Oxford Punt 2003

Now in its 7th year, the Oxford Punt gives local unsigned artists the opportunity to show how great the city is as a breeding ground for up and coming talent.

Kicking off at Borders is Richard Walters, the first of the 19 acts appearing tonight. A crowd has gathered inside to witness the performance, which is being tipped as one of the hottest tickets of the night. We are not let down. One thing is clear: Richard Walters is going to be a star. He is gifted with a naturally melodic voice and absolutely oozes character. His band creates a nicely textured sound that has me thinking of a folkier Coldplay; they certainly have the potential to be as big.

The Relationships, a wickedly tight 3-piece are up next, fronted by ex-Anyway's singer, Richard Ramage. They play jangly guitar pop in the vein of, well, The Anyways actually. And why not? They were a damn fine band. Ramage's wry, self-effacing humour has me smiling throughout. He should be given his own TV series. BBC 2 on a Friday night perhaps?

Off to Jongleurs next for Sexy Breakfast. Too late: They're already gone. X-Hail are on-stage and are fronted by, arguably, the most powerful voice in Oxfordshire. She certainly can belt it out. I'm not really one for this kind of bluesy AOR but it does have its moments.

Next I dash over to the Jam Factory for DaysOfGrace. The venue is weird. The stage is at the wrong end of the room and the band has to play behind a wooden rail. Very restraining one would have thought. But DaysOfGrace totally ROCK! The singer leaps around like a demented teenager (which he probably is) and it's a good job they have the barrier or we'd be in trouble. They create an unholy racket. Emocore? Hardcore? Who cares! They are noisy and fab.

I catch the tail end of Bridge back at Jongleurs, who are a folk-rock band and that's fine by me. They have a bouncy feel to them and would be well suited to summer festival-type situations. In true folk tradition they look awful: the keyboard player wears a cowboy hat. But you know what? They do what they do very well indeed. The last song in particular sets toes tapping and has a nicely grungy guitar keeping it together.

Back to the Jam Factory... Lord Almighty. The walls are shaking and from the toilet I can hear what sounds like several planes taking off. It's possibly the bloke in the next cubicle. No. It's Gunbunny, who are even louder than DaysOfGrace, which is a remarkable achievement. They are a 3-piece but sound like they have about 17 guitars apiece. Any self-respecting man would run screaming at this point. Luckily, I have no self-respect so I hang around until my ears bleed and I start to foam at the mouth. Gunbunny are an awesome blend of Motorhead, Deep Purple (In Rock) and Napalm Death. They are truly great and are the future of British Rock. The have the best chorus of the night in "Son of a bitch!"

Finally the beer takes hold of me and, being lame and old, I decide it's time to leave. My ears are ringing, my knees and back are aching and bed is calling. It's only just gone 11 but I call it a night. Maybe next year I'll make it to more venues and stick it out to the end. Maybe. (Rock and) Roll on 2004!

Mark Crozer, 14.05.03