Cheesy it may seem to be, but there’s a bit of unashamed 1980s retromania to be found at the O2 Academy 2 in Oxford on Tuesday 25 September – Nik Kershaw, he of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’ and ‘I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ will be swingin’ by to play his classic (yes, classic) album Human Racing in its entirety! More 80s throwbackitude occurs on Friday 28 September with Then Jerico at the same venue – with them also playing a classic album, The Big Area to, no doubt, a crowd full of inappropriately-dressed office-night-out types.

On Friday 28 September it’s the first gig for a new band The Sea The Sea, featuring members of Vixens, who will join Kill Murray, Poledo and Ivor Thomas (from The Grinding Young) at The Bullingdon in Oxford. The Sea The Sea are giving away a single every month for the rest of this year, and copies of the first one will be available at this gig.

Oxford’s got a great, thriving heavy metal scene, spearheaded by the gigs put on by promoter Skeletor. Saturday 29 September sees the latest Skeletor gig taking place at O2 Academy 2 in Oxford, with a fine line-up showcasing local heavy music in the form of Dedlok, Impaled Existence, A Trust Unclean, Komrad and Lest We Forget. The tougher gig-goers can also get free entry to the Room:101 club night, which runs until the early hours, after live music has ended.

An interesting-sounding event is taking place on Tuesday 2 October at the Old Fire Station in Oxford. ‘A Vocal Explosion’, courtesy of Oxford Improvisers, is an exploration of the voice as used in improvised music. The event is being hosted and directed by vocalist Anne L Ryan.

Lovely music in a lovely setting on Thursday 4 October – Richard Walters, Adam Barnes and We Aeronauts are bringing their varying brands of delicated folk-tinged music to St Albans Church in East Oxford. Copies of Richard Walters’ latest album, Regret Less, will be available to buy at the gig.

Full details of these and loads more gigs can be found in the events calendar.