Posted: 14 January 2010
The Black Hats: Magnets
I’m going to say it: you can make a case that The Black Hats are the closest Oxford has to Bon Jovi.
It’s not that Nick Breakspear’s ever more accomplished trio sound an awful lot like the New Jersey stadium … (more)
Posted: 11 January 2010
Borderville: Joy Through Work
No-one would have believed, in the last years of the twentieth century, that ornate, theatrical pop music would ever be seen again. Whilst Travis was paving the featureless yellow path that led to Coldplay’s ubiquity, the ears of the scene … (more)
Posted: 4 January 2010
Oxfordbands.com Favourite Records of 2009
Slightly belatedly, here is a non-scientific, but highly alphabetised selection of our favourite records from last year. If you don’t disagree vociferously on the Comments page, we’ll be highly insulted.
Contributors: David Murphy, Colin MacKinnon, Mark Wilden and Alex Lloyd.
Alphabet Backwards: Alphabet Backwards
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- Winter Warmer: The Jericho Tavern, 19/12/2009 (22 December 2009)
- Seabuckthorn: Distant Summer Storm (20 December 2009)
- Amy’s Ghost: Lullaby (25 November 2009)
- Barbare11a+ Vultures+ Chambers of the Heart, The Wheatsheaf 13/11/2009 (14 November 2009)
- To Liesel: Demo (3 November 2009)
- PRDCTV + Envelope, Modern Art Oxford, 29/10/2009 (2 November 2009)
- Bring A Guillotine: Demo (26 October 2009)
- Samuel Zasada: Buried (24 October 2009)
- Beaver Fuel: This Allusion (19 October 2009)
- Misfit Mod: Islands and Islands (12 October 2009)
- Secret Rivals: Break Song/Get Famous (5 October 2009)
- The Mountain Parade + Tamara Parsons-Baker + King of Cats, The Wheatsheaf, 30/9/2009 (3 October 2009)
- Dial F for Frankenstein + Dog Party + Schnauser, The Wheatsheaf, 26/9/2009 (28 September 2009)
- David Saw: Broken Down Figure (Iris Records) (28 September 2009)
- The Wookies + Secret Rivals, The Bullingdon Arms, 24/09/2009 (28 September 2009)
- My Friend Rachel: A Moment’s Silence (Big Red Sky) (22 September 2009)
- Tamara Parsons-Baker:demo (17 September 2009)
- Dr. Slaggleberry: The Slagg Factory (Crash Records) (13 September 2009)
- Libelula: EP (1 September 2009)
- Dear City: EP (25 August 2009)
- The Gullivers: Legerdemain (20 August 2009)
- The Black Hats: What’s Not to Understand? (16 August 2009)
- The Relationships: Space(Big Red Sky) (12 August 2009)
- Spring Offensive + Libelula + Smiling Pirates – The Jericho Tavern, 31/7/09 (2 August 2009)
- The Anydays: 16 Days (31 July 2009)
- Les Clochards: Sweet Tableaux (Big Red Sky) (25 July 2009)
- Stornoway: Zorbing/ On the Rocks (17 July 2009)
- Spring Offensive: EP (14 July 2009)
- Borderville: Glambulance (9 July 2009)
- King of Spain + The Wookies + My Device, The Winchester, 4/7/09 (7 July 2009)
- Grant: Skirr (Big Red Sky) (2 July 2009)
- From Here, We Run! + The Sidewinders+ Minor Coles, The Wheatsheaf, 27 June, 2009 (28 June 2009)
- The Response Collective: Dark Is The Light (26 June 2009)
- Charlbury Riverside Festival (2) (25 June 2009)
- Secret Rivals: demo (24 June 2009)
- Charlbury Riverside Festival (1), 20/06/2009 (23 June 2009)
- FLM: Artificial Light (20 June 2009)
- Vibratonic: Funklab Sessions (11 June 2009)
- Inlight+ Jessie Grace + Samuel Zasada + Luke Keegan, The Jericho Tavern, 6/6/09 (7 June 2009)
- Bay of Dogs – demo (5 June 2009)
- Julia EK Thomas: One for the Moon, One for the Stars and One for Me (31 May 2009)
- The Oxford Punt, 13/05/2009, various venues (23 May 2009)
- Phantom Theory+ Exit International + Kamikaze Test Pilots + Adrenochrome, The Wheatsheaf, 20/05/2009 (21 May 2009)
- Night Portraits: Demo (15 May 2009)
- Mr. Shaodow/Smilex: Look out, there’s a Black Man Coming (Rock Mix) (11 May 2009)
- Misfit Mod: Queen Love Zero EP (7 May 2009)
- Modern Clichés – You got to Tell Me/ The Same Place (Crash Records) (4 May 2009)
- Dead Jericho’s: Under the Street Lights (1 May 2009)
- Jack FM: The Next Big Thing Final (30 April 2009)
- The Scholars + Four Dead in Ohio+ Relik: The O2 Academy, 28 April 2009 (29 April 2009)
- Joz & DJ Marcus: Passion (23 April 2009)
- Drunkenstein: The Independent Republic of Drunkenstein (1908) (21 April 2009)
- Seabuckthorn: Twilight Synopsis (18 April 2009)
- The Follys: Maps to Nowhere (10 April 2009)
- Jonathan Seet: Thanks to Science, We’ve Got Love (6 April 2009)
- The Halcyons: demo (3 April 2009)
- Miriam Jones: Inside Free EP (29 March 2009)
- A Broken Frame: October Lines and Stefan Archer: Demo (18 March 2009)
- Stornoway + The Vatican Cellars + Ivan Campo + Anton Barbeau, The Jericho Tavern, 14 March 2009 (15 March 2009)
- Mephisto Grande: Seahorse vs. the shrew (15 March 2009)
- Message to Bears: Departures (7 March 2009)
- The Bad Habits: Demo (24 February 2009)
- Spiral 25: EP (21 February 2009)
- Dial F for Frankenstein: demo (16 February 2009)
- Euhedral: A Sea of Pulses (12 February 2009)
- The Colours: Aurora Borealis (11 February 2009)
- The Keyz: Superstar Gazing (4 February 2009)
- Jessie Grace: Asleep on the Good Foot (29 January 2009)
- A Genuine Freakshow+ Peerless Pirates+ Ute, The Jericho Tavern 24/1/2009 (25 January 2009)
- Peerless Pirates: demo (22 January 2009)
- The Gullivers: Ambulance EP (19 January 2009)
- Zube Sultana: Fall Dew EP (17 January 2009)
- Alphabet Backwards+ The Colours+ Baby Gravy, The Jericho Tavern, 14/1/2009 (15 January 2009)
- Matthew Kilford – House on the Hill (7 January 2009)
- Some Highlights of 2008 (1 January 2009)
- Dear City: EP (29 December 2008)
- Winter Warmer: The Jericho tavern, Saturday 13 December (19 December 2008)
- All These Arms: demo (18 December 2008)
- Winter Warmer: The Jericho Tavern, Sunday December 14 (15 December 2008)
- The Eden Four: Safety not Guaranteed EP (15 December 2008)
- Winter Warmer Festival: The Jericho Tavern Saturday 13 December 2008 (14 December 2008)
- Hearts in Pencil: Had to watch the days Go Cold (9 December 2008)
- Outcry: demo (1 December 2008)
- Below the Belt All-Dayer, The Mish, 23/11/08 (26 November 2008)
- The Repeats: demo (26 November 2008)
- We Aeronauts: EP (10 November 2008)
- The Dirty Royals: demo (5 November 2008)
- Dr Slaggleberry: Tuc into the Tar! (4 November 2008)
- Pulled Apart By Horses, The Wheatsheaf, 29.10.08 (30 October 2008)
- Modern Clichés: Falseness and Fairytales (29 October 2008)
- The Dacoits: Dumbstruck (25 October 2008)
- Motion in Colour: demo (22 October 2008)
- Maria Ilett + We Aeronauts + Tristan & The Troubadours, The Port Mahon, 17/10/2008 (18 October 2008)
- A Silent Film: The City that Sleeps (3 October 2008)
- Then We Take Berlin + Jake Morley + Outcry, The Wheatsheaf 27 September 2008 (28 September 2008)
- Ally Craig: Angular Spirals (27 September 2008)
- Prdctv: demo (25 September 2008)
- Simon Davies: For Utter Beauty’s Sake (16 September 2008)
- The Elrics: Demo (10 September 2008)
- Henry Rollins – Oxford Academy (8 September 2008)
- Message to Bears: EP1 (30 August 2008)
- The Youngs Plan: Eveningtalk (25 August 2008)
- The Scholars: Turbulence (16 August 2008)
- Little Fish + Family Machine + Cat Matador, Thirst Lodge 07.08.2008 (13 August 2008)
- The Truck Festival, Hill Farm Steventon, Sunday 20 July (5 August 2008)
- Anton Barbeau with Su Jordan: The Automatic Door (1 August 2008)
- Truck Festival: Hill Farm, Steventon 19-20 July (1 August 2008)
- Rabeat’s Cage-compilation (27 July 2008)
- Murder By Death + Not My Day + The Family Machine, Oxford Academy, 11.07.08 (24 July 2008)
- Echo Boomer: album (22 July 2008)
- Fee Fie Fo Fum – A Day without Wine is like a Day without Reggae (17 July 2008)
- Hretha: EP One (11 July 2008)
- Miriam Jones: Being Here (4 July 2008)
- Charlbury Riverside Festival (3) (27 June 2008)
- Charlbury Riverside Festival (2) (26 June 2008)
- Charlbury Riverside Festival (1) (25 June 2008)
- Anna McNicholl- demo (23 June 2008)
- Transmission + For the Commonwealth + Archie, The Jericho Tavern, 19/06/2008 (22 June 2008)
- Euhedral: Burned Out Visions (17 June 2008)
- Worldview- Our Condition (14 June 2008)
- The Oxford Punt (2) (2 June 2008)
- The Oxford Punt (1) (1 June 2008)
- Captive State+ Major McCa + Smokey Angle Shades, The Slaughtered Lamb, Farringdon, 6-5-2008 (31 May 2008)
- Cabeza- demo (22 May 2008)
- B-Phil- demo (16 May 2008)
- Peanut Albinos- Falling from the saddle of a high horse (14 May 2008)
- Smilex- ’7′ (10 May 2008)
- Rubber Duck (7 May 2008)
- Boy Did Good – Enemies & Friends (demo) (5 May 2008)
- The Half Rabbits+ Sennen+ Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element+ Cogwheel Dogs- The Wheatsheaf 25 April 2008 (28 April 2008)
- Stornoway: On the Rocks EP (27 April 2008)
- Sinini ka Ngwenya-Getjenge Republic (24 April 2008)
- Oxford Improvisers: Paulo Angeli + Nostromo, 15.04.08 (21 April 2008)
- Vixens – demo (19 April 2008)
- Monkey Puzzle-demo (16 April 2008)
- Space Heroes of the People- Motorway to Moscow (16 April 2008)
- Captive State- Elmore Grove (11 April 2008)
- The Mile High Young Team + Toupe + David K. Frampton- The Wheatsheaf 29/03/2008 (1 April 2008)
- The Winchell Riots- Histories (29 March 2008)
- Beaver Fuel+ Beelzebozo+ Faceometer, The Bullingdon Arms, Good Friday, 2008 (27 March 2008)
- Beaver Fuel- Doesn’t this remind you of Kidney Beans? (24 March 2008)
- The Faff: That’s a nice glove! (21 March 2008)
- Cogwheel Dogs- Cress EP (15 March 2008)
- Tie Your Shoes To Your Knees And Pretend You’re Small Like Us – Tie Your Shoes …Small Like Us (12 March 2008)
- Ellen McAteer-demo (7 March 2008)
- The Follys-Sunrise (5 March 2008)
- Iona Bain-demo (2 March 2008)
- Charlottefield+ Action Beat+ Theo – Poor Girl Noise, The Wheatsheaf, 8/2/2008 (27 February 2008)
- Family Machine- You are the Family Machine (Alcopop) (25 February 2008)
- Juliana Meyer-Holding Up the Sky (22 February 2008)
- The Epstein+ The Family Machine+ Rami-Portcullis Social Club, Wallingford Saturday 16 February (17 February 2008)
- The Treat Phonography (31 January 2008)
- The Courtesy Kill + Striplight + Mary Bendy Toy + Savage Henry Is Dead, Friday, 11th January @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford (20 January 2008)
- FaceOmeter-demo (17 January 2008)
- A Silent Film-The Projectionist (Xtra Mile Recordings) (3 January 2008)
- The Raveonettes+ Cage the Elephant+ Wire Jesus – Carling Academy, Oxford 23/11/07 (17 December 2007)
- Cats and Cats and Cats/This Town Needs Guns split EP (17 December 2007)
- Dave Kirk – demo (13 November 2007)
- The Gullivers EP (2 November 2007)
- Trev Williams – demo (28 September 2007)
- The Colins of Paradise – EP (28 September 2007)
- Bethany Weimers – February EP (12 September 2007)
- The Epstein – Last of the Charanguistas (10 September 2007)
- Sunnyvale Noise Sub-element – Box Three, Spool Five (29 August 2007)
- Witches – Heart Of Stone (22 August 2007)
- Mark Crozer – International Jetsetters (10 August 2007)
- The Shaker Heights – Magna Doors (8 August 2007)
- Quadrophobe – demo (31 July 2007)
- Little Fish – EP (25 July 2007)
- The Blitz Cartel – Killer Ship EP (21 June 2007)
- Space Heroes of the People – demo (2 June 2007)
- Stornoway – ‘Letters from Lewis’ (8 March 2007)
- Grudle Bay Riots – DJ In Korea (21 February 2007)