Ocelot 133 july 2017 artwork

No: 133 July 2017

Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire

Free

Expand your horizons Get out there and discover all that Ocelotshire has to offer with our comprehensive what’s on guide p28 onwards

What's on Ocelot 133.indd 1

/ STYLE / EATS / BREWS / SCREEN / TECH 26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 2

26/06/2017 16:46

#133 For Starters

JULY ISSUE

04 Running for my Life + Luke Coleman 06 Encyclopaedia Oceloticca 08 The Bassett Rivers Echo 10 Writers Block Lifestyle

15 Get Away 16 Style 18 Get a Life 20 TV 22 Game 23 Film Brews and Eats

24 Wine not?

25 Brewery Bird 26 Recipe 27 History of... Angel Delight Arts and Culture

28 The Theatre List 29 Neeld Hall 30 Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Music

32 Marlborough Music Festival 34 Stratton Festival 36 The Ocelot Presents 37 Gig Monkey 38 The Night of The Ocelot 39 Party in the Paddock 40 O2 Academy Oxford 41 Level III 42 Swindon Shuffle 43 The Gig List The Final Bit of the magazine

46 Agony Girl

Ocelot 133.indd 3

Summer lovin’

We’re loving the summer so far at Castle Ocelot.

There’s been festivals aplenty and a whole lot of goodness in the theatre and music scenes.

But we’ve still got a fair few amazing events to go through the summer - not least of all the Old Town Festival in Swindon where we have a theatre night in conjunction with Swindon Fringe on Friday July 14.

Other events we’re looking forward to are Cornbury Festival, holding its last ever year in 2017 with the help of Bryan Adams, Swindon Shuffle and Marlborough Music Festival.

With all that July is looking like a pretty busy month.

We’re taking a break this month from our Night of the Ocelot but will be returning in August with a good bit of comedy. More information next month.

This’ll give us a bit of time to calm down after the amazing birthday Night of the Ocelot with added Chip Daddy that we held in June.

The summer is also a great time to get out there and try some new pubs and eateries. In the last couple of years we’ve seen a whole gamut of new places opening so there’s plenty of places to whet your appetite and palette.

There’s been a load of worrying stuff happening in the news recently not least the UK going through a bit of political instability. So check our listings and get yourself out there to take your mind off it all. We all need stuff to make us smile now and again.

Write in to me at jamie@theocelot.co.uk

Jamie Hill

Editor: Jamie Hill - jamie@theocelot.co.uk Deputy: Ben Fitzgerald - ben@theocelot.co.uk Sales: Dave Stewart dave@theocelot.co.uk - 07872 176999 Rosy Presley rosy@positivemediagroup. press - 07717 501790 Telephone: 01793 781986 Publisher: Positive Media Group, Unit 3, Arclite House, Peatmoor, Swindon SN5 5YN Printers: Stones, Badbury

26/06/2017 16:46

For Starters

Running for My Life by Jamie Hill

Ocelot editor Jamie Hill is planning to run the Birmingham Marathon on October 15 in aid of ICP Support. Every month he’s been chronicling his journey.

I had a bit of a wobble in June. I came seriously close to saying ‘I can’t do this’.

It was the heat that did it. With the mileage piling up as part of my marathon training I would take one look outside and think to myself ‘I’m not bloody doing that!’.

The runs that I did go on, I came back melted, unable to breathe properly with sweat pouring off me as if I had just gone through US customs wearing a Mexican hat.

I would drink loads beforehand, during and after but each run just left me feeling flat as if I couldn’t do it any more. All of my muscles ached and I’m still walking up and down stairs like a crab.

And then it got cooler again and I somehow found my willpower to start running, putting one foot in front of the other, ignoring the aches and the way a long run leaves me drained for 24 hours afterwards.

I’m now approaching the endgame where the miles start ramping up like a really annoying ramping up thing.

From now on until the marathon itself my weekly long run will be increasing by a mile at a time until it peaks at 22 miles a week before the big cahuna run in Birmingham.

I’m beginning to realise this is a lot more pyschological than physical as your biggest enemy is that damn brain that keeps thinking rational thoughts like ‘wouldn’t you rather be doing anything other than this?’

To combat this, I’m no longer doing circuits but running and turning around at the halfway point. In my brain this makes sense as really all I’ve got to do is make it to that hallowed halfway point and then I’m on my way home again.

So in my head, increasing my runs by a mile each week, actually is only increasing the distance from my home by half a mile.

Running out of excuses...

I don’t know if this is a weird thing or not. But it seems to be working for the moment.

During the week now I’m doing shorter runs and aerobics. The idea is to build up my speed during the week and my stamina at the weekend with a bit of aerobics thrown in just to keep me loosey goosey.

As far as Nike+, my training app, and any other plans are concerned, I’m now completely off-piste, and now adhering to anything apart from what I’ve cobbled together.

I now can’t wait for October to be over and for my life to return to a semblance of normality.

It’ll be a time of wonder and joy as my legs start working normally again and I’m not zoned out from my exertions. It’ll also be guilt-free as I’ve just run a bloody marathon for God’s sake! I can’t wait.

Next month I’m going to start the fundraising part of all this, which adds a whole new stress dimension to what I’m trying to achieve as you watch the money going up or not going up whatever the case may be.

Til then!

More tragedy in Iraq as IED kills journalist Off The Grid with Luke Coleman - Our man in Iraq A few months ago I warned that this conflict would take the life of a Western journalist at some stage, as inexperienced young men and women, determined to file a scoop, and slightly high on the adrenaline, took risks.

Risks that were deemed acceptable by Iraqi forces all too keen to display the horrors of war.

Yesterday, one of the French guys that had prompted that musing was injured in an IED explosion that left two colleagues – one French, one Kurdish – dead. They were filming for French TV. The dead Frenchman leaves behind a wife and four children. I’d only met him in passing, but the incident has rocked the tight knit journalist community.

4

Access has been restricted.

A secondary problem is the instant nature of social media.

Three years ago I found out that a good friend had been killed in Kirkuk, via Facebook. Except he hadn’t been. Yesterday, local news agencies vying to be the first to break the story, published the name of the Kurdish journalist, seemingly without having checked if his family were aware of the news. Ghouls tweeted and posted, for no other reason than to garner emojis.

I take no joy in my prediction coming true. I also refuse to be drawn into the vulture-like faux mourning that has become a feature of social media.

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 4

26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 5

26/06/2017 16:46

Science Fact: How to get a head in science...

by Ben Fitzgerald

Head transplant Excitingly the first human head transplant is due to take place this year.

If, like me, you’re a keen fan of extreme surgery attempts, this date will have been in your diary for a couple of years now.

Two years ago, madcap neurosurgeon Dr Sergio Cenavero announced that he planned to carry out the first human head transplant on Russian Valery Spiridonov in the UK this year calling it ‘Project Heaven’.

But Valery, who suffers from a form of spinal muscular atrophy, has recently been told that he is being dropped from the project in favour of an unnamed man from China.

Apparently he’s relieved at this turn of events - and who can blame him. The procedure would have seen his head being cooled to prevent brain cells dying and tubes connected to support key arteries and veins.

Then the spinal cord would be cut using a specially designed super sharp scalpel, before being fused onto a donor body using a ‘glue’ called polyethylene glycol to fuse the the spinal cord together.

The muscles and blood supply would be stitched up, before the patient is put into a coma for four weeks to stop them moving while the head and body heal together.

Whilst in a coma, the newly attached head and body would then be subjected to electrical shocks to strengthen the nerve connections. To say that this is risky is a bit of an understatement

6

I’ll say that again... head transplant!

- it’s the moonshot of surgery. On paper, some of the elements of this have been attempted.

Pioneering scientists have already carried out similar experiments on animals, with varying levels of success. In 1908 Charles Claude Guthrie succeeded in grafting one dog’s head onto the side of another.

And in a huge step forward, during the 1970s, a team of US scientists managed to transplant the head of a monkey onto the body of another. The animal survived for nine days (although some say that is survived for longer and is currently the foreign secretary).

Putting the mind boggling difficulty of attempting such a procedure aside for a moment.

The idea of a head transplant throws opens a Pandora’s box of legal, ethical and philosophical considerations. Would having a new body change the patient’s view of themselves?

How would this impact on the patient’s sense of themselves?

Who are we… are we just our minds or does the sense of self include the body?

It is understandable at the most hysterical end of the spectrum to draw parallels with Frankenstein’s Monster or to see something inherently wrong with meddling with the seat of the ‘soul’ in such a way. But perhaps if we look at the idea in a purely objective way - it is no more ethically objectionable than transplanting any major life supporting organ such as a heart, kidney or lung.

And if such procedures pave the way for one day giving paralysed people vastly improved quality of life, isn’t it worth the huge risks involved?

Speaking about the attempt, which he plans to carry out later this year Canavero said it will give us an insight into life after death: “It will be like Gagarin’s flight into space. Gagarin later said he hadn’t seen any angels up there. I want to send another Gagarin beyond the curtain of the unknown and create a situation of clinical death. In our case we’ll be sending a human being to find out what happens to us after we die.”

But I only came in for an ingrowing toenail...

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 6

26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 7

26/06/2017 16:46

Bassett

The

Rivers Scary news for scary times...

Echo

Free long night of the soul for every reader

p65

Scientists announce that they’ve finished all the science now and are going for a pint instead

by Kit Chentable

BASSETT Rivers scientists have announced that they’ve finished and that there’s no more science for them to do.

Speaking from the Stag and iPod pub on High Street, Chief Science Officer Ato ‘Mick’ Bom said : “It was on Tuesday last week when one of my colleagues asked what we were going to ‘science’ next and I suddenly thought that we had done all the ‘science’ now and that there was no more science to do.

“So I put down my bunsen burner and announced that we should all go down the pub instead.

“That’s it now. We’ve done everything. We’ve mapped the human genome, done loads with stem cells, worked out how to make televisions and computers work and basically improved human kind beyond all recognition.

“So life’s going to be pretty boring from now on as there’s just nothing left to discover.”

Ocelot 133.indd 8

When asked about things like the ‘cure for cancer’, ‘teleportation’ and a sustainable fuel source, Dr Bom added: “Look, we’re all pretty tired now. Can’t you just leave it alone. Just try mixing a few things together and I’m sure you guys will get there eventually. You’re now interupting pub time!”

The local job centre has since been inundated by out of work scientists still wearing lab coats and protective goggles and carrying things like test tubes.

Job centre manager Comp Utersaysno said: “They keep coming in here looking a bit lost with their PHDs, degrees and intelligence and we have to keep sending them away as there’s literally nothing they can do apart from studying things through microscopes and working out theorems that improve life for every single person on earth. I told them to come back once they’ve learnt some proper skills!”

26/06/2017 16:46

Bassett Rivers Council to be replaced by bloke called Dave in cutbacks Bassett Rivers MP Bane ‘Drive-by’ Bullet’s monthly Column

By Livi Ngroom In the latest of a series of cutbacks Bassett Rivers Council has been replaced by a bloke called Dave.

Former council leader Ima Bitofanobber said: “We had been asked by Central Government to cut back our spending by 99% to help pay for our ever increasing social care costs.

“We had just finished a meeting where we couldn’t come up with a solution when we thought we might as well head to the Stag and iPod for a pint. Pushing past all these unruly scientist types, we were at the bar, when we overheard a

bloke called Dave loudly telling everybody what he would do if he was in charge and that the present council did not have a clue.

“So all of us councillors looked at each other and decided that we might as well take Dave at his word so we officially made him Bassett Rivers Council.

“All it took was a packet of crisps and a pint of Arsedagger IPA and Dave drunkenly accepted, although he did vomit all over the feet of the former head of economies, regeneration and culture a few moments later, but even that was more than we’ve been able to achieve in the past three years.”

World in shock as Donald Trump still in power p75 Ocelot 133.indd 9

I iz like well representin’ u, innit!

Just six weekz ago I iz like hangin’ by da Bassett Riverz bus stop wiv me homiez. We iz like drinkin’ some WKD n’ me crew r takin’ turnz dissin’ me man P Diddy Ha Ha Hum ova dat time his biatch (mum) made him beanz on toast wivout dose lil sausagez dat everybody likez.

Then dis Corbyn geeza comez up wiv me man Stormzy who iz like chuckin’ out some serious lyricz sayin’ dat dis ol’ geeza from some party called Labia iz like da king of da grime scene. I told dis Corbyn dat I iz like a big fan of da labia party which made me homie Sixpack Shaker fall on da floor laffin’ but dis Corbyn obvs did not get da joke as he said dat I should represent da labia party at the erection. I said 2 him dat I iz avin’ no probs representin’ da labia party at da erection. At dis point Sixpack Shaker iz like laffin’ so hard dat he haz just snorted some WKD out of his nose which wuz well sick but not sick in a good way but in a bad way like real sick.

Anyway, 2 cut a long story short, dat iz how I found meself becomin’ da prospective parliamentary candidate 4 da labia party.

I didn’t do no campaignin’ or nuffink but den dere wuz dis scandal involvin’ da Bassett Riverz MP Gilez Hetherington-Smythe, a badger, five Mexicanz and a litre of vaseline, and I iz suddenly elected as an MP 2 da housez of parliament.

I didn’t even know about it for a few dayz after I got voted in as I had, like, totally forgotten about dat Corbyn geeza and wuz like busy avin’ an argument wiv me biatch (mum) who iz like bein’ well out of orda as she wantz me 2 move out as I am now 23 yearz old and should be in me own crib.

I iz like tellin’ her dat dat iz so unfair when da phone ringz and it iz me homie Corbyn tellin’ me dat I am like an MP now and why iz I not in London n stuff az dere wuz an important vote comin’ up!

Bane ‘Drive-by’ Bullet iz now in da house!

Respect!

26/06/2017 16:46

Writers Block

Part 5: Frida Kahlo Museum, Hooters and big trees In the fifth of a series of articles Tobias Baughan blogs about a life-changing trip to Mexico.

Sitting in the ADO bus station Tuxtla Gutierrez, daylight breaks quickly, almost in the blink of an eye.

I look around at the people sitting in the station and look over the list of items you are helpfully reminded not to bring with you on the bus which includes: 1. Guns.

2. Explosives.

3. Chickens.

Pictures are included of these items, just to make sure through a series of hilarious misunderstandings due to my lack of Spanish, I somehow end up leaving my pants and socks in the hotel and fill up the space in my luggage with a case of hand grenades. The sad thing is though, at least if we give them the benefit of the doubt which would be much nicer, perhaps in one instance someone thought they had left their hand grenades at home, in their other trousers, which is why they have the sign.

When I’ve finished chuckling away to myself I head outside for my first glimpse of Chiapas on foot, taking in the heady vistas of the bus station and shopping centre car park, watching a group to my left gather round one of their friend’s impressive

10

stun guns, which hums and flashes menacingly as they take it in turns to activate it, thankfully not near any endangered animals.

Luckily, too, Xavier appears shortly. We get out of there alive and without incident I’m pleased to be able to report, and head for the home of Xavier’s sister Flo, who lives mercilessly close to the station, has no dangerous weapons to speak of (not even a taser) and a house full of primarily natural foodstuffs.

The rules of the road in Mexico City, even more so than anywhere else in the country are each car for itself, which might not be written law, but it’s martial and actual law. That said all my experiences of being driven round this city so new to me are pleasurable and are made even more so by the fact we don’t hit and kill anyone. We only come close to doing so... which I am reliably reassured is the best possible outcome for any journey.

I also have an incredible time skating through the city, hanging around with Xavier and some of his friends who live here, seeing some sights, including the Frida Kahlo museum. Here, when I saw everything she had to wear to support her damaged body, the whole construct that she used to hide her ailments, that was when I began to get to the heart of

the story, to my own heart. After, outside, skateboards at the ready with Xavier and another friend Ofo, a French girl starts talking to us, saying she is here alone and should she go into the museum, is it worth it? She’s running a bit late, there’s not much time but she should come back tomorrow?

Goodbye and we skate off.

I realise through luck but also organisation and planning I was well set up for my trip but I feel a bit bad for someone on their own in Mexico, like that girl, so I see a good opportunity to distribute some important information now, in the simple form of a meme, hopefully to help build a brighter future on this planet which says: ‘Don’t arrive at four o’ clock for the Frida Kahlo museum.’

The picture is of a chihuahua crying because it can’t go and see Frida Kahlo’s paintings and dresses even thought she’s its favourite artist. Dang!

Another thing: now I like trees maybe a little more than the next man even if I don’t long for physical contact with one but just outside Oaxaca we visit the tree with the widest circumference in the world, over fifty metres, which is a lot of IKEA furniture.

I’ve never seen anything like that before. On this day trip with me are some Mexican tourists as well as a handful of Germans

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 10

26/06/2017 16:46

Writers Block

and Austrians who I make friends with, bonding in the wake of our experience with one of the most beautiful trees on the planet, man. There are other great sites on the trip, like the mescal distillery where you can see pits and vats full of fermenting agave hearts; as well as wools hand spun and dyed with cochineal, a dried, squashed bug which is the best known natural red dye, and has genuinely been used to colour Starbucks strawberry smoothies.

We finish up at the site of Hierve Aqua, where hot sulphurous water bubbles to the surface on a mountainside with a panoramic view of surrounding mountainous forest, as far as the eye can see.

I’m worried though when the two Austrian guys tell me they’ve had a bit of trouble with the police on the bus between Oaxaca City and Tuxtla Gutierrez, and they nearly had to bribe them.

My next meme is of an anteater in Starbucks. The anteater says: ‘I found out there were bugs in this smoothie and want to make a complaint.’

‘What’s your complaint?’ says the common dwarf mongoose who works as a barista. ‘There weren’t enough bugs in it,’ says the anteater.

I’d like to add that the bugs may be a good source of protein and that people have jobs making cochineal, but I can’t fit all that information into a meme about an anteater. Tough break.

At the end of the trip, back at Cancun, we look round some shops. Some stores have pictures of people feeling good about themselves. You can join in too, just buy some perfume or shoes, put them on and take a picture of yourself on Instagram. It’s up to you who you are, you can be the sort of person who wears a perfume that comes with a picture of someone on a motorbike or on the beach, so you can decide who you are. Are you the sort of person who has blue or red trainers? Personally I’m more of a blue trainers person I’d like to say, so that you have a chance to get to know me through this blog, that’s how I like to express my whole sense of individuality and identity. They also have stores with products that are familiar, so you don’t have to worry about getting the wrong thing, most of your choices have already been made for you. One more thing: the water that runs through the shopping centre near the airport unlike the road by the river is crocodile free, so you won’t get dragged in and dismembered.

My meme for Cancun is a picture of me being offered the chance to go to Hooters and running the other way. The text is: ‘Left wing? Middle Class? Just the one day in Cancun then.’ Because this is a meme though I don’t have room to say that it provides a lot of jobs for ordinary Mexicans, and a great deal of people

Mexicans included like it.

I try to write something about why I don’t like Hooters which takes ages, but it takes so much effort to think it all through, it’s a struggle but sometimes things should be. Anyway I think when you try to simplify a person into something less than a person and then encourage people to focus on only one part, things are going wrong unless you have more context than to be honest, everybody has to understand what’s going on. I wouldn’t be sure if I went there that everyone would understand that, and my position on this, and in this instance it would make me feel uncomfortable that I might be seen to be endorsing a viewpoint I don’t believe in.

We are driving through another tropical downpour, and Norma says ‘the sky is raining Tobias because it’s sad you’re leaving’, and she’s right, not about the sky of course, but I am leaving. I haven’t always had sign posts to point things out but for me personally I’m glad it’s that way, I wouldn’t want things to be too simple. Even if I do like chihuahuas, anteaters and common dwarf mongoose.

Thanks to everyone I’ve mentioned and everyone I haven’t because I can’t make myself write a consecutive, straight report of my travels and have to make it complicated.

Next I’m off to America.

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 11

11

26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 12

26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 13

26/06/2017 16:46

Get Away

Space age Salford Ben Fitzgerald was invited to visit Salford to witness for himself the radical re-invention of a post industrial wasteland.

Until recently, Salford is not a place that you would immediately think of as a place to visit. When I was a skinny faced student in the early 90s in Manchester, I remember visiting a friend in nearby Salford.

The Salford I remember was as a post apocalyptic wasteland… all soot blackened terraced houses and half eaten kebabs.

Fast forward 25 years and I struggled to recognise the place.

Huge investment has been pumped into the area, once rife with unemployment and gang crime the area boasts glittering high rise apartments jostling for shoulder room with art galleries, museums, theatres, restaurants and market stalls - not to mention BBC’s media city and the set of ITV’s Coronation Street. We stayed at the 133room Hotel Football, which was so close to Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground that with a strong throw from the eighth floor you would have a good chance of lobbing a prawn sandwich onto the hallowed turf.

The hotel, backed by former Red Devil teammates Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt has a subtle football thread running throughout the design - but not so much that it would alienate not football fans.

Original sporting artwork and memorabilia graces the walls throughout the building which also boasts a 5-a-side pitch on the roof area. Our room offered a view of Old Trafford and everything that you might expect from a top class room - from flat screen TV to comfy bed and even an amazing

14

It’s Salford... but not as we know it

‘rainforest’ shower. My favourite thing was the mini-bar stuffed full of retro sweets. There’s nothing quite like relaxing at the end of the day, watching a high-definition television from the comfort of your bed, with a mouth full of spacedust.

When we were able to drag ourselves further from the excellent hotel, having wolfed down a full English breakfast, we had a busy itinerary ahead of us. First stop was the Lowry Art Gallery where the development of Salford lad JS Lowry as an artist was revealed through thoughtfully displayed original artwork and accessible notes. Turns out that it’s not all matchstick men he was an incredible draftsman as well and it was a delight to spend a wonderful hour or so losing myself in his world. With a quick detour to the relocated Blue Peter garden, where I placed my hand against the handprint of my childhood hero John Noakes, it was off to the Imperial War Museum North. Housed in a jaw-dropping steel architectural sculpture, the war museum was one of the highlights of the tour. Far from being a celebration of war, or a weird collection of bayonets - the museum focuses on

individual people and their amazing stories. There were heartbreaking farewell letters hastily scribbled by young lads before they went towards certain death. And there were complete diaries written by prisoners of war who had to use tiny writing for each entry on a single sheet of A4.

I could have spent an entire day there.

We were spoilt for choice when it came to food, but opted for the pretheatre food at the boisterous Lime restaurant, where I opted for a pretty decent steak and chips followed by a reassuringly boozy Tiramisu (it would be rude not to). The following day, we were up early because we had a date with a boat - we took a six hour meander down the famous Manchester ship canal all the way to Liverpool.

There’s something enchanting about travelling by water and it was a good way of getting a close up view of the industrial powerhouse that helped establish Salford during the early part of this century. However, I would only recommend this trip for the more hardy heritage fan, six hours of looking at the rear end of chemical works and swing bridges if not for everyone.

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 14

26/06/2017 16:46

Ocelot 133.indd 15

26/06/2017 16:46

Style

By fashion writer Gina Akers

Top row, from left: Knomo Mini Beauchamp Backpack, Guess Jet Setter watch, Joanie Lace Wedge Sandals, Chatham Peel Slip On Deck Shoes, Men’s Next green hoodie, Weirdfish Parka, Next Men’s grey jeans. Modelled, left to right: Next multicoloured high neck, Only June checked boyfriend shirt, Brand attic Threadbare Stone Sycamore Jacket, Jacqueline De Young Navy Neva Oversized Knitted Hoodie, Threadbare Dover Green Hooded Jacket, Next Perforated Panel Tee.

S

unshine, the great outdoors, sand, sea and travel, it’s summer and this season demands a style of its own.

Versatile multi-situational garments that will suit whatever setting you are spending your summer in are a must.

These essential fashion pieces will ensure you get the most out of the good (and bad) weather days over the coming months.

Knomo backpacks are the hot ‘go to’ for versatile style and are proving to be clear favourite in London with commuters, travellers and day trippers.

16

For everyday practicality and chic the Knomo Mini Mount Leather Backpack (£199.00) is essential and also translates perfectly for a smarter evening look, available in black, chilli and nude croc.

If you want a lighter option, the Knomo Mini Beauchamp Backpack (£129.00) is compact, light and smart, ideal for festivals and summer days out, available in black, navy, olive and papaya, visit www. knomobags.com For a cooler day and to be summer shower ready the Weird Fish Pensacola Waterproof Parka Jacket (currently on offer £56.00) is

perfect whether you are going for walks on the beach, in the woods or festival revelling, check out www.weirdfish.co.uk For a super on trend day time look Sorel’s White Dove Joanie Lace Wedge Sandals (£135.00) look perfect with turned up jeans but just as easily work as edgy footwear for an evening out, visit www. sorelfootwear.co.uk The Guess Jet Setter blue and white watch is the ultimate summer accessory to go with all outfits, and suits both day and night wear, see www.guess.eu Chatham Peel Slip On Deck Shoes in Tan/Taupe (£139.00) are a true summer staple and

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 16

26/06/2017 16:46

Style

Let’s get out there! great gentleman’s shoes, fit for any occasion. They are made in Britain, hand stitched, slip on boat shoes made using premium British tanned Kudu leather, and lined underfoot with luxurious memory foam padding for super summer strolling comfort, from www.chatham.co.uk Brand Attic’s men’s Threadbare Stone Sycamore Jacket Stone (£30.00) works perfectly for smart casual daytime or evening wear. The Threadbare Dover Green Hooded Jacket (£40.00) in this seasonal shade is an absolute go to for summer festivals and showery days out.

Whether you are sightseeing in the sun or need a great beach

cover up the Only June Long Sleeve Checked Boyfriend Shirt (£28.00) meets all requirements.

The Jacqueline De Young Navy Neva Oversized Knitted Hoodie (£22.00) is a super versatile garment that can be worn as a dress, over shorts or with jeans, the navy colour gives a nautical summer feel, visit www.brandattic.com For cooler summer nights the Mens Green Hoody (£28.00) from Next is ideal for keeping cosy around a campfire or for a late evening walk. Next Mens Light Grey Jeans (£22.00) can really lighten up your day or evening look, wear with a summery pastel colour top, a

bright retro top or a plain white tee for crisp summer style.

The Multicoloured High Neck Colourblock Top (£32.00) from Next gives the perfect balance of summer brights with a sleek streamlined cut.

The slight retro feel gives an interesting edge to this top making it work for a summer evening dining out (pair up with smart black shorts) or for work wear with a stylish twist when worn with light fabric trousers.

The Next White Perforated Panel Tee (£25.00) has a loose fit to help you keep cool but shouts sharp design making a clear on trend statement, available at www.next.co.uk

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 17

17

26/06/2017 16:46

Get a Life

Beauty is skin deep

Getting a tattoo is something that will stay with you... so it makes sense to ensure that you seek out artists who have a great reputation for their skill and professionalism and aftercare.

Love True tattoo and piercing studio is Marlborough’s first and only tattoo studio. And already they are getting a reputation for providing an excellent service.

Open seven days a week, from 10am until 7pm, the studio boasts talented, reliable and professional staff who are passionate about giving their customers the best possible service.

For more information, to book an appointment or to view the range of beautiful, powerful designs created by Love True artist visit the studio’s website at www. lovetruetattoo.co.uk

18

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 18

26/06/2017 16:47

Ocelot 133.indd 19

26/06/2017 16:47

Screenzone: TV Sofa so good on BBC Breakfast

Breaking the news

Screen Grab A TV column by Jamie Hill There’s something I love about the ‘impartiality’ rules of the UK’s television news.

Especially during elections.

Ofcom rules state that television news programmes have to show due impartiality throughout their programming and you can get a sense if they’re succeeding or not by the simple test of seeing who is accusing the news programmers of being impartial.

If it’s both sides of an argument, they’ve probably got it about right.

In recent weeks the BBC has been renamed the British Biased Corporation by people on the left and on the right. In my view, and I might be biased, that probably means that most of the time they get it about right.

But it’s a bloody difficult tightrope to walk. Why for instance, did the BBC give so much airtime to UKIP, who have no sitting MPs and hardly any to the Green Party, who have one sitting MP? The BBC would claim that this is because they are still a political force who have had a massive impact on the country for good or for bad in recent years. They might feel a bit differently after the recent election though with only about two people and a pigeon coming out to vote for them.

Out of all the UK broadcasters the BBC has the most difficult job when it comes to impartiality of its news programming. As an institution it’s expected to be above reproach and at times mistakes are bound to be made.

Personally, I’m just a tiny bit in love with Channel 4

20

In your face!!!!

News and it’s hour long insightful news coverage. It’s got room to breathe and to have proper debate. And it just feels like there’s proper gravitas compared to the frivolous flirtation of the now retired Bill and Carole on BBC Breakfast.

But compared with the US all of our TV news programming has a sense of gravitas that the Americans would kill for (probably with guns).

News as entertainment is the order of the day across the pond where celebrity stories are given as much credence as a hard-hitting political stories. And they wear their bias on their sleeves (just like our UK newspapers do).

It’s easy to look down on this style of news, and you can blame the 24 hour news cycle all you want, but we live in a world where a segment about the impending impeachment of the leader of the free world can be immediately followed by a story concerning a raccoon which got stuck in a fridge. I like that world. It kind of pops the self-important bubble between serious and frivolous. Just as long as the racoon is alright.

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 20

26/06/2017 16:47

Fri 7th - Ramonas + Acrustic Badger Band Sun 9th - Blank Atlas + Support Fri 14th - Crippled Rook + Support Sat 15th - Grant Sharkey + Support Fri 21st to Sun 23rd - Mini Sausage Fest Charity Weekender (Raising money for the Trussell Trust) Feat... Funke and the Two Tone Baby, Last Edition, Karl Phillips, Dead Royalties and many more to be announced Fri 28th - iconsburn + Cutlass

Ocelot 133.indd 21

26/06/2017 16:47

Screenzone: Gaming This is commuting in Wiltshire...

The Return of the Hoonigan!

Game On!

by Mike Barham I’m a motorsports fan... So what?!

Yes I appreciate watching F1 cars going round in circles can be boring for some people, and I get that watching a crazy Italian six-footer riding a MotoGP bike into his retirement years isn’t for everyone.

(Seriously, how can Valentino Rossi still be beating teenagers on motorbikes at almost 40 years old?!)

I was raised watching Touring Cars, Superbikes and all manner of engine-based competition. Like so many children before me, I would have loved to have been given a go in Schumacher’s Ferrari or Colin McRae’s Impreza, but unfortunately none of the motorsport heavyweights seemed to receive my carefully written notes.

I used my best crayons and everything!

But if you want true excitement, you have to turn to the completely bonkers world of rallying.

Look up any rallycross race you like from the past few years and you’ll see sideways action and vehicular mayhem that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Literally!

Racing fans who don’t get that golden opportunity to take part in the real thing take up their seats in the virtual realms of Forza, Gran Turismo, Project Cars, Need For Speed or any other racing franchise. But for sheer enjoyment value, one series has you grinning every time you get behind that virtual wheel.

Codemasters’ Dirt series started life as a franchised rallying sim with Colin McRae’s legendary status as a rally hero helping to boost sales. It was a confident start, but with McRae’s untimely death in 2007, the moniker was

22

dropped for the third instalment, leaving just the essence of hooning around on dirt roads and that over-riding sense of chaotic precision that characterises rally driving.

By the time this third iteration rolled around, internet superstar Ken Block took up residence on the cover and in game, bringing his crazy Gymkhana stunts with him.

Make no mistake, Dirt 3 was special. An arcade style racer that was simply enormous fun. But Codemasters wanted to be serious, and brought out Dirt Rally to appease the hardcore rally fans.

And it was tough. You really had to work to handle the cars, the surfaces and the game in general.

When they say rallying is one of the toughest challenges a driver can face, they ain’t kidding.

If Dirt Rally was a yardstick for rallying competence, in real life there would be one of my cars high in the branches of every tree in some Welsh forest.

So, we come to Dirt 4, which returns with the full backing of the resurgent World RallyCross Championship, as well as a brilliant mix of classic machinery, crazy dune-buggies and chaotic trophy trucks.

Think of it like this; Dirt 3 had an incredible variety of entertaining game modes and was designed to just be fun. Dirt Rally was supposed to show you just how hard this rallying lark can be.

Dirt 4 looks to be the blend of the two, like a muddy, gravel filled smoothie to the face.

I’m hoping for a game that takes skill to master, so you don’t just get idiots flinging easy to control rally cars up the inside of each other in auto-balanced races.

But I still want the fun and ease of use that characterised the early Dirt games. This could be the racer of the year!

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 22

26/06/2017 16:47

Screenzone: Film

Valerian and the title of a thousand words Are You Talkin’ To Me? A Film column by Jamie Hill

There was a time in the Eighties and Nineties where Luc Besson could do no wrong.

The French director, producer and screenwriter had been the visionary behind glorious French language films like The Big Blue, Subway and La Femme Nikita.

And then, Hollywood came a’courting and he managed to translate this critical success into a remake of Nikita called The Assassin and the sublime Leon.

In 1997, we then had Besson’s sci-fi opus The Fifth Element, one of the maddest forays into the genre that we have ever seen. It was great (although if they could have cut Chris Tucker out of the movie, it would have been a whole lot better.)

In recent years Besson has settled into an action movie formula with The Transporter, Taken and Lucy.

But a couple of months ago, something weird and wonderful happened when he dropped the latest trailer to his newest film Valerian and The City of a Thousand

Planets.

The movie world was a bit gobsmacked as this looked like a film that was so creatively mad and high sci-fi that it was like The Fifth Element on acid.

And there was no Chris Tucker in sight.

It’s released on August 2 and is already getting a bit of a buzz.

The film is based on the French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by JeanClaude Mézières.

Here’s a plot synopsis - In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories.

Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha-an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other.

There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

And it looks completely mad with aliens that boggle the mind and landscapes straight out of the comic book.

As you can probably tell I’m a bit excited about this one as I’m a tad in love with sci-fi, especially sci-fi which looks as good as this.

With Luc Besson at the helm I’ve got a feeling this will be in safe hands and will be a story told with humour and panache with a whole load of style thrown in just for good measure.

It could be another Jupiter Ascending, a film that looked great but lacked the heart to really make us swoon. But with Besson we’ve got a pair of safe hands that might just give us the madness but leave in the heart. Just as long as there’s no Chris Tucker doing a Jar Jar Binks routine.

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 23

23

26/06/2017 16:47

Brews and Eats

British...a vineyards growing success

by Darren Willmott As summer approaches and thoughts turn to al fresco eating and drinking, the warmer months are a wonderful time to visit a UK vineyard.

If you’re already partial to a glass of wine it really helps to bring the journey from grape to glass alive, but if you’re just getting interested in the subject there’s no better way to get hooked!

The first UK vineyards date back to the mid-1980s and were at best viewed as experimental and not expected to make a big impact.

It’s only since the turn of the century that English wine has really come of age and able to compete on the world stage where they now win award after award, year after year. So, what has changed?

The south-eastern coastline of England broke free of France and mainland Europe during the middle stone age, but it’s worth remembering that we still share the same sub-soils. In geological terms there isn’t actually much diffeence between us and the much-revered northern French wine regions of Champagne and Burgundy.

But grapes, like any other fruit, have certain minimum requirements to grow successfully and this includes access to both heat and light. At 51° latitude the southern part of the UK has what was traditionally considered a marginal climate, lying just outside the perfect conditions for grape growing (30-50°C).

Average UK temperatures have been nudging up just a small amount each year and, when combined with the significant strides forward in wine production technology, we’re now getting riper

24

The Camel valley multiple awardwinning vineyard in Cornwall

fruit of better quality too.

There’s now something like 130 vineyards in the UK, including (a fairly unsuccessful) one as far north as Scotland.

It’s early days but it may well be worth saving your pennies and buying up any land for sale in the midlands, just in case!

Not all vineyards are geared up for hosting tastings and tours (you can find a comprehensive list at www.englishwineproducers. co.uk) but, in a whistle-stop tour across the counties, here’s my rundown of ones to try.

Camel Valley (Cornwall, visits April to Sept, starting at £8.50 per person). Cornwall’s largest vineyard and another multi award winner. Beat Champagnes Bollinger and Roederer to win ‘Best International Sparkling Wine’ in 2010. Ridgeview (East Sussex, April to Sept, from £15pp).

Nestled within the picturesque setting of the South Downs national park, Ridgeview are one of two official suppliers of sparkling wine to 10 Downing Street. Chapel Down (Kent, May to Oct, from £10pp). With

a brand new state-of-the-art tasting room and wine bar, this producer has just had one of their wines listed as a ‘Star Buy’

by The Times newspaper.

Brightwell (Oxfordshire, Fri-Sun in season, or by appointment).

Not too much in the way of visitor facilities, but one of the few vineyards that allows you to help pick the grapes at harvest time (October), which I have done on several occasions.

Denbies (Surrey, March to Oct, from £7.50pp). The highlight is a wonderful 50-minute train ride up to the top of the vineyards to enjoy a glass of something sparkling whilst overlooking the spectacular views of the vines and nearby Box Hill.

All wine is by nature a limited edition product, but it’s worth noting that many of our producers make just a few thousand bottles of each wine each year, so when you drink one you are part of an experience that is truly rare and special.

Celebrate and enjoy. Cheers! l Follow Darren on https:// vinesight.me/tag/wineblogging/

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 24

26/06/2017 16:47

Brews and Eats

Great British Beer Festival The Brewery Bird column

As I write this (late June), summer is officially here, it’s ‘scorchio’ and there’s 50 days to go till the biggest Beer Festival in the UK kicks off from August 8 to 12 at Olympia in London!

If you like beer and you’ve never been, well then this is perhaps the year to gird your loins, grab a friend (or six) and join in this annual festival of imbibing some of the best beers (over 900) from the UK and further afield. And it’s the latter which gets Brewery Bird a little hot under the feathers.

Now we brew some bloomin good beers here in the United Kingdom, worldbeating, award-winning beers in fact. However it’s fairly safe to say that with the exception of Coniston’s No 12 Barley Wine winning in 2012 and Elland 1872 Porter taking the crown the following year, the Champion Beers of Britain have been, for the most part great examples of traditional bitters/beers. And perhaps rightly so. But there

are so many more styles of beers which our treasured breweries are putting out there, whether experimental one-offs or collaborative brews, or just a concerted effort to have a saison, sour or wheat beer available year round.

The GBBF has also for many years hosted beers from the likes of Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands on the ‘foreign beer bars’ of Biere Sans Frontiers, which ok, are a little pricier than the cask ales on offer, but when did you last get your hands on a half glass of 5% Dutch Saison infused with Hibiscus & Roseleaves or a 8.8% Biyagama Lion Stout from Sri Lanka?

So whether you are heading to Olympia in August for GBBF, or to your local or regional beer festival now or later in the year, take a deep breath and embrace those beer styles which, at first glance may seem unappealing or downright scary, but which might just surprise you…

Brewery Birds Alternative Beer Style Suggestions If you like… rich, bold, velvety, red wines and intensely fruity desserts… try Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts, Porters or fruit beers (FrÜli Strawberry, Bacchus Framboise etc).

If you like… tart, peppery, earthy flavours and don’t shy away from stinky cheeses….. Try Saison (prominent estery flavours, often with added spices and herbs) and lambic beers (fermented with wild yeast, can be bracingly sour but very refreshing).

If you like… Christmas spices, mince pies, pudding and pie….Try Barley wine - a strong beer of at least 10%, similar in style to Maderia or Port.

If you like... bacon, whiskey, bonfires….Try Rauchbier – a speciality German beer, made with malted grain which has been toasted over a beechwood fire If you like… Duck confit and earthy Pinot Noirs…Try Dopplebock - a German lager, ranging in colour from deep mahogany to almost black, exceptionally malty with little bitterness “A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.” - Bohemian proverb

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 25

25

26/06/2017 16:47

Brews and Eats

When life gives you lemons...

Make lemony chicken Lemony chicken and spinach curry - serves 4 This is a healthy curry with no creamy sauce which freezes really well. A pile of basmati rice and a good dollop of yoghurt will make it into a meal.

1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp sunflower, light olive or coconut oil, plus a little extra if necessary 600g diced chicken (leg, thigh or breast) 1 large or 2 small onions, finely sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, crushed or grated 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated 1–2 fresh chillies, finely chopped (add the seeds if you like it hot) 1 tsp turmeric 10 cardamom pods juice of 2–3 lemons, depending on size 400ml vegetable or chicken stock 300g spinach, tough stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped if large large handful of coriander, roughly chopped salt and black pepper Lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan until you just start to smell their aroma, then grind them with a pestle and mortar. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan.

Add the chicken pieces and

26

fry over a high heat, turning once, until golden brown. (Don’t overcrowd the pan – cook in batches if you need to.) Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the onion to the pan with a splash more oil if needed.

Fry gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft.

Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and all the ground spices and fry, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan with the lemon juice and stock.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes

or so, until the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the spinach and let it wilt for just a minute or two before seasoning and stirring in the chopped coriander. www.riverford.co.uk/recipes

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 26

26/06/2017 16:47

Brews and Eats

History of...

Angel Delight

By Mike Barham We all love Angel Delight right?

The flavoured, vegetarian friendly mousse that can accompany any dessert is a staple for all parents that need something quick and sweet after dinner to satisfy their child’s sugar cravings.

Anyone who grew up in the 1970s (not me) will remember Angel Delight getting so much marketing attention you would have thought it was critical to human survival, like getting your 5-a-day, breathing and annual Marvel films.

Angel Delight was launched in 1967 by the Bird’s company with a strawberries-and-cream flavour.

By the 1970s, Bird’s had doubled the market for instant desserts, as parents were all too busy searching for communist sympathisers under the bed to make a proper dessert in the evenings.

After a lull in popularity during the 1980s, likely caused by the fall of the Soviet Union and parents returning to actually feeding their children, a revival campaign featuring Wallace & Gromit was run in 1999.

Because nothing says “eat our powdered dessert paste” like a plasticine northerner and his highly intelligent yet equally mailable pooch.

In 2006 the brand was the best-selling line in the UK instant cold desserts sector, and to this day is keeping children and parents happy around the land.

Angel Delight contains no gelatin and is therefore suitable for those suffering with vegetarianism.

However, the product does contain milk products (aside from adding your own milk to mix it with) and isn’t suitable for vegans.

But I’m sure vegans will tell you this before you offer them a bowl.

They love telling people about their beliefs. Like the church. And Katie Hopkins.

Angel Delight is currently sold in five flavours: strawberry, butterscotch, chocolate, mint chocolate, and banana.

Two no-added-sugar variants in butterscotch and strawberry flavours are also sold, although this does somewhat ruin the reason for buying it to get that ridiculous sugar high.

It’s amazing Angel Delight isn’t at least a Category B substance really.

Discontinued flavours include black cherry, blueberry, peach, lime, lemon, blackcurrant, bubblegum, tangerine, vanilla ice cream, Forest Fruits, popcorn, candy floss, butter mint, and raspberry.

So next time you’re tucking into the nation’s favourite flavoured mousse, remember you may actually be eating one of Wallace and Gromit’s plasticine relatives...

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 27

27

26/06/2017 16:47

Theatre list Saturday July 1 to Saturday July 8 THEATRE: The Fourth Dog Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford Saturday July 1 THEATRICAL SCREENING: Kubo and the Two Strings 11am - Salisbury Arts Centre

7pm - Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Saturday July 8 to Sunday July 9 DANCE: Breaking Barriers Showcase 2017 2.15pm - Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury Saturday July 8 COMEDY: Glee Comedy 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

THEATRE: Further Stages Showcase featuring Stagecoach Swindon, Bath & Newbury 7pm - Neeld Community and Arts Centre, Chippenham Wednesday July 19 TALKS: In Conversation With Nadiya Hussain: Nadiya’s British Food Adventure 7.30pm - Oxford Playhouse, Oxford

THEATRE: What We Leave Behind 3.15pm - Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford

Tuesday July 11 to Saturday July 15 THEATRE: Death Of A Salesman Oxford Playhouse, Oxford

COMEDY: Juliette Burton: Butterfly Effect (Edinburgh Fringe preview) 5pm - Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford

THEATRE: Honk - by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe 7.45pm - The Players Theatre, Thame

Saturday July 22 COMEDY: Glee Comedy 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

COMEDY: Glee Comedy 7pm - Glee Club @ The Bullingdon, Oxford

Friday July 14 DANCE: Encompass Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury

Sunday July 23 COMEDY: Comedy Triple Bill 7.45pm - The Players Theatre, Thame

Saturday July 15 COMEDY: Glee Comedy 8pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

Tuesday July 25 to Saturday July 29 THEATRE: Around The World in 80 Days Oxford Playhouse, Oxford

THEATRE: Read Theatre School 7pm - Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury

Saturday July 29 COMEDY: Glee Comedy 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

COMEDY: Juliet Meyers: This Flipping Rescue Dog Has Ruined My Life 7.30pm - Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Monday July 3 THEATRE: Read College Showcase 7pm - Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury Thursday July 6 to Friday July 7 THEATRE: Children of the Night

Sunday July 16

Friday July 21 to Saturday July 22 THEATRE: Kin 7.30pm - Oxford Playhouse, Oxford

Trowbridge Town Hall goes BIG on new arts offering As county town of Wiltshire, the main offices of the county council and home to an estimated 42,000 people, you’d expect Trowbridge to be absolutely bustling with artistic endeavour. But somehow, it seems to bubble relatively unseen under the surface.

Trowbridge Arts, the new team now in charge of the town hall, are keen to facilitate people’s ideas and create equal opportunities for people to express themselves. To this end, they have assembled a team of “facilitators” - local people with the drive to make things happen in a new arts space. One such facilitator is local musician Alice McNeil, who has been running the Live & Unsigned night for several months, focussing on the young talent in Wiltshire. Aimed specifically at under 18s, the nights have proved hugely popular and will continue on the second Friday of every month.

Another facilitator is local promoter Kieran Moore of Sheer Music, whose been drafted in to create a programme of live music that builds upon his almost legendary success in the Devizes area over the past 13

28

years. Kieran said: “I’m really excited to be working with the Trowbridge Arts team as the space is incredible. Being handed the opportunity to bring some of my favourite acts to another medium sized venue like this is a dream come true. Trowbridge has so much potential and I’m really looking forward to what we can achieve together!”

Over the coming months there will be changes within the venue, with a new stage being erected in the old courtroom, and the recent acquisition of a full time alcohol licence means the venue can continue to offer cutting edge and competitive events.

Including live music, comedy, children and youth events, theatre, Dance and much more besides, the team at Trowbridge Arts aim to create a hub for the local community. Director Tracy Sullivan said: “Modest sums are generated through hire and ticket or wet sales, though an additional £30,000 is required annually to keep the Town Hall open and alive with activity. Trowbridge Arts welcomes donations and sponsorship, please contact director@trowbridgearts.com for more information.”

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 28

26/06/2017 16:47

Ocelot 133.indd 29

26/06/2017 16:47

The Neeld

Stranglers frontman set to rock The Neeld in Chippenham He achieved 21 Top 40 songs and ten hit albums as the frontman of The Stranglers and now, over 30 years after the band’s show at Chippenham’s Gold Diggers, acclaimed musician Hugh Cornwell is gearing up to play an intimate show at the Neeld Community and Arts Centre in Chippenham on Friday October 20.

The acoustic performance will feature songs spanning his entire career from early Stranglers to the current day, including new and never before performed songs from his next studio album ‘Villains’.

The songwriter- whose 2008 album Hooverdam contained a song about the Wiltshire town of Trowbridge- released his last album in 2013, which was engineered by the legendary Steve Albini and received rave

30

reviews.

This show is part of Cornwell’s first tour since his 2016 joint tour with John Cooper Clarke, where the prolific punk poet recorded an album of covers alongside Cornwell.

Scoring some 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning four decades, the Stranglers are one of the longestsurviving and most “continuously successful” bands to have originated in the UK punk scene.

Formed as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford, Surrey, they originally built a following within the mid-1970s pub rock scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude identified them as one of the instigators of the UK punk rock scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any

single musical genre and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave, art rock and gothic rock through the sophisticated pop of some of their 1980s output, providing a wealth of musical styles for Cornwell to draw upon during his acoustic performance at The Neeld.

Council Leader Sandie Webb said: “We are incredibly pleased to have Hugh Cornwell coming to the Neeld Community and Arts Centre. The Neeld is a great asset to the town and it is fantastic to see the venue attracting international artists to Chippenham.”

Tickets are available from www.neeld.co.uk, from the Neeld box office on 01249 446699 and in person at Chippenham Town Council, High Street, Chippenham.

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 30

26/06/2017 16:47

Museum and Art Gallery

Golden opportunity

By Ben Fitzgerald Plans for Swindon’s ambitious new £22million Art Gallery and Museum have attracted a great deal of attention.

Not all of it positive.

Some opponents have hit out at the scope and boldness of the vision - accusing it of being a wasteful vanity project.

And others have demanded that the scheme should be scrapped in favour of repurposing the former GWR carriageworks.

But it is the very boldness of the new-build project and the scope of its ambition that is what makes it worthwhile.

And the danger of compromising this vision would leave us with a half-hearted art gallery and museum in a building unsuitable for the task.

We would be left with a lameduck doomed to fail financially.

- thus throwing the future of the building once more into doubt.

And I would question the motives of those who threaten to sell our cultural heritage short to meet this single minded aim of putting something... anything into

these run-down buildings.

Housing the museum and art gallery in a breath-taking, eye-catching and iconic building will open the flood gates to economic growth that is key to the regeneration of the railway quarter and the town as a whole.

Key to this is the suitability of the building to host travelling exhibitions of national and international renown.

Put simply, the new building has to be stunning and perfect for the job.

If the venue falls short in quality, flexibility of space and

l Like the bid’s facebook page – www.facebook.com/ backthebidswindon l Follow the bid on twitter – www.twitter.com/ backthebidswin l See plans and updates at swindonmuseum.org.uk and let them know what you think l Sign up for an e-bulletin at swindonmuseum.org.uk l Look out for roadshows in

and around Swindon l Email – info@ swindonmuseum.org.uk l Visit the museum and art gallery to see some of the works in Swindon’s wonderful collections. l Call in to the museum and art gallery on Bath Road, Old Town, to see the model of the iconic building. l Sign and return a

SMAG director Rod Hebden

cannot house all manner of exhibits and artwork in suitable conditions then forget it.

And while it is true that Swindon has a treasure trove of significant art in the form of the Bomford Gift (including works

by Terry Frost, JS Lowry, Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore to name a few) the longevity of the venue’s ability to draw visitors from outside the town in significant numbers lies in its ability to host major tours of well known artists and historical artefacts.

If the SMAG trust can get this right - and given the calibre and shared passion of those involved the signs are good - then the project could kick start an economic renaissance in the heart of Swindon.

A crucial deadline for the project is looming in November, when organisers will submit a bid for £10million share of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Crucial to the success of the project is a demonstration of support from the community. Show your support. Be bold.

How you can back the bid

supporter’s postcard l Become a Friend of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery – email friendsofsmag@gmail.com l Ask SMAG to visit your organisation, club or place of work to tell you more – email info@swindonmuseum.org.uk l To find out more about sponsorship and giving: info@swindonmuseum.org.uk www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 31

31

26/06/2017 16:47

Marlborough Music Festival We wonder if Meeking will be this chilled out when they headline The Lamb on Sunday July 16

Marlborough pubs band together and launch new Music Festival The Ocelot was born and raised in the quiet, countryside streets of Marlborough in Wiltshire, the quintessential English market town. So when there is a new music festival being organised in our birthplace, you can be damn sure we are excited by it!

When the internationally renowned Marlborough Jazz Festival announced they were scaling back their 2017 event after arguing with Wiltshire Council over road closures, the pubs and venues of the town decided to band together and host their own weekend of live music, hog roasts and summer fun. So, representatives from The Marlborough Arms, The Roebuck, The Lamb, The Bear, The Green Dragon, The Wellington Arms and The Royal Oak all got together in a secret meeting to hash out a plan.

Just imagine a smoky darkened room, with everyone in suits plotting the best music event Marlborough has ever seen. (It may not have been like that...)

Running from July 14 to 16, the Marlborough Music Festival will feature some of the best local talent from singer/songwriters to cover bands across three days and seven venues. Each watering hole throughout the town will be open to the public, keeping that quintessential element of festival’ing in Marlborough; the ability to trundle from pub to pub soaking up all the best music. And beer.

Here’s just a little taste of some of the things going on over the weekend.

The Marlborough Arms will have the very first act of the festival at 6pm on Friday July 14, playing host to Byron Witchell and Lucy Santana Fernandes, followed by Chip Stick and local jazz star Ben Cipolla. The Bear will be close on their heals with Rohan Ball, acoustic duo Burbank and covers group Toxic to dance the night away, whilst it’s all rockabilly madness down at The Roebuck with The Corsairs. As opening nights go, this looks like a very strong one across the board.

Saturday is where the festival really looks to get into its stride,

32

Jamie R Hawkins

Jack Moore

Mike Barham

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 32

26/06/2017 16:47

Marlborough Music Festival with the Bear showcasing some of Wiltshire’s best singer/songwriters such as Jamie R Hawkins, Jack Moore, Mike Barham, finishing the night with the ever impressive Echo pumping out popular covers from 10pm.

The Roebuck will be serving up the food on Saturday, so if you find yourself at the edges of starvation but can’t tear yourself away from the bands, you haven’t got far to go!

The Lamb will be weighing in with a trio of covers acts to blow your mind, including The Strays, Kova Me Badd and the brilliantly named and infamous Pants, whilst over at The Marlborough they will have DJ Joe Litherland pumping out the tunes from 1pm before Josie and The Outlaw and Chris Jagger carry you through the night.

The “Hangover Session” will be taking place on Sunday at The Lamb, with some familiar names returning (Mr Moore and Mr R Hawkins for instance) alongside The Dirty Smooth, The Vooz and Meeking to name but a few.

With The Bear hosting George Wilding, Sound Affects and Bullseye, Sunday is the perfect way to wind down from a stunning weekend.

For all the line-up details, venue information and enquiries, head to the recently launched Marlborough Music Festival website - marlboroughmusicfestival.com

The Dirty Smooth

The Vooz

The Venues - (Top) The Wellington Arms, (Above L-R) The Bear, The Lamb and The Marlborough Arms.

(Below L-R) The Green Dragon, The Roebuck and The Royal Oak

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 33

33

26/06/2017 16:47

Stratton Stroll and Festival

Stratton St Margaret Parish Council in Swindon is holding its popular Stratton Festival on Saturday 22 July, on the back field behind Grange Leisure.

The festival, now in its fifth year, will be free for all to attend, kicking off at midday. Throughout the day there will be various attractions including a dog show by Drove Vets, live music, dance performances, craft stalls, beer and cider tent, Zumba sessions, circus performers, balloon modelling, face painting, football tournaments and much more.

Stratton Festival’s main objective is to bring the community together and to celebrate all that’s great about living in the area. This popular event brings more than 5,000 people together every year, helping to raise money and awareness for local community groups and charities.

The children activities this year include Twistina and Twistopher, a couple who specialise in balloon modelling, circus acts and face painter. Also, George Scarott’s Fun Fair will be making a special appearance with a bungee run.

As in previous years, food is a huge part of the Stratton Festival and the events team have worked their magic with local suppliers to provide an array of foods from burgers, noodles, curries, fudge stand, ice creams and a waffle company.

34

The main stage is full from 12pm with Swindon Majorettes opening the show and ending with live music from Kova Me Badd.

If any charities, musicians, community groups, volunteers or local businesses would like to get involved with the event, email Jo or Emily via: events@strattonstmargaret.gov.uk

...and Stratton will be Strolling once again in July!

The infamous ‘Stratton Stroll’ is back for 2017 on 29 July, and it’s all for the Stratton Parish Council chairman’s charity.

Attendees will be treated to six stages of live music throughout the Stratton area, as the Wheatsheaf, New Inn, Grange Bar, Kingsdown, Crown and Rat Trap pubs all play host to some of the best musical talent in the local area.

Starting at the Kingsdown from midday, the Stroll will feature live music from the likes of Ian O’Regan, Blind Lemon Blues, The Laylow Band, Drew Bryant, Get Carter, Mike Barham, Josie and The Outlaw and many more.

Now in its fifth year, the Stroll is always a chance for the local area to enjoy the sunshine, music and great beer.

For more information and updates on this year’s music, visit: strattonstmargeret.gov.uk

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 34

26/06/2017 16:47

Ocelot 133.indd 35

26/06/2017 16:47

The Ocelot Presents

m a h r a B e Mik Our very own Ocelot reporter Mike Barham is leaving us this month (to go and mess about with sound boards and lighting rigs we are told) so we thought now would be a great time to mention his musical side and give him the Ocelot Presents treatment!

So why music? What makes a 6ft 8” Devizes resident pick up a guitar and write some songs?

In short, I couldn’t help it. I kind of just fell into it really. I picked up a guitar for the first time when I was 16, after wandering into a friends guitar lesson at school. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. (To an extent I never have).

It must have something to do with my grandmother.

She played piano and organ in several groups during the 60s as well as singing, and she sat me down in front of a keyboard when I was very young trying to teach me. I wish I’d spent more time listening to her before she passed away, would probably have followed this path sooner.

Does that mean you just bum around the county playing in venues and annoying passers by on the street?

I came back from Southampton Solent University with my degree in my pocket and a longing to make Wiltshire stand out. We have such incredible talent in this little county, and I couldn’t just sit back and allow that to be squandered or bypassed because we aren’t Reading or Bristol. So I started helping Kieran Moore of Sheer Music with some shows, learning how to run a gig from the promotional and engineer side of things, and try to get people talking about our musical diversity and culture in the West Country.

I can’t begin to thank Kieran enough for the opportunities he’s given me, both as a musician and as part of our little scene. I know it’s a cliche but we are a community in these parts. Everyone knows everyone else round ‘ere (no, not just because they may be related to

36

each other... I think?) and I’ve had the chance to support some incredible artists who have come to this county because of the great shows Sheer, Songs of Praise, Brave Promotions and many others put on.

How would you describe your style? Simply another singer/songwriter or something a little different?

No-one is “just another singer/songwriter” or a stereotypical example of a genre really. Human beings are musically idiosyncratic. There are threads of similarity in everything we do, but so many key differences that make music our own.

Coming from Wiltshire, you’re immediately in that ‘Wurzelverse’ and supposed to sing about cider and open green fields. Sure that comes up in my music, it’s hard to escape where you’re from when it comes to influences and I’m proud of that. But I like to stretch out and pass on my experiences through music and relate to people as best I can. Put it this way, if you’re a Foo Fighters fan, you’re on my wavelength! I’m the rock end of the spectrum, I’m just armed with an acoustic guitar until I can convince a band to join me.

What does the future hold now you’re no longer going to be writing at The Ocelot?

The long term plan; another EP hopefully by the end of 2017 and more gigs than you can shake a large Wiltshireman at!

Get Mike’s debut EP ‘Altitude with Attitude’ via iTunes, Spotify or BandCamp. /MikeBarhamUK

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 36

26/06/2017 16:47

Gig Monkey

Gig Monkey, AKA Ed Dyer, takes a rummage through the best music released by local artists. If you like the sound of something please check it out Send your reviews to ed@secretchordrecords.com

Canute’s Plastic Army

Raze*Rebuild – The Interlude (EP) A welcome return for one of my breakthrough of the year picks, and with a set of recordings that show they have lost none of the energy that was evidenced on their last release. EP opener Burden of Youth is a muscular statement of intent and is part of a vicious introductory one-two jab with single New Leaf. From minute one it is clear this is a band who still mean business and still have something to say. The more considered songs that follow (Never Saved My Soul and Poison Air) still pack a hefty musical punch to go with their lyrical weight.

This grown-up skater punk is littered with seriously chunky riffs, soaring solos and growled vocals but is underpinned with a heart and soul that may surprise. There are no bubblegum, throwaway tunes here, these are songs of substance and intelligence, personal stories of heartbreak, coping with what life throws at you and moving on. This is refreshingly honest, straightforward, no frills, blue collar rock ‘n’ roll; four stunning everyman torch anthems built round killer tunes that should be required listening on all school of hard knocks syllabuses.

Canute’s Plastic Army – Building Walls (EP) An acoustic guitar and a voice can commit many musical crimes. They can also be something glorious and exhilarating. Canute’s Plastic Army are a duo who specialise in the latter – the intricate guitar work of Neil Mercer is both delicate and dynamic,

flowing around the tour-de-force vocals of Anish Harrison – a singer blessed with incredible tone, control, range and the power of a fission reaction. It is a heady mix, and one that carries these three well written and poetic songs and a classic folk standard along with confidence.

Musically these are lyrical folk songs for the 21st century, with an unsettling darkness connecting the songs; even poppy tracks like Don’t You Hate It take a sardonic look at the negative side of life. But this is a darkness that is borne of an understanding of the bad things in the world and the fight to overcome them and consequently is an uplifting and positive collection of songs, even if it does end with a cracking version of Gallows Pole – hopefully not in a metaphoric finale.

Mike Barham – Altitude with Attitude (EP) My expectation for Mike’s debut solo release lay on the side of disorderly acoustic tunes, much like you get from his acoustic folk-punk troubadour live persona. Not so however - this crashes to life with the almighty racket of a fully amped up band blasting their way through roughhewn punk tune Bowsers Castle.

Cider is more what I had anticipated being as it as a live staple, but here the homage to adults’ apple juice and its booze friends is pumped up, chaotic and tumbling.

It then all starts to go a bit strange as next we get the quieter parts of an Evanescence tune, gothic and

reverb drenched, followed by an overwrought acoustic guitar and flute number, another folk punk drinking tale and another bawdy rock band number telling the story of Mikes old bands and University days. Viewed as a whole this makes for disjointed and puzzling listening, and gives the listener the desire to force him to sit down and pick just the one direction of travel.

Lucy Leave – The Beauty of the World (EP) Lucy Leave have been much hyped around Oxford, which is a perfect illustration of why I love the cities music scene so much, as they are gloriously off-kilter and left-field – exactly the sort of thing that has been struggling to gain an audience in recent years. Spiky, gnarled post-punk that is not an easy listen if linear, friendly music is your thing; this is math rock for the dyscalculic – it doesn’t make sense, and is wonderful because of it.

Highlight for me is the plaintive, jazz-funk weirdness of Nightroad; all haunting vocal lines and psychedelic swirls of guitar sounds. It is perhaps the most direct track on the record, and is followed up by possibly the most uncomfortable listen, the crunching arrhythmic noise of Grief.

Lucy Leave are a band that seem to delight in making their audience uncomfortable and seem hell bent on being as unpredictable as possible – a mission that deserves to be applauded and supported. ed@secretchordrecords.com

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 37

37

26/06/2017 16:47

The Night Of The Ocelot All Ears Avow took no prisoners as they headlined our May Night of The Ocelot at The Victoria in Swindon

We like it LOUD!

Another Night of The Ocelot blows the roof off The Vic

Mike Barham (that massive one on the left) and his incredibly accomplished backing band open the night

Another Night of The Ocelot came and went in May, with Swindon’s own All Ears Avow showing The Vic that the local scene is very much rocking.

Opening our night was our very own Mike Barham.

(Yes, the same one that writes a few of the pieces in our little magazine). Bringing Jack Moore and Patrick Goodenough along to make the loud louder, Mike’s debut band performance got the assembled masses inside The Vic up and away from the bar and settled into their dancing shoes. Especially when they ripped into an impromptu rendition of Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins.

Definitely a Top Gun performance.

Sandwiched in the middle of proceedings were Rival Pilots, a five piece powerhouse of mid-2000s sounding rock that ramped up the atmosphere by several notches.

Frontman Nick Weston charmed and yelled his way through a superbly crafted set which perfectly combined three guitar players into a massive sounding sonic

38

Rival Pilots proving that organising three guitarists in the same band can be done with incredible results!

onslaught. One of the best up and coming groups in Wiltshire right now, for sure.

Then came All Ears Avow, the seasoned veterans of Swindon, who once again showed why they are constantly in demand on the local rock scene. With latest EP Edge of This to show off, AEA have augmented their incredible live show with just the right amount of backing tracks and synthesised effects, adding another layer to the traditional four piece rock act. The band themselves were as tightly knitted together as a cricket ball, you could have sworn by the end of the set they had even started blinking in sync.

And to top it all off, All Ears Avow then played an emotional tribute to Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell with a rendition of rock classic Cochise.

We can’t wait for another one of these nights, and thank you as always to everyone that attended!

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 38

26/06/2017 16:47

Party in the Paddock

Jess and Olly to rock racecourse

Two of Britain’s favourite recording artists, Jess Glynne and Olly Murs, will be taking to the Party in the Paddock stage in 2017 at Newbury Racecourse.

Jess Glynne will play after the racing on Weatherbys Super Sprint Day on Saturday, July 22, while Olly Murs will round off Betfred Ladies Day on Saturday, August 19.

Jess said: “It’s going to be great fun playing Newbury Racecourse after the races. I love outdoor shows and can’t wait to share some summer evenings with my fans!”

And Olly Murs said: “I’m really looking forward to playing Newbury Racecourse next summer; it’ll be one of the first chances I’ll get to play tracks from 24 HRS in the sunshine so will be a special show to share with my fans.

“I love a day out at the races too so can’t wait to get in the crowd during the day to place a cheeky bet.”

First coming to the public

consciousness as the vocalist on Clean Bandit’s Grammy Award winning and #1 hit ‘Rather Be’; pop sensation Jess Glynne has since become one of the biggest UK breakthrough acts of recent years. Her number-one charting debut album, ‘I Cry When I Laugh’, has turned double platinum in the UK, making it the highest selling debut album of the past year.

Jess is also one of only two British female solo artists to have five consecutive UK number one singles.

2016 was a further massive year for Jess, with a sold-out UK arena tour under her belt as well as nominations for British Breakthrough Act, British Female Solo Artist and British Single for ‘Hold My Hand’ at this year’s prestigious Brit Awards.

Since Olly Murs shot to fame on ‘X Factor’ in 2009, he has crafted four multi-platinum albums and produced 4 number 1 singles with total record sales exceeding 10

million. His latest studio album ’24 HRS’ was released earlier this month and became his fourth consecutive LP to reach the top spot on the UK charts, becoming the most successful solo artist ever to come from the X Factor. A formidable performer, he has sold out arena tours across the UK and cemented himself as one of the Britain’s very best live acts.

Weatherbys Super Sprint Day will feature seven thrilling Flat races including the £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint, won in 2016 by the locally trained Mrs Danvers. The highlight of Betfred Ladies Day is the £150,000 Group 2 Betfred Hungerford Stakes, won this year by Richard Pankhurst. The day will also feature six other exciting races and the ever popular ‘Most Stylish Racegoer’ competition.

For tickets call 01635 40015 or visit the Newbury Racecourse website on www. newburyracecourse.co.uk

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 39

39

26/06/2017 16:47

Music News Big shows in store at the O2 Academy

Labelled as “the best garage band in America since the 60s”, The Gories will rock the O2 Academy2 on July 9

We all know the O2 Academy is renowned for booking the big guns, and giving all of us something to shout about right on our doorstep.

July and August are the quiet months for every venue up and down the country. Of course they are, everybody is out in the fields taking part in festival season! But that’s not to say everything just stops.

Bucking the trend, on July 8 you can witness an epic celebration of seven pioneering figures of roots reggae, as Gregory Issacs, Flabba Holt, Junior Byles, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Tapper Zukie, Desmond Dekker and John Holt comes to O2 Academy Oxford. Dub for the Elders is going to be a red-hot night of roots reggae for all, not just those who were there the first time around.

Then the following night on July 9, The Gories head for Oxford.

Rooted in the primal underpinnings of 50s rhythm and unhinged 60s garage punk, The Gories are a Detroit-trio that’s been labelled “the best garage band in America since the 60s.” Experience this influential band live as they come to O2 Academy2. Support comes from Ron Gallo and Table Scraps.

Kicking off August in style on Friday 4 are Lionize, a promising American quartet who bring their unique blend of rock ‘n roll to Oxford as they play a string of explosive headline shows this summer across the UK. A ridiculously strong support line-up includes one of the most talked about local acts Kanadia, Swindon’s very own A Way With Words and the ever-impressive Matchboy. One to get yourself down to for sure!

Best known for their collaboration on Beyonce’s single, ‘Daddy Lessons’, NYC Brasshouse trio Too Many Zooz combine EDM, house, techno, and glitch with an indigenous punch of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and Brazilian Carnival rhythms, and will be at the O2 Academy2 on August 15. Support comes from Thabo.

Hailed by BBC Introducing In Oxford as ‘ones to watch in 2017’, Haze are set to play their biggest headline show to date at O2 Academy Oxford on August 19. Join the band as they showcase new material alongside songs from their debut EP, Digital Fulfilment.

For tickets and more information on the litany of other offerings that we just couldn’t squeeze all onto one page, visit: www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academyoxford

40

American quartet Lionize will rock and roll like the best of them on August 4 with Kanadia, A Way With Words and Matchboy.

Their music is better than their fuzzy photography, honest! Haze take over the O2 Academy2 on August 19

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 40

26/06/2017 16:47

Music News Sheer Music look to pack out Level III yet again by bringing WSTR back to Swindon

Have a rocking summer at Level III

Comedy metalcore... yes it’s a thing thanks to ChuggaBoom. Think Rizzle Kicks with screaming and masks. July 22 at Level III if you’re curious...

Level III kicks off its July extravaganza with its infamous DOOM club night, Swindon’s *only* alternative club night playing the best of rock, punk, metal, ska and more on July 8. Nights out don’t have to be about Rihanna and Beyonce remixes if you don’t want them to be.

Next up is the Nothing But 80s club night on July 15.

Whether it’s the moody melancholy of The Smiths or the camp perfection of Wham, Level III will have wall-towall hits of tracks from the decade that gave us big technological advances, and even bigger hair!

Sheer Music then follow up their huge Boston Manor show with pop punk big boys WSTR on July 20. One of the region’s best promoters meets one of the UK’s best bands, in one of the country’s most beautiful medium-sized venues. What can go wrong? (Nothing, we hope.)

The day after (July 21) Level III have local favourites Shepherd’s Pie for a free night of hard rock and metal.

This one should be packed, but we know the good guys at Level III will always keep the beer flowing.

And if that wasn’t good enough for you, ChuggaBoom

Ghouls return to Swindon on July 28, with Eat Defeat and Six Feet Above

are back at Level III the day on July 22, courtesy of Dredded Vyrus Promotions. Prepare for metalcore with a slice of madness, several wheelbarrows of showmanship and one helluva sense of humour. They’ll have local support too!

Finally, to round off the month, on July 28, the lads from Ghouls are paying Swindon a visit. The pop punk band (with a slice of ska) actually have partial roots in Swindon. They’ll be joined by Leeds group Eat Defeat and Wiltshire new-kids-on-the-block Six Feet Above. A show not to be missed.

Finishing the month off are The Sabbath Years on July 29, one of the country’s premier Black Sabbath tributes who are currently on a tour up and down the UK. Any fans of Ozzy (or Dio) and crew shouldn’t miss the chance to rock to the godfathers of heavy metal’s greatest hits and more.

NEXT MONTH: Level III will be playing host to the legends of Goldie Lookin Chain for a proper comedy/rap knees-up on August 5. Be there or be… circle.

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 41

41

26/06/2017 16:47

Music News Following their impressive nine sets at Glastonbury, The Tribe will headline The Vic on Shuffle Saturday

Let’s get Swindon Shufflin’

The enchanting, sultry songstress incarnate Tamsin Quin will be one of the ones to watch at this year’s Shuffle

There is so much happening across Swindon during July, special night of entertainment at the flagship event of but one of the most exciting events for us is the Swindon this year’s Shuffle. Also, don’t miss the Swindon Shuffle Shuffle, the multi-venue, multi-genre, multi-beverage four Music Quiz at The Beehive on the opening Wednesday day event that has literally everything, from July 12 to 16.

12 July, kicking off the four day run in confusing style.

The Swindon Shuffle was conceived and founded in The Tuppenny joins the Shu 2007 by Richard Craven, Phil Dyson and Paul Jellings ffle Old Town’s latest addition, The from Songs of Praise Promotions, plus Neil Gammon Tuppenny on Devizes Roa d, has waded straight into one of from Black Lava Promotions and Tim McDonald from the area’s biggest events by joining the 2017 Shuf Yankeeboy Promotions. fle venues list.

The purveyors of craft beverag The 2017 Shuffle, taking place at The Victoria, The es will be playing host to three nights of live music inclu Beehive, The Tuppenny and The Castle, covers all ding Thursday’s chill out session involving True Stra bases from local up and coming talent like Bradley ys, Bradley Cowtan and Emily-Jane Shepherd. The Satu Cowtan, Misfires and Diagonal People, but also drafts rday and Sunday shows including Ruby Confue, Dreuw in astonishing talent from neighbouring Wiltshire and and a host of local talent to round off an impressive deb Oxfordshire including Tamsin Quin, Catgod and even ut for the venue.

Opened in November 2016, dragging Swindonian Dreuw back from London.

The Tuppenny is the Headliners for the Saturday night at The Victoria are brainchild of Old Town residents Linda Gulliford and Jam ie Stap a particularly special prospect - hip-hop ska collective leton, and is Swindon’s first spec ialist on trade purveyor of craft drinks; The Tribe, boasting nine performances at Glastonbury a fabulous emporium of brewed, distilled and fermente amongst a host of other festival appearances, are d greatness. hot property right now and will definitely provide a

42

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 42

26/06/2017 16:47

Music News

Riverside Festival returns to Charlbury in July

What began life 20 years ago as a jazz picnic for friends, now boasts more than 40 acts playing everything from folk music to blues, rock, ska and hip hop, attracting thousands of music lovers of all ages, and yet Riverside is still the friendliest, most relaxed music festival in Oxfordshire and, astonishingly, is still completely free to enter.

Kicking off on July 25, Riverside will once again bring together top national acts and showcase the best in local talent, as well as once again hosting a completely open Fringe stage for anyone to come and play by request.

For more information, line-up and tickets visit - riversidefestival.charlbury.com

Are you ready for Fieldview Festival 2017?

If you haven’t already got your tickets for “Wiltshire’s biggest little festival” this year, what are you doing?!

Taking place from 3-6 August, the Fieldview Festival is a non-profit, grass roots event run by volunteers. All surplus funds from the festival are donated to charity, and this year the line-up is one of the most impressive in the area including Palace, Clearn Cut Kid, Fickle Friends, Lakuta, Youngr, Island, Eva Lazarus and Courts.

Now in its 11th year, Fieldview has a history of booking acts that are destined for larger stages, and this year looks to continue that trend. For updates and tickets, visit - fieldviewfestival.co.uk

Stereophonics coming to Swindon in July Welsh indie-rock legends Stereophonics will be performing at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon on July 26.

Formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Stereophonics are an internationally renowned phenomenon, and in 2008 became the eighth group to achieve five consecutive UK number one albums (after the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, ABBA, Genesis, Oasis, Blur and U2).

They have headlined Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V festival in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009, and Oxegen in 2010.

This special performance in Swindon will be a warm-up show for another set of festival dates including Y Not Festival in Pikehall, Derbyshire and Kendal Calling.

Catch them before they head off into the festival sunset.

Tickets - gigsandtours.com/tour/stereophonics

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 43

43

26/06/2017 16:47

Gig list Saturday July 1 One Chord Wonders 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon

Friday July 7 to Sunday July 9

Avebury Rocks

Built for Comfort 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon

Sparky’s Spontaneous Showcase 8pm - The White House, Oxford

Cornbury Festival

Dub For The Elders 9pm - O2 Academy, Oxford

Jimmy Lee’s Ragged Company 8.30pm - The Lamb Inn, Marlborough

Friday July 7 to Saturday July 8

Hi On Maiden 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

Junior 8.30pm - The London Road Inn, Calne

East Farm, Avebury, Wiltshire The Great Tew Park, Chipping Norton

Baby Boondocks

Sherston Village Hall, Sherston, Wiltshire Friday July 7 to Sunday July 16

Lee Pryor 9pm - The Steam Railway, Swindon

Frome Festival

The Strays 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon

Hairforce 5 9pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney

Friday July 7 India Electric Co. in Concert 8pm - Corn Exchange, Faringdon

Triple JD 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon

Jukesters 9pm - Tap Social Movement, Botley

Ramonas + Acrustic Badger Band 8pm - The Winchester Gate, Salisbury

Sunday July 9 The Gories 7pm - O2 Academy, Oxford

Last Call 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

Rockabilly Rumble 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon

Blank Atlas + Support 8pm - The Winchester Gate, Salisbury

The Reverse Cowgirls 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon

El Toro 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon

James Hollingsworth 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon

The Tin Shack Band 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon

Joe James and The Pariahs 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon

Monday July 10 Devizes Folk Club - All Welcome Night 8pm - The Lamb, Devizes

Tundra 9pm - Woodlands Edge, Swindon

Lads Lads Lads 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

Wednesday July 12 to Sunday July 16

Sunday July 2 Simple Cowley Road Carnival After Party 4.30pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

Mudslide Morris & the Revelators 9pm - The Coachmakers Arms, Wallingford

Multiple Venues, Swindon Wiltshire

Alicia 9pm - The Steam Railway, Swindon

Lay Low Band 7.30pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Sutura 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon Monday July 3 Devizes Folk Club - All Welcome Night 8pm - The Lamb, Devizes Tuesday July 4 Future Perfect presents - Airways 7.30pm - The Cellar, Oxford Wednesday July 5 Joyce Manor + Martha + Fancy Dress Party + Drama Kids 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

Multiple Venues, Frome, Somerset

The Dylegans 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon Newbury Unplugged 9.30pm - ACE Space, Newbury Friday July 7 Metal to the Masses After Party 11pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford Saturday July 8 to Saturday July 15

Old Town Festival

Old Town, Swindon Wiltshire Saturday July 8

Swindon Shuffle

Wednesday July 12 Billy Walton Band 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford Thursday July 13 to Sunday July 16

Once Upon A Time In The West Festival Secret Location, Nr Trowbridge Wiltshire Thursday July 13 The Band of the Scots Guards 7.30pm - Neeld Community and Arts Centre, Chippenham Damh The Bard 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon

Saddlebacks Blues Festival Devizes Sports Club

Singers Night 8pm - The Royal Oak, Corsham

The Carpenters Story 7.30pm - New Theatre, Oxford

Craig Hutchesson 8.30pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

2000 Trees Festival

Shepherd’s Pie 8pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney

Friday July 14 to Sunday July 16

Thursday July 6 Bowie Experience 7.45pm - Corn Exchange, Newbury

YVES (Release show) + Street Spirit + GETRZ 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon

Thursday July 6 to Saturday July 8 Upcote Farm, Cheltenham

George Wilding 8pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Singers Night 8pm - The Royal Oak, Corsham Acoustic Lounge 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon

44

Peloton 8.30pm - The Lamb Inn, Marlborough The Bankers 8.30pm - The Brewery Tap, Abingdon Bandantree 9pm - Woodlands Edge, Swindon

Marlborough Jazz Festival

Marlborough Town Hall, Wiltshire Friday July 14 Nathassia + Saal.London + Original Primate 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford Unsigned - Inside and Out 7pm - Trowbridge Town Hall, Wiltshire Crippled Rook + Support 8pm - The Winchester Gate, Salisbury Homer 8pm - The London Road Inn, Calne

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 44

26/06/2017 16:47

Gig List Whitesnake UK 9pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney Curtis and Lee 9pm - The Mermaid, Burford Emergency Banter 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon Interlight 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Light Zeppelin 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon Saturday July 15 Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charity Event 2pm - The London Road Inn, Calne

Friday July 21 Order#227 Present A Night Of Noise 7.30pm - The Wheatsheaf, Oxford

Natt Davis 8.30pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

The Illegal Eagles 7.30pm - New Theatre, Oxford

FollyFest

All Stars of Reggae & Lovers Rock 8pm - O2 Academy, Oxford Who’s Next?

8pm - The Victoria, Swindon Locarno Beat 9pm - The Mermaid, Burford Peloton 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon

Grant Sharkey + support 8pm - The Winchester Gate, Salisbury

Bossaphonik presents Lakuta 11pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford

Banksy 9pm - The Crown, Lechlade

Saturday July 22 Party in the Paddock - Jess Glynne Newbury Racecourse, West Berkshire

Hyperbolics 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon Night Wreckers 9pm - Tap Social Movement, Botley Syntronix 9pm - Woodlands Edge, Swindon The Rhythm Slingers 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon W.A.M (ska/punk) 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Monday July 17 Devizes Folk Club - All Welcome Night 8pm - The Lamb, Devizes Tuesday July 18 Future Perfect presents - Dan Owen 7pm - The Cellar, Oxford Stacey Kent 7.30pm - Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Wednesday July 19 Deap Vally + Demob Happy 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford Thursday July 20 Spotlight Night 8pm - The Royal Oak, Corsham Stonetrigger + Sykko Dollz + Terminus 8pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney Sheer Music Present - WSTR + With Ghosts + VEXXES + Heartwork (solo) 8.3pm - Level 3, Swindon The Riven + Mike Barham (band) 8.30pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Friday July 21 to Sunday July 23

Mini SausageFest Charity Weekender The Winchester Gate, Salisbury

Moretallica + Rammlied 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon Champagne Charlie 8.30pm - The Castle Inn, Swindon Gappy Tooth Industries - Lowws + Ed Geater + Webs and Marionettes 8.30pm - The Wheatsheaf, Oxford George Wilding 8.30pm - The Lamb Inn, Marlborough Angel Up Front 9pm - The Crown, Lechlade Chaos Brothers 9pm - The Queens Tap, Swindon Johnny’s Sexual Kitchen 9pm - The Bell, Bicester Killertones 9pm - Woodlands Edge, Swindon Krissy Matthews 9pm - The Steam Railway, Swindon Priest Unleashed 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Monday July 24 Devizes Folk Club - Crofton Stokers 8pm - The Lamb, Devizes Tuesday July 25 Sam Outlaw Band 7pm - The Bullingdon, Oxford Thursday July 27 to Sunday July 30

Friday July 28 to Sunday July 30 Faringdon, Oxfordshire Friday July 28 iconsburn + Cutlass 8pm - The Winchester Gate, Salisbury Bradley Cowtan + Support 8.30pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Ghouls + Eat Defeat + Six Feet Above 8.30pm - Level 3, Swindon Craig Hutchesson 9pm - The Cross Keys, Swindon Runaway Boys 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon Saturday July 29 to Sunday July 30

Riverside Festival

Mill Field, Charlbury Oxfordshire Saturday July 29 Purple Rain - A Celebration of Prince 8pm - Neeld Community and Arts Centre, Chippenham The Britpop Boys 8pm - The Victoria, Swindon The Sabbath Years + Special Guests 8pm - Level 3, Swindon Vince Bell 8pm - The London Road Inn, Calne Midlife Crisis 9pm - Woodlands Edge, Swindon Monkeydolls 9pm - The Lamb Inn, Marlborough Night Wreckers 9pm - The Brewery Tap, Abingdon Rorke’s Drift 9pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney Ruzz Guitars Electric Blues Revue 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon System-D 9pm - The Rolleston, Swindon The Money Shot 9pm - Groves Company Inn, Swindon Sunday July 30 Monthly Blues Jam 3pm - Fat Lil’s, Witney

WOMAD

The Worried Men 5pm - The Bell, Wantage

Thursday July 27 Singers Night 8pm - The Royal Oak, Corsham

Elvis 8.30pm - The Castle Inn, Swindon

Charlton Park, Malmesbury Wiltshire

Steel Yard Blues 9pm - The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon

www.theocelot.co.uk Ocelot 133.indd 45

45

26/06/2017 16:47

Agony Girl Ten year old Annabel is looking forward to the summer holidays. But she’s still had time to answer your problems.

We ask her the questions and these are her answers.... honest!

Dear Annabel, Who’s in charge of the country?

Yours The British Public Ginny. My cat. She should be in charge anyway. I voted for her because she catches lots of mice. If she was in charge we would all have to make sure that she has plenty of food in her bowl and dogs would be banned as they’re naughty and try and eat her. I do like doggies though. If I had a dog I would call him or her Sparkle as that is my little sister’s invisible friend.

Dear Annabel, I’m really tall. And I’m starting a new job at a school.

Have you got any really good nicknames for me?

Mike, Devizes Tree. Groot. From Guardians of the Galaxy. Or Cloudman. Or Mountain boy. I don’t want to be too tall when I grow up as I don’t like banging my head on things.

Dear Annabel, Whatever I do people keep ignoring me. What can I do?

Robert, Oxford Dear Annabel, Can you speak any foreign languages? What words do you know?

Giselle, Rio I can speak French kind of. Bonjour, merci, comme ci comme ca, Ca va? Ca va mal. Je m’apple. J’habite a tous. And I can speak one word of Portuguese. Obrigado which means thank you. One day I would like to learn American as they’ve got Disneyworld and I wouldn’t mind speaking the language.

46

Dear Annabel, I’m obsessed with dressing up as a monkey but my work colleagues are getting a bit worried about me.

Should I still wear my monkey suit under my clothes just so I can be myself but keep them happy at the same time?

Grant, Newbury You should definitely because monkeys are amazing. I think this guys a bit weird.

Dear Annabel, Will you play Barbies with me?

Amy, Swindon Right now? We’re watching a film right now so no but maybe later. I don’t like playing barbies as it’s too barbies. I’m too big for Barbies now. I play with my iPad and drawing.

Dear Annabel, My wife keeps calling me stupid and all because I don’t know how to change a plug or put up a shelf. But I can name every character in every Star Wars film. Do you think I’m stupid?

Terence, Witney No. Coz if you can name every Star Wars character you must be clever.

Write into Annabel at editorial@theocelot.co.uk

www.theocelot.co.uk

Ocelot 133.indd 46

26/06/2017 16:47

Ocelot 133.indd 47

26/06/2017 16:47

Ocelot 133.indd 48

26/06/2017 16:47