email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 181 August Oxford’s Music Magazine 2010 DialDial FF ForFor FrankensteinFrankenstein photo: Harry Wade photo: Harry NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 LIBERTY*KINGS LIVE AT THE BULLINGDON 162 COWLEY ROAD OXFORD OX4 1UE 01865 244516 www.myspace.com/libertykingsdublin PART OF LIBERTY*KINGS UK TOUR COMING STRAIGHT FROM THE LEGENDARY CAVERN CLUB LIVERPOOL MONDAY 2ND AUGUST 2010 7.30PM TICKETS JUST £4.50 ON THE DOOR FEATURING THEIR LATEST ROCK ANTHEM ELECTRONIC ARMY photo: Johnny Moto NEWNEWSS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] Online: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net focussed on songwriting, performance skills and instrument tuition. There will be help and guidance from experienced local musicians as well as guest performances from local acts and the opportunity to learn about making demos and videos, getting gigs, playing at festivals and more. The studio is equipped with drum AGNESS PIKE’s debut gig this SMILEX have been voted Best Live Band in the UK in Playmusic kit, amps and PA and each session magazine’s Unsigned Awards. The magazine, distributed through month sees the return of some is limited to 15 children. Sessions music shops, picked up on the band’s “hydrogen bomb explosions of Oxford music legends to the stage. cost £15. To learn more about the The band, who play at the energy” and frontman Lee Christian’s “no-holds barred antics and school or enrol, visit powerful, versatile voice”. Wheatsheaf on Saturday 21st www.markcrozer.com. August, features former Talking to Nightshift about the award, Lee said, “We’re incredibly Madamadam members Martin pleased about the award; it was a nice surprise as when you have been THE O2 ACADEMY hosts its going as long as we have, you forget anyone is paying attention so it’s Spear and brothers Chris and Mick annual alternative freshers fair cool after all these years of blood, sweat and other bodily fluids to get a Brown, plus erstwhile Underbelly on Wednesday 22nd September. and Suitable Case For Treatment bit of recognition, especially as a live band and by a magazine that With Brookes University deals with the nitty gritty of being in a band, not a fashion mag dictated bassist Pete Marler. Madamadam continuing to freeze out all non- to by major labels! I think we probably stood out a mile to be honest, were one of Oxford’s most Union-based clubs and businesses, popular bands in the late-80s and being quite a different proposition to most bands’ live shows. I only the Academy fair aims to help hope more bands step up their act a bit - people deserve a good show early-90s for their riotous blend of introduce local businesses to the for their hard-earned cash.” punk and metal. Singer Martin new influx of students. Any subsequently fronted Sevenchurch Smilex have recently been on temporary live hiatus while bassist Jen venues, clubs, bars or businesses Acton goes on work sabbatical to New York but have been rehearsing whose `Bleak Insight’ was voted wanting a stall should contact Paul with drummer Pat Holmberg’s girlfriend Liv (from Charm Assault) the third greatest doom metal Williams at album of all time by Terrorizer standing in. The band also release an EP of live songs recorded at last [email protected] or year’s Cornbury Festival later this month. Smilex hope to be back in Magazine. on 01865 813506. Joining Agness Pike on the bill are live action by the end of the summer. Junkie Brush and Pyrrhic Victory. ROCKROOM STUDIOS is set to close at the end of July. The notable exceptions – and produced AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into A NEW OXFORD SCHOOL OF studio on Cave Street in East some work of which I’m really BBC Oxford Introducing every ROCK launches from September Oxford has been forced to close due proud; some has made Nightshift Saturday evening between 6-7pm aiming to help budding musicians to the City Council not renewing Demo Of The Month, with none on 95.2fm. The dedicated local aged from 8-13 with all aspects of its lease at Standingford House and managing the Demo Dumper.” music show plays the best new playing music and being in a band. it being financially unviable to start local releases and demos as well as Run by International Jetsetters and up again at a new venue. Joe Deller, A REMINDER THAT SS20 on featuring interviews with local and Jesus & Mary Chain guitarist who has run Rockrooms over the Cowley Road now stock local CDs touring acts. Local bands can Mark Crozer, the school will take past few years, told Nightshift, and vinyl. All Oxfordshire acts are upload tracks to be played on the place on Saturday mornings from “Over the last five years I’ve been encouraged to get in contact with show via the Uploader tool on the September 11th at Rotator Studios very fortunate to have worked with either Mon or Lee at SS20 at 176 BBC website. Visit bbc.co.uk/ on Magdalen Road, with sessions many fantastic people – with a few Cowley Road or on 01865 791851. oxford for more details. Another quick round-up of local festival news… Kidlington. The second annual mini-festival Rebecca Neale. Tickets, priced features a strong local bill that includes sets from £7, are available from wegottickets.com THIS YEAR’S HANNEYFEST takes place Beelzebozo, Space Heroes Of the People, Age across three venues in East and West Hanney Of Misrule, Empire Safari and Trevor Williams THIS YEAR’S ELDER STUBBS over the weekend of 6th-8th August. Inspiral on the Friday; We Are Ugly But We Have The FESTIVAL takes place on Saturday 21st Carpets frontman Tom Hingley tops a bill that Music, Dead Jerichos, King Of Beggars, August at the Elder Stubbs Allotments on also includes Smilex, Quadrophobe, Riothouse and The Graceful Slicks on Saturday Rymers Lane in east Oxford. No line-up details Drunkenstein, Mark Bosley, Cooper Black, and Samuel Zasada, Tommy Guns, Shilling available at time of press but hopefully more 14Ten, Daved & Confused, Out Of The Blue, Shakers and Nikki Loy on the Sunday. All profits details online nearer the event at Welcome To Peepworld, Twizz Twangle, True from the weekend go towards MacMillan Cancer www.elderstubbs.org.uk. Rumour, Stuart Boon, First Among Equals, Jon Support. Thompson, Phil Bird, Laima Bite, Moon BUNKFEST returns over the weekend of 3rd- Leopard, Supafunk and loads more. Gigs take PRISON RULES is a day of live music set in 5th September. The free blues, folk and rock place at the Black Horse and Royal British the Oxford Castle courtyard on Sunday 1st festival, held over various venues in Legion in East Hanney and The Plough in West August. Music runs from 4pm through to 10pm Wallingford, this year features the likes of Hanney. Visit www.theblackhorseineast over two stages. Bands confirmed include The Soothsayers, Artisan, Mabon, Pressgang, Seize hanney.co.uk for more details. Long Insiders, The Scholars, Spring Offensive, The Day, Cloudstreet and Isambard. As well as Ute, Charly Coombes & The New Breed, Les concerts Bunkfest features celidhs, dance CHARLIESTOCK takes place over the same Clochards, Message To Bears, Joe Allen, Samuel displays, workshops and a beer festival. Visit weekend (6th-8th August) at The Black Horse in Zasada, Aiden Canaday, Adam Barnes and www.bunkfest.co.uk for full details. a quiet word with photo: Harry Wade Dial F For Frankenstein various dots between Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, Dive Dive and even The Beach Boys. The band’s name comes from a prescient short story by sci-fi writer Arthur C Clarke, which predicted both Artificial Intelligence and the internet. Nightshift chatted to Gus ahead of Dial F’s Truck Festival warm-up gig at the Bullingdon and asked him first how much influence it had on him and Scott going to the same schools as such big local stars. GUS: “Like most people round Oxford we have always been aware of these great local bands. Going to their old schools meant we were more obviously aware of and influenced by Radiohead and Supergrass from an early age. It also showed us that you didn’t have to be from Manchester or LA to be in a great band – you could just be from Wheatley or Rose Hill.” How do you think your sound has changed since those first few gigs? Back then the band seemed more in an old school hardcore style, while now the band has a far stronger melodic edge. GUS: “When we write songs it’s never very premeditated. It’s more instinctive, like it gets beamed to us. We started off by just kicking out the jams for 20 minutes and then jumping off stage. But our set now has evolved into a variety of different stuff; it shifts and slides around like a python, like an eel. There’s something for everyone now – we’re a band for the whole THE OLD SCHOOL TIE IS THEY CAN’T, OF COURSE. They’ve come on some in that time family. I’ve no idea how you would something you’d normally But it’ll be nothing to do with too. Now they’re a pin-tight riot of define us or where we fit in; we’ve associate with politics or big those educational connections grunged-up anthemic rock, sharp- been compared to everything from business, not rock and roll, but when success comes knocking.