MUSIC ALIVE WITH OXJAM
In recent years two trends have taken hold. Firstly, Oxfam have realised that there's money to be raised for its charitable work through the medium of music. Secondly, bands and artists have been met with real challenges in finding decent venues in which to play. Mix the two together and a mutually beneficial outcome is the result - that result being Oxjam.
Oxjam started life in 2006 with the aim of "creating a network of music-loving people across the UK, all united by a shared goal - to raise money to fight poverty and suffering around the world". Oxjam events have been organised up and down the country, usually in October each year and often in the form of a Takeover. A Takeover is just that - a suitable town or city is "taken over" for a couple of days and as many venues and bands as possible unite to support the charitable work. It's also a massive celebration of local music and increases the profile not only of Oxfam, but also the musicians and those vital venues.
Run by thousands of volunteers, the artists themselves play for free - and all entry fees go straight to Oxfam The venues generate interest- and often, larger crowds than they'd usually get - whilst the artists themselves have a chance to promote their music. My local town of Bournemouth has been a keen and active supporter of Oxjam- and this year's event (18th/19th October) was no exception. Several key venues were "taken over" and a wonderful and eclectic mix of local and regional artists took part. Each venue offered individual entry charges (passing to Oxjam) - or, better still, there was a multi-venue pass thus enabling the keener music enthusiast to "do the rounds".
A number of acts came from further afield - some from London and an enterprising folk-duo pitched up from Falmouth down in Cornwall. The vibe created by the event was quite something and having the chance of seeing a roster of bands at each venue made for a varied and fascinating time. It's a little invidious to single out just one venue, but despite some fine bands such as Xander & The Keys and Empire Affair being on at 60 Million Postcards and Galahad on at Chaplins, it was The Winchester that attracted me. It's a fine old pub with a large stage area, a tall vaulted ceiling and plenty of audience space. The lighting and ambience was fine - although, sadly, the house sound and mixing desk did leave a bit to be desired at times. Top act had to be Saturday Sun, a Swanage based rock band who are on the verge of a major breakthrough. I've seen them a few times now - and played them on my show - and it's quite clear that they will be a major talent. There's an element of Radiohead about their music, although I must say that (whisper it quietly), I much prefer them. They have the knack of moving in a single song from acoustic guitar to full-on electric power and keyboards - and still make it all work. Lead singer Alex Hedley has real stage presence and his vocals weave amazing shapes and sounds that pull everything together.
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| The Winchester |
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| Chaplins Cellar Bar |
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| Galahad - Played At Chaplins New EP "Mein Herz Brennt" - out now. |
First on at The Winchester was Johnny Lucas, a fine singer-songwriter from London. His songs have a rare quality about them that mixes quirky humour with real pop appeal. Making use of recorded loops and effects, his solo guitar turned into a full band sound and perfectly created the quality of his studio work as exemplified on his recent EP, "You Can Start Anywhere". Here's the opening number from that EP, Lilo:
Listen: Johnny Lucas - Lilo
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| Johnny Lucas at The Winchester |
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| Jack Grace |
Next up was Jack Grace, based down here in Dorset - and once through some terrible sound problems and delays in setting up (nothing to do with him, I must add), his thoughtful songs and lyrics were well received. He's got a new EP coming out next month and here's the first single from it, "The Unknown":
Listen: Jack Grace - The Unknown
The third act was the folk duo from Falmouth - Gareth Lee and Annie Bayliss. Guitarist Gareth was based in Dorset for some years, moved to Cornwall and formed an indie band and then, at the tail-end of last year, teamed up with singer and violinist Annie to form the new duo. One EP (A Little Light) was released earlier in the year - and a couple of numbers played from it - and their second, the first to feature writing credits from the two of them - is "in the works". Their song-craft certainly shone through and their set went down very well indeed. Here's a song from that debut EP, Susie:
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| Gareth Lee (Guitar) and Annie Bayliss (Violin) at The Winchester |
Which brings us back to Saturday Sun.
Their wonderful debut album Orixe was released in 2012 and several numbers featured in their set - and, one hopes, a follow-up can't be too far away.Here's a great number from that debut album, "Borderline":
Listen: Saturday Sun - Borderline
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| Saturday Sun - at The Winchester |
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| Alex Hedley - Lead singer with Saturday Sun - at The Winchester |
I can't pretend that Oxjam alone will galvanise all our musical venues in your nearest town or city, but it's playing its part. Here in Bournemouth, there's been much debate about the decline of good venues, the low rates of pay for artists and the growth of Open Mics at the expense of paid gigs. I take a rather holistic view - there's room for all manner of activities and if we look back to the "good old days", they probably weren't as good as we prefer to remember them.Too much of any one type of gig or event may be detrimental, but my feeling - gained from being out and about these past few months - is that, actually, the musical scene is very much alive. There may not be too many gigs that are bursting at the seams, but despite everything that's happened in the music business, the acts are still there, the music being produced is of good quality - and I remain eternally hopeful.
See you at Oxjam in 2015?
Alan Dorey/21st October 2014
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