• SOME of the biggest new bands in Oxford will give up their time in aid of a very good cause on Saturday as the city holds its second Oxjam takeover.

The event, which started fairly modestly last year, has mushroomed into an impressive one-night urban festival. Action takes place at The Cellar, Purple Turtle, Turl Street Kitchen and, perhaps most excitingly, Modern Art Oxford — where Fixers, Pet Moon, Sisterland, King of Cats and Beta Blocker and the Body Clock play a night curated by the city’s Blessing Force arts collective.

Other stars include reggae band Dubwiser and indie-rockers Secret Rivals, both of whom starred at Oxford Castle for this newspaper’s 150th anniversary party last month, and Flights of Helios, featuring the electronic talents of Oxford Times columnist Seb Reynolds.Joining them are Richard Walters, The Grinding Young, Kill Murray, Ollie Thomas, We Aeronauts, Family Machine, Black Hats, Grudle Bay, The Yarns, The Wooden Sky, Evening Hymns, Cat Matador, ToLiesel, Empty White Circles, The Scholars, Brickwork Lizards, ArtClassSink, We Are Goose, Ragged Claws, Robots With Souls, Dropout and Ioneye.

Oxford’s evening of sound is one of 40 taking place around the country. Since being founded in 2006, Oxjam has raised more than £1.75m for the charity, and organisers of our event hope to raise more than £6,000 on the day - twice last year’s total.

Oxjam takes place this Saturday. Wristbands cost £10 and allow entry to all venues and an after-show party at the Turl Street Kitchen until 3am.

They are on sale at the Truck Store or from wegottickets.com

  • OXFAM’S coffers will also be bolstered by an even more star-studded, if perhaps more sedate, evening on Sunday. Malian musician Rokia Traore follows up a summer spent performing on the Africa Express tour with Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney and John Paul Jones, by stopping off at the Oxford Playhouse.

The Eight Stories High night will also feature Weekend cover star Kristin Davis.

  • OXFORD country-rockers The Epstein will be cracking open the Champagne, or at least a decent cava, this week having just signed a record deal.

The Binsey-based band, who are, if anything, bigger in mainland Europe than here, have signed to PIAS for their activities in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. The band’s long-awaited second album Murmurations is due out next year.