Summer may be over but the festival season in Oxford goes on, as Tim Hughes finds out. Read - and listen to what's in store...

WITH the days growing ever shorter, darker and colder, those sun-lit days of festival-going are becoming a distant memory.

Or so we thought.

After nearly half a year of planning, Oxford is set to follow in the footsteps of the world’s great cities by hosting its very own festival. Forget images of tents, wellies, warm beer and weekends in the country, though, because this one is very definitely urban.

Running from this Monday to the following Sunday, the Oxford City Festival is the first of its kind. Taking place over 15 venues, the seven-day feast of music will feature scores of bands and artists – most of them from right here.

“It’s a real showcase of local talent,” says organiser Mark ‘Osprey’ O’Brien, who came up with the idea.

“We all know that Oxford is up there with the best cities on the musical map, and we need a way to celebrate that.”

As a key figure in the local music scene, Osprey – who made his name as a soloist, club DJ and as part of 90s band Tracksuit Karate (one of John Peel’s favourites) - was the obvious person to pull it together, laying on a programme which covers everything from folk and jazz to heavy metal and techno.

Oxford Mail:

Driving force: Osprey, right, with Richard Brotherton

“There are so many great bands out there and it has been great to bring it all together under the same umbrella.”

Venues involved are: the Head of the River, The Cellar, James Street Tavern, The Bear, the Jericho Tavern, the O2 Academy, The Corridor, The Marsh Harrier, The White Hart, The Holywell Music Room, The Art Bar (formerly the Bullingdon), The Wheatsheaf, The Duke’s Cut, Clems and The Half Moon.

Highlights will include sets by Makating, Swindlestock, The Goggenheim, Knight of Mentis, Redox, The Gee’s, Smilex, The Relationships, Brickwork Lizards, Inflatable Buddha, Beard of Destiny, Paul Morris and the Revelators, Southern Blues Fiasco, Komrad, The Dublings, Artclasssink, Empty Vessels and Osprey himself, who appears with the OX4 Allstars alongside Peter ‘Shanks’ Powell, ‘Big’ Jim Woods, Ian ‘Sticks’ Campbell, Marcus ‘Shakin’ lips’ Butler and acclaimed sound engineer Tim Turan. Osprey will also play a set with Abingdon’s Tom Hingley who found fame with Manchester ‘baggy’ band Inspiral Carpets.

Oxford Mail:

Dynamic: Smilex in action

Richard Brotherton is among a number of artists playing twice – in his case with Inflatable Buddha and Grace Exley’s avant garde art-rock act The Goggenheim.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” says Osprey (a native Teessider, who acquired his avian moniker from his CB radio handle while working as a fish farmer in the Lake District).

“There are new bands and old bands and so many people have wanted to play, we have had to extend it to the Sunday. A lot of artists want to be apart of it, and I hope that it will grow every year. I want it to continue and get bigger year on year.”

He also hopes to extend the festival’s offerings to encompass other art forms, making it a truly cultural event.

And who is he most looking forward to seeing next week? “I can’t wait to see Sinking Witches, who are a melodic rock band with real groove, and folk singer Megan Henwood, from South Oxfordshire, who is fantastic and is going to be a megastar. Then there are the likes of Brickwork Lizards, who I love. It’s all really varied.”

Many of the venues, including The Bear, Head of the River, James Street Tavern, Marsh Harrier and The Corridor will stage acts for free.

Other venues will charge for individual nights, meaning punters can pick and choose throughout the week.

“There is so much going on in the summer,” adds Osprey, “But November feels right for this. And we all need cheering up!

“Oxford has been given a lot of great music over the past quarter of a century, and people want to celebrate that. This will give people a chance to do so for a whole week. And we deserve it.”

Oxford City Festival runs from Monday to Sunday, December 1. Tickets from wegottickets.com ​

Oxford Mail:

Eclectic: The Brickwork Lizards

What to see...

  • Head of the River – jazz & world music

25th Maracutaya
26th All that Jazz
27th Flamenco Gypsy Jazz
28th Denny Ilett snr Quartet
29th Heavy Dexters
30th All that Jazz
 

  • The Bear – solo acoustic

25th Kate Jean Brunwin
26th Osprey, Ady Davey, Maria Ilett, Marcus Butler
27th Moogie Man
28th Lewis Newcome Jones
29th Poplar Jake
30th Rachel Ruscombe King
 

  • The Wheatsheaf

27th A homage to Led Zeppelin with Denny Ilett, Ady Davey, Andy Crowdy, Daisy Palmer & Jerry Soffe & JSK
29th Fracture. Peerles Pirates, Damian Franklin, The Omni Vibes, Mr Tom
1st Dec Fallen from Grace, Ilenkus, Sump, Noiscape Disturbance

  • The Jerico Tavern

26th Swindlestock, Ags Connoly & special guests
27th Artclassink, Less We Forget, Late Night Lights
28th Tim Friers & The Mercenaries, Red Crow, Right Hooks, Glenda Huish
29th The Gee’s, Sinking Witches, Empty Vessels, Black Feathers
30th Smilex, Osprey & the Ox4 Allstars, The Relationships, The Other Dramas, Art Theefe, Mark Cope

  • The 02 Academy Oxford

29th The Goggenhiem, Knights of Mentis, Redox, The Great Big Bargain

  • The Art Bar

27th Late Night Envy, Vienna Ditto, Grum Pik
1st Dec Megan Henwood, Les Clochards, Welcome To Peep World, Ragdoll

  • The Cellar – reggae

26th Reggae night: Makating, The Dubblings, Danny Mac, Destination Soundsystem
29th Church of the Heavy: Komrad, Annero, Masiro, Crows Reign
30th Punkolympia: Headcount, Black Powder, Jane likes Books, Barmy Army, Twat Daddies, Man Make Fire, Don’t go Plastic. Clubnight with Needle in a Haystack

  • The Holywell Music Room

26th Brickwork Lizards, Inflatable Buddha

  • James St Tavern

28th Beard of Destiny, Scot Cooper, Claire Lematser
29th Blackthorn, The Shapes
30th Superloose, Mean Montage, The Howlin’ Taildraggers, Paul Morris & The Revelators
1st Dec 1984Ensemble, Laima Bite, The Grooves, Penny Kempson & more

  • The Corridor – old skool dance classics

29th Marty P, Nathan Gould
1st Dec Steam Roller, The Magic Mango Band

  • The White Hart, Headington

30th Headington Hillbillies

  • The Duke’s Cut

29th Ioneye, Matthew Tansini
30th 14ten, Drop Out, Monkfish

  • The Marsh Harrier

28th Tom Hingley
29th The Jamm Up
30th Southern Blues Fiasco, Slidin’ n’ Blue.

  • Clems, St Clement’s – Techno and easy listening

30th Room one: Disque Vogue. Room two: Northern Mark, Art Lagun, Walt Frizbee, Code Sixty Nine

Programme supplied by organisers