email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 199 February Oxford’s Music Magazine 2012 Asher Oxford’sDust maverick MC on his incredible lifetime of music making plus all your local music news, reviews and upcoming gigs. photo: Zahra Tehrani NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] Online: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net TRUCK FESTIVAL is set to return this summer after founders Robin and Joe Bennett handed the event over to new management. Truck, which had been the centrepiece of Oxford’s live music calendar since 1998, surviving both floods and foot and mouth crises, succumbed to financial woes last year, going into administration in September. However, the event has been taken over by the organisers of Y-Not Festival in Derbyshire, which won Best Grassroots Festival 2011 at the UK Festival Awards. The new organisers hope to take Truck back to its roots as a local community festival. In a statement on the Truck website, Joe and Robin announced, ““We have always felt a great responsibility for the integrity and sustainability of Truck Festival, which grew so quickly and with such enthusiasm from very humble beginnings in 1998. Via Truck’s unique catering arrangements with the Rotary Club, tens of thousands of pounds have been raised for charities and good causes every year, including last year, and many great bands have taken their first steps to international prominence. BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY makes visits Oxford in May when he “However, after a notoriously difficult summer of trading for Truck teams up with alt.folk band Trembling Bells. The two acts combine to Festival, and festivals in general, we have decided it is time for us to step play at The Bullingdon on Friday 4th May for local promoters down from our role at the event. Pindrop Performances. “During the 14 years of its existence, since we started it round our kitchen Tickets, priced £15, are on sale now at wegottickets.com and, with Will table, the festival has suffered various threats and disasters and taken on a life Oldham/Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie’s legendary status in alt.country circles, of its own. We like to think it has brought joy to a lot of people. It’s right for it’ll sell out pretty damn fast, so off you pop and get yerself one. this tradition with so many benefits to the community to continue; a chance encounter with the organisers of Y-Not festival in Derbyshire has given it the opportunity to do so. OXFORD CONTEMPORARY fun at Modern Art on Saturday 5th “We are glad to say that, rather than finish for good or be in corporate MUSIC launches its spring with Janek Schaefer’s Local hands, the festival in 2012 will go back to basics under the management of programme this month with a Radio Orchestra and Phoenix & the Y-Not team. We feel they are the right people to take on the event, give series of concerts and interactive Phaedra Holding Patterns. The it a fresh start and rebuild it over the next few years, and we hope you’ll performances at the North Wall in season concludes on Friday 18th give them your full support.” Summertown and Modern Art May at the Holywell Music Room The dates for this year’s Truck Festival have been announced as the 20th - 21st Oxford. with a performance from ethereal July at Hill Farm in Steventon. Kicking off the new season is a Norwegian ensemble Arve night of electronic music from Henrikson & Trio Mediaeval. DEMOS ARE STILL BEING Please clearly mark your demo Simon Bookish and Leafcutter In addition to the one-off concerts, accepted for this year’s Oxford PUNT and include both phone and John at Modern Art on Saturday Audiograft returns to Brookes th Punt. The annual showcase of new email contact details and a brief 11 February. This is followed by University from Tuesday 28th local music talent takes place on biog of the band. Only acts from an evening of urban and ancient February – Saturday 3rd March, Wednesday 16th May, featuring 20 Oxfordshire may apply, you can’t Asian fusion music with featuring performances, sound acts playing across five venues. apply if you’ve played the Punt Sambasunda at North Wall on installations and exhibitions Participating venues are The before and, due to licensing Saturday 25th. Saturday 3rd featuring over 25 different artists, Cellar, The Purple Turtle, The conditions of the venues, only acts March sees Speech Project which local musicians are invited to Wheatsheaf, The Duke’s Cut aged over 18 will be eligible. attempting to bring the words and become involved with. and The Junction. Deadline for demos is the 10th of music of folk legends back to life at More information on all those Bands or solo acts wanting to play March, with the line-up announced the Northwall, plus polyrhythmic events, plus tickets, can be found at the Punt can submit demos, on the 15th. groovers Snorkel at Modern Art at www.ocmevents.org. either by emailing links to online A limited number – 100 – all- on Saturday 17th. music to venue Punt passes are on sale Friday 20th April finds oud star THIS YEAR’S CORNBURY [email protected], or from 1st February from Truck Store DoubleDare at the North Wall, FESTIVAL will take place over the sending CDs to Nightshift, PO on Cowley Road and online at while moving into May, there’s a weekend of 29th June – 1st July at Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. oxfordmusic.net, priced £8. double dose of interactive musical its new home of the Great Tew FIXERS will play a headline show at The O2 Academy on Thursday 17th May to celebrate the release of their debut album on the 14th. Singer Jack Goldstein told Nightshift at the start of January, “Things are good at the moment; we’re lining up a brand new version of `Iron Deer Dream’ as our next single: it should be going to radio this week. Zane Lowe might even play it this evening, I’m a bit out of the loop to be honest! We’re cooped up in a cold, windowless rehearsal cabin in the middle of nowhere at the moment and I resemble Kurt Russell in The Thing, beard and all. We really want to try and make this Oxford show special - I’m officially having it as my birthday party!” Tickets for the Academy show are on sale now from the venue box office. the hard work and expense. The studio is around 1000sq ft and has a great sounding live room, a spacious control room with natural light and great chill out facilities. “Oxford really needed a top rate facility for bands, engineers and producers to work in. We’ve already had The Relationships, Jonquil and Dubwiser in, with Sam Williams and Mark Gardener bringing in production projects. Chad Valley’s new album is due to be mixed here over the next couple of weeks. So it’s all got off to a flying start.” For more information visit www.evolutionstudios.co.uk or call 01865 203073 to arrange a visit. Evolution is running special rates for local unsigned acts. GRAHAM COXON comes to the O2 Academy on Friday 13th April to promote his new album ‘A+E’ and is inviting fans to recommend and vote for local acts to support him. Anyone can GUNNING FOR TAMAR release their new EP as a limited edition wrist watch next month. The nominate a band and link a Youtube clip of them suitably-titled ‘Wristwatch EP’ is released on local label Alcopop! on 19th March and the math- to his site for people to vote for. Visit rock favourites will head off on a UK tour with Jumping Ships to coincide, including a show at toursupport.grahamcoxon.co.uk. The Cellar on Saturday 24th March. Jack Pop from the label explained how the novel concept works: “The wristwatch idea has been GREY CHILDREN release their debut album a long time coming, and one Gunning For Tamar were absolutely insistent on. After all, the lead ‘Doctor Doctor’ online this month. The track is called `Time Trophies’ and this watch is exactly that! Unfortunately we couldn’t make the collective, formed by former-Witches frontman watch sing the A-side so each one comes with a download code on the back to download the full Dave Griffiths, and featuring members of Little Fish, The Evenings, Tamara & The Martyrs, EP. I think it kinda works, and they’ve proved massively popular already.” Francis Pugh & The Whisky Singers and T- Gunning For Tamar singer Joe Wallis, meanwhile, is looking forward to the forthcoming tour: Rextacy among others, recorded the album “If we’re not touring, we tend to feel hollow and sad, so it’s for the best we hit the road as much across eight locations in six towns over two as we can, and we’ll be hitting some new places this time round too. Over the summer there’ll be countries last year with the aim of raising festivals and we’re also going back to Europe armed with songs and our friendly foreign awareness of Pure-O, a little-known form of expansionist plan. We’re currently writing and demoing new songs for our album towards the obsessive compulsive disorder. end of the year and planning a couple surprises for 2012. We’ll keep on moving forward, that‘s To hear the album, visit the plan.