May 22, 2008
The Port Mahon, one of Oxford's most intimate live music venues, tonight played host to three of the city's finest up-and-coming bands.
First up are two piece instumental band 50 ft Panda. The duo play a virtually uncategorisable mix of white noise, heavy riffing and insanely complicated drumming, made all the more terrifying by the fact that they introduce each song in such a quiet, unassuming manner. Intense stuff - definitely a band to look out for in the near future.
Next up are Vultures, who feature two members of defunct local band The Quarter Finals, and the drumming talents of Rich Partlett, who also plays in GunnBunny. They specialise in rousing, Libertines-flavoured indie rock, given added depth by the mesmerising bass playing of Ian, member of local reggae band Raggasaurus. Exciting, anthemic stuff; fame is surely only around the corner.
Headliners GunnBunny are already seasoned veterans of the Oxford music scene, despite being fairly young themselves. They specialise in barnstorming, hellraising punk indie. Singer Jack Goldstein is a natural frontman; a powerfully built beast of a man, he arrives on stage clad in sunglasses and a dinner jacket. He takes them off midway through the set to reveal a sparkiling white cowboy shirt. Add to this the solid bass playing of new recruit Mike Thomson, and you've got one of the most exciting rock bands Oxford currently has to offer.
And you thought Oxford was all black gowns, right?
First up are two piece instumental band 50 ft Panda. The duo play a virtually uncategorisable mix of white noise, heavy riffing and insanely complicated drumming, made all the more terrifying by the fact that they introduce each song in such a quiet, unassuming manner. Intense stuff - definitely a band to look out for in the near future.
Next up are Vultures, who feature two members of defunct local band The Quarter Finals, and the drumming talents of Rich Partlett, who also plays in GunnBunny. They specialise in rousing, Libertines-flavoured indie rock, given added depth by the mesmerising bass playing of Ian, member of local reggae band Raggasaurus. Exciting, anthemic stuff; fame is surely only around the corner.
Headliners GunnBunny are already seasoned veterans of the Oxford music scene, despite being fairly young themselves. They specialise in barnstorming, hellraising punk indie. Singer Jack Goldstein is a natural frontman; a powerfully built beast of a man, he arrives on stage clad in sunglasses and a dinner jacket. He takes them off midway through the set to reveal a sparkiling white cowboy shirt. Add to this the solid bass playing of new recruit Mike Thomson, and you've got one of the most exciting rock bands Oxford currently has to offer.
And you thought Oxford was all black gowns, right?