Christmas Party at the Cellar

It's the Cellar's Xmas party, and who better to kick off the proceedings than Dial F For Frankenstein? Named after a short story by the world renowned sci-fi writer Philip K.Dick, Dial F serve up a wonderfully cerebral, achingly tuneful yet also effortlessly hard rocking recipe; hard to pigeonhole but determined to entertain. Kind of like an amalgation of early Foo Fighters, Pavement and Queens of the Stone Age back when they were good, but with enough self assurance and confidence to make their sound entirely their own. Blessed with infectious choruses and a stupendously tight rhythm section, these guys are definitely going to be ones to watch out for in the new year.

Next are The Scarletts, a wonderfully entertaining ska/punk/indie combo who specialise in bouncy, catchy pop-punk anthems designed to help you deal with the many irritants of modern day life. Amazingly energetic, the band's frontman never lets up for a second; jumping around the stage and running into the audience as though his life depends on it, it makes for quite a spectacle. The rest of the band put enough blood, sweat and tears into the set to prevent them from turning into another one-trick pony punk band, instead offering up a witty, insightful three chord racket that is definitely a cut above a significant proportion of lesser local bands who play music in a similar vein. Well worth checking out.

This is Fixers' first ever headline slot. You can practically taste the wave of anticipation circling the venue. Although the band's frontman is something of a veteran on the Oxford music scene, this is the premiere of the new Fixers material which has been circulating the worlds of myspace and facebook for a few months now. And what a set it proves to be ! Entering the stage to a thick cloud of smoke emanating from a machine, the band look and sound like real professionals. The cellar suddenly seems like Wembley Stadium. Offering up a literally jaw dropping hour of Brian Wilsonesque 21st century psychedelia, complete with the kind of vocal harmonies not heard since the mid sixties, this is a set that literally had to be seen and heard to be believed. Songs such as "Iron Deer Dream" and "A Term Of Endearment" have a ghostly, dreamlike and ethereal quality, sounding nothing like anything any band from this country has produced for, well, literally decades. On top of all this, there's a rousing rendition of Gary Glitter's Xmas stomper "Another Rock N Roll Christmas" to end the show with! Everyone who attended this show, that's everyone, will attest to it's greatness when asked. Everyone needs to see this band next time they play in Oxford. This is not a recommendation, this is an appeal. Mesmerising.

Sam Bones (Unverified), 19/12/09

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