When you’re out for an evening in Oxford, England and looking for something entertaining to enjoy, if you are lucky, you could bump into The Other Dramas who play regularly around the town and at festivals when the weather is nice.
When you’re out for an evening in Oxford, England and looking for something entertaining to enjoy, if you are lucky, you could bump into The Other Dramas who play regularly around the town and at festivals when the weather is nice.
They are Maria Ilett who plays guitar and sings with Richie Wildsmith drumming along to the beat. Maria and Richie have been playing together for over a year now, coming from what used to be Nine Stone Cowboy they have developed a unique style of their own.
They have recently released a CD of their favourite tunes to date which you can now have via iTunes and other online stores, to play whenever you want. For me it is one of the best local recordings I have heard for a while.
The Other Dramas’ Noisy Star EP is one of those compilations of songs which once finished you find yourself pressing play and listening to over again. It’s a very infectious experience and I found it goes well with the good recent summer we are enjoying.
Each track has its own identity which is a skill in itself these days. The CD builds as it goes, and on track 3 “Gonna Break My Heart” you hear Denny Ilett Snr creeping in with some inspiring trumpet behind a weepy toe tappy tempo.
The last number is “My Mermaid Song” which is just Maria and an acoustic guitar, showing off why she has one of the most enchanting voices on the musical scene in Oxford.
The best thing to do is get hold of the Noisy Star EP as soon as you can and enjoy a soundtrack to the summer of 2014 and beyond!
For the latest tour dates, music and more, please go to:
When I got a whiff of ‘Gentlemen & Hooligans’, the new album by Night Of Treason, my blood began racing. A wake up call for the punks who have been asleep for the the last 20 years, and a call to arms for the young.
When I got a whiff of ‘Gentlemen & Hooligans’, the new album by Night Of Treason, my blood began racing. A wake up call for the punks who have been asleep for the the last 20 years, and a call to arms for the young. I haven’t enjoyed such sounds for a very long time and was cranking up the volume and tapping, banging and air guttering all at the same time.
There seems to be a lack of this sort of music in the world today. It has all the appeal of credulous songs from when most nights you were out watching another inspiring band at your local venue, while also taking you to new places in your head at the same time.
“Can’t Remember” is the opening song on the album, it has a unique but familiar sound. A bit like the Diminished Responsibility record from UK Subs back in the eighties. Yet it still manages to stay true to Night Of Treason’s character.
So how do I get you to want to go and invest in this CD then? Lyrically they are very clever. Like on the song “Ballad Of The Teddy Boy”. There is a really good story to this song. Words that inspire pictures in your head with real toe tapping new school punk and an invigorating inspiring attitude too.
Yeah, there seems to be an awakening, a resurgence of new punk on the streets of England at the moment and if you want to get an idea of what it is about then get yourself ‘Gentlemen & Hooligans’ by Night Of Treason and you will be a part of what is happening outside your front door again.
I was passing by The Wheatsheaf in Oxford last Wednesday evening and thought I’d pop in and say hello to my old mate Joel the sound engineer, who has been engineering sound to some of the finest gigs in Oxford since the 1990’s. After obtaining some ale and ascending the stairs to the stage area, there I was greeted by a sound I hadn’t heard in this place before.
Peerless Pirates @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford review
I was passing by The Wheatsheaf in Oxford last Wednesday evening and thought I’d pop in and say hello to my old mate Joel the sound engineer – who has been engineering sound to some of the finest gigs in Oxford since the 1990’s.
After obtaining some ale and ascending the stairs to the stage area, there I was greeted by a sound I hadn’t heard in this place before.
After greeting Joel and being granted entrance to the venue, my attention was caught by an unusual band. A different type of indie with an “out to sea” feel about what they do. Yes indeed, lock up your cash and your treasure while the pirates are in town. The singer, Cliff, has a swashbuckling look about him and the bass player sports a little Steven type of bandana. Yes, very piratey. Makes me wonder if they are aware of Pastafarianism?
This band is Peerless Pirates – and indeed they are. Their songs are upbeat and all about, well, pirate escapades, such as songs like “The Ghost Of Captain Kidd” and “Bring Out Your Dead”. A fun band who you should go and see play live. Yes their songs are very swashbuckling!
Check out their Official Website or Facebook page and see when they’re next gigging. You won’t be disappointed.
Saturday, May 28, 2011: Compere Rob Collins + comedians Fredrik Andersson, Joel Dommett, Ava Vidal and Gary Delaney.
The Glee Club, Oxford review
Saturday, May 28, 2011: Compere Rob Collins + comedians Fredrik Andersson, Joel Dommett, Ava Vidal, Gary Delaney
The Glee Club is slap bang in the centre of Oxford town. Dead handy by bus or the train station if you can afford posh transport. Hythe Bridge Street is the location and easy to find. Once you have found the said venue you are ushered to your personal numbered seat. The place has a very friendly atmosphere and the staff are helpful to boot.
At The Glee Club you get a very different night out from just booze and your usual boom boom boom DJ music. An excellent idea for a stag or hen night and brilliant for a birthday surprise too.
Tonight we are in for a treat as the host is Rob Collins who certainly has the gift of the gab. Explaining why he has a plaster cast on his left forearm and picking out people in the audience creating an informal atmosphere.
First up is a lad from Sweden, comedian Fredrik Andersson, and he immediately gets the party going with stories from his country and very good risque observational humour about such things as being thrown off buses and midget smuggling.
Then we get an intermission, a chance to refill our empty glasses ready for the next acts.
Again, Rob introduces the next comedian to make us laugh by keeping the running jokes going and poking fun at the people sitting at the front of the stage. This is why we always sit at the back at comedy gigs by the way.
Next up is a very entertaining young lad called Joel Dommett from Bristol. He is one of my favourite ones to watch. Keep an eye out for this talented young Bristolian. He makes jokes about a one man theatre in Covent Garden, and the lost mobile phone story had everyone in stitches.
After more banter from Rob Collins, he introduces a very funny young lady called Ava Vidal. She has been on the scene for a few years now and used to be a prison warden, but found stand up comedy through being influenced by Chris Rock. She also is a dab hand at dealing with hecklers. When hassled by some randoms in the audience she replies ‘I’ll act like every other women you approach and ignore you.’ Her routine takes you through her experiences of being a mother, a prison warden and also a dig at racist issues. She is well worth a night out if you are near a comedy club.
Last up is the great Gary Delaney. He is the master of the one liners. It’s like he has the ideal recipe for instant comedy and knows it, as he tells us he can’t help laughing at his own jokes. Like the one ‘I went to see Walt Disney on ice. It was a bit disappointing it was just an old bloke in a freezer.’ And many more in that vein. He has a good way of uniting an audience in laughter, with us trying to remember the best jokes to tell our friends the next day.
Comedy is always funnier coming at you raw and in your face. Much more dangerous and gives you a “what if they pick on me” vibe. It is a different experience from just watching on TV.
Yes The Glee Club is a very good night out and much more entertaining than a pint of lager, a packet of crisps and a juke box at your local pub. Like I said, stand up comedy is a very good form of entertainment. Armed with just a microphone and their wit, a stand up comedian can be a lethal weapon when aimed at a crowded room. I definitely will be back for more and recommend this to anyone who is looking for something different on a night out.
The Second coming is a very humorous, can’t put down read of a book. As the title suggests this is a story about the good Lord revisiting the earth in 2011, this time though, instead of being a carpenter, he is a humble musician.
The Second Coming by John Niven book review
The Second Coming is a very humorous, can’t put down read of a book. As the title suggests, this is a story about the good Lord revisiting the earth in 2011, this time though, instead of being a carpenter, he is a humble musician.
This is a tongue-in-cheek ‘what if’ story. There is drama and tough luck tales a plenty in this book, but on the whole it is a good time, almost road trip adventure with surprising twists and turns on each page.
Jesus has to enlighten civilisation about the destruction of his father’s planet – armed with only a guitar and his disheveled disciples. With everyone believing he is a bit crazy and not really the son of God at all, He winds up performing on the book’s version of American Idol and dealing with Steven Stelfox, John Niven’s answer to whom I believe to be Simon Cowell.
An Evening Under The Bridge at Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge, London.
Under The Bridge is one of my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs, but now I can add it as one of my favorite places to be, too. Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich, recently opened the 500-capacity £20million nightclub quite literally under Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge football stadium.
An Evening Under The Bridge Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge, London
Friday 11 March 2011
Under The Bridge is one of my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs, but now I can add it as one of my favorite places to be, too.
Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich, recently opened the 500-capacity £20million nightclub quite literally under Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge football stadium.
I was looking forward to the night not only because of the new venue, but also our friends Guillemots were playing. This is another gig amongst the secret shows they have been playing in a run up to their album release. The secret shows are a good idea and they also get the band used to the songs before they start to tour later this year.
The industry show they’re playing tonight though, is for the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) – so not many superfans to be seen – and most people probably aren’t here specifically to see the band.
After being treated to mini fish and chips in a basket that the waitresses were handing out, native New Yorker, turned London resident Julian Velard starts the entertainment rolling by playing quirky cheeky jazz/pop music on an electric piano. Good fun and a nice way to warm the crowd.
Guillemots follow him and start their set with songs from the forthcoming album Walk The River. It’s good to hear that they have nailed their new single “The Basket”, as the last time we saw them they left it out of the set calling it a work in progress. Well it has progressed and sounds like it could be a summer hit for them.
The light show is all about blue to go with the vibe of the CD. The sound is well balanced and not too loud. Compliments to the sound engineers who also work for The Specials. Guillemots play a blinding set mixing in a few old favorites such as Made Up Love Song #43, and that masterpiece Trains To Brazil. By this time they have won the crowd over and from where we are standing people are waving their arms, clapping along and shaking their legs in a good old London knees up.
I have to say that Dancing In The Devil’s Shoes is the stand out song from their new album Walk The River, and they played a perfect version of it tonight.
Finishing the set with Sao Paulo, Guillemots leave the crowd wanting more and retire to the dressing room to the right of the stage. I would say that Guillemots have to be one of the most inspiring bands in Britain today. Frontman Fyfe Dangerfield has a certain something, you know the X-thing that all greats have and I am sure he and his band will rise above the ranks in the forthcoming years becoming an important part of music history.
What an experience and what a night. You should go to Under The Bridge for an event, a night out. It has to be one of the best live music venues I’ve been to. Even the band was happy with their sound. The doormen were friendly and welcoming and I would like to thank Alan Tenenbaum, the Creative Manager of the club for providing us with a wonderful and memorable evening, and Guillemots for putting the soundtrack to it.
I have a funny feeling that we will be returning to this place soon, and not because I left my gloves there! No, this is one of those venues that leaves you feeling like it’s apart of where you should be.
Photo: Them Changes. So when they ask, “what were you doing for New Year’s Eve 2010?” I can say with a cheeky smile that I was drinking and soaking up the atmosphere at Nambucca on The Holloway Road, Islington in London.
Photo: Them Changes
So when they ask, “what were you doing for New Year’s Eve 2010?” I can say with a cheeky smile that I was drinking and soaking up the atmosphere at Nambucca on The Holloway Road, Islington in London.
We arrived there with our mate Greig Stewart who was to be offering himself up as a DJ for a couple of hours before joining us in celebrating the onset of 2011.
There were also to be a number of bands playing. Earlier that evening, before they took to the stage, I was talking to a guy called Dan who turned out to be the bass player in the aptly named Prima Donna. There’s lots of hair in this all male 3 piece outfit. Led by keyboard playing vocalist Roo Rothwell they kicked off their set with an up tempo number that got the crowd moving.
Roo is a good front man and knows how to handle an audience. The bassist and drummer – that’s Dan Perilous and Louis Court to you – have a lot of emotion on stage. Louis oozes raw energy as he thrashes his drums. Dan compliments him with some very impressive bassing. They span a rock stroke pop gully and bridge it very well. Good band and after their last tune they leave the stage and we quench our thirst with more lager.
While ordering my drink I enjoy Greig’s DJing, he’s perched up there above the bar like some cherub type of music giver. We have a drink, then it’s time for Them Changes. Who knows what to expect? We are greeted by another 3 piece band this time with a guitarist, a singing bassist and a very professional subtle drummer. Very good and very passionate. My first initial impression is amazement at how tight and infectious their tunes are. The guitarist knows his craft and impresses us with some mean licks.
The vocalist/bassist has his own style of singing. I like his voice and you know, I reckon 2011 could be a good year for Them Changes, they deserve it, and it would be good to see this band on a bigger stage.
After wetting our whistles we return to the music room and are greeted by the Pippa Marias who are already on stage. The clock has announced the start of a new year yeah!!
Happy 2011 and we are dancing like children to this eighties pop fueled band. Another group to add to the list of “ones to watch out for” in this bright new year. There is a party happening on stage and I want to be up there with them. Good vibes and a positive energy that makes me smile like a deluded fool. Yeah I look forward to more Pippa Marias in the forth coming year.
You really should visit Nambucca when you are in London. There is a warm welcome here and it has the vibe of an up and coming legendary music venue for the future. Say hello to Gemma and her family and you will be guaranteed an evening to remember.
