email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 158 September Oxford’s Music Magazine 2008 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 THE MAGIC NUMBERS are set to by Supergrass producer and former- headline Harvest, the latest mini- Mystics frontman Sam Williams and festival from the organisers of Truck features eleven tracks, including and Wood Festivals. Harvest takes recent singles ‘Lamplight’ and place at the Isis Tavern, on the ‘Sleeping Pills’. The band head off on Thames, between Iffley Lock and a national tour this month, including Donnington Bridge, over the dates with labelmates Lights. Action! weekend of 13th / 14th September. who feature former-Days Of Grace The festival also features Danny & frontman Patrick Currier. The tour The Champions of the World, Hot starts on 7th September in Glasgow Club Of Cowtown, Coute Diomboulu, and visits the Oxford Academy on FOALS play a hometown show at the Academy on Friday 12th th featuring renowned kora player Jali 11 September. December. The band, who have spent the summer playing at festivals Fily Cissokho, Coley Park, Piney Gir This Town Needs Guns, meanwhile around the world, including Japan’s Fuji Festival, release a new single, & The Age Of Reason, plus more release their debut album on Monday `Olympic Airlines’, from their Top 5 debut album `Antidotes’, this th acts to be announced. There will also 13 October. The local rockers month. Tickets for the show are on sale now, priced £13.50 from be talks and workshops as well as headline the Oxford Academy on wegottickets.com or from the Academy box office. nature walks around the river. Saturday October 11th with Jonquil. The Isis pub has recently been taken over by new management, who have BIG VILLAGE promote their last www.myspace.com/ for a special gig on Saturday 11th revamped the picturesque pub. season of concerts this autumn, soundismusicfestival, which also October. The band, who famously Tickets for the weekend are £30, or having failed to secure the necessary features MP3s of the acts playing. inspired Ride’s Andy Bell to play the £20 per day with under-14s free. funding from the Arts Council. Over guitar, were leading lights of the Tickets are available from the last few years Big Village, led by JONQUIL, Sunnyvale Noise Sub- Oxford scene in the early 1980s and Videosyncratic on Cowley Road, artistic director and local musician Element, Hreda and Cogwheel Dogs featured Peter Momtchiloff, who Mostly Books in Abingdon and Matt Sage, has hosted a wide range are amongst the acts included on went on to form Talulah Gosh and online from www.thisistruck.com. of world music artists to ‘Première Évasion’, a new Heavenly; Richard Ramage, who Music runs from 1pm each day. Oxfordshire, introducing local compilation album on French record later fronted The Anyways and The Access to The Isis is by foot, bike or audiences to acts they might not label Rabeat’s Cage. The label aims Relationships; Angus Stevenson, who boat only. otherwise ever get a chance to to give greater exposure to acts that formed The Razorcuts and The experience, often in exotic or are “experimental but pleasurable”. Relationships; Pete Lock, who was NIGHTSHIFT teams up with TCT unusual local venues. Other acts featured include Eberg, in The Anyways before forming Blue Music in November to present a While it is uncertain that Big Village Azad, Neor and Tam Rush. Visit Kite and most recently Moiety, plus month of gigs showcasing the best up will continue in the future, anyone www.myspace.com/ Valerie Howell, who fronted The and coming acts in Oxford. The five interested in helping out financially rabeatscagerecords for more details Lionhearts. Members of these later gigs, entitled On A Saturday, take with sponsorship can contact them on how to buy the album. bands also went on to form the likes place at the Academy every Saturday via www.bigvillage.org. Alternatively, of Les Clochards and Borgnine. The through November and will feature music fans can email THE BULLINGDON is looking for gig is in aid of former-Anyways The Winchell Riots, Elapse-O, The [email protected] to new midweek gig and club promoters. guitarist Mark Price’s birthday and Keyboard Choir, Stornoway, Space stress the importance of promoters Anyone interested should call Arron features all the original Here Comes Heroes Of The People, Raggasaurus, like Big Village. on 01865 244516. Everybody members playing in Motion In Colour, Tristan & The For now, though, the final three Big different bands with hopefully a full Troubadours, Alphabet Backwards, Village events are Hindustani QUEER IS FOLK is a one-off live band reunion. A special 18-track The Half Rabbits and more. Exact classical singer Neela Bhagwah at the music event taking place on Saturday compilation CD will be cut to mark dates and line-ups will be announced North Wall Arts Centre on Saturday 18th October at the Brewery Gate the event, featuring a veritable soon – visit www.tctmusic.co.uk for 4th October; Meta Meta and the Tavern in Oxford with the intention history of Oxford’s indie stars details as soon as they are finalised. Afropean Choir at St Barnabas of dispelling “the stereotyped through the years. Tickets for all shows will on sale Church on Thursday 23rd Oct, and notions that all homosexuals like now from wegottickets.com or from Tango Siempre at the Wesley and perform crap music”. Starting at the Zodiac box office as soon as Memorial Chapel on Thursday 30th 6pm the event will include bands, they are confirmed. October. open-mic slots, film, comedy and art, featuring both gay and straight A SILENT FILM release their debut THE REGAL hosts the Sound Is artists. Anyone interested in finding album, ‘The City That Never Music all-day festival on Sunday 7th out more or getting involved should Sleeps’, on Monday 13th October on September, a benefit event for email Mike Lowe at Xtra Mile Records. The album is Action Aid’s Making A Noise About [email protected]. preceded by a new single, ‘Thirteen Poverty campaign. The event, Times The Strength’ on 22nd which runs from 12.30 though to THE COURTYARD Youth Arts AS EVER don’t forget to tune into September. The album was produced 11pm features over a dozen local Centre in Bicester is now offering BBC Oxford Introducing every bands, including Ivy’s Itch, The Drug slots at its newly-refurbished Saturday evening between 6-7pm on Squad, The Colins Of Paradise, Red rehearsal room, complete with Pearl 95.2fm. The dedicated local music valve, Domes Of Silence, Sidwinders Export drumkit, from only £5 per show plays the best new Oxford and Hangman’s Joe. More acts are hour, Monday-Thursday 6-9pm. Call releases as well as featuring due to be confirmed. Tickets for the Jane on 01869 602555 or email interviews with local and touring fundraiser are £12, with the first 150 [email protected]. acts, news, demo reviews and a gig on sale for £10, from and clubbing guide. The show is wegottickets.com. Full updated line- OXFORD INDIE GODFATHERS available to listen to online all week up details can be found at Here Comes Everybody reconvene at bbc.co.uk/oxford. A quiet word with Interview by Joe Swarbrick StornoStornoStornowwwayayay IF YOU’RE AUTISTICALLY was letting himself in for. planning on ordering your local CD “I knew the guys were a bit older,” collection thematically, then says Ollie, barely into his twenties, alongside The Epstein, Family “so as I was leaving the house I Machine and Witches you can thought, what if this is a scam to comfortably file Stornoway. Their attract vulnerable musicians and do melodies soar, tug at your heartstrings away with them? So in my bag was a like a lifeboat pulling your broken very sharp screwdriver…” The very vessel ashore, all shattered romance, idea of Dr Brian Briggs attacking any regret and longing and then, without living thing is absurd, but I suppose warning, their violinist Rahul will it’s best to be prepared under such take the stage dressed as a banana and circumstances. they’ll sing a song about haircuts. INSTEAD OF A MONSTROUS THIS DISPARATE HOPPING criminal underworld, Oli found from the sublime to the ridiculous has himself immersed in the beautiful, frustrated the critics: this very insular world of the Oxford student – magazine described their song ‘The something which may well have Good Fish Guide’ (which lists all the informed the sweeping architecture of fish you can ethically eat, then lists their more grandiose pieces. Put all the fish you should not – all to a this DIY process is to the band. weighs”. Early gigs were notable for another way, there’s no room for jaunty little hybrid of ‘What A Day “No-one else has the patience to Brian’s deadpan delivery of animal- gritty urbanity here. Forthcoming for a Daydream’ and Divine work with us, so we’ve found it better based facts from the back pages of single ‘We Are The Battery Human’ Comedy’s ‘Something for the to do it ourselves,” says Brian, tactful New Scientist. Not that you’d expect reads like a determined effort to Weekend’) as making the reviewer to the last. Delays on their last anything less from the band The block out the realities of city life: feel he had “died and woken up in record, `On The Rocks’, were Independent described as “officially from being trapped under “a pile of Purgatory with only Chas ‘n’ Dave apparently partly due to the original the brainiest group ever”.