Music
The Dewaele brothers have never been averse to a little joke at the traditional music industry's expense. With Soulwax, their art-pop rock band, these Belgians not only brought in a human beatbox in the middle of their track 'Too Many DJs', but used to tour with a small Mexican chap in a big hat who would bounce around the stage playing one of those hand-held Casio keyboards that were meant to look like guitars. As Radio Soulwax, however, they have truly excelled themselves....
Music: Live
Cyclefly, the Franco-Irish-Italian alt-rockers, are probably what you'd call a cult band. Hopefully that's about to change, now they're touring second album Crave ahead of their Ozzfest appearance and Alien Ant Farm support slot. Their music's difficult to describe, but when I interview frontman Declan before the show, he's happy enough with the phrase 'alternative rock' and reference to influences such as Placebo, Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction and Marilyn Manson - they're far from being part of the current 'nu-metal' scene, and when I put it to him that some journalists have described the band as such, he calls it "the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life". ...
Music: Classical
The Holywell Music Room is the perfect setting for chamber music in Oxford, both acoustically and aesthetically. Last Saturday evening saw the return of the piano trio, Trio Arioso, playing an extremely varied programme of Beethoven, Bridge and Brahms.