Even before this special celebratory gig for the Oxford Times 150th birthday (organised by Oxford Mail scribe Tim Hughes) was sold out, it was obvious it would be something special.

From it's unique setting in the Oxford Castle Prison, not just 'unlocked' but unnerving - it's various cells and creepy crypt: the perfect setting for some dark and grubby rock and roll shenanigans, to the superb bill on display , a mix of the city's favourites and bright young things, the stage was set!

Cue, then Nairobi. This group (not to be confused with the fantastic South American dub outfit) are an indie band with a bit of an identity crisis - one minute they are acting all frantic afrobeat inflected Foals, the next all mopey shoegaze trudgery, there's some interesting stuff in the mix but perhaps with a bit of time and tightening up they can deliver on the potential caught in bursts, and carve out a bit of a stronger signature. Upstairs stroppy upstarts Secret Rivals plough through one brash potential indie-pop hit after another with aplomb, propelled by a wicked drummer and hinged on exuberant girl boy vocal sparring. It's a bit like the 90's never went away (which will suit us just fine, thanks!) until the icey cool single line keyboard motifs take you to a colder, Joy Division-esque place and they become a more tempting 'album band' prospect than previously.

After two popular eps maybe that's what it'll take to lift this band to the at least alternative national attention they seem quite worthy of. Duchess down in the crypt (not a bad album title) have had perhaps a few too many listens to Paul Simon's Graceland and like percussive plastic blocks just a little too fervently.

It's perfectly upbeat and inoffensive unless you question its authenticity, really.

It is admittedly more convincing in its construction than its execution but more Kate Nash going afro-pop than Fela Kuti.

It's still early days for them but given time they will hopefully develop more of a distinctive identity, one not so based on a less technically proficient aping of a genre highly underated in terms of it's sophistication.

Back upstairs we go for a first look at the all new line-up of Little Fish and it's far from just a new look, it's a whole rehaul in sonic terms too! Sure JuJu's strident voice is still there - perhaps with more of an almost gospelly feel when the whole band join in - and the barrage of drums is still present, although provided by a new and more than able stickman Mike Monaghan, while vocals are also augmented by new girl Elisa Zoot.

It's just that everything else seems to have changed. Similar to PJ Harvey's recent radical re-jig, Little Fish don't really rock out much anymore. They have rocking bits, sure and big vocal chants (ably abetted by co-vocalist/keyboardist/indie foil keyboardist Ben Walker, who drives most of the songs - in itself a change from the guitar led ways of old) but the focus seems to be far more on boiling each song down to it's essentials and exhibiting the (very strong) sometimes starkly-personal and fairly eccentric material like John Merrick's bones at the Neverland Ranch.

Admittedly, a dancing Elephant Man skeleton like in an MJ video may not be the easiest comparison to grasp, but there's a strange feeling of Little Fish being gawked at far more than before, when the sweat and energy was more primally engaging (something JuJu says she can't be doing nowadays, maybe her newfound motherhood understandably has her a bit pooped by this time of evening!). And while there's no doubt that many people enjoyed it and appreciated the fresh approach - there was a genuine underlying air of tension and expectation that laces tonight's perfomance and puts it on a knife's edge.

Which side of the blade the 'Fish fans will fall in the long term remains to be seen, but tonight is a landmark gig for both the band and their audience! One of Oxford's fastest rising female songstresses is Tamara Parsons Baker (skillfully backed on acoustic guitar and vocals by Tom Sharp of Smilex) and her dark tales of love gone wrong and terse drama suit the hard stone walls of the crypt perfectly - with the ability to make a song rise form the most delicate hush to a whirling storm which you would swear a whole band was making.

The duo retain the audience's attention easily with every peak and trough. A strong performance and not the last time you'll hear this lady's name we'll bet! So it's getting pretty late now and we are all more than a little bit merry. Better step up the party vibes then - enter Swindlestock who are like an army and an Americana party all at once.

We can't quite see how many of them there are having lost our good spot and hearing a 12 piece's worth of instruments over the course of the set, but their stomping full bluesy sound is infectious as are the strong female backing vocals and rail road rhythms.

Upstairs Lee Christian of Smilex and Stuart, lead singer and pianist for The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band have been spinning a mix of Oxford music faces (nicely complimenting Jon Spira's fabulous Oxford music biopic Anyone Can Play Guitar which has been showing in another room, as if there has not been enough to do!) and party-starting jazz between acts that has our toes tapping wildly.

Thank goodness, then for Dubwiser - if ever there was a local band one can groove the night away too while not sacrificing any musicality from their aural diet, it is this one - the deep basslines and phat drums are water tight, add the spaced-out keys and crisp soul-jah vocal and it's a heady blend indeed!

They take it right to the curfew in what feels like no time at all, with hardly anyone noticing when the lights come on, eyes closed feeling the uplifting progressions, locked in a groove - prisoners of the local dub and reggae masters.

Easily the best night one could hope to spend in a prison and not a single person wanted to leave at the end of the night, let alone tried to escape!

Pamela Isley