email: [email protected] website: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month. NIGHTSHIFT Issue 120 July Oxford’s Music Magazine 2005 GetGetGetGet rrrreadeadeadeadyyyy ffffoooorrrr TTTTTTrurururururuckckckckckck CCCCoooommmmpletpletpletpleteeee FeFeFeFestistististivvvvalalalal Walkden Miles by PPrreeviewview IInsnsiidede PPPPrrrreeeeviewviewviewview IIIInsnsnsnsiiiidededede photos WinWin aa pairpair ofof All weekendweekend tickets!tickets! NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 photo: Miles Walkden FELL CITY GIRL are set to perform at this year’s NEWNEWSS Carling Weekend: Reading Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU and Leeds Festivals. The former Nightshift cover Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] stars, who are unsigned but have been earning themselves an enviable reputation on the local gig SUPERGRASS return with a new For Treatment, Richard Walters circuit and in London, th album and single in August. ‘Road and Smilex, and Sunday 4 have been picked to play To Rouen’, the band’s fifth studio September, which will be a launch on the Carling Stage, th album, is released on the 15 party for The Evenings’ new CD, which aims to showcase August. A single, St Petersburg’ with support from The Family the best up and coming th precedes the album on the 8 Machine and Fell City Girl. acts around. The band will August. be the second act on the AVID RECORDS could be forced Carling Stage on Friday at THE PORT MAHON is set to to close after Oxford City Council Reading (August 26th) and continue, and expand, its live music imposed a backdated rent increase Saturday at Leeds (27th). output with the arrival of a new that could see the shop faced with They will share a stage manager, John Russell-Smith, this a 50% hike in its rent. Avid, in with headliners Ladytron month. The pub, now regarded as Gloucester Street, which is the and Charlotte Hatherley. one of the best small venues in the only independent record shop in Speaking to Nightshift about the gig, Fell City Girl frontman Phil area, is installing a new PA and Oxford city centre and has been a McMinn described the band’s excitement at earning such a prestigious looking to build on the reputation it goldmine of rare and second hand slot: “I guess you’ll understand when I say it’s a massively big deal for gained under previous landlord vinyl for years, could be facing a us - we’ve not been around that long but we’ve played hard and Ralph Crabtree. John is keen to backdated bill for around £40,000 playing at Reading (we’re even on the yellow poster!) is way beyond hear from bands wanting to play, after the rent revue is implemented, anything I ever expected we’d ever be doing at this stage in the game. especially acoustic acts. Send an amount that would spell ruin for No doubt we’ll break a bass string during the first song though! Jokes demos to him c/o The Port Mahon, a small retail operation. Councils aside, we have much to prove, to ourselves more than anyone.” 82 St Clements, Oxford, OX4. are required by law to charge Fell City Girl release their new single, ‘Weaker Light’, in August on commercial rent rates but at a time Nomadic Records. SUITABLE CASE FOR when the Zodiac has just had its Win weekend tickets to the Reading Festival – see page 16 TREATMENT release a new planning application for an album, ‘Of Motets and extension into a vacant Misdirection’, on Friday 5th August neighbouring plot turned down by will continue to work under The URSA AUDIO is looking to on Thin Man Records and will the council who want to encourage Factory name, while singer Laima relocate this summer. The recording play a gig in the unlikely setting of retail outlets, these rent increases and guitarist Moty are also looking and rehearsal studio in Cave Street, the front lawn of Tate Britain to make a mockery of such a decision. for new musicians for a new east Oxford, will be closing launch it. The eleven-track album is So, another corporate coffee shop project. Both sides cite the usual temporarily this summer before basically a compilation of their first for the city centre? It’s looking musical differences as the cause of setting up in a new location. In the two mini-albums, ‘Plenty More more and more likely. the split. meantime the URSA crew are Neurologists In The Sea’, and last looking for anyone interested in year’s ‘A Sinistra Case For The AUDIOSCOPE festival will run BIG SPEAKERS follow up their taking over their current premises. Laevus Levus’, with many of the over two days this year. The mini- recent Make Poverty History Anyone interested should call tracks remastered. The Tate Britain festival, which has raised over benefit gig at the Zodiac last month James on 07870357748. gig is free and includes support £10,000 for homeless charity by releasing a cut-price compilation from White Night, Two Men In A Shelter since 2001, takes place at CD of local bands in aid of the THE CATWEAZLE CLUB takes a Boat and The Mabuses, as well as the Zodiac over the weekend of the campaign. The eleven-track CD well-earned summer break a barbecue. Check out 29th and 30th of October. features contributions from Big throughout August. The all-comers suitablecasefortreatment.myanalog.net Audioscope regularly showcases Speakers themselves, plus Asher live music, poetry and performance for more details. the best underground and leftfield Dust, The Evenings, Sexy club, which celebrated its tenth music from around the world and Breakfast, Oliver Shaw, J/Tusa, anniversary last year, opens its SEXY BREAKFAST launch their locally. Last year’s event was Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element, and doors for the last time this summer new website with another of their headlined by former-Can frontman Fragger, it costs just £3 and is on Wednesday 27th July and legendary boat parties on Sunday Damo Suzuki. available from The Polar Bear on returns on Wednesday 7th 31st July. The boat trip will include Cowley Road as well as from September. Thereafter it every a trip down the Thames to THIS YEAR’S FOX FM Party In www.bigspeakers.co.uk Wednesday night at Northgate Hall Abingdon and back plus a gig by The Park takes place on Sunday in St Michael’s Street. More details Sexy Breakfast, with support from 28th August in South Park. Texas THE MUSICIANS UNION will at www.catweazleclub.org. The Thumb Quintet and The Walk are the first band to be confirmed at be hosting an open meeting at the Off, followed by a glam-rock party the mini-festival, with more chart- Zodiac on Thursday 7th July, from LOCAL FIDDLE’N’SYNTH at the Wheatsheaf which will friendly acts to be announced soon. 7-10pm. The first hour of the rockers Red Star Cycle play their include a performance of Hedwig Tickets, priced £10, are on sale meeting is for MU members and final shows this month before going and the Angry Inch by SB now, from 0870 042 7477. The potential members to meet face-to- their separate ways. The band play frontman Joe Swarbrick. There will price includes a £1 donation to face with regional representatives. their last two gigs at Bicester be a limited number of tickets Help A Local Child. From 8pm there will be a Hobgoblin (Thursday 7th and the available for the boat party, priced presentation on the new licensing Wheatsheaf (Friday 8th). £10, available from The Polar Bear, THE FACTORY have split into law and what it will mean for The Music Box and Salters two factions with both sides publicans, venue owners and DON’T FORGET to tune into Steamers on Folly Bridge. Further looking for musicians to form new promoters. Call South East The Download each Saturday at boat trips are planned for Sunday bands. Guitarist and songwriter Regional Officer Jo Laverty on 6pm on BBC Radio Oxford - the 21st August, featuring Suitable Case Aaron, plus Andy, Chris and Joe 0207 840 5523. best of local music on the radio. TTTrururuckckck 222005005005 Biffy Clyro Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th July Hill Farm, Steventon discover. It’s impossible to do full (essentially Truck’s host band) are justice to a bill that takes in over enduringly popular and reliably 100 acts across six stages in just cool, while The Schla La La’s over a page, without it descending feature another Truck regular, into a list of names you simply Piney Gir, in her 60 garage punk have to see. Equally, you can girl band mode. Best of the local pretty much bet your last penny contingent should be the effusive that the best thing you’ll see all and inventive Sexy Breakfast. weekend will be a band or artist Over in the Trailerpark Tent, you whom you’d never even heard of could check out lo-fi screwballs beforehand. Fonda 500, Leeds’ dynamic post- No act bears this out more than rock assassins 65 Days Of Static Do Me Bad Things. This year and Oxford’s hottest band, The they’re second on the bill to The Young Knives among a host of Magic Number having blazed a trail quality new acts. across the UK’s live circuit since The Barn That Cannot Be Named, last summer. At Truck 2004, which was so much better for its however, they were complete increased capacity last year, is host unknowns who stole Nightshift’s to headliners Capdown with their hearts and sense of reserve, almost high-energy ska-core, plus Echo & lost halfway down the line-up on The Bunnymen acolytes The the tiny Trailerpark stage.