The main 'central hub' and venue this year was The Pav Tav where you pick up your wristbands and a host of bands were playing. So it was here I started the experience. When I got there Echotape were blasting out some good solid anthem rock with catchy tunes and tight performance. I hung around for a few songs before going on to explore further. The festival is like The Great Escape or the new Drill festival coming this December were you can gain access to a number of venues with your wristband. Plus the added bonus that you could also pay a small amount to just go to see one band or stay in one venue for the night. My plan was to drift from venue to venue and soak up a bit of the overall feel of the festival.
After my fill of jazz I headed back to the Pav Tav to see the 'battle of the bands' winner. There had been three heats hosted by Access To Music which were judged by Guy Lloyd, Tammy Tinawi and Paul Mex. I checked out the 2nd heat a few weeks ago and the quality of the musicianship was very high. Not an easy job for the judges, but they were always mindful of the venue and the event they were picking the winner for. The final deciding heat had happened earlier in the day and the winner was Optical. Which were a good solid rock and roll band with an imperative drummer and great wailing guitars. The whole band look totally lost in the music and they went down very well. A young group of musicians to keep an eye on in the future.
Next up, one of the venues which has had some of the best bands for a few years running, The Hobgobblin and this year was no exception. The first band I caught was Twin Kimble, a grungy rock act with a hint of Muse about them. With plenty of bass slapping and rolling lead guitar hooks to keep you engaged. The set built up to big crescendo and was an enjoyable watch. They were followed by Of Empires, more of a 90's stadium rock sound this time. Unfortunately the band were plagued with technical difficulties which broke the magic a bit so I decided to move on to another venue, as it was getting very hot there. In fact most of the venues were piping hot as it was a warm muggy day, quite a contrast to the freezing cold driving rain of last year. I guess one of the disadvantages of running a festival in the UK, especially this time of year, is you never quite know what the weather will be like.
I poked my head in at the Brighthelm Centre but they were still setting up so I continued on to The Blue Man where Charlie from Strange Cages was playing solo. I was very impressed with his powerful solo performance. Good catchy songs and a Mick Jagger swagger made it an enjoyable set which left me refreshed and ready to go on again.
Back to the Pav Tav once again to check out one of my highlights of last year's Oxjam, Nova State. I was very impressed with their set I had seen the previous year at The Seven Stars pub, which sadly does not entertain music any more and although they put on a solid performance this year, they did not seem to suit the Pav Tav. I would rather have seen them at The Hobgobblin as the Pav Tav was sorely lacking in the lighting department. I really must try and catch Nova State doing a full set next time they are in town.
I returned to The Hobgobblin to check out the much talked about band The Lanes. Who some have tipped to be 'the next big thing'. The Hobgobblin was almost empty for the first time today, now I'm not saying they are bad enough to clear a room but, although it was a solid performance, they did seem to lack a bit of originality. If you like seeing a band act like they are at Wembley stadium even though there are only 12 people in the room then this is the band for you. They will probably go far.
The last venue on my list was The Northern Lights. The last and only time I've seen music here before was at the Alternative Great Escape earlier this year and like then it seems The Northern Lights had picked some great bands. The first band was Shoot The Duke a high energy acoustic duo on acoustic guitars. There was great interplay between rhythm and lead guitar and they rounded off the set with a bit of Jonny Cash, which is never a bad thing.
Shoot The Duke were followed by EdwardAlice, a nice laid back acoustic set with great harmonies between the two chaps on guitar and the lasses taking care of the percussion. The band had good dynamics and although they sometimes sounded a bit barber shop they really pulled it off. At the end of one of their songs they morphed into a few bars of 'My Girl Lollipop' and there was even a bit of a rap thrown in. The band looked like they were having fun and were more than happy to have fun with the music too. The list of bands to keep an eye on just keeps getting longer!
One last treat, almost an after show or the big final act of the festival was the wonderful Carnival Collective who kicked off at The Pav Tav for anyone who wanted to party after most of the venues had finished. This was the perfect way to finish the event, in fact the perfect way to finish any evening. If you have never experienced Carnival Collective then you really should, even if it's just the once. They are a massive band made up of a huge brass section at the back of the stage with a few other musicians around them, like a guitarist and bassist, at the front of the stage two women belt out the tunes in front of them are an army of drummers and a conductor. All in all it was an impressive sight, which you may not actually see as their music is so infectious that you may be dancing till they stop or you drop… I dropped first and called it a night.
This was by far the most successful Oxjam to date. More money for Oxfam than all the previous years put together. I think this is mainly down to the number of great institutions that got behind it this year and helped make it happen. It's not as if Brighton is starved of music festivals or that Oxjam would necessarily be missed if it did not happen but considering how much money music generates in Brighton, it is nice to see that talent is being used to raise money for a good cause.
Jonski Mason.