Jonas Torrance of Oxford reggae rockers Dubwiser tells TIM HUGHES why a gig at the castle is right up their street

FEW people anywhere know reggae like Dubwiser.

The band, one of Oxford’s longest serving, have performed with some of the world’s greats and played the biggest gigs and festivals. Yet, says frontman Jonas Torrance, they still prefer to keep things local.

“We have also played some big places – from Glastonbury to Bestival – but I would rather play a small room than Wembley, especially an interesting one.”

Fusing reggae with indie-rock, Jonas and drummer Spider Johnson, keys man Malcolm Atkins, and bassist Paul ‘Tads’ Tadman have been around for more than 20 years, and describe themselves as pure Oxford.

“We play classic roots reggae but we are definitely from the UK – and definitely from Oxford,” says Jonas. “You can hear that local influence in the stuff we play. There’s roots but also indie-rock. It’s a hefty sound with a deep vibe which moves your hips.”

Jonas, who grew up in North Oxford, has a distinguished record on the local music scene, previously serving with Cornflower Concept, The Circle and Twinjet Superstar. “I’ve been playing music in Oxford since I was a teenager,” he says. “We have all performed with a lot of people.”

Those names include some serious legends – artists like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, The Mad Professor, Peter Tosh and The Wailers, Madness and Bad Manners, and with local heroes Radiohead , Supergrass and Ride.

“They have supported us and we’ve supported them,” he says.

As a reggae band Dubwiser have an uncannily broad appeal – something Jonas, a dance therapist who works with autistic people, puts down to their ability to break down musical boundaries “There has often been a division between different genres of music in Oxford,” he says. “Essentially this comes down to indie and everything else. That hasn’t arisen through any great effort, it’s just something that’s grown up over time. But we have played with lots of indie bands and like what they do – and they love what we do.

“The problem with some reggae is that it can be dull and too traditional, but we don’t do it like that. We play it lively, like a four-piece rock band. On a few occasions people have said they don’t really like reggae but they like us a lot. But that doesn’t mean we are not reggae – we are – but we play with excitement and are accessible, without being pop.”

No strangers to unusual venues, they have played stately homes, house parties and festival tents. But tomorrow they will get to add a new, and even more unlikely, venue to their list – Oxford Castle .

Jonas and his bandmates will join a line-up of seven bands for Live & Unlocked – a one-night festival of new music celebrating 150 years of the Oxford Mail’s sister paper The Oxford Times , taking place in the former prison.

The lads join chic-pop act Little Fish, indie-pop band Secret Rivals and DJs from Yoof! The Original Rabbit Foots Spasm Band and Smilex on stage in the jail’s D-Wing, while dance-pop group Duchess, Afro-indie band Nairobi, singer-songwriter Tamara Parsons-Baker and blues-country-rockers Swindlestock play the crypt.

“We are a professional band but also love to do interesting gigs. We do weddings, bar mitzvahs – and now castles!” says Jonas.

A highlight of the jail wing set is expected to be a rendition of the highly-appropriate Banged Up, from their long-in-the-making debut album A Crack in Paradise (“we wrote a track a year,” jokes Jonas).

“People do ask us to play funny gigs,” he adds. “Gigs at proper venues all blend into one, but you can’t say that for the strange ones - and particularly not this one!”

  • Dubwiser play Live & Unlocked: celebrating 150 years of The Oxford Times at Oxford Castle Unlocked tomorrow.
  • Also playing are Little Fish, Secret Rivals, Tamara Parsons-Baker, Swindlestock, Nairobi and Duchess.
  • Tickets are just £8 in advance from oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk and wegottickets.com or £9 on the door.