Oxford forced to face music over Swindon rivalry (From Oxford Mail)

Oxford forced to face music over Swindon rivalry

2:18pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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MUSICIANS, promoters and rock journalists have dismissed a survey which fails to put Oxford in a list of the top 20 musical cities – but puts Swindon at 13.

The survey, by the Performing Right Society, calculated the number of musicians per head of population.

Bristol topped the chart, while Oxford came 21st.

Ronan Munro, editor of Oxford’s independent music magazine Nightshift, said: “These things are worthless, and I don’t think anyone should take any notice of it.

“Oxford has great bands, great venues and great promoters.

“If you look at all the towns surrounding Oxford, including Swindon, Reading, and North-ampton, none of them have anything like what Oxford has.

“Let people think what they want, we will just get on with producing great bands.”

Radiohead and Supergrass were both born in Oxford, while the city has also seen the rise of acts like Foals, Young Knives and The Epstein.

Venues which regularly play live music include the O2 Academy, the Regal, the Bullingdon, the Jericho, the Wheatsheaf, and the Cellar, with numerous others providing a place for musicians to cut their teeth.

Philip Guy Davis, who runs a weekly blues night at the Bullingdon pub, said: “Oxford has a huge number of musicians and I think it’s ludicrous for it not to be in the top 20.

“Oxford is rock city, you can go to something every night.”

Among the bands based in the city are Stornoway, who played last year’s Glastonbury Festival and will release their first album, Beachcomber’s Windowsill, in May.

Singer and guitarist Brian Briggs said: “I can’t believe it. Swindon isn’t exactly famous for its music scene, but I would have thought Oxford would have been on quite a few people’s key cities for music.

“There are a huge number of venues considering the size of the city and a huge number of bands as well.”

He said the city was a great place for up-and-coming bands to hone their craft.

He said: “There are so many other bands you can learn from, lots of different venues where you can get gigs, even when you’re starting out, and there’s also the local music press where you can get feedback and reviews.”

The Performing Right Society has 65,000 musicans on its books. A spokesman said: “Although Swindon may have just pipped Oxford in terms of musicians and composers per head of population, Oxford has still done extremely well and we’re sure will still continue to produce many excellent musicians.”

• I don’t think anyone should take this kind of survey too seriously, writes Oxford Mail music editor Tim Hughes.

To exclude Oxford from a list of musical cities is clearly a joke. Our reputation for producing amazing bands is second only to our fame as an academic centre.

You can’t enter an Oxford pub without walking into at least half-a-dozen talented artists — many of whom are making waves around the UK and overseas.

Not only have we produced the likes of Radiohead, Supergrass and Ride, but we’re also the launchpad for Young Knives, Foals, Thea Gilmore and Stornoway, and up-and-coming acts like The Anydays, Borderville, A Silent Film, Winchell Riots, Richard Walters, Family Machine, Smilex, Alphabet Backwards and, of course, Little Fish — who are busy conquering Los Angeles!

Remind me who Swindon have produced?

XTC? Billie Piper? There is more musical talent in the average East Oxford street than the whole of Swindon put together!