Oxjam is an annual charity music festival which raises money for Oxfam. The Nottingham department of the festival took place this year at both Spanky Van Dykes and The Orange Tree.
We started at Spanky Van Dykes, where the door staff were really welcoming and enthusiastic about the evening. The first band on were indie-pop duo Cherry Hex and The Dream Church. The female singer had a unique voice which complimented their music. To accompany the vocals they had a heavily engineered bass guitar as well as a glockenspiel.
The duo have a similar vibe to popular alternative rock band Wolf Alice. Cherry Hex and The Dream Church are a band to watch with their brand-new EP ‘Which Girl’ being released 1st December. They’ll be playing the same day at The Bodega, which will be a gig worth catching.
Next we went to The Orange Tree to see Dan Heathcote. The Oxjam staff had lots of good things to say about the bands and knew a bit about everyone who played that night. Dan’s set was really relaxed and easy to listen to. He made it a friendly atmosphere as he connected with the audience throughout. A good singer and songwriter, Dan was a great person to get involved in the festival.
We then headed back to Spanky Van Dykes and stayed there for the next couple of hours to see Short Weekends and Super Furniture. This young band are everything you want from indie rock with catchy riffs and great vocals. They even threw in a cover of Fools Gold by Stone Roses which went down a treat with the crowd. Everyone was talking about the fact some band members were under 18 as you wouldn’t believe it listening to their musical talent. They’ll be playing at Rough Trade on 17th November for the launch of their new single ‘Green Summer’.
Spanky Van Dykes filled the night with some great indie rock as Super Furniture played straight after Short Weekends. Super Furniture really got the crowd going as they had a great energy. Their stage presence was natural and they seemed as though they were loving every minute of rocking out on stage.
Back at The Orange Tree we then saw Pop Orchestra. As well as playing some of their own songs, this indie duo put their own spin on some classics. My personal favourites were their covers of Starman by David Bowie and Hound Dog by Elvis Presley. The duo were really chilled and kept their focus on playing some good tunes to the crowd.
The night finished on a high as The Madeline Rust jumped about at Spanky Van Dykes. All in onesies The Madeline Rust did their own thing and it really worked. They had great beats with an alternative and grungy feel. The Madeline Rust got the crowd moving – a perfect finish to the festival.
With all the bands being from Nottingham, Oxjam was a fun way to discover new local bands. The night was full of great musicians and no act was disappointing. The fact it was all to raise money for charity just added to the magic. With the night going so well in Nottingham, we are excited to see what the future holds for Oxjam festival.
By Honor Reilly