 Front cover of March 2008, featuring Foals | |
| Editor | Ronan Munro |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | March 1991 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | Oxford |
| Language | English |
| Website | http://nightshiftmag.co.uk/ |
Nightshift is a free monthly music magazine in Oxford, England. Distributed via music venues, pubs, and shops, it provides music news, gig listings, and reviews for the city and surrounding area.
First published in March 1991, it was originally titled Curfew, and continued under that name until the end of 1994, when the main venues in Oxford - The Venue, the Jericho Tavern, and the Hollybush - closed down temporarily and there was little music scene to cover. Curfew had the earliest reviews and interviews with Radiohead and Supergrass. [1] In July 1995, publication started anew as Nightshift, [2] ahead of the opening of venues the Zodiac and the Point.
After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nightshift arranged a fundraiser on July 1, 2021 to raise £12,000 to cover printing and distribution costs. [3] Oxford bands Radiohead, Supergrass, Foals, Glass Animals, Ride, Stornoway and Young Knives contributed items for a prize draw. On July 5, after just four days of fundraising, Editor Ronan Munro announced the target had been met, securing nine months of printing and distribution costs. [4]
Each month has a feature on one local artist or group, with their picture appearing on the front cover, and an interview inside. There are occasional exceptions to this format, for example the November 2010 issue featured a round up of the Metal scene, and July 2010 covered Truck Festival.
The magazine includes local music news, new release, gig, and demo, reviews, and a gig guide for the month. Advertisements support the magazine's production and distribution.
In the Demos section, editor Munro reviews demos sent by local musicians, with no pretence of being unbiased. The reviews are entirely based upon his opinions and preferences, but — despite sometimes harsh words for music deemed lacking — there is genuine constructive criticism, and many bands later submit improved demos. [5] The best and worst entries in a month are put in 'Demo of the month' and 'The Demo dumper', respectively.
Parachutes are apparently a five-piece band, though they sound more like some sausage-fingered bedroom hermit collapsing on the random play buttons of every instrument in his room and deluding himself that it’s something akin to avant garde genius.
— Ronan Munro, The Demo Dumper, Nightshift August 2009.
The instructions for submitting demos include the warning "If you can’t handle criticism, please don’t send us your demo".
At the start of the Covid pandemic Nightshift closed down. The last edition of the magazine was an online-only issue covering April 2020. Another online-only issue appeared in December 2020 containing a feature on how Oxford's music scene was coping with lockdowns as well as the magazine's traditional end of year Top 30 of oxford songs.
In July 2021 Nightshift launched a Crowdfunder campaign to raise funds for a return to coincide with the lifting of Covid restrictions on live music. Radiohead, Supergrass, Foals, Ride, Swervedriver, Glass Animals, Stornoway and Young Knives contributed rare and signed prizes alongside local venues and shops [6] The campaign raised over £16,000 and the magazine returned in print in October 2021, coinciding with its 300th issue.
The web site of the magazine [7] features PDF downloads of the magazine since 2005, and a bulletin board for local musicians, fans, and promoters.
From 1997 until 2016 Nightshift organised the Punt, an annual music event featuring unsigned Oxfordshire bands in five venues around Oxford. [8] The Punt was conceived during the warm-up for Oxford Sound City in 1997. [9] Among the acts that received early exposure after being picked to play at the Punt were Young Knives, Stornoway, Little Fish, Fixers and Elizabeth, the band featuring a teenage Yannis Phillipakis, later of Foals.[ citation needed ]
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke ; brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien ; and Philip Selway. They have worked with the producer Nigel Godrich and the cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.
Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey. Originally a three-piece, Rob Coombes officially joined the band in 2002.
Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been described by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.
I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released on 15 May 1995 by Parlophone. The title of the album is cockney rhyming slang for "I should think so".
The O2 Academy Oxford is a night club and live music venue in Oxford, England, operated by Academy Music Group.
Cowley Road is an arterial road in the city of Oxford, England, running southeast from near the city centre at The Plain near Magdalen Bridge, through the inner city area of East Oxford, and to the industrial suburb of Cowley. The central shopping is at 51.746°N 1.232°W
Rock City is a music venue and nightclub located in Nottingham, England. It is owned by venue operator and concert promoter DHP Family.
Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family, who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury had become too commercial and predictable, however since 2012 it was sold off and is now more commercial. It is held in July at Hill Farm in Steventon, which lies between Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage. The festival also gave birth to the Truck Records label in 1999.
The Jericho Tavern is a music venue and pub in the Jericho area of Oxford, England, at 56 Walton Street. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was an important part of the music scene which produced Ride, Radiohead, and Supergrass.
The Joiners is a small music venue in a former pub on St Mary Street, St Mary's, Southampton, England. It has played host to many up-and-coming bands. The pub started having live acts in the back room in 1968. The maximum capacity is 200 people.
Foals, stylised as FOALS, are a British rock band formed in Oxford in 2005. The band's current line-up consists of Greek-born lead vocalist and guitarist Yannis Philippakis, drummer and percussionist Jack Bevan, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith and bassist Walter Gervers. They are currently signed to Warner Records, and have released seven studio albums to date: Antidotes (2008), Total Life Forever (2010), Holy Fire (2013), What Went Down (2015), and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 & 2 (2019) and their most recent, Life Is Yours (2022). They have also released one video album, six extended plays and thirty-five singles.
Stornoway are a British indie folk band from the Cowley area of Oxford that released three albums from 2010 to 2015. As of 2023 the band is led by singer, lyricist and guitarist Brian Briggs, with multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin & Oli Steadman. Their sound incorporates an ever-changing selection of stringed instruments and keyboards, supported by a typical pop backline of guitar, drums and bass guitar.
BBC Introducing in Oxfordshire is a local music show in Oxfordshire, and part of the main BBC Introducing brand. The show is broadcast between 20:00 and 21:00 on Saturday nights on BBC Oxford and is presented by Dave Gilyeat, Liz Green, and Chris Wood.
Anyone Can Play Guitar is a documentary film made by Jon Spira, examining the music scene in Oxford over the period starting 1978, but focusing on 1984–2007. The film takes its name from the Radiohead song of the same name.
Tom Havelock is a British singer-songwriter and lead singer of the band PREP. He is also sometimes known by his stage name Tom Cane.
Oliver "Oli" Steadman is a British-South African multi-instrumentalist.
Union of Knives are a Scottish electronic rock band from Glasgow, a trio consisting of producer and musician Chris Gordon, programmer Dave McClean and singer Craig Grant.
Live on Other Planets is a double live album by Supergrass. Released on 27 November 2020, it consists of songs recorded during the band's reunion tour from earlier that year. Its title is a play on the band's fourth studio album, Life on Other Planets.
