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 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 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 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 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 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. 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. Unless we see a Tyranosaurus Rex.” www.greychildren.co.uk.

Estate. Early bird tickets for the event, which Epstein also play. ANDY KERSHAW will be sharing extracts last year featured headline sets from James As we’ve said many, many time before, keep from his new autobiography No Off Switch at Blunt, The Faces and Status Quo, are already supporting local independent shops like Truck. Glee Club on Hythe Bridge Street on th sold out. For more information visit The importance of the service they provide for Thursday 15 March. The former Billy Bragg www.cornburyfestival.com. the local music community cannot be roadie turned Radio 1 DJ and BBC foreign TINDERBOX FESTIVAL also returns this overstated. correspondent was instrumental in popularising summer. The leftfield and experimental music EVOLUTION RECORDING STUDIO is a world music in the UK. Tickets are £15 adv. Visit www.glee.co.uk/oxford for more details. festival, curated by north Oxfordshire jazz- new facility in Oxford run by former Zodiac metal crazies Red Square, takes place at owner and veteran local musician Nick FOLLOWING THE SAD DEMISE OF THE Cropredy Old Wharf on Saturday 16th June. Moorbath. The new studio features a refurbished Trident 80B Mixing console from OXFORD GUITAR GALLERY in November, manager Dave Smart has started a new TRUCK STORE celebrates its first the legendary Sawmills recording studio, where Oasis, The Stone Roses and Ride recorded, and business, Smart Guitars, specialising in guitar anniversary this month with a weekend of live where it was stored for 15 years and is one very and amplifier maintenance and repair, from a in-store music. few left in the country. guitar re-string to vintage restoration and re- The record shop, on Cowley Road, opened last Nick talked to Nightshift about the investment valve to custom modifications for amps as well February as a joint venture between Rapture in he’s put into the new studio and the unique as pedalboard repairs. Witney and Truck Festival and has provided a recording opportunity it offers: Contact Dave on 07710216368 or much-needed outlet for local music and gig “The way the desk sounds totally justifies all [email protected]. tickets as well as hosting a series of in-store shows by touring acts. Kicking off with an early evening performance THE HANDSOME FAMILY are the highlights of a new by Danny & The Champions of the World season of Oxford shows from Empty Rooms Promotions on Friday 10th February, Truck Store hosts a starting this month. full day of music on Saturday 11th featuring The cult alt.country duo, whose last local show was at Truck The Yarns, Kill Murray, Deer Chicago, Festival in 2002, play at The Bullingdon on Friday 25th Gunning For Tamar, Dreaming Spires and May. Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou. Empty Rooms, which has brought a series of cult American On Sunday 12th Nick Cope, Jess Hall and and British acts to town over the past couple of years, Spring Offensive join James Vincent including Mary Gaulthier, Richmond Fontaine and The Willie McMorrow in-store ahead of his show at the Nile Band, also plays host to Danny & The Champions Of O2 Academy that evening. The World (Friday 10th February); Chuck Prophet & The following Friday (17th) Canadian Mission Express (Fri 13th April) and Dave Alvin & The alt.country act Ox play at Truck ahead of their Guilty Ones (Thursday 19th April). All shows are at the Bully. show at the Wheatsheaf the same night. The Visit www.empty-rooms.com for more details.

a quiet word with Asher Dust black and white, that attended.”

AS WITH ANY ASPIRING singer, AJ hoped to break into the music industry and his chance came with separate deals with ZTT and EMI, although in both cases, the photo: Sarah Lever outcome was less than happy. “The ZTT deal came about when I was working with a local guy called Stefan who was a wicked producer, who created really strong electro- tinged soul and reggae tracks. We dropped in to Sarm West studio reception area in London and left a cassette of three tracks we did together. Trevor Horn liked what he heard and we ended up recording a track there. My opinion of Mr Horn was that he was obsessive, neurotic… a genius. On one track we spent two 13-hour days listening to a drummer play the kick drum as he was searching for some sound that was in his head. Working with him shattered my confidence and was a catalyst for me giving up music altogether for a Asher Dust with collaborator Farjedi while. Plus, truth be told, bloody came along and was frankly cooler, HE’S BEEN PERFORMING ON latest offering, ‘Maverick Trick’, was truth be told, I was a bit of a show- more talented and taller… Bastard!” the Oxford music scene since the a creative high point, the disparate, off. I would say my parents’ huge And the deal with EMI – how did the 1960s. He’s been signed to EMI and often ill-matched ideas he regularly record collection was more influential experience colour your opinion on ZTT and worked with Trevor Horn throws into his peculiar mix, cohering in shaping my desire to perform. making music and the industry as a and Paul Hardcastle. A list of artists into a fiery, soulful fusion of From an early age I would play whole? he’s collaborated with would fill this conscious rapping, dancehall, funky records and stand in front of the “I met a rich, spoilt brat – nice guy entire page. He’s played the Oxford electro and trippy atmospherics, his mirror pretending to be singing in though – at a university gig; he knew Punt at least twice and been voice rich and rough-hewn, easily front of a live audience. someone at EMI, took one of my Nightshift’s Demo of the Month and equal to the likes of Seal or Terence “Both my parents are born again tapes along and managed to get me a Demo Dumper. He’s played in some Trent D’arby. Christians now, so they believe I’m lot of studio time. The tracks were of Oxford’s finest bands and yet Additionally AJ provides the making the Devil’s music. Ha ha! utter shite pop soul drivel. However, I Andrew Jones, aka Asher Dust, highlight of Tiger Mendoza’s new Bothered? Fuck no!” was offered a deal, recorded a ten usually known simply as AJ, remains ‘LIBRE’ EP with his abrasive vocal track album of this drivel and then one of this city’s most undervalued performance on ‘Lovesick Vandal’. AFTER THIS EARLY was promptly dropped. The entire and enigmatic musical talents. introduction to performing, AJ played experience did put me off and made THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE with the Addis Ababa Soundsystem me mistrustful of everything WHILE REVIEWING THE MOST releases and projects in the pipeline through the 1970s and 80s. What was connected to the music industry. I had recent Asher Dust EP – Demo of the for 2012, but for those of you the scene like back then? an inept and dodgy manager and I Month in January’s issue – it struck us unfamiliar with the Asher Dust story, “Addis Ababa is a local reggae sound met so many folk whose egos far we’d never actually featured the man let’s go back to the 60s when he was system that still plays out outweighed their talent it was on the front cover and felt obliged to barely old enough for school… occasionally. We selected roots shocking. Still, I also made a lot of immediately rectify the situation, “My father’s sound was called Sir reggae, dub and lovers rock and mistakes. In my desperation to make though not before giving ourselves a Jones HiFi. He used to hold parties exclusive dubplates. I would record it I wrote a lot of insipid rubbish and right royal kicking for being so every Saturday night above his vocals over dubplates along with would constantly jump on whatever remiss. Tailor’s shop on St. Clement’s. He brilliant local reggae MC Mackabush. musical bandwagon was trotting into Because not only is AJ a singularly would sometimes let me come and The local reggae scene was very town with more often than not maverick star, his story is one that stand on a speaker box and sing a strong back then, there were several disastrous consequences. The biggest demands to be heard. It’s a musical song called `This World’ by Roy & local reggae sound systems like Addis, thing that I learned from these, what story that began when he was a mere Millie. He also promoted reggae Black Harmony, Macka. Every week appeared at the time to be golden five years old, singing with his dad’s nights at Oxford Town Hall; I there was a blues session or a dance at ticket opportunities for success reggae soundsystem, and has taken remember Desmond Dekker, Bruce the Barns Court Youth Club, Roots actually meant nothing in terms of more twists and turns, peaks and Ruffin, The Pioneers and Laural Club, Littlemore Hall. Many big national success.” troughs, than almost any other local Aitken all performed there... Sir sounds like King Tubby, Jah Tubby, AJ also found himself working with act, not to mention one taking in Jones HiFi was one of the first sound Coxsone, Jungleman, Quaker City 80s hitmaker Paul Hardcastle, of myriad musical genres, from reggae systems in Oxford. The very first was played in Oxford. The sound system whom he has few happy memories. dub and r’n’b to soul, hip hop, trip run by the late (Mackating frontman) culture was very important socially “Ha ha! In the studio, if I dared to hop, electro and some stuff we were Slimma’s father.” for the African Caribbean community, suggest an idea or question his never able to put our finger on. How did the experience shape your especially as many of the clubs at judgement he would point to his discs desire to make your own music? that time were not particularly on the wall for his trillion sales of EVEN AMID SUCH A VARIED “I remember always wanting to welcoming towards black people. It `Nineteen’ or `Rainforest’ and remark and variable musical journey, AJ’s perform and loving the attention and, was still a diverse mix of people, `When you have one of those, I will listen to your opinion; until then, in an attempt to please A&R. and experimental .. And full Asher Dust album; what can we leave it to the expert.’ Smug little Anyway, I settled into domestic Dubwiser’s album showcases pop expect from that? twat. Needless to say I walked away.” living, parenthood and put any smarts and roots militancy in equal “Hmmm… ghetto electro-pop wid a Given such a litany of bad thoughts of creating music again on measure. I think one of my strengths, lickle hip hop. Ha! Seriously, at the experiences, who were the best the shelf. if I can humbly say, is my ability to moment it’s sounding strong, people AJ worked with around this “Hearing The Streets’ first album jump on different genres but still production-wise, musically and period of his life? made me realise that even though I maintain my own style.” lyrically. At the moment the album “Stefan, who I mentioned earlier, was from the UK and a below average After a succession of demos over the features just me and Farjedi on and Danny MSD Whittaker, who is a rapper, I could still get my point years that have ranged from inspired production and multi - instrumental local reggae and dub producer, were by across in a kind of spoken word, to incomprehensible, the new Asher duties, plus a brilliant horn player far the best people I worked with. I conversational way. Mike Skinner’s Dust EP sounds like his most called Vicky Flint on trumpet duty, have to mention Trevor Horn, slightly ramshackle production also accomplished work to date. Does AJ however I’m not ruling out having though, for his attention to detail and gave me the confidence to work on feel he’s hit a particularly creative the likes of Jonas from Dubwiser refusal to compromise. Stefan and my slightly off-kilter rhythmic ideas. purple patch of late? coming along to bless the project MSD’s influence on me was showing The Demon Boyz were my favourite “I’m not sure really. I am proud of it with his talent, and maybe one or two me how to use the Tascam 4 track UK hip hop act, but I always felt and it’s certainly better produced than others.” and a reel-to-reel machine. I was their MC skills were way beyond me. some of my past efforts, so yeah, I inspired how they could create such The Streets seemed like a level that I am pleased with how it turned out. I AND SO, LOOKING BACK ON brilliant music with very basic could at least aspire to.” was surprised and happy to get Demo such a long and varied musical life so recording equipment, a drum machine Of The Month: I believe that’s three far, how much does AJ think the local and a keyboard. One of my regrets is SINCE RETURNING TO MAKING Demo Of The Months and two Demo music scene had changed in the time that many of my earliest musical music a decade ago AJ has never Dumpings now…with a few mid table he’s been involved with it? Few local experiments on the Tascam never looked back, the decision to make placings. artists can have such extensive saw the light of day: they were very music for his own pleasure rather “I think the stuff I am working on experience of the music business, basic but innovative.” than as an attempt to achieve now is stronger and also the new both locally and beyond. commercial success giving him the tracks forthcoming on BG records are “Technology has almost totally NIGHTSHIFT’S EARLIEST FIRST- freedom to both be himself and also, in my opinion, a lot stronger. changed the game. Anyone who hand experience of AJ was in his experiment. I’m really pleased with the EP knows their way around a computer involvement in a series of early-90s One of the ways in which this has though. I also love working with with a bit of imagination can come up bands in Oxford, including The Circle best manifested itself is his relentless Zahra: hardworking, mad as pants and with incredible productions. I think – a collective formed with members stream of collaborative efforts which bloody talented.” the quality and diversity of bands of local live trance faves The Egg – allow AJ to explore so many different You’ve also been working with Zahra coming out of Oxford is encouraging eclectic trip-hop group Nortica and stylistic streams, stamping his at the Ark-T project for and its great to see the local metal rap collective Big Speakers, who all instantly recognisable mark on musicians. Do you think your scene growing again. The likes of left their own mark on the local diverse projects. In fact the list of experiences can help steer them in Skeletor and Buried in Smoke are scene. collaborators is quite dizzying when the right direction? putting on great metal shindigs. “The Circle was a nightmare time written down: from local reggae “My involvement is more to do with Personally haven’t felt part of the for me, partly because of my own legends Dubwiser to electronic dub mentoring young people and I do local scene. Getting gigs became such personal problems, but also because I producer Meef Chaloin, who DJ songwriting and composition a nightmare that it prompted my found the talented but controlling Count Skylarkin recommended to us workshops. I feel my experiences decision to quit performing live. It’s twins, Ned and Maff, very difficult to back in 2010 and with whom AJ is enable me to offer advice and not a gripe, it is what it is. Until BG work with. The Circle were musically already a recording a second album, encouragement in terms of the Records came along I hadn’t felt part frustrating: too much jazz-funk and on to more unexpected bands like pitfalls of the music industry and in of a local scene since my sound wankery. However, It was fun to play Tiger Menoza and Baby Gravy, whose encouraging young people to believe system days with Addis Ababa. live and we did write a couple of drummer Zahra Tehrani produced in their ability and to work hard. My “I still think there is a reluctance to blinding tunes. Spider, Jonas, Malcolm ‘Maverick Trick’. Elsewhere take sadness is that for some, at the first support local urban music talent; if it Atkins and Dave on bass were totally your pick from DJ Chefal, Jack whiff of potential `stardom’ comes a was not for Zahra at Ark T and BG cool and talented too. Sparrow, Von D, J Kenzo, Jonny see-ya-later response. All I can say is Records, and Kid Fury’s Wordplay “Nortica were the most forward Dollar, Bluesy, Monsieur Greg and don’t spend money that’s not in your nights, there would be little hope for thinking creatively and had the most Mark Boy. How does he find the bank account!” local urban acts to shine. This has potential to do something special. time? created an understandable reluctance There was too much emotional “The internet! Back in the day, TO FURTHER ENHANCE HIS on the part of young hip hop or r’n’b drama, insecurity and weird band there is no way I would have found own and others’ projects, AJ recently acts to approach promoters. My own dynamics going on but the sound we the time. But now, pretty much all set up his own , Moving experience has been far from positive created together was brilliant. that happens is that someone will Hand. with some local promoters, when I “Big Speakers was frustrating but fun: send me a track, I will write a song, “Myself and Ads – aka Farjedi – have have tried to get a gig, stating that good people, very talented and I felt record my vocals into my PC and been writing on and off for about they don’t wanna book hip hop or brought something different to the email my vocals. The majority of seven years. However, we never acts because there will be hip hop table. A one-off comeback collaborators I haven’t met yet. I seemed to get around to completing trouble etc. Because of course my gig maybe happening with some new would say my most challenging was tracks. We realised we had amassed a Asher Dust project is really fucking recordings.” the track with Tiger Mendoza, really strong set of songs and half- hardcore gangsta rap! Still, I really mainly because I found it hard to finished ideas. With the industry as it believe the local scene musically is AFTER THE DEMISE OF BIG come up with a melody that suited is, we didn’t want to waste time diverse and bursting with good quality Speakers, AJ, perhaps understandably, the crazy break beat riddim.” trying to secure a deal in this current talent from all genres and age ranges. took the decision to quit music Your contributions to Dubwiser’s climate, so we created Moving Hand Nightshift has improved its coverage completely. However, after hearing album and the Tiger Mendoza EP in to release our tracks as digital of all things urban and along with the The Streets’ debut album, ‘Original particular stand out; what are your downloads and limited edition vinyl. Musicinoxford site and Truck Store Pirate Material’, he relented, feelings about those? Our First release should be out in there is plenty of support for local rejuvenated by the possibilities it “Jonas From Dubwiser has been very March. Its Farjedi & Asher Dust - talent.” offered. supportive over the years, always `Keep You’ / `Looking For The “After my nightmare time with encouraging me to be creative. I’m Way’… kind of electronica, phuture ‘Maverick Trick’ is available at record labels and dealing with A&R really proud of my contributions to , soul. We are also releasing bgrecords.bandcamp.com. Tiger wankers, it just sucked all the love of both projects. And I feel that both tracks from various local acts Mendoza’s ‘LIBRE EP’is out now. creating music out of me. Plus, with projects are a perfect example of including Lost Youth, a breakbeat, Asher Dust plays live at Baby Simple hindsight, I realised that I was partly Oxford’s diversity, to show that techhouse, electro act from Wantage, on Friday 24th February. Visit to blame because I was so desperate to Oxford is not just indie landfill. I love as well as various other projects.” soundcloud.com/asher-dust for more make it I was creating soulless rubbish Tiger Mendoza’s forward thinking Chief among future releases will be a music and news. RELEASED Sponsored by RICHARD WALTERS ABANDON ‘Young Trees’ ‘Monsters EP’ (Beard Museum) (Blindsight) It seems like forever that Richard Walters has Those familiar with Abandon’s earlier two EPs been a part of the Oxford music scene, but he’s will find no great surprises in their third always managed to sidestep over-familiarity, offering, except that five of the seven tracks are and has quietly been getting on with his thing, remixes. Now consisting solely of founder forging a respectable niche in a town that’s Umair Chaudhry (ex-Xmas Lights), the long and never really short of either good vocalists or sprawling tracks retain the bleak relentlessness, more than competent songwriters. with unexpected melodic snatches that brighten Regardless, his voice is familiar - but that’s no proceedings like shards of sunlight glimpsed bad thing. Quiet, soft, and effectively - yet through a snowstorm. Anyone familiar with subtly - powerful, it’s simultaneously Jesu will see their influence all too clearly, even conversational and tuneful, leading you through down to the artwork, only without the epic songs, rarely wavering from deceptively being a more morose, string-swathed ending. As with production and a more subtle guitar style the centre of attention. On this five-track EP, ‘Regretless’, there are melodic snippets that reminiscent at times of Vini Reilly. it’s as flawless and clear as on much previous form a coda here, a structural connection there, Opener ‘Monsters’ sets the scene with slow work, sometimes sounding post-produced but each of which could individually sustain a song drumming, bass almost too low to hear and in fact being impressively rendered as a in their own right. Chaudhry singing, almost droning, about doubt, straightforward vocal delivery. ‘Infinity Street’ is the most spartan and dreams and running from himself. His voice is On these tracks, the poetic lyrics seem slightly delicate song on the EP, and hence the most not really the band’s greatest strength; neither opaque; line by line, they hint at feelings of personal-sounding; ‘Bring On The Dancing dark enough to reinforce the music nor light emotion and serious subjects, but patchworked Horses’ inverts the Echo And The Bunnymen enough to provide much of a contrast. ‘Night into songs and as a whole EP, such simplicity of song’s sense of self-importance to become a Terrors’ is darker still, with barely whispered theme or message seems less important than the mournful and intimate few minutes, with sweet, vocals, slowed down drums and echoes of very overall ‘feel’. The EP’s title track is a quietly sharp guitar melodies providing respite from the early New Order and 80s gothsters The Danse jaunty, subtly folky song that marries vocals to fear of gloom. Society. In fact the ghost of the 1980s stalks a twinkly cello background. With a couple of As a whole, this is a brilliantly balanced EP - proceedings like a mountain wolf, only more changes of focus and weight, as elements drop the jauntier, richer instrumentation in some goth than the lighter weight pop elements out and then return, it’s like a more refined, less songs is balanced (both within songs and across currently in vogue. studied Fleet Foxes. Coming in at under three the set) with more sparse arrangements. In Two of the remixes here turn out to be by minutes, it’s impressively succinct and to the terms of songwriting, there’s a lot of subtle Chaudhry himself with collaborator Marco point. stuff in play, with deceptively complex backing Ruggiero. The second take on ‘Land Of No ‘Regretless’ has a distant-sounding, blues- music carefully treading amongst the vocal lines Horizon’ is heavy on echo and hardly tinged piano melody at its core, with soft to never dominate, but instead to co-exist in a groundbreaking, but relatively cheerful next to backing vocals creating an almost spiritual feel. well-defined, affecting and intelligent collection the original. ‘Cower’, from 2010’s `House Of ‘Dandelion’, in contrast, is almost cute - at least of songs. Cards EP’, is given a more detailed and in the context of this set - before it falls back to Simon Minter interesting re-work but by now his voice is really starting to detract from what little enjoyment there is on offer. otherworldly about their woozily ethereal This EP shows no lack of ambition and those gothic blues pop, which has been regularly drawn to this style of music should find it good compared to Portishead in the past as well as value, but limiting your palette to such a few David Lynch’s soundtrack music. colours leaves little room for manoeuvre. But Singer Hattie Taylor forever sounds like an then, the world needs bands like Abandon, if unearthly child, equally coquettish and dreamily only to remind us just how bleak life, real or naïve, never more so than when she’s cooing imagined, can be. playfully on the song ‘Snowbound’, which Art Lagun suitably sounds like it should be performed in the dining car of Krafterk’s Trans-Europe Express as it ploughs through Arctic the tundra. It’s a slight piece, less dense and immersive than the band’s previous outing, which won them Nightshift’s Demo of the Month, but so disarmingly bright-eyed you’d struggle not to fall under its spell. ‘Bells’, meanwhile, is more restless, a fidgety VIENNA DITTO twinkle of machine parts trying to rearrange ‘Bells’ themselves beneath Hattie’s playfully soulful vocal reverie. Because it doesn’t seem able to (Silver Street Singles Club) get itself comfortable it lacks ‘Snowbound”s Vienna Ditto always sound like they should be seductive quality but the squelching synthetic playing in some twilit, possibly subterranean rhythm that underpins it provides a neat jazz club in either the distant past or the far counterpoint to the sweet dancing vocals. future. There’s something that little bit Victoria Waterfield “attack-rock”, if the press release is to be competency. believed, although in reality it chugs along cosily Such a well executed feeling of apprehension, like a vintage traction engine. It’s a simple one that lingers throughout the record, doesn’t heartfelt tune that’s far superior to the a-side, but by itself an album make. The opening title track it still has trouble asserting itself. It’s as if the fades into the second, ‘Downriver’, with band have no faith in what they’re doing. spectacularly jagged and unsuccessful results So, we’ve got about one twelfth of a Beautiful and too many tracks feature the irritating, South song coupled with a self-conscious Then poetic overdubs aforementioned, ruining the Jericho track. Hmm, might take another look at intriguing instrumentation and melody and that wall for a bit. leaving a sense of frustration for the listener. David Murphy However, on the occasions that Macgillivray does actually sing, as opposed to computerised, sci-fi nonsense, the effect is excellent. ‘Border Darkness’ is a haunting, organ-led piece with MACGILLIVRAY strange, childlike vocals that is genuinely ‘RadioPhonic Subluna’ moving, while ‘Then The Birds Came’ creates a restless and unnerving quality reminiscent of SHAKER HEIGHTS (Own label) Esben and The Witch’s macabre, glacial doom ‘Sitting In The fire’ Kirsten MacGillivray a Scottish artist resident mongering. in Oxford for the past decade, who has received Jon Clark (Own label download) notable acclaim for her previous work from This single features “exclusive artwork based on Radio 3 and boasts former Nico collaborator the music”. It’s a line drawing of a man staring and biographer James Young as her producer, at a wall in an empty room. Yep, that’s roughly here presents an album of such striking MACGILLIVR how it makes us feel, too. uniqueness and peculiarity that it leaves your The single is not precisely bad – it’s well made reviewer completely stumped as to how to AY and shows evidence of talent – but it is dully approach such a musical feat. This, as the title anonymous. The title track starts with good suggests, is an odd album, to say the least. ingredients, a maudlin country-inflected vocal It’s not often you get to hear music that and some pleasing keyboard embellishments, “reflects the melancholy of the Highlands”; but doesn’t know what to do with them. After a nonetheless, the album, a collection of repeating these fragments a few times, the song atmospheric soundscapes occasionally RADIO drifts to a halt, like a finance administrator who overdubbed with artificially created and doom- PHONIC realises that people stopped listening to his laden vocals, creates a palpable sense of unease; quarterly sales report half way through. a feeling MacGillivray undoubtedly intended to SUBLUNA The b-side, ‘Poised As Robots’, is apparently create and one she achieves with flair and gig guide

WEDNESDAY 1st MUNDANE SANDS + BLIN’ JONNIE + WHYTHAM WOOD: The Hollybush, PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar – Fortnightly FEBRUARY Osney – Folk rocking from Mundane Sands, open jam session and full band set from The nd veering between early Dire Straits and The Phat Session Collective, plus resident DJ Kid THURSDAY 2 Oyster Band. Fury spinning a mix of funk, soul and hip hop. AGS CONNOLLY + REG & DOM + BREEZE: The Duke’s Cut – Party-friendly WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street Tavern STUART NOAH + JACKIE D WILLIAMS covers. – Weekly blues jam. + MARK NOBLE + GEMMA MOSS: The WHO DO YOU LOVE?: The Duke, St. Bullingdon – It’s All About The Music Clement’s – Alt.rock, 60s garage, soul, new Friday 3rd Promotions presents an evening of local wave, punk, surf and electro-pop DJ session acoustic talents, including country-folk with Jim, Jen and Grizilla. TOTALLY troubadour Ags Connolly. ACOUSTIC NIGHT: Red Lion, Wolvercote SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – – Folk music and poetry. ENORMOUS EXTINCT Smooth, soulful jazz from in-demand session REIGN UPON US + AETHARA + saxophonist Snake Davis, whose impressive PITCHBLACK SUMMER + DINOSAURS: CV includes work with Ray Charles, Tom DECIMATION: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury The Bullingdon Jones, Tina Turner, Take That, Cher, Beyoncé, – Jambox metal night. Kylie, Paul McCartney and Pet Shop Boys There’s no doubt that TEED are one of among many others. SATURDAY 4th Oxford’s major breakthrough successes of CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford WILD SWIM + GRUDLE BAY + INCH- the past couple of years. Producer, multi- Community Centre – Oxford’s longest- TIME: Modern Art Oxford – More esoteric instrumentalist and vocalist Orlando running and best open mic club continues to musical fun from promoters Pindrop tonight, Higginbottom, himself the son of an Oxford showcase local singers, musicians, poets and with extravagantly glitchy, washed-out electro- University music professor, seems to be storytellers every Thursday. pop starlets Wild Swim alongside ambient everywhere these days, whether it’s being JUNKIE BRUSH + REIGN OF FURY + Balearic-inspired electro duo Grudle Bay. raved about in the dance press, playing INDIGO MONTOYA: Wahoo – Oxford SIGIRIYA + DESERT STORM + every festival of last summer – including University’s Rock Society presents a night of PROSPERINA + UNDERSMILE: The Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and heaviosity, with live sets from local agit-punks Wheatsheaf – Buried in Smoke offers a double – or soundtracking Nokia adverts. Junkie Brush and Tewkesbury’s classic thrash- dose of Swansea-based heaviosity tonight with He’s one of that rare breed of acts who metallers Reign Of Fury, plus rock and metal former-Acrimony chaps Sigiriya reinvigorating made their name beyond Oxford before tunes from Discord DJs. their monolithic groove metal noise on debut really making a huge mark in their home AETHARA + DECIMATION + ELYSIUM album ‘Return To Earth’, while Prosperina city. Signed to Berlin-based, Hot Chip- WAITS: The Bell, Bicester – Jambox metal follow in the footsteps of Kyuss, Isis, Tool and associated label Greco-Roman and due to night with molten metalcore types Aethara. Pink Floyd. Flying the local metal flag are release his debut album on Polydor, TEED OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon bluesy stoner-rock heavyweights Desert Storm taps into the current desire to return rave to OUTPUT: The Cellar and tectonic sludgecore spooksters Undersmile. its early-90s roots, alongside the likes of JAMBOX ACOUSTIC & OPEN MIC THE COOLING PEARLS + THE SBTRKT echoing acts like 808 State and NIGHT: The Wheatsheaf, Banbury Future Soud Of London at times, marrying GULLIVERS + WE AERONAUTS: Fusion sweet, pulsing melancholy to wonky blips, rd Arts Centre – Three bands for a quid at Fusion euro-house and dreamy, cinematic ambience, FRIDAY 3 tonight courtesy of hosts Cooling Pearls, with merrily playing smash’n’grab with jungle, TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT their atmospheric lo-fi spook-pop. They’re dubstep, breakbeat, dancehall and indie DINOSAURS: The Bullingdon – Orlando joined for the night by ethereal indie popsters along the way. TEED’s recent double-header Higginbottom gets his spikes on again for what The Gullivers and hearty indie-folksters We with Fixers at the Ashmolean showed he’s should be a celebratory hometown show – see Aeronauts. as at home in non-traditional indoor venues main preview BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE as he is in outdoor arenas and tonight’s KLUB KAKOFANNEY with VIENNA NIGHT: The Bullingdon – Natty Hi-Fi pays setting is a perfectly intimate environment DITTO + YELLOW FEVER + WHO’S homage to the reggae legend. for his post-iPod electronica, which comes FELIX: The Wheatsheaf – Typical mixed bag PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: with plenty of attention to detail on the live of musical treats at Klub Kak, tonight O2 Academy – Weekly three-clubs-in-one entertainment front. featuring sultry trip-pop minxes Vienna Ditto, extravaganza every Saturday with classic and launching their new single, ‘Bells’. Support contemporary indie at Propaganda, kitsch pop, from indie rockers Yellow Fever. glam and 80s at Trashy and metal, punk and SKYLARKIN SOUNDSYSTEM: The alt.rock at Room 101. Cellar – Reggae, dancehall and hip hop with BREEZE: The Junction – Rock and indie Count Skylarkin and Mr Benn, plus booming anthems from Breeze, plus 70s-90s dancefloor basslines, rocking roots and culture, extra classics from resident DJs. echo-chamber and soul-drenched vocals from BIG SOCIETY + MOFO + PHIL GARVEY: Reading’s The Drop, recently championed by Folly Bridge Inn – Ska and reggae-tinged punk David Rodigan and acclaimed by DJ Derek as from The Big Society, plus classic rock covers “The best thing to come out of Reading since from Mofo and acoustic 60s-style psychedelia Huntly and Palmers biscuits”. from Phil Garvey. FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon – THE MIGHTY REDOX + THE NEW Classic funk, soul and r’n’b every Friday. MOON: The Cricketers Arms – Swampy blues and funky psychedelia from enduring FRIDAY 10th local faves The Mighty Redox, plus acoustic DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE pop from The New Moon. WORLD: Truck Store – An intimate in-store th show from Danny George Wilson’s alt.country SUNDAY 5 crew ahead of their Academy show tomorrow BEARD OF DESTINY + BLIN’ JONNIE + night and ahead of Truck Store’s weekend of DAVE & JEREMY + PHIL & SUE: live in-store shows to celebrate their first Donnington Community Centre (6pm) – anniversary. Free acoustic session. TRAPS + WAYS ACROSS: The Wheatsheaf – Punky noise from local MONDAY 6th newcomers Traps, plus pop-metal from Ways Across at tonight’s Moshka club night. THE KYLA BROX BAND: The Bullingdon BOSSAPHONIK with THE HACKNEY – Daughter of British blues legend Victor Brox, COLLIERY BAND: The Cellar – Latin Kyla has shared a stage with her old man many th dance, Balkan beats, world breaks and nu-jazz Wednesday 15 times, easily matching his powerful voice, but from the Bossaphonic crew, tonight featuring a in recent years she’s been on course to become live set from east London’s nine-strong brass SKRILLEX: one of the UK’s foremost female blues singers, band, inspired by New Orleans marching mixing up classic r’n’b, funk and soul into her O2 Academy bands, Balkan brass, funk, ska, contemporary traditional sound. If Skrillex wasn’t the most divisive figure in jazz and hip hop. music last year we struggle to imagine who THE ELO EXPERIENCE: The New Theatre th was. For a bloke whose interviews reveal TUESDAY 7 – Tribute to Jeff Lynn’s orchestral rockers. little by way of arrogance or attitude, Sonny RAM’S POCKET RADIO: O2 Academy – THE MIGHTY REDOX + MARK Moore is loathed with a passion by huge Pocket orchestral pop and epic soft rock from ATHERTON & FRIENDS: The Chester swathes of dubstep fans. Maybe it’s Northern Irish drummer, singer and pianist Arms because he’s taken a peculiarly British Pete McCawley FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon underground style so far overground that not JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free live BURGUNDY + AMONG HONOUR: The only has he broken into the US charts but jazz every Tuesday, tonight with guests Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Jambox rock night. he’s also remixed Lady Gaga and Bruno Heavy Dexters. NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK: Baby Love - Mars. Maybe it’s because he’s an LA-born TREVOR WILLIAMS: Café Tarifa – Motown, indie, ska and rock club night. emo kid who looks like he should be playing Melancholic balladry from the hard-gigging in My Chemical Romance and seems to have local troubadour. th SATURDAY 11 accidentally chanced upon dubstep after SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James THE YARNS + KILL MURRAY + DEER growing up on Nine Inch Nails and Warp Street Tavern – Weekly open mic club. CHICAGO + GUNNING FOR TAMAR + Records. Or maybe it’s because his music OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon THE DREAMING SPIRES + TREVOR seems to be a bombastic, testosterone- MOSS & HANNAH LOU: Truck Store fuelled bastardisation of that underground th WEDNESDAY 8 (1pm) – Truck Store celebrates a year in sound, the trademark bowel-bothering bass FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Jungle and business with a weekend of live music. wobble layered with unsubtle synth riffs in dubstep club night. Today’s action sees sets from soft-focus a similar way to Pendulum’s stadium rock WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street jangle-popsters The Yarns; spiky electro- take on electro-dance. Whatever it is, Moore Tavern rocking from Kill Murray; epic shoegaze noise is probably too busy playing sell-out shows from Deer Chicago; melodic math-rockers every night of the year (300 last year alone) THURSDAY 9th Gunning For Tamar; lachrymose alt.country to notice or care much. Tonight’s gig is long types The Dreaming Spires and lovey-dovey since sold-out and there’s little sign the CAT MATADOR + THE GULLIVERS + folk duo Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou. man’s upward momentum is slowing any THE GRACEFUL SLICKS + MAT DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE time soon, so whether this even counts as GIBSON: The Cellar – Dark-hearted indie WORLD: The Bullingdon – Sweet, uplifting dubstep any more or not, the purists best from Cat Matador, plus spangled, ephemeral alt.country and 60s West Coast pop from get used to it. pop from The Gullivers and psychedelia and former-Grand Drive chap Danny George 60s-styled garage rock from Graceful Slicks. Wilson, back in Oxford, where it all started for Followed by hip hop club night Wordplay. SIMON BOOKISH + LEAFCUTTER this band at a jam session at Truck Festival a SHATTERED DREAMS + VERY NICE JOHN: Modern Art Oxford – Oxford few years back, the band having previously HARRY + ARTCLASSINK + NUCLEAR Contemporary Music kick off their new spring featured Truck brothers Robin and Joe Bennett SKYLINE + THE JUKES: The Bullingdon season with this low-key show from in their line-up. – It’s All About The Music night with grungy experimental electronic musician and classical BIG BOY BLOATER + JESS GRACE + pop-metallers Shattered Dreams, supported composer Leo Chadburn, who goes under the by heavyweight indie rockers Very Nice Harry THE GRACEFUL SLICKS: O2 artistic guise of Simon Bookish. As well as and elegantly-crafted guitar-popsters Academy – Swampy soul, blues and r’n’b Artclassink. from the much vaunted British CASH: O2 Academy – Johnny Cash tribute. singer and guitarist, acclaimed by the SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – likes of Mark Lamarr, Jools Trumpeter and composer Josh Hoare plays Holland and Craig Charles, making a alongside the in-house Spin band, having name for himself under his own toured with Jamie Cullum and Super Furry steam having previously worked Animals as well as recorded with Shirley with myriad US blues and r’n’b acts Bassey. on tour in the UK, as well as CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford performing as part of Imelda Community Centre May and Paloma Faith’s bands. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Local supports from folk-blues ELECTRIC YOUTH REVOLT + songstress Jess Grace and BURGUNDY + PRIMER: The Bell, Bicester psychedelic garage rockers The – Jambox rock night. Graceful Slicks. THE CHIEFS: The Junction – Good-time SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James rock anthems. Street Tavern PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: OPEN MIC SESSION: Cornerstone Arts O2 Academy Centre, Didcot MARK PIDGEON + DAVID MENDAY + OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon MIKE MOYSE + RAG’N’ROLL: Tiddy Hall, Ascott-under-Witchwood – A night of WEDNESDAY 15th acoustic folk, roots, Americana and ragtime SKRILLEX: O2 Academy – In the red corner blues. – Skrillex and his billion-strong army of fans. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Hollybush, In the blue corner – the dubstep massive. Osney Seconds out, round ten – see main preview ANIMALS IN LOVE DJs: The Port Mahon PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar – Open jam session, plus funk, soul and hip hop tunes. th SUNDAY 12 THE REAPER + TWISTED STATE OF JAMES VINCENT McMORROW + NICK MIND + PURPLE COW + BRINK OF COPE + JESS HALL + SPRING REASON: Fat Lil’s, Witney – Local metal OFFENSIVE: Truck Store (1pm) – The bands night, including precociously talented second instalment of Truck Store’s birthday teenage thrash merchants The Reaper. bash features a day of acoustic music, WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street including a special set from James Vincent Tavern McMorrow ahead of his Academy show later tonight. Joining him are former-Candyskins THURSDAY 16th legend Nick Cope, ethereal folkstress Jess Hall FINK: O2 Academy – Fin Greenall remains an and esoteric alt.rockers Spring Offensive. th enduring oddity on Ninja Tunes, having started Friday 17 THE SOUTH: O2 Academy – Former- DJ FORMAT + Beautiful South members , st Dave Stead and revisit their Tuesday 21 THE DISCO SHED old band’s hits and more. SPECTOR: The JAMES VINCENT McMORROW: O2 SOUNDSYSTEM: Academy – Wintry wistfulness and haunting, Jericho Tavern The Cellar soulful acoustic balladry from the Dublin The name Spector is, of course, synonymous singer-songwriter, riding high – if that’s the with great pop music, be it Phil or Ronnie, From the word-of-mouth commercial appropriate word – on the success of debut but east London’s Spector only chose the success of debut album ‘Music For The album ‘Early In The Morning’, his trembling name because their first choice, Spectre, was Mature B-Boy’, to triumphant sets at falsetto drawing admiring comparisons to already taken apparently. That and they Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds festivals, Anthony & The Johnsons and Bon Iver. knew it would wind people up. Seriously, Southampton’s Matt Ford in his guise of DJ OUTFIT: The Bullingdon – Synth-tinged anyone allergic or averse to image-conscious Format has been a feelgood hip hop party guitar pop of a distinctly 80s vintage from bands who talk a good fight, look away now. host with few equals in this country for Liverpool’s Outfit, armed with a sense of epic Be-suited and terrifyingly well groomed, close to a decade. Making his name early on melancholic introspection that sits strangely at Spector are fronted by the bespectacled Fred opening for DJ Shadow as well as driving ease with their tribal rhythms, kind of like a MacPherson who likes to bemoan modern Jurassic 5’s tour bus, collaborating with the meeting point between New Order, Icicle pop music’s “vulgarity”, and if that sounds band’s Chali 2na and Akil along the way, Works and Trophy Wife. Signed to Double vaguely familiar you’ll be less than surprised Ford has approached hip hop with an Denim, they’ve supported Clinic and to detect hints of The Smiths in the band’s eclectic ear and a playful outlook, abetted by Ladytron in recent times. sound, although they perhaps owe more to the likes of Abdominal on that funk-heavy The Killers and Pulp, possessing a debut and the likes of D-Sisive on 2005’s th significant synth edge, most notable on the tougher follow-up ‘If You Can’t Join ‘Em… MONDAY 13 band’s quite lovely `Grey Shirt & Tie’, a Beat ‘Em’. Ahead of the release of his third THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: O2 Academy warm, romantic slice of epic electro-pop. album proper, ‘Statement Of Intent’, he – Dayton Ohio’s Christian metalcore crew Elsewhere they can be spiky, even drawing brings the party to the intimate confines of spread the good word in decidedly noisy comparisons to The Vaccines on occasions, The Cellar courtesy of Count Skylarkin’s fashion on latest album ‘Dead Throne’. although Franz Ferdinand might be closer to Disco Shed, his handful of mixtapes, THE GRAINNE DUFFY BAND: The the truth. Having found their way into many including one for Fabric, fusing rock, soul Bullingdon – Powerful soul and blues from Tips For 2012 lists, it seems some folks are and funk onto its hip hop beats, while live the County Monaghan singer, whose debut already willing them to fail and time will tell he spins a wide selection of rare funk, Latin, album, ‘Out Of The Dark’, was recorded with whether they’re a victory for style over northern soul and golden age and daisy age members of Sharon Shannon and Van substance. Having supported Florence & hip hop. Count Skylarkin and Indecision get Morrison’s bands. In her native Ireland she’s The Machine, one thing is seemingly certain: the party started with their trademark mix of supported everyone from Little Feat to Ocean six months from now, plenty of people will hip hop, soul, ska, dancefloor and more. Colour Scene and now heads off around the UK ahead of a follow-up to her acclaimed be fighting tooth and nail to see them debut. headline the Academy, so get in early. working with Patrick Wolf and St Etienne, he’s remixed Grizzly Bear and Franz Ferdinand in th the past and tonight he teams up with Polar TUESDAY 14 Bear member Leafcutter John for an evening of JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Jazz Club delicate electronica and wayward pop. regulars New Jazz Collective play live. BRICKWORK LIZARDS + LAMORT KATIE STILLMAN & SIMON LANE: The SUBITE: The Cellar – Eclectic mix of 1940s Jacqueline du Pre Building – The acclaimed jazz, hip hop and Arabic folk sounds from violinist and pianist play a benefit concert for Brickwork Lizards, launching their debut the Sumatran Orangutan Society. album, ‘Zaman’. Followed by beats and breaks INTRUSION: The Cellar – Goth, industrial, club night Fresh Out The Box. EBM and darkwave club night. his career there as a dance artist and DJ, only SATURDAY 18th to abandon the genre for a more traditional DEDLOK + TERRATHORN + IN blues, folk and indie style back in 2006. After DECADENCE + A TRUST UNCLEAN + gaining fresh attention for his 2007 single EYES OF EVE: O2 Academy – Skeletor’s ‘This Is The Thing’, he co-wrote songs with monthly team-up with Room 101 continues to Amy Winehouse as well as releasing last year’s showcase the best local and out of town metal ‘Perfect Darkness’ album, his contemplative bands, tonight featuring a set from monstrous semi-acoustic style more akin to Jose punk-tinged heavyweights Dedlok, whose brutal Gonzales or John Legend than the sounds sound owes as much to Killing Joke and you’d expect from his label. Discharge as it does to Boltthrower and Pantera. SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – They’re joined by Southampton’s old-school Norway’s acclaimed sax virtuoso Marius thrash crew Terrathorn, plus local metallers In Sunday 26th Neset is tonight’s star turn, seemingly set to Decadence and groove-core types Eyes Of Eve, inherit the throne of Michael Brecker and Jan coming in between Mastodon and Down. LITTLE DRAGON: Garbarek. BEELZEBOZO + SPINNER FALL: The O2 Academy CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford Wheatsheaf – Very metal rumblings from the For a band that’s featured on so many Community Centre mighty Beelzebozo, mixing up classic critically-acclaimed and commercially OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon NWOBHM with 80s thrash with lashing of successful music projects, Gothenberg’s OUTPUT: The Cellar blood. Hectoring noise-pop and epic shoegaze Little Dragon remain a little-known entity. INDIGO ROSE + THE KAOS + RYKER from Spinner Fall in support. Individually or collectively they’ve worked SEAR: The Bell, Bicester – Jambox rock and SELECTA: The Bullingdon – Drum&bass with Gorillaz, SBTRKT, Outkast, DJ metal night. with guests Jumping Jack Frost and MC Shadow and Dave Sitek, singer Yukimi Fearless. th Nagano being the chief in-demand Dragon. FRIDAY 17 LETTUCE HEADS: The Junction – Party It’s after her that the band is named, for her DJ FORMAT + DISCO SHED tunes from the London rockers. in-studio temper tantrums. Not that you’d SOUNDSYSTEM: The Cellar – Hip hop SHATTERED DREAMS + THE SHAPES + know that listening to her nimble, almost party time with the south coast star – see BEN PHILLIPS: The Folly Bridge Inn – Bjork-ish vocals on the band’s new album, main preview Feisty pop-metal and grunge from Shattered ‘Ritual Union’, their most commercial to OX + THE EPSTEIN: Truck Store – Early Dreams. date, influenced increasingly by modern evening in-store from Canadian alt.country PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: r’n’b and electronic dance music, hints of rockers Ox ahead of their Wheatsheaf show, O2 Academy everything from Prince to infecting alongside local country faves The Epstein. FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Garage special. the grooves. It’s all relative, mind, Little OX + THE YARNS: The Wheatsheaf – KOMRAD + BIG SOCIETY + KATE DARE Dragon remain too inventive, restless and Lachrymose alt.country somewhere between + TREVOR WILLIAMS + MARK BOSLEY off-kilter to worry about bothering the the worlds of Neil Young, Bonnie Prince Billie + NIGEL & HIS IMAGINARY FRIENDS + singles charts just yet, particularly live and The Velvet Underground from Canada’s CLASS DISMISSED + MARK where they bridge the gap between gig and dope-soaked cult stars, fronted by the ATHERTON: The Hollybush, Osney (1pm) club night, electro-house vibes going up delightfully drawling Mark Browning and over – Full day of music ahead of Wittstock with against big, bold rock rhythms and a in the UK to promote their new album, math-core headliners Komrad alongside reggae- propensity to go off on one like some old ‘tUCo’. Local jangle-popsters The Yarns punkers Big Society, romantic troubadour Trev psychedelic jam band at times. They’re support. Williams, lachrymose balladeer Mark Bosley mostly just bloody great though and if COLOUREDS + PUBLIC SERVICE and more. you’re a stranger to their music thus far, or BROADCASTING + ROBOTS WITH BATTLE OF THE BANDS: The Port know them only through those big-name SOULS: Modern Art Oxford – Underground Mahon collaborations, here’s your chance to really electronic sounds from Basement Sessions, this enter the dragon. month featuring local mutant rave duo SUNDAY 19th Coloureds alongside London’s Public Service DOG IS DEAD: O2 Academy – The town – see main preview Broadcasting, mixing shimmering soundscapes indie hopefuls return to town after JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – Free live with vocal cut-ups, and Phantom Theory playing at last October’s Leylines festival, now jazz with The Hugh Turner Band. offshoot project Robots With Souls, fusing lo-fi signed to Atlantic Records, their jazzed-up SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James drone-rock with grinding electronica. euphoric pop, partway twixt Vampire Weekend Street Tavern I SELECTA: The Bullingdon and Level 42 at times, sounds unstoppably PROGRESSIVELY LESS ELEPHANT: DIXIE & CO: The Duke’s Cut – Rock and chartbound. Baby Love – Indie, electronica and Motown pop covers. KNIGHTS OF MENTIS + MUNDANE club night. DIRTY DEEDS: The Black Horse, East SANDS: The Bullingdon – Folk-rock and OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Mahon Hanney – Rock, blues and funk covers, from Americana night at the Bully with It’s All Queen and Guns’n’Roses to ZZ Top and Led About The Music Promotions. nd Zep. OPEN MIC SESSION: The Hollybush, WEDNESDAY 22 FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon Osney (1pm) – Wittstock fundraiser – all LAST NIGHT’S VICTORY + TREVOR HURTSEASON + ELYSIUM WAITS + musicians welcome. WILLIAMS: The Wheatsheaf – Moshka DELIVERANCE + LEST WE FORGET: The club night with Charlie Baxter’s new band Last Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Jambox rock and th Night’s Victory, plus local acoustic pop metal night. MONDAY 20 songsmith Trev Williams. SPACE HEROES OF THE PEOPLE + RESERVOIR CATS: The Bullingdon – FREE RANGE: The Cellar – Jungle and JUNKIE BRUSH + BEAVER FUEL + Tony Jezzard’s hard-rocking bluesmen hit the dubstep club night. SKEPTICS: The Hollybush, Osney – First Famous Monday Blues club. WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street night of a weekend of shows to raise funds for Tavern this year’s Wittstock Festival. Electro-pop duo TUESDAY 21st Space Heroes of the People headline with SPECTOR: The Jericho Tavern – Suits, rd support from agit-punkers Junkie Brush and THURSDAY 23 specs and a way with words – one of this cynic-rockers Beaver Fuel among the TO KILL A KING: The Bullingdon – year’s most hotly-tipped band of hopefuls hit supporting cast. London-based folk-rockers in the vein of Grizzly Bear, The National and Mumford & FRIDAY 24th Sons. ASHER DUST: Baby Simple – This month’s SPIN JAZZ CLUB: The Wheatsheaf – With Nightshift cover star presents his eclectic keyboard player Phil Peskett. fusion of hip hop, dancehall, electronica, grime CATWEAZLE CLUB: East Oxford and soul as he launches his new ‘Maverick Community Centre Trick’ EP – see main interview feature DISCORD BANDS & CLUB NIGHT: COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN + ASTEROX: Wahoo – Rock and metal bands, plus DJs The Bullingdon – Old-time country roots from the University Rock Society. from C4OM. KAMIKAZE TESTPILOTS: The Cellar – THE WILD MERCURY SOUND + Classic rock riffs in the vein of Led Zep cut DANCE A LA PLAGE + LEWIS WATSON: through with jazz and funk in the style of the The Jericho Tavern – Daisy Rodgers Chili Peppers and an oddball Afro-rock edge Music night with current Steve Lamacq Band from local veterans KTP. Of The Week Wild Mercury Sound bringing AHAB: The Jericho Tavern - Harmony- their Bombay Bicycle Club-like fuzz to th heavy alt.country, Americana and traditional Wednesday 29 town. Local indie popstrels Dance a la Plage English folk music from the Cropredy Festival and Youtube sensation Lewis Watson faves. / DOT support. BLUEGRASS JAM: The Red Lion, EDWINA HAYES + BEARD OF DESTINY: ROTTEN: O2 Academy Wolvercote – Jam along with resident Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot – Lovelorn Right about now Hackney’s Labrinth seems musicians. balladry inspired by Randy Newman and to be the go-to guy for any hopefuls wanting OPEN MIC SESSION: The Half Moon Leonard Cohen from the Yorkshire singer- a bit of urban in their pop. Pixie Lott, JLS HURTSEASON + EDGE OF RUIN: The songwriter who has supported Jools Holland, and Nadine Coyle are among those who have Bell, Bicester – Jambox rock and metal night. Nancy Griffith and Loudon Wainwright III on enjoyed his production skills, although his tour, as well as collaborating with Dennis remix work for Gorillaz suggests there’s Monday 27th Locorriere. more to him than a deal with ’s FUNKY FRIDAYS: The Bullingdon Syco suggests. The man’s got pop gold in COLD SPECKS: HQ: The Cellar – Drum&bass with dBridge, his fingertips it seems – his collaborations The Jericho Tavern Loxy, Skeptical and SP:MC. with on ‘Pass Out’ and NUDYBRONQUE + OVERLORD: The ‘Frisky’ produced number 1 and 2 singles, Cold Specks’ real name is, apparently, Al Wheatsheaf, Banbury – Jambox rock night. while his own solo debut, ‘Let The Sun Spx, which is, if anything, even more obtuse Shine’ also scraped the top of the charts. In than her chosen stage name but beyond that SATURDAY 25th his own right Labrinth possesses a similar there’s little puzzle about the rise of the soul-lite vocal style to Ne-Yo or Usher, BEN HOWARD: O2 Academy – Long-since Canadian singer who’s now living and while his production has seen him likened sold out show from the Devonian singer- recording in London, teaming up with Rob to a British Timbaland (albeit a latter-day songwriter whose devout following have lifted Ellis, who’s previously worked with PJ Timbaland rather than the pioneering him from the pub circuit to big time venues Harvey and Anna Calvi. Cold Specks bears beatmaster of old). With his debut album like this in a matter of months (it was only little resemblance to those two, mind, ‘Electronic Earth’ due out next month he’s back in October he played at the Jericho preferring an earthy yet spiritual form of out on his first proper UK tour and is joined Tavern). His delicate folk-pop adds to an air of blues and gospel that sounds like it might by fellow Londoner Dot Rotten who isn’t, almost prayer meeting-like reverie about his have escaped from a lost pre-war spiritual sadly, a fag-smoking, vitriol-spitting hybrid shows, his homely acoustic style mixed with a compilation album. Her old-fashioned vocal of Dot Cotton and Johnny Rotten, but a jazzy intricacy, influenced by Tim Buckley, style and her songs of love and loss suggest sharp, snappy rapper in the vein of Wretch John Martyn and Nick Drake. a women far beyond her 23 years. It’s a 32 who emerged from the underground UPSTAIRS: O2 Academy - Local bands gorgeously unpolished voice that harks back mixtape scene to remodel himself as a high- showcase in conjunction with BBC Oxford to Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia gloss grime artist, earning himself a deal with Introducing. Jackson, a voice that’s already found favour Mercury Records in the process. with Jools Holland, for whom she GAPPY TOOTH INDUSTRIES with K- performed a capella on Later… Her debut LACURA + ECHOBOOMER + DEAD RED Warm, semi-acoustic jangle-pop from rising single (if you discount obscure early releases SUN: The Wheatsheaf – Characteristically local starlets The Yarns at tonight’s Back & To back in Canada under the names Basket Of mixed bill from GTI tonight with velociraptor The Left show, plus the return of Oxford’s Figs and Hotel Ghost) is a wonderfully metalcore crew K-Lacura going up against burlesque gypsy dance troupe Scarlett In The spectral lesson in what she calls doom-soul considered indie soundscapists Echoboomer Wilderness and indie rockers Crayon. and a good few months of further critical and London’s experimental sound explorers, Followed by dance club Extra-Curricular. plaudits are as inevitable as they are inspired by Youthmovies and Steve Reich WAY THROUGH + BOMBER JACKETS: deserved. For Oxford pop aficionados, the among others. Modern Art Oxford – Shropshire-via- cellist in her band is one Tom Havelock, last NINE-STONE COWBOY + PLAYER2 + London’s “pastoral punks” Way Through seen round these parts playing in long-lost BIG NORTHERN SOUL NIGHT OUT: soundtrack both field and flyover with use of electro-rock heroes Psychid. The Bullingdon –Through-a-glass-darkly electro-tinged pop from NSC, with support guitar, tapes, broken drums and vocals at from fidgety indie rockers Player2. After the tonight’s Adventures Close To Home show. show there’s a northern soul club night. INSOMNIA: The Junction SAMBASUNDA QUINTET: The North THE PETE FRYER BAND: The Chester Wall, Summertown – Javanese Gamelan Arms music gets a carnival vibe in Sambasunda’s PROPAGANDA + TRASHY + ROOM 101: lively hands, the collective fusing urban O2 Academy rhythms with ancient Indonesian instruments OPEN MIC SESSION: The Black Horse, and fronted by exotic singer and dancer Rita East Hanney Tila. THE YARNS + SCARLETT IN THE SUNDAY 26th WILDERNESS + CRAYON: The Cellar – LITTLE DRAGON: O2 Academy – Fire- breathing electro-rocking from Sweden’s singles like ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ and ‘Best collaboration-happy cult faves – see Friend’. After some line-up rejigging and a main preview threatened split, the new album continues DODGY + BLACK HATS + SMOKE along that 80s indie-inspired route, New FEATHERS: The Bullingdon – The Order, The Wake and Orange Juice still original Dodgy trio – Nigel Clark, the inspiration of choice, while Jonathan Mathew Priest and Andy Miller – Pierce still has designs on being the new reunite once more, not just to kick out Morrissey. those classic Britpop era hits like KYLA LA GRANGE: The Jericho ‘Staying Out For The Summer’ and Good Tavern – Darkly dramatic witch-pop Enough’, but also to plug their new from Watford’s Kyla in the vein of Stevie album ‘Standing Upright In A Cool Nicks, Marianne Faithful and Florence & Place’, their first studio output in eleven The Machine. years. One of the more politically- JAZZ CLUB: The Bullingdon – With minded bands of the early-90s indie scene live jazz from The New Jazz Collective. – they toured Bosnia in the immediate SPARKY’S FLYING CIRCUS: James wake of the war there as well as Street Tavern supporting causes such as War Child, the OPEN MIC SESSION: The Port Dockers’ Strike and Charter 88 – they’re Mahon nevertheless unstoppably feelgood in musical outlook. WEDNESDAY 29th KEVIN DEVINE: The Jericho Tavern LABRINTH + DOT ROTTEN: O2 – Brooklyn’s alternately introspective Academy – Brit-rap starlets on the rise and political acoustic pop songsmith and tour together – see main preview Devine comes over the Pond to plug his MARY BENDY TOY + STEM + new album ‘Between The Concrete & AURORA J YOUNG: The Bullingdon 876084 The Clouds’, inspired by Neutral Milk – Industrial gothic rocking from Mary Hotel, Elliot Smith and Pavement. Bendy Toy at tonight’s It’s All About The Music show, plus soulful acoustic MONDAY 27th rock from Aurora J Young. SONIC RISING + THESE REIGNING KING CHARLES: O2 Academy – Wry, THE OXFORD RECORD DAYS: The Wheatsheaf – Former- rootsy acoustic psychedelia and electro- Spiral 25 psych-rock types Sonic Rising pop from the west London dandy, DVD & CD FAIR hit the noise groove button. inspired by Donovan, Syd Barrett and PHAT SESSIONS: The Cellar Marc Bolan. He’s out on tour ahead of an OXFORD TOWN HALL WEDNESDAY BLUES: James Street anticipated debut album, having th Tavern SATURDAY FEB 18 previously supported Mumford & Sons on tour. 10am- 3:30pm CONNIE LUSH & BLUES SHOUTER: Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie, all other genres. The Bullingdon – The five-times Accessories/memoriabillia/books. winner of Best British Female Blues Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl. Singer award returns to the Famous www.usrfairs.co.uk Monday Blues with her powerful singing style taking in traditional blues, rock, jazz and soul. COLD SPECKS: The Jericho Tavern – Timeless doom-soul and gospel from the Canadian singer now living in the UK – see main preview DOT’S FUNKY ODYSSEY + GOVERNMENT MEN + CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS: The Cellar – University funk and jazz big band Dot’s Funky Odyssey get the party started. TUESDAY 28th THE DRUMS: O2 Academy – The New York Anglophiles return with their second album, ‘Portamento’, having gone from critical darlings (voted brightest new hope for 2010 by everyone from NME and Clash magazine to Pitchfork) to whipping boys in super-quick time after their eponymous debut album failed to deliver on the promise of sparky early

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 DR SHOTOVER The Nylon Lady Bah! PAH! This 80s revival has got out of hand. Now they’re bringing out films about Margaret Twatcher, implying that, far from being a tiresome old psycho in a nylon housecoat, she was in fact some kind of female Iron Man. Spare us these Monday-Club-style history-re-writes, please. How pitiful that, in these days of cuts and mismanagement, courtesy of the bum-faced twins Ham and Clegg, people are SO desperate to sex up their impoverished lives that they will opt for fantasies involving a bit of blue-chinned political rough from the past. (“Never mind the fact that you look like a bad female impersonator with five o’ clock shadow… hit me again, Nanny Thatch!”)… IT MAKES ME SICK. Sicker than a second-year student slumming it on a Cowley Road pub-crawl. “Oh WOWWWW, The FEBRUARY Corridor - this is where used to live! I must have another fifteen vodka-based drinks and Every Monday then go and puke up outside the THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES East Indies Club!” No, Hugo, you must not. What you must do is The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. this - you must buy fifteen th 6 KYLA BROX BAND (UK) copies of Anyone Can Play 13th GRAINNE DUFFY BAND (Eire) Guitar from the Truck Store and 20th RESERVOIR CATS (UK) send them to all your family 27th CONNIE LUSH & BLUES SHOUTER (UK) members and schoolmates. Yes, even the ones who have stopped returning your calls or Every Tuesday replying to your NerdBook THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB requests because you are a boring pimply little jobbie. Then Free live jazz plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and soul until 2am you will be on the very first step 7th HEAVY DEXTERS of the Dr Shotover Path To 14th NEW JAZZ COLLECTIVE Enlightenment. Step Two – buy 21st THE HUGH TURNER BAND me a drink. But do not, under 28th NEW JAZZ COLLECTIVE any circumstances, speak to me. Step Three (as Step Two, ad infinitum). Wednesdays Next Month: The Correct 29th MARY BENDYTOY / STEM / AURORA J YOUNG Use of Tweed “COO-EE, General Pi-no-chet!” Every Wednesday – front bar open til midnight

Thursdays 2nd IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC ACOUSTIC NIGHT with AGS CONNOLLY / REG & DOM / STUART NOAH / JACKIE B WILLIAMS / MARK NOBLE / GEMMA MOSS 9th SHATTERED DREAMS / VERY NICE HARRY / ARTCLASSINK / NUCLEAR SKYLINE / THE JUKES 23rd TO KILL A KING

Every Friday* FUNKY FRIDAY Funk, soul, boogie and R&B. 11pm-2.30am; £3. *except 3rd TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS

Friday early shows 10th DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD 17th I SELECTA 24th COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN / ASTEROX

Saturdays 4th BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE NIGHT featuring NATTY HI-FI. 10-3am; £4 11th TBC 18th SELECTA – Drum’n’bass – with JUMPING JACK FROST / MC FEARLESS 25th NINE STONE COWBOY / PLAYER 2 followed by BIG NORTHERN SOUL NIGHT OUT

Sundays 12th OUTFIT 19th KNIGHTS OF MENTIS / MUNDANE SANDS 26th DODGY / BLACK HATS / SMOKE FEATHERS Introducing….

Nightshift’s monthly guide to the best local bands bubbling under GRUDLE BAY Who are they? Grudle Bay (recently shortened from Grudle Bay Riots) are Nathan Allsworth and Tom Hodges. Hailing from Abingdon, the pair have have been writing and performing as Grudle Bay for around six years. They met at school where they formed experimental pop band PYE, making their first forays into the lcoal scene and setting the musical tone for their current incarnation. After a two year stint in London experimenting with ideas and developing a new electronic sound, Nathan and Tom returned to Abingdon with a cleaner, more mature approach to song-writing, included using vocals for the first time and recent times have seen them move away from a If they could only keep one album in the world, it would be: sample-based approach to more of a live sound, which people can “The Bladerunner soundtrack by Vangelis – never tire of listening to it. It experience when the duo play at Modern Art on February 4th. has such deep, melodic, atmospheric sound. Like the film itself, the What do they sound like? soundtrack is ahead of its time, and hasn’t aged a day.” The duo paint pretty, pastoral musical pictures with a decidedly chilled form When is their next gig and what can newcomers expect? of dream-pop, a come-down answer to Chad Valley’s more euphoric “At Modern Art, Oxford on Saturday 4th February. Expect to hear Balaeric-inspired electro-pop where guitars twinkle, electronic beats chatter something that we hope is original and unusual to the Oxford music scene. and breathless vocals swoon overhead. Or, in their own words, they “try to We love the music we’re playing right now and we’ve had a great reaction create an experimental mood using vocal harmonies and melodic guitars so far. This has given us a confidence and energy that we bring to our live with elements of electronica. We hope to create an uplifting atmosphere performance.” charged with free flowing keys and a rolling rhythm section.” Their favourite and least favourite things about Oxford music are: What inspires them? “We love the fact there are promoters who are open to new sounds and “We love originality, and respect anyone who innovates.” different ideas and give new bands a chance. This gives Oxford a unique and Career highlight so far: varied music scene. Also, that people turn out and support the scene. One “We played a BBC Introducing night at the O2 Academy, which was our disappointment is that there isn’t a big major club in Abingdon. It’s where biggest gig to date.” our music’s from and it would be great to play a big gig in our home town.” And the lowlight: You may love them if you love: “Finding out we won’t be able to play Truck Festival this year.” Chad Valley; Toro Y Moi; China Crisis; Outfit; DJ Vital. Their favourite other Oxfordshire act is: Hear them here: “Arthur Sawbridge; a very talented musician.” soundcloud.com/grudlebayriots

This month in Oxford All Our Yesterdays music history 20 YEARS AGO 10 YEARS AGO their ‘When I Wank On My Guitar, The Whole World Wanks With Me’ compilation on Truck’s The cover of February 1992’s Curfew was graced Local metal titans Mindsurfer were our main Juggernaut imprint. by The Daisies, a band who would down in local interviewees, set to release their ‘The Right To and Clinic topped Nightshift’s monthly music folklore as quintessential Oxford cult heroes Remain Violent’ album, the band having replaced hitlist while Enrico Iglesias was declared the worst before morphing into Medal a few years later. original frontman Steve Phelps (“the loudest man record of the year as early as February. Interviewed in an old school hut in Eynsham the in Oxford”) with James Greene (currently bursting band were apparently reticent in their answers, due, his tonsils with prog-core monsters Komrad), mainly, to being frozen half to death. “It’s fucking bonding over a shared love of Holy Terror and 5 YEARS AGO cold in here,” says drummer Lemmy. The band Nuclear Assault. They also declared Headcount to Angel-voiced local pop darling Richard Walters expressed a love for The Cure, Sonic Youth and be “a bunch of limp-wristed pussies, albeit fat graced the cover of February 2007’s Nightshift, at Ride and are enthusiastic about an emerging ones,” which we took as our cue to duck under the the time signed to Warner Chappel Publishing and Eynsham scene centred on the local youth club. table til the carnage had blown over. Courtyard Management, working with Noel Hogan Elsewhere this month it’s announced that the Old Elsewhere this month incumbents Fusion FM of The Cranberries and Bjork and Britney producer Fire Station is stopping its live music nights to were up against newcomers Juice FM for a local Guy Sigsworth. It had been a year of very mixed concentrate more on its restaurant, while broadcasting licence, both stations boasting a fortunes for Richard whose song ‘All At Sea’ was Flyposting seemed to be the most pressing issue commitment to local music, Fusion having used on CSI Miami but who had also suffered an for local bands and promoters in an age before sporadically hosted a dedicated local show. epileptic seizure just as he was about to play for an t’internet. In other news Shifty Disco celebrated its fifth audience of record company execs in the States. Highlights of the local month in gigs were Ride’s birthday by releasing a CD box set of every a-side In local music news, there was the traditional call mega show at the Apollo on the 7th, while on their monthly singles club; the Bullingdon out for bands to play that year’s Oxford Punt, Levitation and Sunshot played at Oxford was closing down for a month for a complete refit, while it was reported that REM’s Michael Stipe, Polytechnic, The Bhundu Boys at the Oxford Venue the Pit in Witney returned to gigging action after Mike Mills and Pete Buck all joined and The Wedding Present at the Jericho Tavern. a six-month lay-off; prog-popsters Suriki were Hitchcock onstage at the Zodiac in a surprise Heavenly, The Jennifers, The Anyways and a calling it a day and rockers Vade Mecum were treat for an audience that included . double bill of The Candyskins and On A Friday heading Stateside to make their names. Goldrush, Chantelle Pike, Laima Bite and were the highlights of the local contingent. In the Best of the month’s local gigs were Charger, Minus The Walk Off all released new CDs this month, demo pages Gentle Ihor’s Devotion topped the and Sextodecimo at the Zodiac as part of the while top of the demo pile was Umair pile for his “moody, broody, nasty, sullen and quite Metal Supremacy tour; heavy rock legends Deep Chaudhrey’s Monday Morning Sun project – brilliant” industrial onslaught that reminded us of Purple at the Apollo and The Icarus Line’s show “the musical equivalent of something nasty Sisters of Mercy and Front 242. At the opposite end for The Club That Cannot Be Named at the stalking darkened corridors”. By contrast Wasted of the pile Spacehopper “exist in sort of midway Zodiac. Local bands treading the boards included Potential were dismissed as “the musical nowhere”, while The Ragged Boys were “Slushy, The Rock Of Travolta, Dustball, Six Ray Sun equivalent of tepid cabbage water. Potential? sentimental stadium balladeers”. and South Sea Company Prospectus launching What fucking potential?” DEMOSDEMOS Sponsored by Demo of the Month wins a free half day at Silver Street Studios in Reading, courtesy of Trojan Horse Recordings. Visit www.trojanhorserecordings.co.uk

do well to try and emulate. And by Odin DEMO OF they walk it like they talk it, three tracks in a little over seven minutes that ride THE MONTH roughshod over ideas about sensitivity or self-pity, simply crushing everything that stands in their path, mixing Discharge and DALLAS DON’T Subhumans’ hardcore punk thrash into single-minded metal force, using simple but Whoo hoo! We reviewed this lot’s first effective tricks like sticking a lorry load of demo a few months and reckoned they reverb onto tracks like `Hi Def Death’ to showed promise but maybe needed a few recreate an authentic early-80s punk vibe better songs. Now they got songs. Nasty and simply rumbling and raging with an serrated songs with sharp bits on what’d almost sullen ferocity until there’s simply take the skin off yer elbows if you stood nothing left on the horizon to destroy. Do too close. They’ve also got a singer, Niall, you hear that? They just destroyed the who sounds like a cross between Idlewild’s whole bloody world in seven minutes. And Roddy Woomble and Prolapse’s Mick to think, some of the sad old tarts further Derrick with his fantastically badgering down the page would struggle to punch Scottish bawl. In fact, originally hailing their way out of a wet paper bag in that from north of the border and punningly time. named after their local whisky distillery Dallas Dhu, Dallas Don’t can’t escape comparisons to many of their fellow A FACEFUL OF countrymen. ‘The Ballad Of Phoebe Henderson’ comes on like a particularly MARTHA up-for-a-scrap Arab Strap as Niall semi- More metal but of a decidedly different mumbles in the middle distance while vintage here from Witney’s Faceful Of guitars stick it to each other in the Martha, who endear themselves to us no foreground; ‘Lesson’, meanwhile, carries end by calling us jerks in their email, then elements of The Twilight Sad, albeit The repeating the insult on their Soundcloud Twilight Sad squaring up to McLusky over site. Come on boys, if you’re going to be whose riffs have got the sharpest blade. rude, at least be funny with it; Headcount ‘The Runner’ is a Caledonian Pixies, you ain’t. Anyway, AFOM are an spindly, pensive passages giving way to instrumental band because, in their own COLDROOMS explosions of guitar shrapnel, while, by words, they “can’t sing or scream for shit way of contrast, ‘Fife For Life’ is a and didn’t want to sour the experience with relatively lightweight jangly romp with any incessant whining or high-pitched RECORDING AND REHEARSAL STUDIOS Niall’s warm, rounded burr giving you the shrieking”. So what we get are four straight- feeling you’re being genially hectored by a down-the-line slabs of old school heavy FULLY EQUIPPED RECORDING good-natured pub nutter up to the point he rocking, nods duly given to Iron Maiden * AND PRODUCTION STUDIO starts getting all wistful and romantic. It’s and Thin Lizzy on the one hand and not included on this demo but apparently Metallica on the other. Each chunders in, * LARGE LIVE ROOM Dallas Don’t also have a song called ‘This thrashes about a bit, then exits without * 3 FULLY EQUIPPED REHEARSAL ROOMS Town Needs Us’. On the strength of this fuss, leaving little impression. If you’re outing, they’re damn right it does. going to play instrumental metal you really TEL: 07823770079 or 01865 863044 need to be a bit more inventive than this. BERSICKER HELLO GHOST One of our favourite local metal bands of a Hello Ghost is the musical moniker of one few years back were Government Mule Matt Ayes, a man armed with a guitar and who were Demo Of The Month here back a wallet full of lovelorn angst and… no, in 2003 or 2004, just before they went hang on, come back! Perhaps we didn’t their separate ways, singer Stephen Frame start to explain things properly. Yes Matt going on to batter the skins with extreme has a guitar – an acoustic one at that for prejudice in Faith in Hate. Good to see, the most part – and at some point we then, that three quarters of Government deduce that the object of his love seems to Mule have reconvened as Bersicker, have buggered off and left him alone (“The declaring that “It’s all about the riffs mattress is still warm from where you basically” with a straightforward, no- used to be”; hmm, maybe she just went off nonsense approach to life that a few of the to work and will be back soon), but to his undeserving scum reviewed below might credit Matt seems to be bearing up reasonably well. On demo opener `Take inclusion of a selection of frankly hideous Your Shot’ he even sounds vaguely cheery, promo shots, which make them look like chugging away chirpily enough, if lacking one of those family singing groups on the any real bite or balm. In this Matt’s not the old Songs Of Praise , and probably only act in this month’s pile that seems to not intentionally. Pretty quickly, though, have taken some inspiration from local we started to think it might have a been a popsters Alphabet Backwards but maybe clever diversionary tactic to stop us lacks that sprinkling of pixie pop magic noticing the music was equally unpalatable. they seem to always possess. Softer, Oh it’s well-executed and all that, too well warmer and better is `Rockhopping’, a done if anything, like music that’s been simple melody played on plucked acoustic passed through several focus groups to guitar and restrained harmonica that weed out anything that Radio 2 listeners reminds us a little of Nick Cope. Matt might consider upsetting. What this results would be better off sticking to this way of in is some anonymous funk-lite guitar pop working since the pedestrian guitar that what remains of the major record histrionics on the electrified `Bloodstains’, labels’ marketing departments might coupled with a voice now lacking genuine bracket under indie. It’s got just a hint of personality, make the whole thing sound blokishness about it, but nothing that’d be like any other half-cocked indie band and a up for heading down the pub and starting a return to what he does best on `Antarctica’ scrap with Dead Jerichos and… oh, hell, turns out to be the demo’s high point: we’re avoiding the awful truth from you, slight in the melody stakes but, armed with dear readers. It sounds like Scouting For a playfully swirling keyboard à la Girls. Can we go now? Alphabet Backwards again, light and airy enough to charm the hardest of hearts. THE DEMO ANDY ROBBINS DUMPER While Hello Ghost prove it’s possible to inject a modicum of humanity and – whisper it – fun into the one-man-and-his- TRAPDOOR guitar-and-a-bag-of-romantic-failure thing, When it comes to the line “I’ve been Andy Robbins here proves that more often chopping onions over you again, my dear,” than not it’s an unrelenting barrel of misery. we’re honestly not sure if it’s a metaphor Four songs here span a mere fifteen for a broken love affair or simply a minutes but it feels more like an endless euphemism so horrific even a Dutch porn winter spent snowbound in an isolated director would blush. Either way, like the forest cabin with only tinned spaghetti, physical act of chopping onions, this demo roadkill and the Shopping Channel for makes us weep. Weep tears of both sustenance, as Andy mournfully laughter and sorrow. It’s not just that the documents the unending trauma that is his, line “I’ve been chopping onions over you and your, life. At one point he’s “Searching again, my dear” is followed by the immortal deep in side / Trying to find / When I was “Cos the crosswords don’t do themselves 19, I lost my mind”; the next he’s telling justice when you’re not here,” making it the you not to let your dreams fade away else single worst rhyming couplet since Ride’s you’ll end up in a dead-end job on classic “You are my crown of creation / I THE COURTYARD STUDIO minimum wages. `Itsy Bitsy Teeny want to be your relation”, but because the Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ this ain’t. song in question is so moribund it’s in PROTOOLS HD2, MTA 980 CONSOLE 32/24/ Thing is, we think there’s meant to be a danger of sucking the entire universe into a 24, OTARI MTR90 MK2 24 TRACK TAPE positive message in here somewhere, black hole of self-pity. It sounds like a half- MACHINE, 2 TRACKING ROOMS, SUPERB although it sounds more like a husky old arsed copy of Alphabet Backwards CONTROL ROOM WITH GOOD SELECTION cadaver griping on about how the country’s stripped of any last vestige of melody and OF MICS & OUTBOARD GEAR, + MIDI gone down the pan since young people fed a non-stop diet of horse tranquillisers. FACILITIES (INC LOGIC AUDIO, AKAI started listening to pop music instead of Which is at least preferable to the generic, S1000, OLD SKOOL ROLAND ETC.) going down the mines/up chimneys when too-scared-to-rock sludge that follows in Residential facilities included. they hit their teens. And to cap it all, he the form of `Aphrodite’, a kind of halfway www.courtyardrecordingstudio.com concludes with the cheery “Cold winds cut house between The Arctic Monkeys and PHONE PIPPA FOR DETAILS The Stooges but about one billionth as through your bones” as we sit here ON 01235 845800 watching hurricane-force winds turn our much fun as that description might suggest. street into a reconstruction of an explosion Sorry, are we being too harsh? Perhaps it in a landfill site. Yeah, and a Happy New was unfair to describe those opening lines Year to you too. as the worst rhyming couplets of the past decade. Especially when there’s “You could be my father figure / Your finger on the DANCE À LA PLAGE trigger” to consider. Go on boy, give that When we first received Dance À La Plage’s trigger a good squeeze. Put us all out of this email we pondered the wisdom of their misery.

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