• While the city celebrates Light Night tomorrow, the Ashmolean Museum hands over the keys to the team from Oxford Folk Weekend, who have invited all their mates over for a lively night of music among the artefacts. Festival director Cat Kelly assures us the night will prove that folk is not just for “beardy-weirdy socks-and-sandals wearers”, by staging a varied bill of music with a strong local accent. Among our favourites are Swindlestock, Ollie Wills from The Epstein, Tamara Parsons-Baker, and Jackie Oates — oh, and the morris dancing, of course. The fun starts at 7pm and runs through to 10pm.
     
  • Saturday sees the return of one of Oxford’s best-loved events — Audioscope. This 12-hour feast of avant-garde, alternative, weird and wonderful pop and electronic music.

    This year’s line-up is among the most impressive yet, with Chicago experimental folk act Califone, electro gothic popsters Esben and the Witch, Eat Lights Become Lights, Grumbling Fur, Fonda 500, Pye Corner Audio, Thought Forms, Tomaga, and Sauna Youth.

    Local scene-watchers will be delighted to know that Andrew Mears’s anthemic indie-pop project Pet Moon, Ollie Young’s alter-ego Salvation Bill, and nautical instrumentalists Listing Ships are also on the bill — the latter fronted by festival organiser Stuart Fowkes. Tickets are great value at £14 for 12 bands, with all profits going to Shelter.

    Go to www.audioscope.co.uk


  • With barely time to breathe, Monday marks the start of a new cultural extravaganza — Oxford City Festival. Organiser Mark ‘Osprey’ O’Brien hopes to see the event rival the likes of Edinburgh, in years to come, but it is already an impressive event, with scores of mostly local bands playing venues across the city: from the Holywell Music Room and The Wheatsheaf to the James Street Tavern and the O2 Academy.

    Among the best are Makating, Swindlestock, The Goggenhiem, Knight of Mentis, Redox, The Gee’s, Smilex, The Shapes, 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 and also plays a set with Abingdon’s Tom Hingley of Inspiral Carpets fame.

    Some events are ticketed, others are free. Go to oxfordtimes.co.uk for a full programme.