OXFORD CULTURE. Issue #008. June/July 2013.
free
SPIRES
B*B*A*T*B*C ON THESE MAGIC SHORES BIG SOCIETY magnificent rainbows and mutants on the m25
an enchanting portal to never never land appears at the castle quarter
cowley road’s 2/3 pint pouring hangout
2
issue #008 JUNE/JULY 2013
MUSIC: P04
ART: P12
FOOD: P18
official website: spiresmagazine.com official blog: spiresmagazine.tumblr.com
THE SUN IS OUT! Gosh, that makes me happy. After what felt like the longest, drabbest winter of all time, we have a summer to enjoy. It’ll probably last about three days, but it’s a summer nonetheless, and summer means festivals. Of course, us Spires-ers will be going along to as many local ones as possible, so you have that to look forward to in the next issue. For now, you can prepare for the abundance of talented local acts in attendance by reading up on the latest Oxfordian releases on page 12. In reviewing them, I was treated to an audible onslaught of wonderful new tunes to get me psyched for Truck and Wilderness. With such a wide range of gifted bands on the rise, this feels like a special and exciting time for music in our city, and that’s something we can all be a part of. Speaking of being a part of something, drop us a line if you want to get your writing in Spires. The next issue may be our last for a while, so I wanna make it a right goodun. Matt Ayres
/spiresmagazine
@spiresmagazine
Spires is a free magazine created by culture lovers, for culture lovers. All articles reflect the views of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the editor. happy reading!
Editor: Matt Ayres matt@spiresmagazine.com cover PHOTO: WILLIAM austin willy-i-am.tumblr.com contributors: B*B*A*T*B*C EMILY BRUCE Joe DAVIS TAISIE TSiKAS MADELEINE LAWSON Advertising: ads@spiresmagazine.com drop us a line and enquire about our competitive ad rates!
PEAC 04
CE
2013: the summer of In Love ? Taisie Tsikas finds out...
T
he ‘60s were a heady time to be young and the buzzword was Peace. Fast forward fifty years and it’s back on the agenda. But this time it’s got nothing to do with CND, and everything to do with psychedelic, tropical and passionate songs that are fuelling indie club nights everywhere. Peace are the guys determined to bring the love in 2013, hailing from that renowned hub of upcoming bands: Birmingham. They’ve been touring almost constantly and supporting some prestigious names earned them the opening slot on the NME Awards Tour. Now they’re kicking out on their own, headlining venues across the UK, singing karaoke and getting their tour manager arrested in their spare time. So where did it start for this band who are soundtracking the lives of youths all over Britain? Arguably, Oxford. They played their very first show in our local Jericho Tavern. Debonair frontman Harrison Koisser remembers it well: “We were supporting Magic Kids… where was it? Somewhere!” Peace’s success can be tracked through their visits to Oxford. In addition to a gig in The Cellar, last October they played an intimate set at the East Oxford Community Centre for Gathering Festival, under a web of bare bulbs, on a stage a foot high, to a buzzing crowd. It isn’t a totally friendly relationship between Peace and the people of Oxford, however. “There was one bar where I think I killed someone” admits guitarist Douglas Castle sheepishly. Harrison remembers the event fondly. “Nah you didn’t kill them, you just hit them with an axe on the back.” In April they were back again, and this time they had a full album under their belts: In Love. When asked to describe it, they’re baffled. “I’d say just YouTube it, mate” advises Harrison. “It’ll take like 40 minutes of your time” adds Doug. Their unwillingness to try to describe the vibes of In Love is justified; it’s pretty hard to pin down, a weird and wonderful cocktail of smutty Britpop, indie and rock, often with a twist of hippy psychedelia and sunshine pop accessibility. Drummer Dominic Boyce explains: “[The Britpop sound] wasn’t intentional in any way. The only way to explain it really is that that was the music that was on the radio when we were kids. It must have been wired into us. I don’t understand why people don’t just write pop songs, they’re often the most iconic.” The band spent five weeks in residential studios recording In Love. It was released on vinyl as well as CD, but they see vinyl as having specific challenges: “With a CD and the download it needs to be integrated; it needs to flow. With vinyl it makes sense to have an extra disc with bonus content. Also, on the vinyl there was ‘Waste Of Paint’ which we wanted to be vinyl only. It was adapted to suit the format.” Unfortunately vinyl has a key weakness: it’s as breakable as a Ming vase, and unfortunately, the truck carrying the records crashed. “They went through them all and they were OK. It was a pretty bad omen…” Their pre-album releases haven’t been forgotten yet. When they tried to stop playing ‘1998’ (a fan favourite from the debut EP)
MUSIC 05
“
I don’t understand why people don’t just write pop songs. They’re often the most iconic.
06
- DOMINIC BOYCE
people got so upset that they backtracked and kept it. Is there any danger of getting bogged down in the past? Harrison isn’t worried. “Some of the songs on the album we had before some of the ones written for Delicious. The EP and the album were picked out of a bigger body of work; they’re more just one thing.” Doug continues “I think it was a learning curve because we’d never really been in the studio properly for more than like a day or worked with anyone.’ That said, Peace have basically abandoned everything from before EP Delicious. They started off as November and the Criminal, but don’t start hoping that they’ll be playing any of the songs from that era again. “It was just this thing we did in college when we were kind of restless. I don’t know what we were trying to be! There was a lot of growing up involved.” More recently their first single ‘Follow Baby’ was re-recorded and rereleased for the album. “The first time we did ‘Follow Baby’ it was before we were signed or had any money. We ended up with all these different parts of the song all sounding completely different. It felt quite put together.” One move that the band isn’t in a hurry to put behind them is the controversial ‘Wraith’ video. It featured the band passively staring at two semi-
naked women twerking, blank expressions on their faces. “It’s like a really cliché hip hop video. Everything he does is taking the clichés of one genre and putting it to another,” says Harrison of the director, Jesse John Jenkins. “It’s kind of ridiculous because if that was a hip hop song it would be fine - but because it’s us it’s like “Oh we’re misogynistic racists!”’ laughs Doug. Harrison attempts an explanation: “It’s not really ironic, it’s more just testing. I think if you were really like “they can’t do that” then maybe we’re the wrong band for you to associate with. I think if you got it and you were fine with it, then maybe you’ll get the whole thing.” And it looks like many people do get the whole thing. “Every night’s been really good,” sighs Harrison. “It’s a combination: us, the crowd, the venue. It all needs to click and that’s what it’s done this tour. Everything’s been perfect.” A few hours after our interview the O2 is jampacked with fans who make the floor shake with their jumping, yell back every lyric and ram into each other with abandon. The songs provoking the reaction are anthems to youth and everything that comes with it – confusion, recklessness, love, daydreaming... all that jazz. Peace switch effortlessly from being arrogant and dirty, to loved up and adorable, to intoxicating levels of fun.
MUSIC 07
10 12
Life on the road with Oxford’s (second) most debaucherous rock ‘n’ roll band...
MUSIC 11 13
day one.
We kick things off, as always, with the drive down a painfully familiar stretch of the M40 to London. Tonight we are opening a really great line-up put together by Joey Fourr at Birthdays in Dalston. We arrive late but are blessed with a ten-out-of-ten parking space directly out front. Venue has a good vibe: there is concrete, balloons, back stage beer, purple lights and the upstairs smells like some kind of crazy rich tasting crispy meat. The room fills up nicely for our set and we get a positive response. YES! Dog Chocolate, Thee MVPs and Honeyslide all make some top noise. Drive back to Oxford listening to a heady mixture of Jon Talabot and Ween.
day two.
Hometown fun to be had at the Cellar tonight. King of Cats has made the trip up from Brighton and has had the most drastic of hair cuts. Their set is as beautiful as always and brings back glorious memories of our tour with them in January. A lovely clan of familiar faces get right up in our grill for our set; there is dancing and whooping. Thanks friends, you’re the tick to our tocka.
day three.
Weird one today, we get stuck in the brutal M25 rush hour traffic on the way to Brighton but a magnificent rainbow and laughing at strange mutant people in other cars keeps us in good spirit. By the time we get to the Blind Tiger we are almost due on stage and the most ridiculously sized drum kit belonging to Team Ghost makes things very awkward indeed, but we manage. After the show we stick around for all kinds of weirdness and Matt gets lost for hours but finds his way to Hell House (King of Cats HQ) while Josh and Vinny enjoy supreme comfort in a bed with cups of craplush fishy tea in a house courtesy of a childhood friend.
day four.
Early start as today we are heading all the way up to Manchester. We are going to pick up our friend Lucy who is helping Josh out behind the wheel for the rest of the journey up north. Her smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels turn out to be one of the culinary highlights of the week. We descend on Manchester. (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? full blast, ‘av it, city, mad for it. Arrive at Fuel which is a vegan café, amidst a cyclone of XLR cables and falafel. It’s all a bit of a crazy old mess, not helped by the fact that Poledo are present and are being cheeky monkeys. But we all crack on and it turns out to be easily the best night of the tour. Beautiful people, sweet bands, burning toilet paper, spilt drinks and upturned veggie platters all add up to create the fizziest vibe. Party continues at our handsome friend Jack Rogers’ place nearby, and Matt has the best time ever rubbing up against the walls in the hallway. Our favorite thing about Manchester, excluding Liam Gallagher’s hilarious face, is its top quality breakfast café culture. We go to Solomon Grundie’s, great place to get Eggs Benedict/ ethically and locally sourced full English. It smacks the spot.
day five.
Onwards to Sheffield with Poledo and their exhausting, endless japing and jerking around, following us like the annoying cousins you’re forced to entertain at a family gathering. We stop in the middle of the Peak District to do some leg stretching. It is remarkably beautiful until Poledo start playing ‘Raining Blood’ full blast out of their car stereo and jump up and down on the bonnet. First time playing in Sheffield tonight, we are all unbelievably worn out and it’s a minimal turn out but the solid gold soundman tells Josh’s girlfriend Eppie to be quiet during our set and buys our CD, so it’s not all bad. We get paid £12 and go back to stay at Eppie’s flat. The Poledo monkeys get way too much Crofters and we fall asleep stuck to leather sofa cushions. In the morning we get burritos and massive cinnamon buns from a Californian style café, a confusing and delicious combination. Josh buys some jeans and we go home.
10
MUSIC 11
L O C A L releases reviews by Matt Ayres
THE EPSTEIN MURMURATIONS ZAWINUL RECORDS They’ve been absent from the scene for a while now, but one of the very best bands in Oxford’s growing collection of folk-tinged artists has returned with the perfect sunny day soundtrack, and just in time for festival season. The Epstein’s latest, Murmurations, is one of those joyful, immediately likeable albums – distinct and thought-provoking without being too out there, or excessively whimsical like so many other banjo plucking wankers. The opening sequence of tracks eases us into the album, like the first tentative steps into a pleasantly cool swimming hole: ‘Chimes’ in particular is irresistible with its rich instrumentation, rippling guitar/keyboard layering and expertly placed harmonies. It’s followed by the sublime ‘Hudson’, an acoustic-y taste of Americana that conjures nostalgic memories of Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning and Cassadaga. It’s difficult to decide what the best bit about all this is. Could it be lead singer Olly Wills’ heartening vocal lines, the picturesque lyrical images that he so effortlessly paints, or the unfaultable production of a band who know every in and out there is to a cracking pop song? Most likely, it’s a combination of all those things. In fact, as we reach recent single and late album highlight ‘Calling Out My Name’, it’s pretty clear that this is simply a collection of songwriters who belong together. Long may they make beautiful, life-affirming music together.
12
HUCK & THE XANDER BAND ALEXANDER THE GREAT - ACT ONE PINDROP PUBLICITY We’re thousands of miles from Arkansas, Nebraska and Texas, and yet Americana is becoming Oxford’s new math rock. Trend following aside, Huck and the Xander Band are at least bringing something new to the table by recording their very own multi-part folk operetta. That’s a concept album to you and I. Guess where it’s set? Humphrey Astley (Huck to his friends) has lofty ambitions for this project: it’s already being developed into a stage show, and this first chapter’s barely been out a month. It sees its rather precocious subject Alexander up and move stateside with his ‘Daddeh’ and meet a boy called ‘Jonneh’. Both relationships seem doomed from the start, given the bluesy qualities of these first four tracks: musically, they evoke something between Bob Dylan and Morrissey, the odd Clapton-esque gee-tar solo thrown in on ‘A Suffi From Dixie’, but lyrically it feels like we’re building towards an impending clash of morality and loyalties; families being ripped apart at the seams, people being sad and angry about it, that sort of thing. The main draw is Huck’s fantastic voice. In his cooler moments he’s not a million miles from the melancholy solo work of Alex Turner, but when he reaches for the impassioned high notes we hear a hysterical, heartbreaking tug that’s found in world-class singers like Conor Oberst, Justin Vernon and Kevin Devine. It will be those impressive pipes that bring us back for more.
GRUDLE BAY COLDER SELF-RELEASED This three-track EP from trancey dancey indie boys Grudle Bay is just as refreshing as that iceencrusted thing on their album cover. Damn, don’t that ice-encrusted thing look refreshing? Opener ‘Colder’ is dripping with electropop coolness: a pleasantly spacy, beat-powered number with a Foals-esque falsetto chorus and scatterings of analogue synth. Meanwhile, a fretwandering bassline continuously keeps the band together by returning to the root notes like a boomerang whenever it’s needed. Octave hopping grooves in ‘Running’ are very Fixers, but the band keeps things original by throwing some dissonant, palm-muted guitar in with their ‘80s drum fills and strikingly layered vocal harmonies. Finally, ‘Fool Around’ contains more subtle electro musings and one of the most victorious beat drops to be found in indie-dance music on this side of the Channel. A full album of this, and we’ll have yet another inspirational Oxford act for radio presenters around the country to hyperventilate over.
half decent this is the music quickfix recordings Not content with settling for the amusing but forgettable exploits of the other white rappers who occasionally pass through Oxford (MC Lars springs to mind), each of the tracks on Half Decent’s This Is The Music channels a different sub-genre of hiphop, to varying degrees of success. Whether he’s testing the water to find out which influence works best for him or simply thinks he’s got the talent to pull off such a wide range of styles remains to be seen. In any case, his massive ambition keeps things from getting dull - props for that. Mr Decent’s influences range from soulful US West Coast giants like 2Pac and Snoop Dogg (‘How Would You Know’) to grimier UK backstreetrappers-done-good like Plan B and Professor Green (‘These Are The Days’). They’re both styles that work well for him, providing quality canvases for the primary artistic medium in his toolbox: energetic suburban poetry.
Less effective are his entries into the fray of mainstream club music. ‘Party Harder’ is an unfortunate low point that’s complete with cheapsounding four to the floor beats, farty basslines and smirk-inducing ‘monster voice’ samples. A female vocalist provides the vocal hook in the chorus: “we don’t need no education, we will be just fine,” she postulates, slightly off key, to the bewildered clubgoing students of the world’s most prestigious university. In hindsight, perhaps dropping out during that BTEC course was a bad move… Looking past a few failed floorfillers and (it can’t go unsaid) one of the worst album covers in local history, Half Decent rocks the mic with some impressive production skills and sincerely voiced lyrics, making this a commendable effort overall.
the sea the sea the four demos self-released It’s always thrilling when a new, talented collective emerge from the studio with a collection of demos to signal their imminent rise in local popularity. The Sea The Sea’s demos are bristling with potential, although they haven’t quite reached the towering heights that they’re aiming for. Yet. In their strongest moments, this five piece fuse the direct lyricism of The Maccabees with the post-rock scale of Explosions In The Sky and This Will Destroy You – the stunning middle eight in ‘Waterfall’ manages to clash these unlikely styles without so much as a blink, whilst also summoning the catchier moments of Foals and Wild Beasts. Equally promising is ‘The Winter Parade’, with its galloping bass line motoring the song along towards a bridge strong enough to withstand tidal waves. However, the same track also demonstrates some of the limitations in these demos – a subpar vocal performance means that they don’t yet have the same impact as bands like Everything Everything whilst haphazardly jumping between falsetto choruses and moody verses. One angle the band might make better use of is the infectious simplicity that they exhibit in ‘Something Happened’ – it demonstrates an ability to make the best of classic chord progressions and melodic hooks that are absent in their rather underwhelming opener, ‘The Straight and Narrow.’ By combining bigger hooks, wilder instrumentation and a stronger vocal performance, capitalising on the white hot flashes of talent frequently hinted at here, The Sea The Sea will become one of the liveliest sparks around in this dynamite music scene of ours.
MUSIC 13
on these magic shores: an exhibition of contemporary illustration O3 gallery, 4TH MAy- 16th june 2013 “On these magic shores children at play are forever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.” - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan Taking its title from these vividly evocative lines from the beloved tale of the boy who didn’t want to grow up, the O3 Gallery’s most recent exhibition offered a captivating glimpse into the whimsical world of contemporary illustration and its current preoccupation with the notion of the fairytale. The works on display were united in their attempts to bring a modern twist to this old-fashioned theme, either through the direct re-imagining of well-known stories or through looser visualisations of such classic childhood motifs as talking (or woolly hatwearing) animals, enchanted forests and toadstool houses. Isobel Kho’s Haters Gonna Hate was perhaps the most fitting image of all, in which the feisty pigeon’s quip could be taken as a witty gibe at the ‘ugly sisters’ by one of the feathered friends who famously rallied around Cinderella in the Brothers Grimm version of the story. This quest for a fresh take on the old could be seen not just in the content of the works, but also in their production methods. I had been expecting a lot of hand-drawn originals, so was surprised to find that many of the works had, in fact, been created or manipulated digitally. For me, this discovery brought
14
an additional depth to the exhibition by cleverly allowing the neat and coherent fairytale theme to open out into a wider exploration of the field of contemporary illustration as a whole, highlighting the interesting juxtaposition between traditional draughtsmanship and the more cutting-edge processes inspired by new technologies. While pieces such as Sarah Ray’s quirky Three Little Pigs screen print and Phillip J. Jones’ beautifully detailed Mountains and Shores ink drawings demonstrated the tactile qualities of the handmade artwork and the narrative power of the line, digital works such as Kris Tate’s Voices of the Forest displayed a movement away from conventional representation towards flat, geometric patterns. On These Magic Shores provided a fascinating introduction to contemporary illustration and a refreshing alternative to the many oil paintings that fill most of Oxford’s smaller art spaces. Full of style, humour and no small measure of childlike wonder, I have no doubt that it sent many of its visitors sailing away to distant lands in their imaginary coracles. Madeleine Lawson
art 15
phillip j. jones, mountains and shores (detail) 15
kris tate, voices of the forest art 16
Oxford Drunken Knitwits Unthread those old-fashioned preconceptions and say hello to the knitting drinkers of this unlikely creative alliance
------------------------------------------Words: Emily Bruce Photographs: Janey Messina ------------------------------------------Knitting has had quite the resurgence recently. For a long time seen as something only old ladies did, more and more people of all ages are now taking it up, and the popularity of the Oxford Drunken Knitwits – a group that meet in different pubs every Wednesday – proves that knitting is fashionable once more. Having just moved to Oxford from the US a little over a year ago and looking to make some friends, Janey Messina, the group creator and a keen knitter, found that knitting clubs weren’t all that social, so she decided to start her own using Meetup.com; combining one of her favourite hobbies with another one – drinking. And thus the Oxford Drunken Knitwits was born. Janey soon found plenty of like-minded people in similar situations, made some great friends, and a year on the group is booming with over a hundred members. I joined the group last year because I wanted to meet some new people, and I can honestly say my life has improved so much for joining, and I know the rest of the members would join me in saying the same. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming – the
17
group has a fantastic vibe about it. We are not a stereotypical knitting club, as you may have been able to guess from our name, and the fact we meet in bars and pubs. We don’t take ourselves seriously and like to have a laugh – for example, the last knitter knitting at each meetup has to do a shot. You don’t have to knit or crochet in order to join, as long as you’re willing to learn – and there’s always someone happy to teach you! The club is not just for women, either; we welcome male knitters with open arms. So what’s next for the Oxford Drunken Knitwits? We’re always on the look out out for new projects! We recently yarnbombed the Radcliffe Camera railings with flowers (we will keep adding to it!) and we helped make a celebration scarf for Oxfordshire Mind to raise awareness about mental health issues. We’re also going to help knit a scarf to wrap around the Pegasus Theatere, and we’re doing some more yarnbombing for the Cowley Road Carnival. So, watch this space, and join us! Find out more at oxforddrunkenknitwits.com.
art 18
BIG SO
20 19
OCIETY Joe davis samples pale ale and ping pong at Cowley Road’s stateside-style hangout Big Society is long overdue in Oxford and makes a refreshing change from the usual pubs and clubs that we have grown so used to. Ideally situated halfway down the Cowley Road, it’s a welcoming and vibrant addition to East Oxford. A vintage American theme runs throughout; beers are served in ice cold 2/3 pint glasses and cocktails in jam jars. There is even a free Ping Pong table. On a Friday and Saturday nights you’ll be lucky to get a seat, but the large garden and heated smoking area are great for the summer months. Happy hour runs from 5-7pm every day, during which cocktails are £3.95 (normally £6.00). Try a Big Soc Lollipop, Thriller in Vanilla or even an old school Rum & Coke float. As well as being a perfect place for drinking, Big Society’s homemade food is some of the best in Oxford. The four-piece chicken is soaked
overnight in milk and rolled in secret rub mix. All the food your table orders is served on large metal trays, making it perfect for sharing, so go crazy and order loads of sides, such as mac & cheese or ‘slaw (the cool way to say coleslaw). The portions are generous and very reasonably priced. Treat yourself to one of the special desserts such as key lime pie or waffle and ice cream stacks (they really are stacked). The thing that makes Big Society stand out from other places in Oxford is the friendliness of the staff. They are always more than happy to recommend food or drinks and have a casual chat, even when they are rushed off their feet. The absence of generic drinks in favour of microbreweries, such as ale brewed in Shotover, also makes you realise that it is worth seeking out something different once in a while.
food 20 21
thanks for reading! check out spiresmagazine.tumblr.com for more oxford culture.