Listed in
Gig Venue
Oxford's biggest live music venue (bar Brookes Student Union) and part of the national touring indie bands circuit. Live music every night during university term from 7.30-10ish, followed by a selection of regular and specialist club nights. Main venue is downstairs, with a street-front bar which can be closed off to become another small venue; upstairs is a smaller venue and bar. Opening hours: From as early as 6.30pm to as late as 4am, daily. Wheelchair friendly. Next events at O2 Academy Oxford Capacity: 1350 in total, with approx. 1000 of that downstairs.. Cloakroom & Cocktails. Late licence till 4. Equipment Spec.: Full kit for playing through the in-house system; in-house engineers of varying quality; state-of-the-art lighting rigs. All new in autumn 2007. Available for private hire
| ||
|
190 Cowley Road Coming up:
Brian McFadden, DJ Vogue Sun 26 May: 7pm District 3 Live 3eek-Out Thu 30 May: 7pm Switch, feat. Danny Byrd. Fri 31 May: 11pm. Propaganda, Jack FM & Trashy Sat 1 Jun: 10.30pm-3am. £4-5 Senses Fail, Marmozets, Handguns, Aethara Sat 1 Jun: 7pm Ghostpoet Mon 3 Jun: 7pm The View Sat 8 Jun: 10.30pm We Aeronauts, Salvation Bill, Dallas Don't, Count Drachma Sat 8 Jun: 7pm Public Image Ltd, The Wonder Stuff Sun 9 Jun: 7pm Hayseed Dixie, Nicole Maguire Wed 19 Jun: 7pm Lewis Watson, Frank Hamilton Thu 20 Jun: 7pm Nyctophobia's True Sound, Zophyte, Kosepia, Leech, Audio-Deck A Fri 21 Jun: 6.30pm Ahab, Empty White Circles, Co-Pilgrim, The August List, Joshua Gilbert Sat 22 Jun: 7pm. MK1 Thu 27 Jun: 7pm Hang The Bastard, Desert Storm, Mutagenocide, Visionfall, Demask Thyself Sat 29 Jun: 7pm.
Useful links: Ethical OxfordOxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues Latest venue reviewsThe Masons Arms (Headington Quarry): The Masons Arms is an early twentieth century pub hidden in the delightful...read more Red Star: Red Star is a Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant on the Cowley Road. They...read more Gino´s : Gino's Spaghetti House is tucked away on the outskirts of Gloucester...read more The Six Bells, Headington: The Six Bells is rather a pleasant surprise. Situated just off the main...read more
|
Music wise it’s a great venue, every band I've wanted to see has been great, and I look forward to seeing some bands again and again. Most gigs end at roughly 22:30 which is perfect for me because the last 280 bus passes St Clements at roughly 23:00. However beer does seem a little overpriced at £3.70 for a pint of Carlsberg. But what really annoys me is the exterior of the building. Bands playing, written in large letters, seems a little tacky but that doesn't bother me as much as the queues. In theory it seems simple door on the left for major gigs downstairs, door on the right to go upstairs for the smaller gigs and in the middle is the booking office/ticket collection. In reality it doesn't work: people can't work out which floor they're on till they get there and queues end up in different directions, to the point where last night I was collecting my ticket with people standing either side of me. If ordering online, it's not worth paying £1.50 to collect from box office, it’s slightly simpler to pay £2.25 and print them yourself. If they could make it slightly clearer on posters which floor your band is playing on when the building is double booked it would be slightly less confusing. Also if security could monitor queue directions a little better it would be running more smoothly. The Dancingman (DI User), 19/04/10
As a regular visitor to The Zodiac some 10-15 years ago when Supergrass were singing in a higher octave and I was still required to show ID, I was excited to be going again. The first band I saw (Mr. Hudson and the Library) were performing in the upstairs venue and were supported by not one but two bands and a resident DJ, who gently built the anticipation for the main event. A perfect size for a lesser-known act, the venue was snugly full without being a scrum and the more vertically-challenged of us were still able to see the band without resorting to climbing on the sound desk. Sound levels were excellent and we were able to hear every vocal and riff without them reverberating all the next day as well. My second visit to The Carling Academy was to the main venue downstairs to see the tribute band, The Complete Stone Roses, (which really gives away my age!) This larger area, though less intimate, is able to accommodate audiences for the top up-and-coming bands, who are now regularly visiting Oxford on their UK tours. The staff and facilities are excellent and the street-front bar (with yet more live music and a great DJ on the night I was there) is a perfect place to adjourn to if you aren't quite ready to go home after the main gig. I am pleased to say that I am now a regular visitor again! Claire Wright (Unverified), 16/12/07 |
|