It’s an exciting time for Wez Woods, lead singer of Didcot based rockers Late Night Lights. His band’s debut EP, What You Wanted To Be, was released last Friday, and he’ll have the opportunity to show it off at the Wheatsheaf on Saturday. Having also produced the five-song record, the 26-year-old frontman is understandably thrilled to introduce Late Night Lights to the punters at one of Oxford’s most legendary venues.

“We are very proud of it,” he says. “We recorded the album with our friend Kyle Munday at Oxfordshire Music Rooms, which was a lot of fun.”

The Chalgrove-based studio has been a key location for the development of Late Night Lights, also being their main practice space. “We like it there, because it’s where we started off, just as mates jamming,” Wes explains. He met guitarist James Glen, bassist Steve Molloy and drummer Matt Hamblin while studying at St Birinus school in Didcot. “Through practice, we’ve become a proper band with good material and lots of experience.” Gig-wise, this experience ranges from playing empty rooms at Fat Lil’s in Witney to entertaining a roaring audience at the O2 Academy, when the band (previously known as Sonus) walked away as winners from a Battle of the Bands competition last year. “That was by far our loudest performance and our largest crowd,” Wes reckons.

listen to ‘The Oxford Mail talk about Late Night Lights - Where You Wanted To Be’ on Audioboom

He describes the band’s sound as “commercial rock, with catchy choruses to sing along to”, citing the likes of Goo Goo Dolls, Feeder, Blink 182 and Foo Fighters as key influences. Elsewhere, the inspiration of guitar shredders like Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses and Zakk Wylde from Black Label Society have found their way into the group’s amped-up music.

Witney’s female-fronted Shattered Dreams will also reunite for one night only, with additional performances from grunge metal collective Late Night Envy and pop-punk three piece Beaver Fuel.

  • CHECK IT OUT: See Late Night Lights at the Wheatsheaf, at 7.45pm on Saturday. Tickets cost £5 on the door.