email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 121 August Oxford’s Music Magazine 2005 Fell City Girl On the fast track to rock and roll glory Photo: Julian Small NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] This month’s issue is dedicated to Albini the Nightshift cat SUPERGRASS play an intimate Ian Parker Band, Michael Myers, show at the Oxford Playhouse this The Invisible and Blue Wax. Music month (Saturday 13th August) as part starts at 7pm. On the Saturday, of a short national tour. The tour is Sunday and Monday, proceedings aimed at promoting new album, kick off at 2pm, with a broad ‘The Road To Rouen’, which marks selection of rock, folk, jazz, blues a change of musical direction for the and acoustic acts, including Leburn, AUGUST band. Kohoutek, Anton Barbeau, Uniting Talking about the tour, singer Gaz the Elements, Sarah Wilson, Laima Every Monday: Coombes said, “It’s gonna be Bite, The Cheesegraters, Tounsi and interesting using these little theatres The Powders. A cheap and extremely THE FAMOUS MONDAY NIGHT BLUES and clubs to show people another cheerful alternative to Reading The best in UK, European and US blues. 8-12. £6 musical side of the band. It’s not Festival. Call 01865 776431 for st something we’ve really done before more details. 1 DIANA BRAITHWAITE (USA) in this way, so we’re excited about it. 8th SHARRIE WILLIAMS & THE WISE We’ll have an old friend playing GOOD AND BAD NEWS for folks GUYS (USA) percussion alongside Danny and his music fans in Oxford this month. th homemade drum kit, new songs and The bad news is that both Nettlebed 15 DAVID RAPHAEL BLUES BAND (UK) a few old ones that we’ve not tried Folk Club and Oxford Folk Club are 22nd CREAM’D (UK) - a tribute to Cream! before, and a little stage set to give closed throughout August, with both th it a real close, mellow, theatrical clubs set to resume live music early 29 To Be Confirmed vibe.” in September. The good news is that Tickets for the show are on sale both Cropredy Festival and now from the Playhouse box office, Towersey Village Festival take place Every Tuesday: on 01865 305305. ‘Road to Rouen’ this month, with strong folk line- THE OXFORD JAZZ CLUB th is released on 15 August. ups. Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Free live jazz from THE TOM GREY Festival takes place from Thursday CHARLOTTE CHURCH, Lucie 11th – Saturday 13th August, with QUINTET, plus DJs playing r’n’b, funk and Silvas, The Noise Next Door, Richard Thompson, Country Joe soul until 2am. Chesney Hawkes, Freefaller, Tyler McDonald, Beth Nielsen Chapman rd James and KT Tunstall are the latest and Jah Wobble amongst the acts (* - except Tuesday 23 – Jazz Club with acts to be added to the bill for Fox joining the Englidsh folk legends on ALVIN ROY) FM’s Party In The park, which stage. For ticket information, go to takes places in South Park on www.fairportconvention.com. This Sunday 28th August. They join year’s Towersey Festival, meanwhile, Every Friday: headliners Texas, announced last runs from Thursday 25th to Monday BACKROOM BOOGIE month. Tickets for Party In The 29th August. Show Of Hands, John park are available online through McHerry’s At First Light and Karine Funk, soul and R&B. 9-2am Free B4 10pm; £4 after. Fox FM’s website (foxfm.com), Polwart head an extensive bill of priced £10, with £1 from each ticket folk, blues and world music. Tickets going to Help A Local Child. for the five-day festival are available Every Sunday: from the box office on 01629 THE CHAPEL THE DOWNLOAD has been 827016. granted an extra month’s run on LOCAL BANDS SHOWCASE. 8-11pm. £3 BBC Radio Oxford. The local music ELIZA CARTHY AND THE show will now run until the end of RATCATCHERS, The Oyster Band Plus August, with BBC programmers and John Spiers and Jon Boden are rd pleased with the show’s coverage of among the acts confirmed for this Wednesday 3 STAND UP COMEDY with the local music scene and its strong year’s Wallingford Bunkfest. The compere SILKY 8.30-12am listening figures. The Download is festival, now in its fourth year, runs th broadcast every Saturday evening across the weekend of the 2nd to the Saturday 6 SIMPLE – Quality Funky House. from 6-7pm on 95.2fm. The show is 4th September at various venues 9-2am presented by Tim Bearder and as around Wallingford. As well as live th well as playing an assortment of music there will be the usual array of Thursday 11 HIP HOP NIGHT 9-2am local releases, features interviews celidhs, workshops and a beer Saturday 13th NU-SOUL with TONY with local and touring bands, a gig festival. More details at NANTON 9-2am and club listing and a demo vote. www.bunkfest.co.uk. th Keep listening and help keep Oxford Wednesday 17 PSYCHIC NIGHT (call for music on the radio. DUE TO STRICT PRINT details) DEADLINES, Nightshift went to th THE EXETER HALL in Cowley is press before Truck Festival. Our Thursday 18 LIVE BANDS NIGHT 8-12am hosting a four-day free live music review of the festival will appear in Saturday 20th ROADRUNNER (Mod, Northern festival over the August Bank the September issue. The `Truck 8’ Holiday Weekend. The festival will compilation CD, featuring tracks Soul, Funky Hammond and more) 9-2am feature some 30 acts, most of whom from the likes of Black Nielson, Saturday 27th REGGAE AND R’n’B NIGHT have played at the Ex in the past Captive State, Cranes, Fell City Girl, 9-2am year. Things kick off on the evening Neil Halstead, The Black Madonnas of Friday 26th, with sets from The and Biffy Clyro, is on sale now. A Quiet Word With Fell City Girl AND THIS YEAR’S OXFORD there any particular barriers you’ve representatives at Reading and Leeds come across as a student band? festivals will be… Fell City Girl. Phil: “No not really. It’s an ongoing That’s right, Fell City Girl, the band debate but the attendance at gigs by formed barely two years ago by a students is shitty, compared to the group of mates studying at Brookes 1,200 people that pack into University, still unsigned, and last Brookes’ venue every Wednesday for seen in Oxford supporting Dive Dive their club nights. But what can you at the Zodiac. Fell City Girl, a band do? It’s not really anyone’s fault, who have come a long, long way in a more a collective mindset that very short space of time and look cheaper drinks are more important set to go even further in the very than live music now.” near future. Shrek: “It’s a shame that there is such a high quality of live music SINCE THEY HIT THE LOCAL being played in Oxford every night gig scene just under two years ago, of the week by so many talented Fell City Girl have deservedly earned bands and solo artists, yet so many themselves a reputation as one of students and people in Oxford are the most promising young bands disregarding it for club anthems and around, playing to increasingly wonder Nightshift was excited the band ahead of their appearance drinks promos. A buzzing music packed local venues like the enough to hail them as the best new at Truck Festival and a short tour to scene like the one that is occurring Wheatsheaf and the Cellar, while band to emerge from Oxford in promote the release of ‘Weaker in Oxford at the moment is such a their show at this year’s Oxford Punt 2004. Light’. rare and beautiful thing that in May saw the venue sold out within everyone in Oxford should minutes of doors opening and a FELL CITY GIRL’S FORMATION FELL CITY GIRL ARE A BAND appreciate it more.” queue of disappointed fans out into was nothing special: a bunch of who formed at university but they Are you all planning to stick around the street below. This month Fell mates rehearsing together in a room don’t see themselves as a university Oxford when your courses are City Girl release their second single, at a Brookes University halls of band, having early on suffered from finished? ‘Weaker Light’, on Nomadic residence, getting threatened with the musical snobbery that can exist Phil: “Yes, it’s a great place to be. Records, the follow-up to last year’s eviction of they didn’t keep the in academic circles. Especially in Summer. There’s split CD with Swindon-based rockers noise down, eventually ditching the Phil: “The first rehearsal we had nowhere like it – every lady is Latitude Blue. ‘Freebird’-obsessed guitarist, before was at Brookes music department. beautiful. If I was a singer in a band The new single, a limited edition 7”, settling on the current line-up (Phil We’d borrowed their drum kit, but I’d be unstoppable…” displays so much of what is great McMinn: vocals and guitar; Joe it’d been double booked. So in walks Shrek: “As a band we have been about Fell City Girl: a short, sharp Gibbons: guitars; Adam Drake: the head of the jazz quartet or really welcomed into Oxford and its hit of emotionally-intense melodic bass; James ‘Shrek’ Pamphlion: whatever the fuck they were, and music scene and we’ve made so rock that’s alternately sweet, tender drums) and taking their formative said “I’m sorry, you’re not real many friends as a result…and there and slightly fraught, or sky- sound out into the Oxford scene.