It’s not often that you turn up to a gig to be greeted by a waistcoated attendant, offering you a glass of the house red with a smile and politely ushering you towards your seat. But then again most gigs don’t take place in an arts centre. The North Wall is a real gem of a venue, hidden away on South Parade in Summertown. This year’s OCM Open Session was held in the theatre hall, with red-cushioned pews and subdued atmospheric lighting giving the room the feel of a church crossed with a cinema.
The endearingly shy and softly spoken singer-songwriter Helen Pearson started proceedings off. She produced a solid, if not spectacular, set of breathy, Pentangle-esque folk pluckings, her lyrics covering the ground from homely domestic bliss to the cruelty of bullying. There was even a song about the ever-looming threat of financial ruin and homelessness, perhaps particularly relevant in our recession-bruised times. Helen’s standout number was easily “Every Song That I Missed”, a more upbeat, rocky track that had elements of Oasis in the chorus; she needs to get a full band behind that one and she’s got a sure hit on her hands.
Next came a ten minute contemporary classical piece by a quartet fronted by Laurence Colbert, the erstwhile drummer of Oxford giants Ride. The composition, Colbert explained, was a study in the application of modularity and the principles of architecture to music. Three xylophones (or perhaps marimbas…either way my ignorance has been exposed!) and a piano experimented with combinations of eight interchangeable modules. The result was one of the highlights of the evening; a strangely hypnotic, rhythmic melody, which was kept interesting by a carefully considered use of dynamic changes. The most obvious comparison that comes to mind is Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, or perhaps some of Phillip Glass’ less orchestral work. The principles of interchangeable modules in music are not new, and form the foundation of much modern electro-acoustic composition (see hip-hop producer Blockhead for a good example). However, it was nonetheless a highly interesting and enjoyable study executed with finesse and aplomb.
Guitars, electronics and vocals two-piece Paradise Found started promisingly, following a soft opener with a track that sounded like REM collaborating with Trent Reznor, backed by a beat taken straight out of Burial’s backyard. However, they dropped the ball a bit from then on, with effete Dire Straits guitar noodlings combined unforgivingly with tacky synthesised beats; all too often, the end result sounded dated and self-indulgent. Matters weren’t helped by the odd painfully flat vocal contribution from the second guitarist. There were a couple of good ideas on show, but overall Paradise Found didn’t hugely impress.
The latest album from Andy Cartwright’s Seabuckthorn provided one of last year’s local musical highlights. Experimental and boldly far-reaching, I was intrigued to see how the recordings would translate into a live setting. Rather than struggling to recreate the scope of his recorded work, Cartwright played a stripped-down set, using only an acoustic guitar and some effects pedals. The opening rendition of Galloping Into Thin Air was slightly jarring, but he hit his stride from then on, holding the audience reverently spellbound till the euphoric, distorted cacophony that signalled the end of his set. Cartwright’s skill on the guitar was impressive, as were the range of sounds he managed to get out of his limited set up, allowing both his American folk and Eastern influences to shine through. Inevitably, the songs slightly missed the carefully layering of the recordings, but nonetheless Cartwright produced an adventurous and enjoyable interpretation of his work.
The evening was headlined by quartet Southbound, who played a set of impeccable contemporary jazz. The delightfully subtle drumming of Jon Ormston and the gentle, tinkling piano playing of Tom Taylor perfectly complemented the dark, brash melodies of Jack Davies’ trumpet and Rob Cope’s saxophone. The free jazz influences were clear to see, though contained within coherent and clever song structures that revealed the maturity and skill of the group’s songwriting. Southbound provided a great finale to the evening, and might just have done enough to persuade me to brave the final frontier of jazz; for that feat alone, I applaud them!
OCM have continued their tradition of putting on some of the best run and most enjoyable live music nights in Oxford, and at the moment seem to be providing the sole voice for the wide range of experimental music going on in Oxford. Long may it continue.