O3 Gallery, situated in a gorgeous, stone walled circular space within the Oxford Castle complex, are staging an ongoing series of what they’ve dubbed ‘Alternative Thursdays’. As the gallery’s manager Helen Statham explained to us, “the O3 Gallery already prides itself on being a supportive creative platform for visual artists, often showcasing early-career visual artists, so I think it is a natural progression for the O3 to provide a venue for and encourage up-and-coming bands and performers.” Amen to that.

The ‘Alternative Thursday’ events take the form of mini gigs in the venue, generally running from 6.00 pm-8.00 pm, to showcase a band, artist or two. With surprisingly good acoustics and a naturally cosy and warm atmosphere, O3’s already seen Cogwheel Dogs perform, on 28 October. 18 November and 2 December see two ‘Eight Cuts Live’ events, featuring performers from the Eight Cuts Gallery, an online network of performers who write, create music and make films – presenting material in response to the current exhibitions in the gallery. There’s also the electro-acoustic improvisation of The Fraser Spiral on 9 December.

Helen Statham tells us that O3 “hopes to continue our musical events on Thursday evenings and hopefully work with Oxford Castle Ltd, and musical organisations within the city, to put on more musical events and collaborations. We are currently in talks with Oxjam, with the intension of putting on an Oxjam gig sometime in 2011.” You may remember the Oxjam event earlier this year in the venue, featuring The Half Rabbits, Prohibition Smokers’ Club, Phantom Theory and more.

O3 are on the scout for artists for future ‘Alternative Thursday’ events. If you’re interested, and fancy gettin’ a bit arty, you can contact the gallery at info@o3gallery.co.uk. If you’re a fan of internet linkage, try these on for size: O3 Gallery; Eight Cuts Live.