The traumatic, albeit temporary, closure of the Zodiac, has given rise to an exodus.

While just a few weeks ago, Oxford's beautiful people frolicked among the sticky floors and rusty plumbing of our favourite Cowley Road venue, they have now been scattered across the city in search of alternative hangouts.

And it's not just the punters who have decamped. So have the bands and DJs whose efforts keep the city's well-oiled music scene rumbling along. Among the latter is The Zodiac's First Lady of the decks - DJ Nelly B Page, aka Nell.

A mainstay of the club's much-loved Saturday Trashy night, the cheery Mancunian party animal has traded in East Oxford for the charms of Walton Street, and set up shop in that most venerable of venues, The Jericho Tavern - where she runs a weekly night of cutting edge live music called Love Burns.

Since kicking off, this tasty little session has played host to some of the city's best-loved acts, among them King Furnace, A Silent Film, Foxes!, Mephisto Grande and The Epstein.

And, says Nell, there's no better way of spending a Tuesday night: "Tuesdays can be horrible. There's nothing going on and you've got most of the week to go before the weekend.

"So why not relax and have a good time in a nice place, with good beer and wine, cool people, and amazing music?"

The concept of Love Burns is simple: throw open an invitation to largely local unsigned bands to play to an appreciative crowd.

"The music scene in Oxford is so vibrant and there are so many great unsigned bands. I just wanted to put them on in a really chilled environment. This gives them a chance to do something a bit different. We put on three totally different bands, which give it a whole different vibe."

Cutting her teeth in the DJ booths of her native Manchester, Nell quickly became a leading figure in the city's fetish club scene. It is that edgy, eclectic approach to tunes that she acquired in clubs like Lash, that made her sets at Truck Festival, on local community radio, and at the late Zodiac such a draw, after she moved here four years ago.

And it is that ability to mix things up which make Love Burns such a hit.

"There was a lot of freedom in Manchester," she explains. "So if you wanted to play Dinosaur Jr after Kylie at 1am, you could.

"Nights like Trashy have some of that same spirit. I play the stuff you love to dance to. All the tunes are picked by the crowd - not through requests, but by gauging responses.

"I play any song I love and any song I can imagine dancing like a maniac to. And I DO dance like a maniac!

"I can't play an instrument, and can't sing, however much I try - and try I do. But this is my way of doing something."

And the heavy wait of the venue's history is not lost on her. After all, this is the former haunt of the fledgling Radiohead and Supergrass - though, admittedly, it bears little resemblance. Nell adds: "The Jericho Tavern is so intimate, and when a band is on stage you have a real connection. It's like watching a group of friends."

  • This week's Love Burns features The Follys, Blitz Cartel and Bear in the Air. The week after sees Shake Appeal, Vatican Cellars and Danny Saul. Doors open at 8pm. Entry is £5.
  • Trashy is expected to be back in September, at the Carling Academy Oxford.