The Oxford Gargoyles - Not Just a Pretty Face
New College Chapel, Thursday 1st March, 8pm

The Oxford Gargoyles are six men and six women committed to giving Oxford's choral music scene a shake-up, and to expanding the boundaries of a cappella (unaccompanied) singing and repertoire. Singing an eclectic and invigorating mix of jazz, latin and pop, with some more unusual numbers thrown in, they are rapidly establishing themselves as one of the most innovative and exciting student musical groups in town.

In the three short years since their genesis, the Gargoyles have been booked to perform at an enviable and ever-increasing list of functions, from dinners, to garden parties, to college balls, in addition to giving their own solo concerts. Somewhere along the line they have also found time to record two CDs, the second of which, Not Just a Pretty Face, is due for release some time in the next few days. Next on the agenda is a trip to the States, where they will share their talents with audiences in Boston and New York, and also join forces with American College Barbershop giants the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones and the Princeton Tigerlilies and Tigertones.

The secret of their success? Shrewd marketing is part of it. The design and professionalism of their promotional material leaves most other student groups standing, and recently won the Gargoyles a £1500 bursary from Citibank. The rest is due to a generous measure of talent. Their new CD is a brave and impressive piece of recording. No splice-editing here: Not Just a Pretty Face consists of ten single takes - including two recorded in live performance - giving the singers nowhere to hide. The singing is precise, vibrant and impeccably tuned - essential qualities for any a cappella outfit - and the energy and enjoyment of the performers is clearly evident throughout. The disc gives a good cross-section of the group's repertoire, with tracks ranging from the barbershop classics such as A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square to a nippy arrangement of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, spiced up with the atmospheric African Cantus Iteratus. The Gargoyles make many of their own arrangements, which tells in the way they use the varying vocal timbres of their members to best effect.

The applause recorded on the live tracks is testament to the Gargoyles' ability to drive their audiences into a frenzy. Recently they have also been working with a choreographer to give an added dimension to their performances. Oxford audiences have one last chance to see them before they cross the pond, tonight at 8pm in New College Chapel; it promises to be an engaging, foot-tapping and musically refreshing evening - a must for anyone looking for something a bit different.

M J Rogers, 28 / 2 / 01