This month's calendar

Latest News!

Trying to find out what's on in Bicester? Check out the Bicester music myspace for listings, opinions, and more

Interested in doing some music stuff in your area? It's always worth checking out your local youth centre for practice space potential bandmates, specialist music workers, recording facilities, regular gigs and more.

Looking for a club or Society? Try the Oxfordshire Key Database

So it's not the Zodiac any more, but what's the policy at the new Carling Academy on gigs and age restrictions? Good news: under 14, you must be accompanied by an adult, over 14, you can do the gigs on your own, but clubs are strictly over 18 only. Prices have gone up a bit, though, so if you want to avoid the ticket processing charges, try and pick up tickets in person (and pay cash). Box office opening hours are Mon-Fri 12-5.30pm, Saturday 12-4pm (public holidays may vary).

Oxford Folk Festival is Fri 11 to ­ Sun 13 April 2008. That's not very far to look forward. However ...

Looking forward to festivals at this time of year might just get you depressed, but it's worth it for planning and dreaming of summer. Truck Festival is boldly scheduled in for its usual weekend despite last year's floods. Look out for a bunch of events at Brookes, too. Cornbury is set for 5-6 July,.

Studio and practice space open in Banbury Youth Centre. Get the full story here.

P.S. I almost forgot the Opera Festival. In Garsington. It's world famous, and coming up this June 2008! Click for details.

Find Positive Activities for young people in Oxfordshire near you!

MUSIC, DANCE, PERFORMANCE

Oxford's got some fame in the UK music scene as home to bands like Radiohead and Supergrass, and (as you'd expect) the local band scene is lively, interesting and competitive. But in addition to the active gigging scene there's also Jazz, Folk, Dance and World on offer most nights of the week, as well as regular visits from big names to venues in town. Or if your interests run more to concert, church music or modern dance, there are also plenty of shows for you.

May's the beginning of outdoor festival season in Oxfordshire, with Wood, a folkier and more family-orientated festival from the people who brought you 2007's most flooded festival, Truck. It's on May 10th, so wrap up warm! Feel like May's a bit early and folk's a bit, well, folk? Wakestock may be more to your taste, coming up June 27-29th in beautiful, easy-to-get-to Blenheim Palace. But be warned, this is a major festival with a big price tag (and wakeboarding!). Want something smaller, with a villagey feel? At a mere £14, Music at the Crossroads is the budget option. This is on July 5th, and in July the festivals come thick and fast in Oxfordshire. As well as the usuals look forward to the Zapfest electro all-dayer on 12 July in South Park in Oxford, and something mysterious in Faringdon, called Hush.

OUTSIDE OF OXFORD

Oxford street sceneOh, so Oxford is so great for music? What about the rest of Oxfordshire?

Turns out, Oxfordshire too has a pretty lively music scene. There's a music festival pretty much every weekend during the summer including famous events like Cornbury, Truck and Cropredy. And with Reading, Bristol and London just a short train-ride away, getting out of Oxford can be very rewarding.

For smaller events (and places for your band to play) look around; lots of the local youth centres (find yours) put on gigs, and there are other venues in towns like Banbury and Witney.

VENUE GUIDE (AND SOME EVENTS)

The Mill, Spiceball Park, Banbury website

Contemporary dance, theatre, and music including rock, pop, folk and jazz. Also open jams, regular folk meets, clubs, groups and more.

Livearts@StMary's, Horse Fair, Banbury website

Big church venue with a busy concert season, including choral, classical, modern, and more (Fairport Convention's played there!)

Cellar, Frewins Court, Oxford website

Good venue for electro, dance, open late, lots of band nights.

Jericho Tavern, Walton Street, Oxford website

Historic Oxford venue, gets some big and unusual names in small and intimate shows.

Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, Oxford website

Workshops for young people, jazz, music-writing, theatre, dance. Battle of the bands. Programme of contemporary dance, comedy, theatre and music.

The Carling Academy Oxford, Cowley Road, Oxford website

Oxford's main music venue with a big variety of club nights + live gigs, from local band showcases to intimate gigs from big names. Plenty of 14+ and 16+ gigs, also organsises bigger performances at Brookes university.

Jacqueline du Pre Music Building, St Hilda's College, Oxford website

Regular Classical and jazz Concerts, plus national music festivals, workshops and events.

Catweazle Club, East Oxford Community Centre, Princes Street website

Oxford's oldest-running open mike night for anyone doing anything but primarily acoustic, singer-songwriters, musicians and poets.

Port Mahon, St Clements, Oxford

Small upstairs venue in a pub (so over 18s only). Home of the Oxford Folk Club also regular antifolk, electronica, indie and other shows.

The Barn, Witney website

Big venue at the Red Lion Inn Hotel, Corn Street. Covers bands at the weekend, original music midweek, also jazz and more.

 

 

 

 


Key content on Spired.com | Email a Youth Worker | ©2005 Oxfordshire County Council Youth Service