATS: The Zodiac plus jazz-funk fusion from Blue Junk. (downstairs) – More numbers at the Zodiac, QUICKFIX presents THE QUARTERFINALS Sheffield’s 65DOS having numerical superiority + THE BLACK HATS + SCARAMANGA SIX + on their side and, against all odds, the upper hand PROHIBITION SMOKERS CLUB: The in sheer volume, pumping out an astonishingly Wheatsheaf – Good, varied bill of local acts intense, complex fusion of post-rock, techno and with heavyweight new wave pop from drum&bass that makes no concessions on any Quarterfinals, plus indie rocking from Black Hats front. The continual rise and rise of 65DOS is as and lysergic jazz-punk-rock from PSC. surprising as it is refreshing, a band who make out BRICKWORK LIZARDS + POCKET like the soundtrack to some inevitable nuclear PROMISE: The Jericho Tavern – Stylishly holocaust. Feel the power of their rock. eclectic mix of 40s film noir jazz, Egyptian folk THE DAVID RAPHAEL BAND: The and hip hop from the local collective. Bullingdon – Rocking blues and r’n’b from the th OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon Tuesday 24 singer and harpist. BOSSAPHONIK: The Cellar – Live jazz JOHN RENBOURN & ROBIN THEE MORE dance with Brazilian beats act Zeep. WILLIAMSON: Nettlebed Folk Club – REDOX + THE PETE FRYER BAND + FILM Pentangle guitarist Renbourn teams up with SHALLOWS: NOIR + HUGH McMANNERS: The Magdalen Incredible String Band singer Williamson. – 70s-styled swamp rock and festival funk from th The Port Mahon Redox, plus guests. TUESDAY 17 San Franciscan ephemeral pop dreamers Thee BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon LUKE TOM: The Zodiac – Self-consciously More Shallows return to town for this DISAPPOINTED + NUVOLA: The Elm Tree, eccentric jazz-pop dandy from Cornwall, via Witney London, replete with cravats and handlebar Vacuous Pop night, their delicate and haunting PEPPERMINT VANDALS + BETHANY moustache for that Great Gatsby look and recent low-key style of prairie pop owing as much WEIMERS + TINDERSCUSS + THE PENGUIN support to both The Feeling and Mika, which to the grace and style of Mercury Rev and DISAGREES + HENRY HERRINGTON: The would earn our eternal sympathy if it didn’t give The Dirty Three as it does more glitchy Red Lion, Witney such a good pointer to what his music sounds like. alt.rock peers like Godspeed and Tortoise. SATURDAY 14th He says, Queen, Bowie and Elton John; we say, Based around singer Dee Kester, whose fragile sounds a bit like Toploader. vocal tremors add huge depth and emotion to McFLY: The New Theatre – Pretty boy pop- MOLLOY + COLLIDING LEMONS + LITTLE understated ‘psychedelicate’ songs full of punk jollity made from the left-over body parts COSMONAUT + MINUTES: The Port Mahon of failed child actors. Those distressed hair-do’s sweeping strings, big horn arrangements and – Dirty, angular synth-pop, punk and new wave cost more than you earn in a year, sucker. toy piano. They’re equally grandiose and noises from Molloy, with a nod to The B52s, plus WINNEBAGO DEAL + WINTERS + introverted and best appreciated in intimate support from Bristol’s ragged grunge-pop lasses GEHENNA + MONDO CADA: The Zodiac – A surroundings such as these. New album, Colliding Lemons and lo-fi electronic twee-pop fun experiment would be to make all the kids and ‘Book Of Bad Breaks’, released on Anticon, is from Little Cosmonauts. mums and dads who are going to see McFly the follow-up to 2004’s sublime ‘More Deep JAZZ CLUB with THE TOM GREY QUINTET: tonight come to this gig instead, or simply put Cuts’. Oh yes, it’s all loneliness and mass The Bullingdon the Deal on as support at the New Theatre. DELICIOUS MUSIC BLUES CLUB with graves round here: the soundtrack to the end That’d learn the little blighters how to rock GREEN ONIONS: The Music Market – Blues of the world as experienced in a backwoods proper. Brothers tribute. shack. Party on! Support comes from MORRISON STEAM FAYRE + TRISTAN & SHUSH OPEN MIC SESSION: The X, Liverpudlian newcomer Eugene McGuinnes, THE TROUBADOURS: The Port Mahon Cowley Road displaying a decidedly OTT vocals style on GREEN ONIONS + RESERVOIR CATS + A th his downbeat acoustic pop. PINT & THREE QUARTERS OF BLUES AIN’T WEDNESDAY 18 DRUNK: The X, Cowley – A night of blues in THE DAVE PRISEMAN QUARTET: The X, aid of Wittstock Festival with Blues Brothers Cowley – Acclaimed jazz quartet. tinged pop and bug-eyed guitar rocking from types Green Onions headlining along with good ABORT, RETRY, FAIL? With FOALS: The rising local stars Stornoway, with support from time blues-rockers Reservoir Cats. Cellar – A low-key return to Oxford gig for the ace indie janglers Foxes!. JULIANA MYERS + PAUL SMALL + FULL fast-rising local electro-disco post-funk rockers, THE MIGHTY PORKER + BETIKA + THE METAL WAISTCOAT + CATALYST + headlining the electro club night. REPEATS: The Jericho Tavern SLEEPLESS: The Music Market – Local ZELEGA: The Port Mahon – Gently elegant ELECTRIC CIRCUS: The Port Mahon acoustic songstress Julianna Myers launches her oceanic rock inspired by Mogwai and Explosions CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford debut album at tonight’s Delicious Music bands in the Sky. Community Centre night. Folk rockers Full Metal Waistcoat support OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon in a Richard Thompson / Fairport vein. OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar FRIDAY 20th SIMPLE: The Bullingdon – Funky house with th THURSDAY 19 SQUARE ONE: The Zodiac – Hardcore dance Touché and General Midi, plus resident DJs. CAMERA OBSCURA: The Zodiac – Divine with DJs Dougal, Hixxy and Andy Whitby, plus BRENT FLOOD: The Temple Bar Scottish janglers make their Oxford debut – see MCs Static and Reload. THE INFLATABLES: The Black Horse, main preview YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO: The Zodiac – Kidlington SMASH DISCO: The Zodiac – Tonight the Completely and utterly ace melodic hardcore th SUNDAY 15 electro and indie club night goes head to head with noisemongers return, promoting new album, MARK MORRIS: The Zodiac – The Bluetones house club Slide. ‘They Came From The Sun’, squalling guitars and singer plays a solo show at the Zodiac, a venue ANTON BARBEAU + HUGH JOHN NOBLE: tightly-strung melodies somewhere between the Tones seem to come round to like a dose of QI Club – Another dose of 60s psych-pop from Fugazi and Radiohead. flu every few months. This time it seems even his Anton with partner Su Jordan. EASY TIGER + EMERALD SKY + SANTA band couldn’t be bothered to make it once more HANGMAN’S JOE: The Music Market – DOG: The X, Cowley - 70s-styled southern- round the block. Classic rock action. fried rock from Easy Tiger with support from DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM: STORNOWAY + FOXES! + ONIONS FOR Cambridge heavy rockers Emerald Sky, in a Led The Music Market EYES: The Cellar – Alternately sweet celtic- Zep style. WHISTLER + WHERE WE FALL: The and a guest performance from London’s piano- JOE ALLEN & ANGHARAD JENKINS: The Wheatsheaf – Local funk-rock newcomers. based Show Without Punch, giving the night a Port Mahon – Highly promising local singer- OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon wild edge with their Tom Waits and Shane songwriter in the vein of Elliot Smith and Damien FRESH OUT OF THE BOX: The Cellar McGowan-influenced blues. Rice, accompanied by electric violinist Angharad. BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon JENIFEREVER + THE EVENINGS + PAUL FAIRPORT CONVENTION: Nettlebed Folk SATURDAY 21st MARSHALL + ROCKET FALLS: The Club – Low-key gig for the English folk-rock UNITED BIBLE STUDIES + TARA JANE Wheatsheaf – Sweeping, somnambulant, legends. th O’NEIL + SHARRON KRAUS + ROB shoegazing, cloud-drifting rock from Sweden’s TUESDAY 24 SHARPLES + SHOW WITHOUT PUNCH: dreamlike Jeniferever. THEE MORE SHALLOWS + EUGENE The X, Cowley – Superb night of alt.folk sounds NONSENSE + CHRIS MARTIN + SLY + McGUINNESS: The Port Mahon – Delicately at tonight’s Terrastock Tea Party. Dublin’s RETROFIRE: The Music Market – Hip hop psychedelic electro-pop at tonight’s Vacuous Pop experimental, improvised collective United Bible and urban night with local rappers and hip hop night – see main preview Studies describe their sound as “Expiring infant acts. MONEEN + BAYSIDE + ATTACK IN BLACK: suns weeping for worlds they will never warm”, OX4: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass club The Zodiac – Canadian emo-rockers on tour, which sounds great, though less celestially they night. mixing up the lovelorn sweetness with melodic mix up traditional sounds of artists like Shirley THE GREEN: The Port Mahon punk-pop noise; Victory Records signings Bayside Collins and Vashti Bunyan with shadowy MELTING POT with NINE-STONE COWBOY support. electronic acts like Coil and Current 93. Oregon’s + THE CARTER MANOEUVRE + CONFUZIN’ JAZZ CLUB with THE SEE YOU NEXT Tara Jane O’Neil plays wonderfully haunted JACK + VEDA PARK: The Jericho Tavern – SUNDAY JAZZ ORCHESTRA: The Scottish Islands folk, while local lass Sharron Mark Cope’s NSC band return with a new-look Bullingdon Kraus explores the darker side of early English line-up, mixing up anthemic indie rock with DELICIOUS MUSIC BLUES CLUB with and Appalachian folk. There’s also intricate, alternately dryly humorous and romantic lyricism BLUE MAMA + KINKY RING FINGER: The intimate acoustic pop from Bath’s Rob Sharples and a theatrical sense of showmanship. Support Music Market from mellow jazz-rockers Veda Park amongst SHUSH OPEN MIC SESSION: The X, others. th Cowley Road Thursday 26 FALLING IDOLS: The Temple Bar OPEN MIC SESSION: Mangos HQ: The Cellar – Hip hop and drum&bass club th SKATALITES: night. WEDNESDAY 25 SUNDAY 22nd MINDLESS SELF-INDULGENCE: The Zodiac The Zodiac – Decidedly non-PC techno-punks out of New HATEBREED + ACACIA STRAIN: The Zodiac Skylarkin’ continues to attract the very York and fronted by the charmingly-named Little (upstairs) – It’s Breed-themed month at the Jimmy Urine, mixing up digital hardcore with cream of Jamaican music to its monthly club Zodiac (Breed 77 are playing on the 30th ) with night, topping even February’s Alton Ellis synth-pop and punk. the welcome return of Connecticut’s Hatebreed, OPEN MIC SESSION: Marlborough House gig with tonight’s show – the first ever local currently celebrating their 10th anniversary as well appearance by ska legends The Skatalites. OPEN MIC SESSION: Temple Bar as new album, ‘Supremacy’. Metal done hard, fast th Formed in the early-60s the band were in and brutal, as you’d expect from a band who’ve THURSDAY 26 large part responsible for the popularisation supported everyone from Slipknot to Slayer along CRADLE OF FILTH + KITTIE: Brookes of ska with hits such as ‘Guns Of Navarone’ the way. University Union – Cuddly doom-metal icons and trombonist Don Drummond’s ‘Man In JACK PENATE + LATE OF THE PIER + crank up the ungodly noise – see main preview The Street’, as well as the genre’s ADELE: The Zodiac (downstairs) – South SKATALITES + NINE-TON PEANUT transformation into reggae. In their prime, London rockabilly jangler and recent tour support SMUGGLERS + DJ DEREK: The Zodiac – 60s between 1964 and 1965, the band recorded to Maccabees, coming on somewhere between Jamaican ska legends make their Oxford debut – and played with the best Jamaican musicians Jamie T, Billy Bragg and The Farmers Boys. see main preview and producers, including Prince Buster, DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM: SABOTAGE: The Zodiac Desmond Dekker and Lee Perry, recording The Music Market SELECTASOUND presents THE SIRENS their first two albums, ‘Ska Authentic’ SOFT PANDA + THUMPER MONKEYS: The CALL + SHAKER HEIGHTS + DIATRIBE + HANGMAN CHARLIE: The X, Cowley – volumes 1 and 2, at Studio 1. The beginning Port Mahon Mixed bag of local rock from Selectasound of the end came with the jailing of KEYBOARD CHOIR: Phoenix Picturehouse tonight featuring grungey Britpoppers The Sirens Drummond for murder and the band split in Bar – Launch gig for this month’s cover stars’ debut album. Live electronica from Keyboard Call; melodic guitar pop from Shaker Heights, and 1967. A reformed Skatalites returned in Choir plus DJs playing electro, world and early scuzzy new wave noise from Diatribe. 1983, minus Drummond, who had died in music. OXFORD JAZZ SOCIETY SESSION: The prison, and have since relocated to the States MONDAY 23rd Music Market and made their first forays into Europe and CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford PONTY BONE & THE SQUEEZETONES with around the world. These days the core of the Community Centre WES McGHEE: The Bullingdon – The Texas original band consists of Lloyd Knibb, OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon accordion king and his band of the last twenty Doreen Shaffer and Lester Sterling, with FRIDAY 27th Tommy McCook and Jackie Mittoo years, The Squeezetones, make their first visit to MUMM-RA: The Zodiac – Ebullient mix of amongst the casualties over the years. They Oxford with their rootsy mix of blues, country, Cajun and soul, Bone himself having played with lightweight synth-rock and jangle-pop from remain, however a potent live band and one the likes of The Clash, Tom Petty and Ronnie Bexhill’s Mumm-ra, fresh from supporting The of the most important acts ever to come out Lane over the years. Automatic and The Horrors on the NME Awards of Jamaica. And short of forcing Prince THE EARLIES + ALBERTA CROSS: The tour and sporting some fluffy Cure and Killers Buster himself out of retirement, we wonder Zodiac (upstairs) – Prog-country electronica influences. how Skylarkin’ can top this. from The Earlies, probably the only band on the PURESSENCE: The Zodiac – Surprising but planet whose ten-strong membership is divided more than welcome return for Manchester’s equally between Texas and Burnley. An eclectic forgotten sons of gorgeously melodramatic indie bunch they are too, veering between Beck, rock. A band who preceded the global success of Flaming Lips and Green On Red. acts like Snow Patrol but never achieved the level FIELDS: The Zodiac (downstairs) – Gorgeous, of commercial success they deserved. Dark of cloud-gazing guitar pop that makes the mood but graceful and expansive of sound and connection between My Bloody Valentine and fronted by the gloriously soaring vocals of James Death Cab For Cutie on the one hand and the new Mudriczki. A new album, on their own label, is due wave of folk on the other. out later this spring. FIGHT FIRE WITH WATER + THE YOUNGS HIT & RUN: The Zodiac – Drum&bass and hip PLAN: The X, Cowley hop club night. GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with SPACE chart hits and personnel splits. Main man Ginger HEROES OF THE PEOPLE + COLOUR + remains at the helm, now back with most of the NON-STOP TANGO: The Wheatsheaf – GTI band’s original line-up, various alcohol and drug make their move from the Zodiac to the problems seemingly resolved and destined to Wheatsheaf, still putting on a goodly mixed bill remain a cult act until the next split, reformation of sounds every month. This time around it’s and beyond. electro-pop experimenters SHOTP heading the TRUE RUMOUR + LOTS OF DEAD bill with support from abstract, improvised GOLDFISH + TIM MATTHEWS: The Music experimenters Non-Stop Tango and funky, Market – Delicious Music local bands night. melodic math-rockers Colour. SKA NIGHT with HOPE & GLORY: The UNITING THE ELEMENTS + TOBY + Bullingdon – Madness tribute act H&G headline a JUXSTAR: The X, Cowley – Return of the ever- night of classic ska. touring German power-rockers, finding a meeting THE TYMES: The Temple Bar ground between Hanoi Rocks and No Doubt. SUNDAY 29th th SANDCREEK MASSACRE + PINDROP PERFORMANCE with DAVEY Thursday 26 SMALLTEASERS + ENVY & OTHER SINS: GRAHAM + MASPINDZELI + TARIK BESHIR The Jericho Tavern – Epic indie rock + BEN ULPH + SPIRIDON SPRIDONOVITCH CRADLE OF FILTH: melancholy from Reading’s Sandcreek Massacre, SHISHIGAN: Jacqueline Du Pre Building - Brookes University plus cheesy 80s-style guitar pop from Pretty astonishing bill of diverse talents here with Smallteasers. godfather of contemporary folk Davey Graham Rock and roll. The Devil’s music. Grrrr! And OXFORD FOLK CLUB: The Port Mahon headlining a special Pindrop Performance with so here are the UK’s premier protagonists of BASSMENTALITY Vs BLUNTED: The Cellar support from 20-piece Georgian folk choir Satan’s own brand of noise: Cradle of Filth – Hip hop, soul and funk club night soundclash. Maspindzeli, Arabian instrumentals from (pretend you’ve got a throat full of gravel BACKROOM BOOGIE: The Bullingdon – Brickwork Lizards frontman Tarik, a musical before you speak their name). Long reviled With guest Aidan Larkin from Skylarkin’. tribute to Davey Graham from Thumb Quintet’s by all but the most extreme metal press and SATURDAY 28th Ben Ulph, plus Russian Jewish harp player Spiridon embarrassingly revealed on the BBC’s BOBBY COOK: The Cellar – Very much the playing his first gig outside of his homeland. Living With The Enemy as - gasp! - nice name to drop in music industry circles at the ACOUSTIC LADYLAND: The Zodiac – blokes, The Filth have nevertheless earned moment and recently signed to BMG Publishing, Avoiding the usual jazz-rock fusion pitfalls by themselves a sizeable cult following across south London singer-songwriter Booby Cook actually being good, former Young Jazz Musicians the globe. You can mock all you like, but the arrives out of the same scene that spawned of the Year, saxophonist Pete Wareham and fact remains there are few things more Larrikin Love and Vincent Vincent and the keyboard player Tom Cawley fuse some of the entertaining than a satanic metal band in full Villains, although his lush, uplifting brand of pop more extreme elements of rock and jazz into an flow, and Cradle of Filth wipe the floor with melancholy owes more to the likes of Arcade inventive whole that rarely dilutes either genre, just about every lame-assed metal band Fire, Ed Harcourt and Ryan Adams. Limited- coming on like a cross between John Zorn and The around. You want blitzkrieg industrial riffs edition debut single, ‘Gone So Far’; is already a Stooges. soundtracking the swarming of vast waves BEARD MUSEUM with THE KATE GARRETT collector’s item and next time round Bobby will of helicopter gunships over Death Valley? BAND + ROGER TARRY + SAM BEER + be headlining bigger venues than this. You got them times two. You want DANNY WHITEHOUSE: The Purple Turtle – DOOLITTLE + OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT + Wagnerian operatics and the ‘Ride of the KING FURNACE: The Port Mahon – Former Mellow pop fun at the monthly Beard Museum Valkeries’ on the back of a black Harley Eat and We Know Where You Live frontman club; tonight’s headliners are local singer Kate Davidson careering headlong into several Ange Doolittle returns with his new band, Garrett’s band with a sweet, jazz-inflected brand of mountains? Oh yeah, that’s here too. You reprising favourite songs from his cult rock pop. career. CHANTELLE PIKE + KREG VIESSELMAN: want Lucifer’s own servant on earth, clad in THE WILDHEARTS: The Zodiac – Enduringly The Jericho Tavern – Jazz-inflected acoustic black and spouting larva-gargling invective entertaining pop-metal heavyweights reform and rock from local singer Chantelle and rasping like the dying breaths of a return yet again, their long history a catalogue of DELICIOUS MUSIC ELECTRIC OPEN JAM: thousand trench warfare victims? Well The Music Market there’s Dani Filth himself, a lizardine goblin, ELECTRIC JAM: The X, Cowley part gothic pantomime villain, part cycle MONDAY 30th slut junkie from Hell. And great song titles? MACCABEES: Brookes University Union – Try ‘Of Dark Blood And Fucking’ and Brighton’s indie funkers return after their sell-out ‘Sodomy and Lust’ on for size. Better to gig at the Zodiac back in February and the venues reign in Hell than serve in Heaven, as Dani just keep on getting bigger, the band trying to live would doubtless say. up to the ‘Best new band in Britain’ hype and looking ever more likely to hit the big time with a live-wire show that leans towards XTC and Bloc BIG GILSON: The Bullingdon – Brazilian Party. guitarist, best known over here for his work with BREED 77 + FOREVER NEVER + LUNAR UK blues singer The Wolf, playing the blues MILE: The Zodiac – Post-grunge thrash metallers Chicago style. originally from Gibraltar but long-since relocated MURRAY TORKILDSEN + SIR BALD to London, still riding high on the acclaim DIDDLEY & LISA LARRY + DAVID accredited last year’s ‘In My Blood’ album and FULLBROOK: The Port Mahon – Former- chart hit ‘The River’, adding a Latin edge and Sweeney frontman Murray builds up for May some middle-eastern atmospherics to their heavy- morning with support from local retro rocker duty riffage and drawing comparisons to Alice In Baldie and chums. Chains and System Of A Down. A new single, ALY BAIN & PHIL CUNNINGHAM: Nettlebed ‘Look At Me Now’ is out now while the band Folk Club – Award-winning Scottish fiddle and release a Spanish-language album, ‘Un Encuentro’ accordion duo. later this month.

Nightshift listings are free. Deadline for inclusion in the gig guide is the 20th of each month - no exceptions. Call 01865 372255 (10am-6pm) or email listings to [email protected]. All listings are copyright of Nightshift and may not be reproduced without permission photo: Richard Hounslow LIVE

BRIGHT EYES Brookes University Union As the front man of Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst is generally accorded so much more attention than any of the band’s other permanent members that you could be forgiven for assuming the name to be his personal pseudonym. Not just the political charge of several of the songs on ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’, but also his skill as a songwriter have led to comparisons with Bob Dylan. He’s also a great lyricist, articulate and reflective, with lines like, “Leave the novelist in his daydream’s tune / Leave the scientist in his Rubik’s cube” affirming the Dylan comparisons and elevating him to the rare class of writers whose lyrics convey as much read as they do across music. Such mythologizing of their vocalist, however, tends to leave the rest of the band thrust into the shadows. Tonight’s show at Oxford also seem to have come of age, showing a keyboard launches into anthemic jaunts on Brookes, one of only two UK tour dates, greater sophistication and a broader social songs such as ‘Soul Singer in a Session Band’, allows them their proper prominence. Playing a register. nothing Conor does affords any kind of set composed largely of the newer material, a This is not to say that maturity has brought catharsis. He leaves chords hanging, denying the sizeable chunk of which is drawn from their contentment, however. The narratives remain neat satisfaction of closure, and for all the recent ‘Four Winds’ EP and forthcoming album bleak, the delivery impassioned, the voice broadening of scope, his world is ‘Cassadaga’, Bright Eyes demonstrate a more wracked with quavering emotion. If this raw unremittingly bleak; a tunnel without even an ambitious musical reach. Though the desolation paints Conor as being at odds with oncoming train to provide illumination. Whilst melancholy country influence of bands like the world then it also places him at odds with the band go for epic release, he subjects the Palace Brothers is still in place, complicated the band. It feels unfair to quote one of the audience to the pleasurable torture of guitar solos and elegiac violin parts create a weaker lines of a lyricist of no mean talent, but endlessly deferred fulfilment. By the time they sound larger and showier than that of their the self-referential metaphor of ‘Tourist Trap’ - have resolved the last song’s final chord and earlier songs. Indeed, it’s matured so much that “a progression of chords / How I want this to waved goodbye to the audience, he has already at times it’s in danger of wandering off into resolve” – sums up the difference. Whilst Jake left the stage. Radio 2 territory. Conor’s lyrical occupations Bellows’ guitar is often bombastic and the Emily Gray

EL TANBURA CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY The Zodiac The Zodiac Egyptian Folk Music, traditional meditatively, but with a change up Bear with me here… I’m finding it ‘Doolittle’ off your shelf, but it is instruments, not a Stratocaster in in rhythm and volume become very difficult to concentrate on writing almost a perfect exercise in music sight, and musicians who were different songs, with a strong almost this review for more than three for the iPod generation. Each track youths in the 1956 Suez Crisis. If frantic beat set up with four or six minutes at a time, such is the is a perfect, hermetically-sealed this sounds like a recipe for an percussionists and as many deleterious affect on the attention burst of clean, polished guitar pop ‘interesting’, cerebral and worthy vocalists chanting or doing call and span of erstwhile Ash guitarist tailor-made to pass three minutes on but rather restrained gig you response. Charlotte Hatherley’s spun-sugar a bus journey in the company of couldn’t be more wrong. Underneath the rhythm and the ADD pop-gobs. other amorphous indie standards. El Tanbura are all about joy tumult, is the sound of the In small doses, it’s actually rather Even in the live arena, where emerging from reverie, and dance simsimiyya, the Egyptian lyre that pleasant (but then so is Babycham), Hatherley might cut loose and rock emerging from trance, music that dates back to the Pharaohs. Folklore and debut single ‘Kim Wilde’, for some of the edges off her songs, you gets your body moving and isn’t says it is female and seduces both instance, stands strong alongside the can practically hear her producer just for your head. From Port Said player and audience. Tonight it does best of Ash’s output, but even Avril whacking up the ‘Sunny Pop’ dial and formed in 1989, the band are its magic as El Tanbura Lavigne tunes have more edge than on the mixing desk (they all have ten-strong, ages range over three communicate and get the crowd on most of Hatherley’s set. The closest one – it’s just by that rack of generations, and they come on stage their wavelength. reference point, aside from the oft- glowing compressors that look wearing a mix of traditional and Ecstatic acclaim greets the end of El cited Pixies nod, might actually be impressive but do nothing). And western clothes, symbolic perhaps Tanbura’s two sets. I’d have liked a Veruca Salt’s maligned, Bob Rock- that’s the problem. These are of their desire for music to break really, really long Sufi song and an produced second album, which perfectly complaisant, hum-along down barriers. Their songs honour unaccompanied song in the set list, applied so much polish to the songs ditties that pass the time for a few Sufi divine love as well as very but I get the unaccompanied one you could practically see your face minutes, but they don’t stick in the earthy love, exile, saucy sailors, and with the band singing a popular in them but did for any soul they head past the final chord – it’s the with ‘Canal Song’, about the British Egyptian song along with Egyptian might have once possessed. sort of music you imagine the cast and French Suez invasion, Egyptian locals on the street outside the It’s difficult to fathom exactly the of Friends might listen to. During Nationalism and the pride and Zodiac. What fun. Another inspired circumstances under which you’d Season 10 rather than the edgy first resistance of local communities. victory for promoters Big Village listen to an entire Hatherley album series, naturally. Some songs start slowly, Colin May when you could just pick Stuart Fowkes THE HOURS A SILENT FILM The Zodiac The Wheatsheaf If I were some pathetic journalist who got It’s no insult to the Wheatsheaf when we a kick out of using bands’ names to take declare that A Silent Film are made for cheap shots at their performance I’d say bigger stages than this. They’re a stadium things like “Yes, the Hours. How many band in waiting and frontman and more left of tonight must I endure?” etc. keyboard player Rob Stevenson has a etc. insert witty comment re. waste of voice that should have Elton John looking time/life etc etc. But I’m not like that. And over his shoulder as he plays the parts of The Hours aren’t a bad band. Surely Ant rock god and lounge lothario with equal Genn (formerly of Elastica and Pulp) and ease. Martin Slattery (formerly with Joe A Silent Film’s music is ambitious, Strummer and the Mescelaros) will be occasionally to the point of bombast, with leaving us all here with something to songs that sometimes have as many cherish forever and ever. But two songs in different parts as Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid and I’m not so sure. Android’ or Muse’s ‘Knights Of Right. It could be that I have issues with Cydonia’, but equally with much of the any band who love themselves so much pop nous of Robbie Williams, you feel that it’s actually hard to breathe with the they’ll not settle for much less than amount of suffocating ego which complete world domination. surrounds them. But that aside, it’s much Of course when you fly so close to the more to do with their absolute blasé-ness. sun your wings can get burned; it’s a ‘Love You More’ starts off with a Vangelis precarious path they tread and you feel opener and leads into lukewarm power their musical ambitions could destroy pop with Ant listing all the things that he them as well as make them, with record loves less than the woman in question. “I companies hovering already and hopefully love you more than my football team” etc. not plotting to mould them into some etc. ‘Back When You Were Good’ is a big easily-marketable pigeonhole. They need stadium power ballad, with huge stabbing to be given the free creative reign they piano and guitar chords and super currently enjoy. Ballads that might seem harmonies. `I Miss You’ is cringworthy, overwrought pumping from a pub PA will whereas the Interpol-like `Dive In’ works soar in more expansive arenas and even through its sheer simplicity. when they have you thinking of Ultravox There is some really good stuff happening or Aha! on occasions you can imagine their in many of the songs: the impecable name being lit large on hoardings across the harmonies; the simple and catchy piano land. riffs. Everything well rehearsed. A little bit Still the chief weapon in their powerful of the Jam, Keane, Coldplay, XTC and armoury is set closer ‘Chromatic Eyes’ an Clearlake: it’s all in there. But what you oddly proggy, tripped-out multi-drum come away feeling is that you want to hear rock tattoo that might just possibly be more of The Hours. Just who are they and the meeting point between Queen and what’s their own sound? At the moment The Beta Band. These are giddy it’s mostly non-descript. If the Hours are stratospheres A Silent Film are aiming for; to climb up from the bottom rungs of a how high they get is really up to them. very crowded ladder they’ll need to For now just watching them fly is quite become great in their own right. something. Katy Jerome Dale Kattack

DIATRIBE ROCK-POP-DANCE-GOLDEN OLDIES-INDIE- The Cellar SOUL-TECHNO-HIP-HOP-JAZZ-LATIN-REGGAE- Diatribe are all decked out in matching stencilled t-shirts bearing the band’s name. All DRUM&BASS-GARAGE—R&B-DISCO-1950s- except the singer whose garish creation simply reads Cunt. As they open their set with 2000s. Brand new back catalogue CDs £4 - £7 a loose-limbed blast of noise possessed of a singular determination to kick everything each. Brand new chart CDs £5 - £10 each out of its path, you get to thinking, this is probably what punk rock really sounded like first time round. In particular the early ragged thrash of Warsaw-era Joy Division. It’s a cracking start to any gig. VENUE PHONE NUMBERS For once a somewhat unforgiving sound actually helps rather than hinders the band, the The Zodiac: 01865 420042 vocals, drowned under a welter of guitars take on an air of mystery, while pockets of The Bullingdon: 01865 244516 distortion outnumber melodies. So much so you have to strain to realise they’re The Wheatsheaf: 01865 721156 covering Pixies’ ‘Gouge Away’ at one point. On and on they scurry, with an The X: 01865 776431 The Cellar: 01865 244761 unstoppable propulsion and a bag full of feedback, some distance away from the The New Theatre: 0870 606 3500 punchy but polished indie rock of their recent demo. The Port Mahon: 01865 202067 If Diatribe have a fault it’s their inability to see a nut without trying to crack it open Delicious Music: 07876 184623 with a sledgehammer and then drive over it with a steamroller. The wall of noise can be Point Promotions: 07711 628021 thrilling but sometimes it needs reigning in. It’s hard to know how much tonight is an Jericho Tavern: 01865 311775 aberration from their normal sound, but on the strength of this, they could go on to Brookes: 01865 484750 break some heads. The Music Market: 01865 248388 Dale Kattack QI Club: 01865 261500 CATO STREET CONSPIRACY / THE COURTESY KILL Shepherd The Wheatsheaf Featuring various members of such bands as Dekt, All You Miss, by Sam and At Risk; The Courtesy Kill can’t really be described as a supergroup but it would be fair to suggest that in this case the sum of their parts add up to something pretty special. For a band that include the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and AFI as influences, The Courtesy Kill are surprisingly lightweight, their songs are more likely to be sprayed with glitter and shiny little stars than drenched in the sweat of rock gods. Courtesy Kill photo The addition of All You Miss’s Suzie has added a new dimension to the band and the dual harmonies between her and vocalist Cat add a pop sweetness that is as far away from saccharine as it’s possible to get. At times it all seems too polite, but when they find a more aggressive stride on newer songs like ‘Give Me Collision’ they prove they can hit some fairly impressive heights. Cato Street Conspiracy have come a long way in the last few months. They’ve tightened up considerably; their songs now finding the kind of focus you need to pummel people into submission. Oozing confidence, their intelligent riffing and surprising ear for a pop melody combine perfectly to create a somewhat bizarre hybrid of classic metal, Fugazi-style punk, and Fall Out Boy-like poppiness. They’d probably quibble over the last comparison, but it’s most definitely there, and it’s what sets them apart from so many other bands who thrash wildly without producing anything you’d ever want to hear again. Admittedly the screaming twin guitar solos are still in place and at times they seem a bit superfluous, but with a set this strong you can forgive a little self indulgence here and there. Sam Shepherd

Corner Cowley / Marsh Road 01865 776431 thethe portport mmahonahon April Live Music in April 1st Poor Girl Noise presents: 17th Swiss Concrete Every Tuesday – Shush Open Mic – Come presents: Molloy + Colliding Sing / Play / Listen. 8pm FREE; All Welcome Cove + Candles + The Pluto 2nd Eclectica + Komakino Lemons + Little Cosmonaut + Sun 1st Electric Jam Come Jam with the house band The X Men. All 3rd Toad + David K Frampton Minute welcome. 8.00pm FREE + Jon Fletcher 18th Zelega Mon 2nd Nick Breakspear / Numbernine / John Hollingsworth Goes To 4th Luke Leighfield + Fairwell 19th Electric Circus Leeds 8.30pm FREE Finito! + Luke Fox And The 20th Oxford Folk Club th Thu 5 Grinning Spider presents Neimo / Pop Klub Arsenal / Harriet How Did He Die Band 21st The Green Glover 8.30pm £4 5th Port Mayhem 22nd Soft Panda + Thumper Fri 6th Borderville / The Swamis / Birds of Wales 8.30pm £4 th Sat 7th eXposure presents GRAIN / THE FALZONES / MIKE FINLEY 6 CITV Mash Up Crew Monkeys rd 8.30pm £4 7th Kill Casino + Ganger Draft 23 Joe Allen & Angharad Thu 12th Hello Bruno / Sefton / more TBC 8.30pm £4 + more TBC Jenkins Fri 13th Gammy Leg presents Headcount / Toupe / Blue Junk 8.30pm £4 8th Friends with Benefit 24th Thee More Shallows + Sat 14th Wittstock Fund Raiser Green Onions / Reservoir Cats / A Pint presents Big Bad City + more Eugene McGuinness & 3/4 of A Pint of Blues Ain’t Drunk 9th Sybarites 27th Oxford Folk Club 8.30pm £4 10th Simon Davies + Barnabas 28th Swiss Concrete Sun 15th Electric Jam 8pm FREE Presents: Dolittle + Offical Wed 18th XXJAZZ presents Dave Priseman Quartet (Dave Priseman – + Frei Zinger th trumpet; Martin Picket – piano; Ben Twyford – drums; Paul Jefferies - 11 Oxford Improvisers Secrets Act + King Furnace double bass) 8.30pm Tickets £5 - dinner available - must be booked. 12th Dirty Boys present: 29th Pindrop Performance Thu 19th Amnesty International Fund Raiser. Acts TBC 8.30pm £4 Vesibule + Genuine 5pm -8pm Fri 20th Grinning Spider presents Easy Tiger / Emerald Sky / Santa Dog / Freakshow + Focal Point 30th Murray Torkildsen + Sir Anton Barbeau (TBC) 8.30pm £4 13th Oxford Folk Club Bald & Lis Larry Guitar + st Sat 21 Terrascope Tea Party with United Bible Studies / Jane O’Neil / 14th Morrison Steam Fayre + David Fulbrook Sharron Kraus / Rob Sharples / Show Without Punch 7pm £8 (£7 adv) Mon 23rd Fight Fire With Water / The Youngs Plan / more TBC 8pm £3 Black Fiction + Tristan and Thu 26th SelectaSound presents The Sirens Call / Shaker Heights / the Troubadors Diatribe / Hangman Charlie 8.30pm £4 th Fri 27 Uniting The Elements / Toby / Juxstar 8.30pm £4 Book your band into play at Oxford’s best small music venue! Sat 28th Confidential Collective + all their friends! 8.30pm £4 Sun 29th Electric Jam 8pm FREE 82 St Clements, Oxford. Tel: 01865 202067 PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL/ ME & THE THE GOLDEN WOK NECK/ THE CHELTENHAM AVERAGE/ Finest Chinese Cuisine Take-Away LOUISE HANSON/ SIAN ROBINS-GRACE/ 170 Cowley Road SUB FUNC (Opposite Tesco) The Cellar 01865 248158 Sub Func? Sub- fucking something. version to make you go home and melt Standard? Musical? Human? Our mission your hallowed copy of “The Queen Is Home Delivery Available to rehabilitate funk as a respectable genre Dead”, these amateurs can supply it. crumbles in the face of this stolid, flabby Frankly, by this time anything would Open 7 days a week and gutless stillborn jam session. And this sound revelatory, and the fact that is just the first of seven acts! Jesus, don’t Prinzhorn Dance School are one of the you people have to go to work tomorrow best bands we’ve seen in years means we morning? After a feeble stand up, whose almost explode. They have more authority name the organisers don’t even tell us in one brutal snare crack than other bands (embarrassment, we surmise), Sian will manage in their lives. PDS have taken Robins-Grace provides blessed relief with bluesy punk and pared it to the bone. some abrasive poetry, centred on Then they’ve sharpened the bone. Then repressed rugger boys and menstrual they’ve driven it with a ruthless efficiency liberation: strident and amusing, she’s a into your defenceless ears. Seriously, this one woman Hammer & Tongue. trio is sparse and commanding enough to DJ Louise Hanson has hit on the novel make The Archie Bronson Outfit look like idea of playing records continuously and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. There’s a deft makes sure we have 40 minutes to marvel economy in the lyrics too, one tale of a at her audacity. The Cheltenham Average “nine piece soul band” in a leisure centre live up to the latter part of their name, recalling McClusky at their most with some clumpy foursquare indie that mordantly humorous; the last song, with only comes close to working when it it’s repeated yelps of “Crackerjack approaches a Strokes shuffle, and we begin docker” reminds us of `Dragnet’-era Fall, to despair. Deeply. The bar doesn’t serve which is high praise indeed. Relentless, arsenic so we settle down to endure Me & mysterious and individual, Prinzhorn are The Neck, who revel in their slipshod painfully good. Whereas most of the night inadequacy. In fairness, it’s occasionally was just painful. charming, but if ever there were a cover David Murphy

TOWERS OF LONDON / NANCY’S BOYS / SMILEX The Zodiac I erroneously arrive at The Zodiac too late seekers that they are. You can keep your to catch Smilex tonight, but the word on the ‘controversial’ (© Channel Four) Donny ONLINEFLYERS.CO.UK street is that they, to use modern youth Tourette walkouts from Big Brother, and parlance, owned the venue. I’ve always held your orchestrated naughty boy Bravo TV Flyers, Leaflets & Posters Smilex in high regard, and they seem to be show behaviour. That’s all immaterial if the getting better and better each time I’ve seen band can’t cut it live… although on the High quality litho printing them. Their deranged take on dirty punk basis of tonight, it would seem it’s not. How rock seems to be increasingly more have this many people been taken in so delivered in the mainland UK confident and brash. Note to self: make much by such a cynical exercise in fake within 4 working days. more effort to get to their next show. anarchy? Musically, Towers Of London are Nancy’s Boy are a bunch of scruffy nothing more than a lame, low-par take on Find us at: www.onlineflyers.co.uk Camden Dickensian dandies with a brick the far superior output of Guns ‘n’ Roses, shithouse of a Liverpudlian for a lead singer. Motley Crue and The Sex Pistols. I’d give Or call us: 01844 218 531 Like a weird combination of The Clash, them more credit for some kind of ‘here’s Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Oasis, three chords – now start a band’ reality if they’re all ‘come aaaahn’ aggro confidence the band seemed to do anything more than over a messy noise of skanking, melodic strike a repetitive selection of clichéd poses, punk. They certainly seem to enjoy if they seemed to have any modicum of true themselves, but unfortunately it all rings a belief in ideas and originality. But it seems little hollow – all style (of sorts), no I’m one of the few thinking this way, as substance. Desperately trying to whip up The Zodiac goes mental for them. I say, the surprisingly lively audience into a riot take Towers Of London and stick ‘em in a of fists and stomping, they give it their all small room with Sylvain Sylvain, Nikki Sixx and strut the stage like they’ve been doing and John Lydon for a week. They’ll come this for years, but fail to connect. out as either a good band, or a destroyed It seems everybody is just waiting for mess incapable of picking up their Towers Of London to shamble onto the instruments. Either way – result. stage like the feather-cutted attention- Simon Minter photo: Richard Hounslow Richard James,ex-ofGorky’s win somecutecharm competition. deliberately regressing totryand seems tosuggestthey’re great) withaglockenspielplayer rudimentary playing,absolutely their drummer(minimalkit, indicate. Thatthey’vereplaced tonight’s performancewould know they’remoretalentedthan affected. I’veseenthembeforeand Little Eiffelitseemsabitmore growing intoabandinpublic.With they’re feelingtheirwayalongand real ofthetwobands,inthat LittleCosmonautseemthemost performance qualities. to lackanystagepresenceor recorded form,butlivetheyseem bands sounddelightfulintheir they shouldevenbeonstage.Both shuffle aboutasifthey’reunsure sketches andthebandsshrug amateur hour. Songs aremere shakers abound,givingafeelingof Glockenspiels andegg-shaped than justhalfanameincommon. Vacuous Popclubnighthavemore The firsttwoactsattonight’s The Wheatsheaf / LITTLECOSMONAUT RICHARD JAMES/LITTLEEIFFEL Russell Barker if heexperiments more. imagine there’s evenbetter tocome performance, andyoucanonly Tonight isawonderful the momentsthatstandout. letting Catetakeleadvocals)are chosen path(pickingupthebanjo, the timeshedoesveerfromhis rather thanseparatemomentsbut better whentakenasasingleentity that extraedge.Hissetworks great effect,givinghisbucolicsongs voice weavesintoRichard’s to much moretelling.Herbeautiful birdsong sample,Cate’s inputis merely providestheoddtrainor vocals. Whilethelaptopman laptop andCateLeBononbacking brought withhimaman songs comethrough.Richardhas compliance), therealbeautyofhis receives noabuse,merely during thesongs(towhichhe crowd verypolitelynottotalk an audiencememberaskstheseated the firstcoupleofsongs,butafter though. Itdoesn’tappearsofrom Zygotic Mynci,istherealdeal Dale Kattack love withJamieandnotalivingsoulwhoisn’t smilingfromeartoear. irresistible. Bytheendtherecan’tbeasinglepersonherewhoisn’tin simply onwordof friends. NevermindMySpace, Tilly &TheWall arebecominghuge everyone whowasthereisbackagaintonightandhasbroughtalltheir September, waseasilythemostfungigofyearanditseemsthat privilege tobeinvitedto. The band’s lastvisittotheZodiac, party, withallitsattendant chaos,thatit’s simplyourpleasureand but theyriseabovesuchinconveniences,theirwholeshowfeelslikea album. tonight’s highlight,`BadEducation’ fromlastyear’s `BottomsOfBarrels’ because thehappinesspoursoutof The Banglesand country gospelnumberswhentheysoundlikeastrangecombinationof Tilly & The Wall canbeincrediblycheesyit’s true–notablythe for alovelornslowie, lead dutiesfromNeelyJenkinsandtheheavily-tattooedKianna Alarid lachrymose modeforonenumber,guitarist unbridled joy. The moodissobuoyantthatwhentheydoslipinto Velvet Underground-styleguitardroneaddingupaneffusivecocktailof harmonies, flamencocheerleaderpunk,Spector-ishgirlpopandtheodd and auralsunshine,ariotofhandclaps,foottapssummer Dark’ sayseverythingaboutthem-abreathlessrushofgoodfeelings They inevitablydo.Thattheystartwithasongcalled‘RainbowInThe brightest, sunniestpoponplanetearthandhopeeveryoneelsejoinsin. Tilly &The Wall’s trickissimplytoenjoythemselvesmakingthe of herheels. a womanyoufeelcouldendworldwarswithsinglesmileandclick themselves andinparticulartap-dancingrhythmfairyJamiePressnall, When theyplayeveryonefeelshappy, nonemoresothantheband I loatheforcedjollity, sowhydoIlove Tilly & The Wall somuch? The Zodiac TILL supporting genuinelygood bands. rock drivelwhich endsup counterpart tothe usualepicpost- guitarists, providingarefreshing instrumentation betweentwo weave inandoutofpowerful been born20yearsago.Cellolines Beethoven wouldlistentohadhe symphonic-rock, possiblywhat present amightilytighttakeon underpin actualsubstance.They Arena, yetthesehistrionics pomposity ofplaying Wembley with thepretenceandonstage TheRockofTravoltastillinsist Terrible. your ownband”. Terrible stuff. just anotherwordfor“stickto Oxford supergroup. Supergroup’s ‘talent’, the‘creamofcrop’ gurning. Nevermindthey’rethe ‘arena rock’stagemovesand sport armcastsandshameful band; theguitaristsevenwearfake under anycircumstanceswatchthis the irritationthreshold.Never, non-descript rockthatreallypangs experience: ostentatiousandtotally Delta Frequenciesareapainful The Zodiac / DEL FOALS / Equally theirsoundengineerisdoingthemfewfavourtonight Y T & A FREQUENCY THE ROCKOF Dixie Chicks – – Dixie Chicks THE mouth recommendations. the incongruityisquitestartling. W ALL but evenhereyouhavetolovethem them. them. Pascal Ansell The futureofpop music. dancing likeafool. Foals.Sayit. collection andgivinghimupto invading littleJimmyEmo’s CD they canbe,buthere’s toFoals manufactured territory?Po-faced to exploitsuchhackneyedand be thoroughlyrefreshingforFoals the Top 40anyway, woulditnot Being naturallyprejudicedagainst being absolutelyflippinghuge? indie-disco. Whatcanstopthem their brandofprettyindividual Foals, havingtouredEnglandwith It’s akindofhomecominggigfor hell. as helldancing. 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photo: Richard Hounslow establishments (preferably the Oxford’s higher education scene and/orthe denizensof the club’sdoorstolocalmusic musical topics!Wewouldopen put onaseriesoflectures unparalleled genius.Wewould came upwithaplanof that Groundhogsgigin1972)and greatcoat Ihadn’twornsince (found inthepocketofa had afinalhandfulofMandies shot them.Anyway, this timeI management consultants-and that wecalledinateamof was discussedyoumayremember the club’s profile”. Lasttimethis brainstorming sessionon“raising nasty 70sdrugs,wehada at ourAGM,when,fuelledby to getthedrinksin.Itallstarted laugh, Knebworth,it’syourturn academic community... Don’t the EastIndiesclubwithlocal Ah yes,myschemetointegrate cretin! Hmmm,now,wherewasI? there, youoversizedstudent Go backtoFarnham andstay after“Paddy’syou were Night”. about how“brilliantlyhung-over” hat whiletalkinginaloudvoice in youramusingGuinnessnovelty one lastCowleyRoadpub-crawl say,hear you for prepare asyou “Hurrah for theEasterhols!” I Education, Edukayshun DR SHOTOVER: MC5. Next month:Golfing withthe large Polishvodka. have your ownway. it Mine’s a F*** isaniPod?” Catchy, no?Oh, Truly... Working “Whatthe title: ofcourse beYoursseries will speaker inthis“RockSchool”-style out! Niceone!Anyway, thefirst grant Far thegovernment! from spectrum...). We a would“score” prettier, endofthe more female Mandrax inmeotherwaistcoat!” Dr Shotover:“Damnit-leftme Dale Kattack ever after. mediaeval popandthentheprincessisoff.Hopefullytolivehappily with newsingle,‘Priscilla’,atypicallyout-therepieceofbucolic,almost impersonation beforerealisinghowdaftshesounds.Shefinishestonight kookiness ofsingerslikeImogenHeap,andshedoesaprettymeanwolf obsessed divahermusicmightsuggestswhileavoidingtheknowing Thereisroomforhumourheretoo,Khansomewayofftheself- original. meanwhile, managestheseeminglyimpossibletaskofequalling Dead CanDance. A stunningcoverofSpringsteen’s ‘I’mOnFire’, ‘Horse andI’,withitsswirlingharpsichord,closertothemajestyof stunning talentinherownright,thetowering,mysticalsplendourof whooping andshriekinglikeaheartbrokenbansheeinstormbutshe’s a ComparisonstoBjorkareunavoidable,particularlywhenNatashais monumental sliceofgothicportent. have talonsanddrinkthebloodofvirgins,while,‘Sarah’,isa Lashes areominouslypowerful;if‘Trophy’weremadefleshitwould gorgeous, stripped-downballadslike‘SadEyes’.ElsewhereBatFor spends muchofthesethiddenbehindherpiano,breakingheartswith electric guitarandbass,Khanisamesmerisingpresence,evenwhileshe who createelegantlyausterebaroquepopfromstrings,electronicsand trip. Backedbyaversatilebandwithanextraordinarybreadthoftalent from lastyear’s astonishing‘Fur&Gold’ album,tonight’s gigisamagical pretentious butasrumblingbassandscrapedviolinheralds‘Trophy’ amid raptsilencefromthecrowd,suggeststhismightallbealittletoo Thesolemn,studiedartinessofherintroduction,astringbellsjangling exotic. Persian princess. As BatForLashes,themusicshemakesisnoless adorned withajewelledband,NatashaKhanlookseveryinchmythical Originally hailingfromPakistan,herhairblackaselectricspaceand The Zodiac BA esteemed UKproducer Andy tripe. Whilstreadily expectingthe aforementioned label’s chillout that proverbiallypissesallover the jazz-hop fusion‘thang’inaway AIM dothatpo-facedNinja Tune playing. themselves luckyEmmerdaleisn’t clamour. They shouldcount myself inSunnyvale’s technical background ratherthaninvolving Tom’ flickprojectedinthe engrossed intheGerman‘Peeping scattered about,Ifindmyselfbeing either. Like pubswith TVs not thatbadbutit’s notthatgreat guitar andlaptopelectronics;it’s underwhelming mixofgeneric act. Theirsetisarather crescendoing towardstheheadline bottom ofthisbarrelunfair up indignantlyattheskiesfrom Sunnyvale NoiseSubElementstare showery Sunday’s gigsees thumpingly loudspeakers.This movement onereceivesfrom specifically theactualphysical talking aboutvolumehere: soundmen doleouttothem?I’m bands andthe‘modest’dynamics What isitwithsomesupport The Zodiac ELEMENT AIM /SUNNYV T FORLASHES ALE NOISESUB Pascal Ansell myself forbeing thefoolthatIam. mistake andswiftlyleave,scorning jacketed man,quicklyrealisingmy the autographofwrongdark- flute. IleavetheZodiacaskingfor Zodiac bouncerplayingthejazz the point,there’s whatlookslike a AIM’ schoolgirl offherfaceon‘ILove grooves. I’mgigglinglikea exotic andinnocuousbeats yet producethesmoothest,most formidable SarfLaandanhardmen, seemingly frontedbyagangof me’ auralmassage. AIM are this-hangover-will-be-the-death-of- ‘End-of-the-weekend-my-dear-god- You couldn’t wishtoseeabetter follows isreallyratherremarkable. and theirsundryinstruments.What the colossalbandtooktostage understand thereliefIfeelwhen minutes, butyouhaveto possibly lastsmorelikeeight For twohours! dreadlocked MC. And somer’n’b. introductory andheavily rudely greetedbyalone Turner andhis10pieceband,I’m love-hearts. Toemphasize Tell alie,it

IDLEWILD Brookes University Union The lukewarm reception afforded Idlewild’s new album, ‘Make Another World’ is surprising given that on repeated listens it reveals itself as an album of enormous musical richness and emotional depth and features two of the best songs you’ll hear in 2007: its glorious title track and ‘Once In Your Life’, this year’s definitive heartbreak

photo: Richard Hounslow song. Maybe after ten years Idlewild are simply taken for granted, which is a travesty since, like the band they take such inspiration from, REM, they have never lost their freshness and continue to write better and better new songs. After the somewhat reserved ‘Warnings / Promises’ ‘Make Another World’ is a return to the style and standard of the superb ‘100 Broken Windows’. Tonight is Idlewild’s first Oxford gig since 1999 and the increasingly hirsute Roddy Woomble even reminisces about a show down at the Point, a decade of stage mania apparently – and endearingly – failing to instil any greater self-confidence in him. But when a single hook from one of your songs can cause 800 hearts to skip a beat, you hardly need the gift of the gab. And it’s difficult to overstate just what a superb band Idlewild are. From the cartwheeling ‘No Emotion’ to the stuttering ‘I Am A Message’, they infuse every song with so much carefree, careering melodic punch that you wonder whether this band is actually capable of writing anything less than brilliant. At the centre of it all is the gorgeous, windswept ‘You Held The World In Your Arms’, a song that could punch a hole in the sky yet remains as intimate as a lover’s caress. An early review of Idlewild described their sound as “a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs” and that headlong rush of exuberance and crushing noise still invades all but the most introspective of their songs, but such is the taut balancing acts between punk rock noise and glorious melody, they’re more akin to an out of control battle tank speeding through a meadow of wild flowers. Whatever metaphors you try to pin on them, all that matters is that Idlewild are simply one of the greatest rock bands on the planet right now. Victoria Waterfield

MEPHISTO GRANDE DUKE SPECIAL The Zodiac The Zodiac To quote them “.... and eventually amps, the drip of the blood onto I’ve seen some cracking gigs in then there’s the voice, a lilting Irish Suitable Case For Treatment the stage, and the underpants of the Oxford this year, and tonight brogue that can melt hearts at a broke..... the earth shook, the valley young Download audience filling proves to be right up there with the thousand paces. It’s that which walls rumbled and split, and out up as they hang white knuckled best of them. Duke Special, aka makes the sashay through ‘Slip Of spewed Mephisto Grande” is almost onto the stage barriers. Peter Wilson, first came to A Girl’ and the grandstanding an understatement, as the teaming of I keep wanting to shout out attention on The Divine Comedy ‘Wake Up Scarlett’ sound so ex-SC4T singer/guitarist Liam Ings- “Reverend” at such points, like the tour at Brookes last year, but his special. Reeves with ex-Ivy’s Itch and old hobo at the town hall meetings songs really come into their own As often happens, the highlights Suitable Case drummer Peter Ward in the film Blazing Saddles, but the tonight in this smaller venue. The arrive with the singles, but also really is a kinder-core car crash folk-gothic twin accordions, or the expanded live line up, now with with one entirely unexpected vision of Jurassic proportions. garage guitar and drums would added guitars and clarinet, gives the moment. Firstly though, ‘Last Peter, drumming like a washing suddenly gallop off again into the songs a fuller, more rounded sound. Night I Nearly Died’ soars and machine full of gumboots on its swamp, bellowing its fear and The majority of the set is made up threatens to raise the roof during spin-cycle, while finding time to loathing, and what could have been of songs from his excellent album the crescendo of the title line, play junior keyboards and atonal warnings of dire retribution. of last year, ‘Songs From The before he drops in the following accordion, matches supremely By the last song Liam’s head had Deep Forest’. There’s no easing punchline where he “woke up just Liam’s southern-fried crazed had enough, and he collapses with a himself in, from the opening song in time”. ‘Freewheel’ is gloriously preacher / love-child of Gollum and seizure, behind what was intended he’s standing on the banister, stage bright and life affirming, seizing the Shane MacGowan, on the point of to be a ‘choir’ of friends, brought front, making the song soar out to moment and grasping it tightly. self-combustion, his nose leaking on stage to provide backing the back of the room. But then he’s And then the moment. With their streams of real blood and his temple handclaps, with the main audience reining things back, letting his set apparently over, they make for veins throbbing like lug worms on a thinking it was all part of the show, clarinet player lead them through the centre of the dancefloor and wet beach, from the very first song. while those in the know give him the jazzy ‘Brixton Leaves’. perform ‘John Lennon Love’ They career along like a bunch of medical attention. Whether their Although his sound can get unamplified for an impressively Cossacks joyriding a Trabant after next review will be in the obituary perilously close to the middle of attentive crowd. And with the necking a bad batch of hallucinatory column of the Oxford Times or not, the road at times (one song even short attention span of most vodka, sporadically skidding to an they’ll never be imitated or ever sounds like Mungo Jerry!), there’s audiences nowadays, that’s some abrupt halt, in utter silence, when all forgotten. enough substance to his feat indeed. you can hear is the buzz of the Paul Carrera songwriting to pull him back. And Russell Barker

JOHN CALE The Zodiac A few years ago the Observer put together a Top 100 British Albums of All Time. While usually fatuous exercises, this list was actually quite perceptive and included many challenging and radical classics. But for me the near criminal omission was John Cale – no ‘Paris 1919’, ‘Fear’ or ‘Music for a New Society’ – masterpieces or near masterpieces all. It’s a sad fact that while Lou Reed has been a sheer embarrassment for most of living memory, his former bandmate from the Velvet Underground has put together a rich body of work still far too neglected and under-rated. What a rare pleasure, then, to have Cale playing Oxford for the first time in decades. Tonight’s gig is rescheduled from January and the Zodiac – smoke free at the artist’s request – is jam-packed. Now well into his sixties Cale’s voice is still something wonderful – the deep Welsh accent as emotive and expressive now as it was back in 1968 when he sang on the second Velvets album. Ostensibly touring to promote the recent live CD/ DVD package, ‘Circus’, Cale’s group seem already to be moving on from it - the playing of the four piece band is if anything even more focussed and raw, and the make-overs of some of the material even more extreme. ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, one of Cale’s touchstone tracks live has become a mess of mutant funk deconstructed almost out of recognition. ‘Buffalo Ballet’ survives an unfortunate new arrangement but is still recognisable as one of the songs for all time. The stuff from the last two albums is rather pedestrian compared to the older songs, though new track ‘A Day In The Life of the Common Cold’ has some real sardonic bite to it, and ‘Chorale’ is a rousing climax. But the best of the performances tonight are a revelation – ‘Chinese Envoy’ has a deep melancholy hardly captured on the recorded versions while the two composite pieces, ‘Leaving It Up To You’/‘Strange Times in Casablanca’ and ‘Pablo Picasso’/‘Mary Lou’ display a brutal power – the latter corrosive enough to strip paint. And when the band come back onstage to play a version of ‘Venus in Furs’ that does every bit of justice to the hallowed original, you know this has been a special concert. John Cale’s career has covered some uneven territory and gone up a few blind alleys but he’s survived as a magnetic performer and challenging, resourceful composer. It’s great to catch a little bit of the legend late on in the journey. Steve Thompson

CORVIDS / FECK / ALLY CRAIG PIGEON DETECTIVES The X The Zodiac Ally Craig is a musical genius. Plain out of negative adjectives as we Pigeon Detectives know a bit the band are cocksure and casually and simple. Both technically and speak. Maiden, Slayer, Metallica: about showmanship. Amid a efficient, even as they aim for lyrically he is quite beyond it’s almost like these guys have set blizzard of lights and a chorus of some kind of chaos; the crowd are compare, leaving a lot of his ilk for out to mock their idols, Spinal Tap audience screams and Roy simply up for it from the off. The dust in the wake of his style. They certainly couldn’t have Orbison’s ‘I Drove All Night’ they set bounds along like a ferociously Santana’n’Yorke tour de force. done better if they’d tried. It’s make their grand entrance. enthusiastic pony reared on a diet Seriously, just as To Kill A comparable to flicking through a From the off frontman Matt of The Clash and the Ruts, and it’s Mocking Bird is required reading, book of diseased sexual organs – Bowman is leaping about the hard not to be caught up in the Ally Craig should be required you want to look away, but….. stage, swinging his microphone spirit of the occasion, even as listening for everyone. I find (sigh). and trying, for all the world, to be they’re barking about domestic myself mesmerised by his left hand So, by way of an aural q-tip, Roger Daltrey (even down to his violence on ‘Can’t Control alone, whizzing up and down the Corvids spark up and begin the untidy mop of curly hair). And Myself’. Pretty soon Bowman’s guitar neck, as if sharpening a knife cleansing. Starting with an inspired that’s what tonight’s gig is all cartwheeling into the crowd who in a hurry. And that voice! It’s a ten-minute Krautrock epic. The about: the show. politely manhandle him before stream of bittersweet melancholy, music continues to bounce around Pigeon Detectives have been delivering him back to the security perfectly shattered by moments of the stage, even if the musicians around on the Leeds music scene guards. And here perhaps is the impeccably-timed falsetto. A don’t. Their stripped-down proto- since 2002 but in the past year, crux of the matter - for all the beacon of hope in the singer- rock is as delicious as a full English, thanks to supports with Kaiser reports of wild behaviour and gig songwriter cosmos. and in a moment of meta irony the Chiefs and Dirty Pretty Things, as chaos, it’s oddly devoid of genuine If precedent is anything to go by, three-piece actually play a song well as the ubiquitous MySpace, excitement or danger. left-handed guitarists feature high called ‘Death to False Metal’. which has levelled the pop playing Ten minutes after it’s all over you on the super-talented ratio. Well, Apparently Corvids haven’t field so much, their rise has been can’t remember single song, and no one of tonight’s axemen is the performed live in over 15 months. spectacular. So much so that choreographed rock’roll circus can exception that proves the rule. On the tightness of tonight’s set, I tonight’s gig is long since sold out disguise that. How long it’ll all last Feck are (here it comes) feckin’ recommend they play a lot more and, like Arctic Monkey, before is anyone’s guess. Pigeon shite. Their unbelievably derivative often. Feck should never play ever they’ve even released an album Detectives’ candle is burning fast, and middling take on metal is such again, and of course Ally Craig half the audience know all the but they’re making the most of it a master class of mediocrity and so should just play all the time. words. while it shines on them. terribly mind-numbing, I’m running Matt Bayliss Which makes this such an event: Sue Foreman Nightshift presents OXFORD PUNT 2007 Wednesday 9th May One Night, Six Venues, Twenty Acts The best showcase of new Oxford music of the year.

Borders Purple Turtle Jessica Goyder + Mr Shaodow Mephisto Grande + Colins of Paradise + Foxes!

QI Club Wheatsheaf Les Clochards + Ape Has Killed Ape! + Joe Allen Mile High Young Team + Thirty Two + Baby & Angharad Jenkins Gravy + Mondo Cada

Music Market Cellar Borderville + Brickwork Lizards + Mary Bendy Smilex + Space Heroes Of The People + The Toy + Stornoway Gullivers + The Delta Frequency

Want to see it all? All-venue Punt Passes now on sale from oxfordmusic.net QI Bookshop (Turl Street) Videosyncratic (Cowley Road) (100 only; £7 each - plus booking fee where applicable) DEMOSDEMOSDEMOS Please read the conditions below before submitting a demo!

dislocated mood of it all is a dark treat at DEMO OF its best. THE MONTH TIP TOE Another solo project, at least we guess as FOXES! much, from someone called Marijam, who We quite like the fact that Foxes! have an freely professes a love for Don Caballero exclamation mark in their name, even if it and even goes as far as to nick that band’s does confuse our automatic spellchecker. It way with a daft song title, notably with ‘I kind of conveys the giddy excitement of Don’t Want To Be A Crab Stuck In A Space their music, like small children spying their Shuttle’, as well as the jerky, spindly, first proper piece of wildlife. “Look staccato guitar flutter that you’ll also hear mummy, foxes!”. Better still, Foxes! echoed in bands like Foals. A disembodied remind us more than a little of Talulah female voice swirls amid the incessant Gosh and other similarly twee-minded guitar clatter and the whole thing sounds cutie bands from the late 80s, bands who like the musical equivalent of a small child spent as much time writing fanzine articles in a fairy costume with a bad case of about baking the perfect chocolate picnic attention deficit disorder. It’s pretty and cake as they did learning how to play their giddy, decidedly lo-fi in its aim and recorders properly. Foxes! have a execution but fun in a scattershot way. tendency to trip over themselves sometimes in their hurry to sing happy pop choruses with singer Kayla Bell MONKEY ROPE sounding rather pleasingly like Previously Demo Of The Monthers back in Ooberman’s Sophia Churney on songs like 2003 under their old name of The Others; `Welcome To The Jivin”, managing to presumably they changed their name as sound alternately bored and seductive. there were already 769 bands in the UK husband Adam Bell provides a more alone called The Others and only 423 called doleful vocal foil as they cover such Monkey Rope. This is solid enough indie unexpected lyrical matter as the Jacobite rock, chugging along in a heavyweight 60- rebellion, Spanish galleons and graveyards, styled fashion, chirpy to a degree and all set to a twinkling jangle-pop plenty of harmonies thrown in to keep the soundtrack. And since some of Foxes!’ mood buoyant. An Arctic Monkeys-like slow-of-thinking fans took exception to snap makes an almost obligatory appearance our last, positive, review of the band, but the vocalist sounds more like a cross we’d better just stress that all of the between Noel Gallagher and David Bowie. It above are good things. They can wear serves its purpose but needs more of its their Pastels badges with pride. own identity, although saying that, only the over-egged, ballad really grates, sounding like it could suffer an attack of the vapours at HELIANTHUS any moment. EVENING STAR PIEXO Now here’s a chap who’s unlikely to be This lot, who live on a boat on the canal, caught wiggling his butt to jolly indie guitar have even gone as far as to spell their band pop, let alone wearing anything so crass as name out in big, black tape on their a badge. Helianthus Evening Star is the accompanying letter, which must have work of a bloke called Mike Lowe whose taken all of three minutes – about as much hobby is slowing old Cure tracks down to a time as it takes each of their nominally disconcerting degree, adding some nasty experimental pieces of music to take shape. subterranean sounds and sticking a Billie Get passed the chaotic first track, ‘A Brief Holiday vocal track over the top. Which Moment Of Clarity’, which eventually might sound a bit naff but works a treat on reaches a plateau of clamouring guitar noise tracks like ‘The One Thing I Got’ and and clattering drums, and you find plenty ‘Strange Fruit’, creating a shadowy dirge of invention going on. The glitchy ‘The O that upstanding daytime radio listeners Word’, with its cello lead over a wall of would consider unlistenable but possess electronic clutter is pretty neat, while hypnotic powers. Certainly the trick has ‘Finger and Thumbs’ comes with what worn a little thin by the time you’ve got sounds like a harp made of empty milk through five songs, the mood only slightly bottles and reminds us of Japan’s ‘Tin lifted by the spectral jazz of ‘Night And Drum’ phase and is oddly soothing. Which Day’, and he treads the fine line between is merely a lull before the piercing attack of clumsy and inspired, but the eerie, ‘Status’ wherein they up the treble levels to a painful degree in a reversal of They Might Be Giants, that tumbles over Hawkwind’s ‘brown note’ bass assaults itself in a determined but befuddled rush to and make everything sound like the CD get to the end as quickly as possible. They player is skipping. Now that wasn’t very get all sensible and sensitive on us with ‘9’ nice, was it? before finishing with ‘2’, which is nothing more than a thrown together acoustic strum with someone laughing uproariously and BABELHORN annoyingly over the top. No, it’s not art, This starts off with a lumbering, ambient it’s just arse. funk amble, but it’s a Trojan horse, lulling us into a false sense of security before the dirty, swampy punk-rap barbarians jump MIKE FINLEY out and shout revolutionary slogans at us, Nothing against Mike really. He’s not got a sounding like a cross between Crass and bad voice, truth be told, and his songs, such John Cooper Clarke, only with cockney as they are, are simple, slender affairs, but accents and songs about the Elm Tree (God how many more bleeding heart miseries do rest its soul). Thereon in it’s a scrappy we have to endure? Here, on `That’s Me’, he THE COURTYARD STUDIO disco-synth-punk skank with a freeform lays out in no uncertain terms just how crap PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ rap lead that makes you feel you’re being he is to the object of his affections. Jeez, 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE talked into submission by an over- man, why not just ask her to stamp on your MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB enthusiastic nutter in the park. ‘Lead Me worthless face until brain matter oozes out? CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION Bacchus’ is the best track here, a Toytown Anyway, it ain’t such a bad song once you OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI punk rap about drinking booze, while the get past the inherent misery, the trotting FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI more considered ‘Debt’, replete with flute, snare beat and warm accordion swing S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) is closer to The Streets. threatening to inject a bit of sunshine into affairs. Elsewhere sensitive introspection Residential facilities included. rules the roost but at least Mike has a voice www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com BLACK SOUL that lends itself to such things, partway PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS “We are a highly original hard rock / ska between Billy Bragg and Elliot Smith, while ON 01235 845800 band from West Oxfordshire,” boast Black lyrically he steers clear of morbid self pity. Soul, before they lurch into a wildly But come on chap - faint heart never won jumbled mix of Iron Maiden wailing, fair maiden. Enough with the balladry - just Beefheart blues madness, freeform jazz, buy the lady a nice pint of cider. spindly garage punk and tenth-rate pub rock. All in the first number. Which is impressive in some respects. There’s something to commend Black Soul’s throw- THE DEMO it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach and their own comparisons to DUMPER Suitable Case For Treatment aren’t a million miles wide of the mark when the ARMSTRONG singer is babbling like a loon. `Archetypes Last time we saw Armstrong live we Are A Projection Of Humankind’s Worst stumbled across the end of their set Fears And Emotions (Tastes Like Grandma)’ supporting Pigeon Detectives and they is this month’s best song title and you can were making a right old mess of The sometime catch a glimpse of what they’re Automatic’s ‘Monster’ and all wearing aiming for with their madcap musical matching suits. A visit to their website mayhem but at other times, like the Chili reveals a band who have got all the Peppers-gone-Barber’s shop quartet funk of trappings of the modern corporate rock `The Fire In Our Kitchen’ you just have to experience sussed, including ringtone conclude that a mess is a mess. Much like downloads and a number to text for up-to- Tracy Emin’s Unmade bed exhibition – how the-minute news on the band. Which is far can you push it and still call it art? great but really the sort of stuff you should be sorting out after you’ve written some LONELY JOE tunes worth downloading onto your phone (anyway, what kind of a philistine listens PARKER & THE to music through a crappy old phone speaker anyway? You might as well listen MEGA HAIRY MEN to someone banging a biro on the side of a You could come to the same conclusion tin can for five minutes). Where were we? with this lot, whose full name we really Oh yes, songs. Armstrong play enthusiastic cannot be arsed to type out again. They emo-tinged fluff that’s a bit like a bad- start off okay, ‘B Stings’ being a fuzzy tempered McFly with stadium metal thrash with a summery pop heart, a pretensions, including a strangulated semi- modicum of silliness and some great pots ballad with an epic guitar wig-out climax, all and pans drumming, something like a yelping, gurning, synchronised pomp, rudimentary Violent Femmes or a harder utterly devoid of any originality or soul.

Send demos for review to: Nightshift, PO Box 312, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1ZU. IMPORTANT: no review without a contact address and phone number (no email or mobile- only). No more than four tracks on a demo. If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo. Nightshift accepts no responsibility for deflated egos. CORNBURY