Rude girls grito! Far from home perhaps, but so, so worth mentioning for tropical vibes of rock steady and ska in a fashion proportionately youโll find hard to come by around these parts, itโs my beloved all-girl-bar-one Mexican ska band, Girls Go Ska with a bran-new album Frente al Mar. Girls and ska, whatโs not to like?!
From the off, the title track simply melts, mellowly, and builds in tempo, but is never overdramatic; โcoolโ is the operative word; fresco! If Iโve put them on a pedestal before, theyโve now put another couple of pedestals atop it. Often steady paced for the genre, it proves ska, while upbeat doesnโt have to be full of macho-bravura skinheads, or a frenzied rancour attack against dogmatic tyranny itโs often misperceived here through the eightiesโ second-generation Two-Tone scene, and within the dominate contemporary ska-punk internationally. Iโve made this point in the past when penning a more general piece about ska and reggae in South America, in which Girls Go Ska were featured.
Girls go Ska
Frente al Mar is breezy, bright and fun, light-hearted and beguiling. It roots the genre to its original Jamaican ethos, as a carefree dance music. Though, thereโs a large chunk of assumption with those observations, as my Spanish isnโt up to scratch, so my presumption rests on the design, the album name, which translates to the seaside, basically, and mood of the vocals; if theyโre singing about anything other than romantic themes and enjoying oneself dancing on a tropical beach, like making political statement, it certainly doesnโt sound that way! You just have to enjoy the professionality and untroubled vibe this album breezes in your direction, itโs gorgeous, and it absolutely skanks!
Packaged femininely in loud pink and decorated with cute shลjo manga, rather than our typecast black and white chequered trade identity with Walt Jabsco splashed all over, Frente al Mar provides an alternative to norm, but is no way attributes the โfairer sex,โ rather riot grrrl kick-ass in tenet, gender-neutral in sound. Not that punk comes into play; throughout itโs steadfast traditional ska sound, one should credit Studio One rather than Two-Tone, or even Reel Big Fish for, thereโs also sprinklings of Latino sound traditional to Mexico, of ranchera, norteรฑo and their contemporary offshoots, but are subtle and likely naturally occurring.
Imagine, if your English mind will adapt, Gloria Estefan performing ska, and youโre nearer to the mark than The Specials. But no, eight sublimely flowing tunes is what you get, a sun-kissed blessing on the ear, in the style of brass-based rock steady and good olโ ska. While pukka boys, Death of Guitar Pop are currently returning the welcomed Nutty-Boys-esque frivolous and fairground ska home for lads, further afield, here comes the girls.
Meanwhile here in my hometown of Devizes, the newly opened rum bar, The Muck & Dundar has been a roaring success, proving a taste of the tropical is welcomed, ergo, taken out of its context and origins, Frente al Mar would make the perfect soundtrack to it. Me? I’m smitten, with a little crush!
Christmas has come early for foxes and normal humans with any slither of compassion remaining, as the government announced the righteous move to ban trailโฆ
Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โEโ) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโฆ
Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing theirโฆ
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in theโฆ
Hi, yeah s’me, keeping up the Song of the Day feature like dedication was as word I know the definition of!
No excuses not to, I mean I am of the generation when Roy Castle clasped his trumpet weekly, ready for the signing off of “Record Breakers.” No, it’s not a euthanasim, Google it whippersnappers.
Might also explain my fondness for brass. Brass is class, and a vital element of ska. Yep, four tunes in and I couldn’t resist sharing some ska with you.
It’s a commonly misguided notion that ska is a retrospective cult here in England. It tends to convey a bygone era of Two-Tone records, boots and braces.
Yet today, while said stereotype has a grounding, ska is an international phenomenon, particularly in South America. I did write a piece about this region’s love for ska, and how it’s roots out of Jamaica bare a different tale from our own.
To show you how fresh it can be elsewhere in the world, and it’s not a reminiscence for a load of overweight balding pensioners as perceived in the UK, here’s all-female bar one Mexican band, Girls Go Ska, who I’m secretly in love with, (so secret they don’t even know themselves….until they use Google translate!) doing an instrumental jam.
Girls and ska; what’s not to like? Have a lovely rest of your day. Very good. Carry on….
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff drink to do such, our beloved Somerset soul singer says she’s swapping ice-cold cocktails for ice-cold baths. There must be warmer ways to promote a January single?!
Sober is that apt single, out now, seriously catchy. With the deep vocal range of Nina Simone, this one takes a retro soul style. Not quite a Chiffons level of doo-wop, but more Mary Wells or Betty Everett, in that sultry playful tone of the early Motown sound, with the ability to convey a twist between vulnerability and strength; she’s sober, so taking her chances to proposition a potential lover, presumably without the slurred words of intoxicated passion!
You might have to do your own handclaps, but there’s that rhythmic tambourine, breathing authenticity into this little charmer.ย
She asked her fans if they’ve ever โbraved an ice-cold shower, swim or plunge?โ And describes it as a โtotal game changer for boosting well-being. I may have screamed fuck as I got in and out ones I had today, but only a few times!โย
Can I not just listen to this wonderful tune cuddling a hot water bottle, please, Lady?!
If past years seem to be racing by me on roller-skates, now theyโre in Formula 1 cars! 2025, in a word, was โaverage,โ though the Devizine annual stats fell for a second year, at 6% lower than 2024; you lot still here?!
Iโm not concerned about that, you filthy traitors; youโve been digesting the clickbait of that Gazelle & Herod again, havenโt you?!! Ah, truth is I have been staying home, hibernating a lot like a lightweight couch potato; probably an age thing, most likely a financial thing too; weโve got hyperinflation to make Robert Mugabe envious. But we keep a stiff upper lip as the world plummets into chaos, our little corner of it remains a pretty nice place to live (if a bit Tory,) where you can block pavements with hoarding or nick a cardboard sheep from a church and get away with it. None of which we are here to highlight, we focus on the best bits, and slag off the worst with a sprinkling of satire; if you donโt like it, you know where to go!
Hits took a hit because I bit my tongue on many local political or social issues this year, to concentrate more on arts and entertainment, but folk love a good shit stir rather than being told about some talented locals doing good. Plus, Iโm sick to the back teeth with any dependence on Facebook shares, itโs become a toxic playground for so-called adults and AI bots pretending to be human to boost propaganda. I think Iโm going to be one of those smiling insanely old men, content to feed the ducks in the park, rather than ranting at anyone younger than me within range, but Iโve the right to change my mind on this!ย
They also took a hit because Iโve been actively engaged in two fantastic major events, RowdeFest and The Wiltshire Music Awards. The latter in particular used up much of my time, but hey, I think they were worth it. The Awards really brought together a wealth of people involved in the Wiltshire music scene, caused me to wear a suit, and we hope to build on this with future years.
The other contributing factor to the downfall of hits to the website might have been me writing a new book, something I rarely get the time for, but was certain I wanted it published by Christmas. I made that deadline and Murder at the Scribbling Horse is officially out; you read it yet? No, didn’t think so!
But lots more happened in 2025, and those we featured are briefed below; we couldโve done more but I think we put out a lot of content; you have to give me some time to play pointless block puzzle games on my phone. Thank you to all our contributors, Ian, Andy, Lois and the few guest writers who have submitted this year. We always need more writers to make this as comprehensive as possible; it is about as flexible as it can possibly be, you can be a fruitcake, we donโt mind, so do get in touch if you can help.
Please continue to support us, we thank you all for your dedication to Devizine; hereโs to 2026; try best to avoid the fascist division, millionaires triggered by being disallowed to rip wild animals to death, the US or Russian bombs heading our way, the complete disregard for funding environmental projects while they spend billions fighting for the last scraps of oil, any world leader kidnapping, painting roundabouts, and the usage of anti-terror laws to arrest pensioners peacefully campaigning against genocide.
Just follow us instead, enjoying a pint in a pub and listening to live music, played by real people, focus on youth projects rather than fables of hooliganism, focus on talented individuals doing good rather than bitter clickbait and national headlines, and be here, in the warm and truth, with Devizine; we tell it like it is, and donโt purvey bullshit!ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
January
Just as this year starts with a review of the last, so did 2025, but not before I took a visit to the Swindon Story Shed. Forestry England invited dog walkers to Nightingale Wood, apparently to celebrate Walk Your Dog Month; surely every month is walk your dog month?! The second feature film for director Keith Wilhelm Kopp and writer Laurence Guy, First Christmas entered development. We covered how My Dadโs Bigger Than Your Dad Festival raised ยฃ11,500 for Prospect Hospice, and thereโs moreโฆ.ย
Jamsters began at Devizes Southgate, an initiative to provide a Friday night platform for loose groupings and associations created at their regular jam sessions each Wednesday. We announced The Beat were to headline Devizes Scooter Rally, that Nick Hodgson formerly of the Kaiser Chiefsโ new band, Everyone Says Hi had an instore at Marlboroughโs Sound Knowledge, and we unfortunately said goodbye to the now disbanded People Like Us; sorely missed.
The original line up of People Like Us
We had new singles from Nothing Rhymes With Orange, a new album from Illingworth, and fuller sessions from Kaya Street. Andy reviewed the first Devizes International Blues Festival, Ian covered Jerusalem at the Mission Theatre, and Veronicaโs Room at The Wharf Theatre.
We previewed OakFest at the Royal Oak in Pewsey, La Belle Hรฉlรจne, White Horse Operaโs Debut at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes Musical Theatreโs Beauty & The Beast, Henge at The Cheese & Grain, and Bradford-on-Avon Green Man Festival which unfortunately this year is in jeopardy, and we welcomed Caffe Vialottie to Devizes, our most popular article of the year.
Februaryย
It may be topical now, but weโve always been supporting the hunting ban, and in February reported how Beaufort Hunters attacked Wiltshire Hunt Sabsโ drone. We sadly confirmed Devizes Street Festival was cancelled for the second year in a row, and The Emporium in Devizes was to close, but Devizes would get a new youth centre.
Previews included, Marlborough School of Languagesโ Summer Fiesta, Jazz Sabbath at the Corn Exchange. We announced The Brand New Heavies were to headline Minety, tickets for DOCAโs Winter Ales were running out, and that I was to organise the music for Rowdefest in May, probably my favourite memory of 2025.
We featured Melkshamโs teen band Between the Lines, reviewed JP Oldfieldโs debut EP Bouffon, Jamie Hawkinsโ short film Teeth, and new singles from I See Orange and Sam Bishop. Swinterfest broke me out of my hibernation, and I also got out to see the fantastic Static Moves at the Three Crowns, plus Cephidโs Sparks in the Darkness at The Rondo, which was mindblowing!
March
We announced that Devizes auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son were relocating to the Old Emporium, Soupchick was to take over The Hillworth Park Cafe, that after the fire in Northgate Street Devizes Kebab Van successfully relocated to Follyย Road, that Devizes was to have a new festival, Park Farm Festival, and of course the very first Wiltshire Music Awards.
We featured the Belladonna Treatment, had a wonderful local reflection on the Trump & Zelenskiy meeting from a Ukrainian living in Wiltshire, and it was one of my all-time favourite interviews with eighties legend Owen Paul ahead of a Devizes gig.
We reviewed The Killer & The Catalyst, Devizes author Dave McKennaโs novelette, Geckoโs new album, and singles by Chloe Hepburn and George Wilding.ย
Previewed Devizes Arts Festival, Exchange Comedy in Devizes, Swindon Palestine Solidarityโs Charity Iftar, CUDSโ Devizes Town Litter Pick for GB Spring Clean, and Hells Bells AC/DC tribute coming to Devizes! We listed the results of Salisbury Music Awards.
I managed to make it out to see The Devilโs Doorbell and JP Oldfield at the Cellar Bar, Ruby Darbyshire at the Southgate, and Cracked Machine with Tom Harris in support, too. Ian gave us Blood Brothers at The Mission Theatre and Flatpack at The Rondo, and Pip Aldridge reviewed our Fulltone Orchestra at Tewkesbury Abbey.
I ranted on the state of the roads, and for fun ran a Take Our Wiltshire Pothole or Moon Crater Quiz Challenge!!
April
Ah, All Fools Day, a golden opportunity for us, in which last year we told the fib that funk godfather George Clinton was exiled to the Wiltshire village of Urchfont, created funk music there and it was covered up by their parish council! You might assume it was hardly viable, but some fell for it, and messaged in their outraged reports of โfake news!โย
We looked into DOCAโs new youth initiative Yea Devizes, and while we published our usual extensive list of Easter holiday activities, we also previewed DOCAโs Junk Street drumming workshop.
I visited The Hillworth Park Cafe, where Soupchick took over, hailed Devizes DJ Greg Spencer, the creator of Palooza house nights, who made the prestigious bill of Fatboy Slimโs All Back to Minehead festival, and reviewed the now sadly defunct No Alarms No Devizes playing at the Three Crowns. Discovered Fran Daisy at Swindonโs Plough, and Henge at the Cheese & Grain was a high contender for my gig of the year; out of this world!
We had a guest review from Melissa Loveday on Devizes Music Academyโs Something About Jamie, which though Iโm sorry to have missed, I did catch them playing it out at FullTone Festival in the summer. I did attend Devizes Musical Theatreโs Beauty & the Beast at Dauntseyโs School and the opening of Un/Common People, Folk Culture in Wessex, a fascinating exhibition at Wiltshire Museum.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Reviewed Hannah Rose Plattโs album Fragile Creatures, probably the best album we covered last year. The website for Wiltshire Music Awards went live and people held on to cast their votes in May.ย
We exposed Reform candidate Calne Violette Simpson for her Facebook profile picture showing her hunting antelope in South Africa, and Devizes South Conservative candidate Sarah Batchelor, who committed election fraud, up and left with her tail between her legs and almost running Bishops Canningโs Crown into the ground. Thankfully it seems the new owners are turning it around and recreating the village hub it once was.ย
May
I was honoured and delighted to organise the music for our village fete, which has in the last few years been run by a lovely independent committee, safe from a questionable parish council. It was a wonderful sunny day and the highlight of my year. I called in some favours and presented an amazing lineup for a free fete, featuring, in order of appearance, The Jubilee Morris Dancers, Andrew Hurst who brought bassist Lucianne Worthy with him, Talk in Code, The Sarah C Ryan Band, Thieves, and Burn The Midnight Oil. Being it was the last day of the month, I didnโt write about it until June.
I paid a Sunday afternoon visit to Devizes amazing record shop Vinyl Realm, when Deadlight Dance were attacked by wasps and still managed an amazing unplugged acoustic set. Ben Niamor reviewed Jake Martin at Swindonโs Castle with SOP, and Ian gave us his views on Sweeney Todd at St. Augustineโs Catholic College in Trowbridge, and the Diary of Anne Frank at The Wharf Theatre in Devizes, which was so good I had to go myself. Lois covered newcomers Kingston Mediaโs Bands at the Bridge in Horton.
I previewed the Bradford-on-Avon Live Music Festival, despite it clashing with our Rowdefest! Also, Ruby Darbyshire who performed at Silverwood Schoolโs open evening. Andy provided a preview of Chippenham Folk Festival, and Lois provided us with previews of Australian Folk singer Ernest Aines at Swindonโs Deanery Theatre and David Olusoga at the Cheese & Grain.
Announced the opening of voting for Wiltshire Music Awards, that Devizes-based The Big Sound Choir was to perform with Aled Jones at St Georgeโs in Bristol, and that Bird is The Word were taking over music organisation at Bradford-on-Avonโs Boathouse.
We featured how Lucas Hardy was collaborating with Rosie Jay, and Fromeโs James Hollingsworth, who was bringing his solo recreation of Pink Floydโs Wish You Were Here album to the Devizes Southgate and elsewhere, and reviewed his album with Griffiths, Lost in the Winds of Time.ย ย ย
I reviewed Clock Radioโs album Turfing out the Maniacs, Ruzz Guitarโs Between Two Worlds album, Playing Solitaire; Phil Cooperโs first solo album for five years, Thievesโ debut EP, a new single from George Wilding, and one from Auralcandy featuring vocals from Sienna Wileman. A feature of a Melksham marketing expert launching AI training courses was met with controversy, yeah, I get that!
June
If we were all busy with the Devizes Arts Festival, we were previwing summer events like a new festival for Devizes, Park Farm, clashing with an amazing day at the Three Crowns for an air ambulance fundraiser, and I finalyy got over my hangover and ego, and gave coverage of Rowdefest; highlight of my year!ย
Andy reviewed White Horse Operaโs Cosi Fan Tutte and The Lost Trades at the Piggybank, Ian did The Mikado at the Mission, The Taming of the Shrew at the Rondo, and of course we all did our bit for the Devizes Arts Festival. Andy also covered an extensive weekend when The Lions were on the Green in Devizes, we had Crammer Watch Day too, and Devizes Arts Festival did a fringe gig at the British Lion; summer lovinโ. The highlight of this had to be Whereโs the Cat, the Wharf Theatreโs writing groupโs hilarious reenactment of the Moonrakers fable at the Crammer, which I felt obliged to cover too.ย
Eddie and I were guests on Peggy-Sueโs Donโt Stop the Music show on Swindon 105.5, chatting about the awards. We met Henry the chocolate duck raising funds for cystic fibrosis at HollyChocs, previewed Supergrass headlining Frome Festival, a genderqueered Shakespearean performance at Bathโs Rondo, and Swindon Palestine Solidarity events. Lois did Idles at Bristolโs Block Party.ย
I reviewed The Hotcakes of Wildfireโs album Shoes & Acid, ranted on vocal minorities triggered by events of cultural diversity, and did a No Surprises column promising to return the feature, but promises are made to be broken! Thereโs simply too much to whinge about, and for my health, I need to see the glass half-full.
Bands at The Bridge
Thatโs all for now, folks. Do not fear, itโs still summer in our minds, and weโll kick off in July for the second part. I know, our goldfish attention spans cannot take in a whole year in one article, what with so much brilliant stuff which happened over the year, so come back when Iโve officially emptied the Quality Street tin and completed the last half of this review of 2025; but I must say, I think the first half was better!!
Ah, let’s talk about Talk in Code one more time this year, because we’re secret Talkers here, and everything has been awesome this year for them, but now they’re being immortalised as Lego minifigures!
Surely, the piece of resistance of local merch, it doesn’t get better than this! Lego minifigures have become something of a collectors item over the years, and the finest local indie popsters have a Lego inspired fan reward scheme they’re calling TICBRIX; genuine awesomeness!
Now open, all you’ve got to do is attend their gigs, which is a pleasure in itself, collect stamps on a loyalty card, and collect the band figures. Pick up the cards at the merch desk at any show, get it stamped, and after every two Talk in Code shows, you can claim your FREE minifigure and badge from the merch desk.
With four members in the band, it’s going to take you eight shows to complete your collection, but thatโs not all. At the halfway point, youโll be eligible for a bespoke, Lego stage set for them to all play on, complete with a bass guitar, extra guitar, drumsticks and even a Sneddsโ luxury beard upgrade!
Personally, I feel inclined to hotfoot it up the loft to find my bricks and build a spaceship for them to gig on because they’re out of this world! Spaceship!!!!
Some early 2026 performances from the guys include 17th Jan at The Kings Arms in Amesbury and also at Devizes Winter of Festive Ales at The Corn Exchange on 28th February. On the 28th of March, there’s a Talkers Show by personal invite only at The Hop in Swindon. Join the Talkers WhatsApp group to get in on that and be in the know of other gigs by texting โadd meโ with your first name to 07725 138077. All welcome unless you’re from the planet Duplo!
Oramics and its Place in the Progression of Electronic Music
In 1997 I was a 24 year-old factory worker, keen to learn all tasks on the production line to work my way up, but suddenly the run of the ladder was pulled too high for me to reach. Shift managers who had were axed, were replaced by โteam leaders,โ that of precisely the same duties and responsibilities, though you needed a diploma to apply.
The government tried to thwart my only other life objective three years past, to party; they had failed. I worked in the factory now for one reason, to fund this escapism. Once free, the Criminal Justice Bill ensured someone profited from our jollity, as rave culture was pushed into nightclubs and legal paid events.
If The Prodigy were right, this was music for the jilted generation, perhaps so too ย was Luigi Russolo in his 1913 futurist manifesto L’arte dei Rumori (The Art of Noises,) ย when he argued that the ear would become accustomed to a new sonic palette of industrial soundscapes, and musicians would require a new approach to instrumentation and composition. Though Iโd not have contemplated the noises of the factory manipulating my music perceptions at the time, I was aware of how Kraftwerk were influenced by the sounds of traffic for Autobahn.
Neither would I have given much thought to the development of electronic music; my time with analogue pop of punk and Two-Tone was short-lived. Through new wave post-punk and electronica to American hip hop and electro, and the rebellion from the hit factories exploiting it; rave culture, I had grown up withย electronics as a staple to music and knew no different.
Pre-internet research on the subject wouldโve been a needle in a haystack, even if Iโd the motivation to study it.ย In my naivety I assumed one thing, that Kraftwerk created ย electronic music, because Iโd seen a clip of them on the BBC program Tomorrow’s World. Though the show made no claim to this, I was only two on the 25th September 1975, when it originally aired.
Ralf Hรผtter and Florian Schneiderโs Kraftwerk were certainly pioneers who popularised the krautrock genre worldwide. The industrial links between ย Dusseldorf and Detroit and creative ones between Berlin and New Yorkย were influences reflected, which turned the cogs of hip hop and house. And now, here I was, in a meadow near Luton, at Universeโs Tribal Gathering, where I figured weโd come full circle.
Kraftwerk played their one and only festival, it was monumental. The once monocultured rave phenomenon had divided into copious subgenres, Universe were the first to fully embrace this with a tent dedicated to each division. Yet from each tent masses united at the main stage, some DJs refusing to play their set because theyโd miss this performance. Reflecting back on it now, I cannot deny it was something to behold, but Iโve since discovered they wasnโt the complete roots to electronic music I assumed they were. Its complex international evolution includes too many names to mention, but this fascinating insight has been encouraged by my study into one important innovator largely uncredited, born here in Devizes, Daphne Oram.
We outlined her work briefly in the introduction to this series of articles, and with help from Daphneโs niece, Carolyn Scales, we delved into her upbringing in Devizes, and how influences in engineering meshed with her love of music. Now we need to fit her role into this vast evolution of electronic music, by looking at Oramics, discovering how that influenced the progression, and why it is not as well documented and I believe it should be. ย
Once Daphne left the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1959, she coined the term Oramics, a name for her studio in Tower Folly, a converted oast house at Fairseat in Kent, her technique for creating graphical sound, and the Oramics Machine which spawned from it. ย
Carolyn described The Oramics Machine as, โan early synthesiser,โ but as with Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin who created photoelectronic instrument the ANS synthesizer, historical records rarely reference them. ย The first commercial synthesizer is credited to American engineer Robert Moog a few years later in 1964. Precursors to Moog ย mentions Harald Bode who laid the groundwork for separate sound-modifying modules used in the Moog design, the Hammond Organ Companyโs Novachord in the late 1930s, Canadian engineer Hugh Le Caineโs Electronic Sackbut, Herbert Belar and Harry Olsonโs RCA Mark I and II Sound Synthesizers, and some cite Thaddeus Cahillโs Telharmonium, an electromechanical sound generator from 1897, which weighed in over two-hundred tons.
The original Oramics Machine was the size of an office photocopier, so was also too cumbersome for the average musician. By its definition, itโs a synthesiser but worked differently; the composer/musician drew onto a set of 35mm film strips which ran past a series of photo-electric cells, generating electrical signals to control amplitude, timbre, frequency and duration.
The reason for the omission, Carolyn suggested, was because The Oramics Machine was lost after her passing. โDr Mick Griersonโs team tracked it down to France in 2008. Working with the Science Museum. Griersonโs study provided the first full contextualisation of the machine, an assessment of its historical importance, and a detailed description of its workings. The machine became a central part of the Science Museum exhibition Oramics to Electronica, originally planned to run for six months in 2011. The showโs press and public uptake saw it extended a further four years.โ
Perhaps inspired by Moogโs development of the Minimoog, Daphne worked on a Mini-Oramics, but never completed a prototype. Goldsmiths’ PhD student Tom Richards, who pored over the unfinished project and built it over forty years later, suggested โthere were a lot of reasons why she didnโt launch Mini-Oramics. She was working on her own, and wasnโt affiliated to a large organisation or university.ย She had ups and downs in her life, and at the time she was working on Mini-Oramics, she also worried that her approach to musical research was out of fashion when compared to chance-based and computerised techniques. She was unable to secure the further funding she needed and she eventually moved on to other research.โ
If funding and the ferocity of music technologyโs progression at this time surpassed Daphne, both her music and written works were visionary. If you thought Pete Tongโs Heritage Orchestra was pushing new boundaries in 2004, Carolyn noted, โin 1948, Daphne created a piece for double orchestra, turntable and live electronics called Still Point, long thought of as the earliest composition to include real-time electronic transformation of instrumental sounds.โ Again, Still Point was never performed and was considered lost. โDr James Bulley found fragments in the Oram archive,โ she continued, โand working collaboratively with Dr Shiva Feshareki, began a reconstruction, later finding the full score in the belongings of composer Hugh Davies.โ
โA performance was commissioned by BBC Proms and performed by turntablist Shiva Feshareki, Bulley, and the London Contemporary Orchestra in 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall, reaching a substantial audience live and via BBC Radio 3,โ Carolyn explained. โThe reaction was one of awe, with the piece described as โthrillingโ. Critical responses suggested that this realisation of Oramโs previously untested ideas represented a challenge to electronic musicโs received history.โ
The more I research the more I find examples suggesting Daphneโs work was so avant-garde, abstract or insistent on anthropological creativity against trending dehumanised mathematical methods, she was set apart from the contemporary canon of self-generating computer music, positioning her work in a kind of unique scientific-spiritual space, combining technical rigor with a romantic model of artistic expression. This would frustrate her, when projects were either underfunded or too radical for others to follow, and they were consequently lost in time.
In 1971 she authored a book titled An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics, wherein lies a quote often cited in discussions about music technology: โWe will be entering a strange world where composers will be mingling with capacitors, computers will be controlling crotchets and, maybe, memory, music and magnetism will lead us towards metaphysics.โ
Daphne visiting her parents in Devizes
It was also her dedication toย authorial control, while cybernetic-influenced composers embraced self-generating systems with indeterminacy, which caused Oram’s approach to differ from the era’s prevailing trends, despite this cybernetic orientation. Exemplifying the generosity of her father, James, Mayor of Devizes, Daphne actively supported composersโ rights to royalties while she was a Trustee of The Performing Rights Society in the 1970s.
Daphne Oram suffered two strokes during the nineties, and passed away in Maidstone on the 5th January 2003. Yet on Daphneโs centenary, where much of the world remains dubious about the ethics of artificial intelligence, we must debate her legacy, for my final part of the series.
Oh, and if you were wondering, all I saw of Kraftwerk at Tribal Gathering was the fluorescent outlines of their boilersuits!
Ah, I hope you’ve all had a great Christmas, now it’s time for New Year’s Eve, and here’s what we’ve found to do. Wishing everyone a happy New Year and all the best for 2026. Don’t forget our event calendar lists much more and everything going on this weekend, into January and beyond!
Christmas has come early for foxes and normal humans with any slither of compassion remaining, as the government announced the righteous move to ban trail hunts. As an impartial media outlet, we sayโฆ.let’s laugh at those saddened hunters wallowing in their own self-pity, right through Christmas and beyond!
Keir Starmer’s cabinet, a far cry from the ideal government, but the best we’ve had after fourteen long years of that Conservative clown school of thieves, occasionally wakes up and realises they’re supposed to be leftwing, and this was one such bizarre occasion where they delivered a popular promise off their manifesto; miracles do happen at Christmas, pass the overpriced Quality Street and celebrate!
Prepare for a minority of elitists though, the barbaric scum remaining in support of the incongruous pageant, and those too stupid to go against what the leaders of the fascist uprising tell them to think, to really blow off some steam. โWhaaah! We can’t kill innocent animals anymore!!โ Cue the tiniest violin.
Laugh at their flabby flushed faces, angered social media posts, and inane rants, in a pathetic attempt to convince you the government are communists, or even more degrading piffle and pointless propaganda. Starmer did good today. Give him a star sticker. I’m as equally as shocked as them!
Best advice I could give? Laugh at them! Laugh at them hysterically until they blow a fuse. Though it’s a dubious time to announce the ban, and I dread to think what Boxing Day might bring as they gather with even more anger than usual, that this might be the last showdown. What level of slaughter can we expect to see in this last stance?
We rely on and thank all the fantastic hunt sabs to see this fight to its triumphant end.
Bottom line is, if you were the headteacher of a primary school where the children were firing catapults in the playground, so you put all the catapults on a high shelf but the children used fishing nets to get them down, pretending they were using the nets for fishing, you would have to ban the nets too, wouldn’t you? And you’d consider that it was the children’s fault for using the nets to continue firing catapults when they were told not to.
Therefore, because the Hunting Act allowed hunters to trail hunt, but it’s proven that many used it as a smokescreen to continue hunting foxes, then they’ve no one to blame but themselves. If any of them genuinely followed the trail hunt rules and didn’t use it as a disguise to continue illegally hunting foxes, or took measures to call off the hounds if a fox was to be caught up in the puerile activity, then they should be pointing the finger of blame at those who clearly did abuse the rules.
But it’s doubtful they will, either in a show of solidarity, or because they’re a type which doesn’t really exist at all. No, they’ll be united in throwing their teddies out of their prams, yelling blame at the government, but really, hunters did this to themselves and deserve everything they get.
โThe hounds will be homeless,โ we’ve heard. Is this a threat to release hounds into the wild?! If you cannot provide the basics and house your dog then you shouldn’t have a dog, and the law should intervene and arrest you for animal cruelty, finally.ย
โAll the horses and hounds will have to be shot!โ Only aย bloodthirsty sadist would think this. They were looked after before, why not now? They bred them knowing this was happening, ergo it is their responsibility to ensure their welfare is continued and they are looked after.
But this is the most bizarre one, literally convicting themselves: โthe fox population will increase!โ Hold on a cotton-picking minute. They claimed they were trial hunting, using only a rag with the scent of a fox, so how could it possibly increase the fox population? Unless, oh, proof they lied and were actually illegally killing foxes; who knew?!! Otherwise, there might be a few rags going spare, but that’s about it.
โJobs will be lost,โ is another. Awl, shame. Get a new job, one not connected to barbarism. Nigel Faragรผhrer is already on that case, politicising it for the apparent good of the common man, saying it’s against English tradition, yet last week supported a foreign president’s attempts to bring down the BBC at the expense of the British taxpayers; how patriotic, how concerned for job loses he must be!
The only benefit of his recent outrages is that the common rightwing thinkers will see it as proof he’s not really in for them, as many I know personally also do not support hunting either; I wish them a Merry Christmas. It’s surely then just a case of relevance; if it doesn’t affect them personally, it seems it rarely makes a priority in their decision-making. It’s not really relevant to me either, personally, but I have this thing called โempathy.โ Quick, Reformers, write to Santa while there’s still time, ask him for some compassion and empathy, and join us in protecting our wildlife for future generations to appreciate too.ย
Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โEโ) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunes on hold for a moment, because this is a beautiful, epic journeyโฆ.
M3Gโs seventh release, Rooks, poignantly pulls on the heartstrings when presented by the rise and fall of a romance, rooks often being a slang for cheating someone. It runs into six minutes, and reflecting the heartbreak of the subject, the song rises and falls accordingly. It creates a spellbinding ambience of both hope and worry equally, and is of magical vocal and acoustic guitar composition, with a gentle cajon drum subtly placed.
Inspired by the likes of Florence Welch and AURORA, Meg was open about her autism in our interview from 2023, and claimed it as the backbone to her creativity. In this, what she creates is completely original, unique, and unequivocally personal. Meg doesnโt just sing, she projects her innermost thoughts and expresses them, angelically. In Rooks, you can literally feel the characterโs heart breaking, causing yours to inevitably go with it.
The hyphen in the term singer-songwriter has never been so apt with another. Sure, I hear lots of brilliant expressive singers and lots of songwriters who can pen a marvel, but no one merges them so seamlessly and forgoes any fear theyโre exposing too much of their innermost thoughts, dreams or desires. You only need to venture ten seconds into Rooks to observe what I mean, and if Meg constantly strives for improvement, causing me to say this is her best song yet each time, here we go again; this is awe-inspiring, her magnum opus to date.
Recorded and mixed by Phil Cooper, his genius registers on it, yet still, itโs Just M3G; layering her backing chants over her main vocals like choral had a singular tense, and who even designed the cover. She says working with Phil is โa massive step above my other releases. I am so proud of it.โ It is on a next level, Iโm uncertain what she could do to top it, but assured she will, and Iโm certain Rooks will appease her fans and make her find new ones.
Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing their classical music talents…..
Wiltshire Music Centre announces new Spring season with some extraordinary listening experiences on offer in the new year.Wiltshire Music Centre is a unique and contemporary 300-seated concert hall in Bradford on Avon.ย In the heart of rural Wiltshire, the venue’s built an enviable reputation over the years as a professional concert hall of exceptional quality, rooted in community participation and involvement.ย The Centre also provides a permanent home for local orchestras, choirs and music groups, and works extensively with young people locally through a vibrant and varied Creative Learning Programme in Wiltshire and beyond.
Since first opening in 1997, Wiltshire Music Centre has been a musical hub, bringing the best in live performances to the area as well as providing a home for local orchestras, choirs and music groups. Recently appointed Executive Director, Sarah Robertson and Artistic Director, Daniel Clark have a renewed commitment to creating a space for people to gather and connect through a shared love of music โ a space to celebrate the past, present and future of music-making and to nurture a spirit of musical curiosity.
Audiences can look forward to an exceptional lineup of artists, including first-ever WMC appearances by leading pianistย Angela Hewittย (30 Jan 2026), opera virtuosoย Sir Willard Whiteย performing with WMC favouritesย The Brodsky Quartetย (20 Mar 2026),ย BBC Big Bandย (17 Apr 2026) showcasing the musical genius of George Gershwin, international cabaret starย Uteย Lemperย (8 Mar 2026), blues legendย Eric Bibbย (27 Mar 2026) touring his new album, and a WMC debut by theย Neil Cowley Trioย (11 Apr 2026) who bring their inventive show inspired by Baroque genius, J.S Bach, to the Centre. ย Meanwhile,ย Jamie Woonย (8 Apr 2026), British R & B and electronica singer/producer returns to the stage after a 10-year break.
Classical and jazz season highlights includeย โtrumpeter extraordinaireโย (BBC Music Magazine)ย Matilda Lloydย performing with theย Goldmund Quartetย (7 Feb 2026);ย Nikki Iles and Claire Martinโsย new projectย IG4ย (7 Mar 2026); evocative choral works fromย The Gesualdo Sixย (28 Mar 2026); stunning vocals from the Grammy-nominated British vocal ensembleย VOCES8ย (26 Apr 2026); and exciting new jazz sounds from Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Yearย Mark Kavumaย (28 Mar 2026) and London-based saxophonistย Camilla Georgeย (22 May 2026), whose music blends Afrofuturism, hip-hop, and jazz.
For blues, folk, and roots fans, thereโs a packed programme of must-see gigs featuring both established and emerging favourites, including the powerful fatherโdaughter duoย Martin and Eliza Carthyย (3 Apr 2026), much-loved folk singerย Cara Dillonย (8 May 2026),ย Jon Bodenโsย projectย The Remnant Kingsย (15 May 2026), andย Josienne Clarkeโsย homage to Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention (6 Mar 2026).
Families can look forward to a musical retelling ofย Benji Daviesโsย childrenโs bookย The Storm Whaleย withย Music in the Roundย (14 Feb 2026), and the film classicย Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousersย on the big screen with live music performed by WMCโs flagshipย West of England Youth Orchestraย (10 Apr 2026).
The eclectic programming extends beyond the music alone. Former Royal Harpistย Catrin Finchย (15 Mar 2026) comes to the Centre withย Notes to Self, an evening of music and conservation, while master impressionistย Alistair McGowanย (12 Apr 2026) and sharp-witted comedianย Chris Addisonย (14 Feb 2026) bring comedy and music with their respective shows. There will also be a series of monthly screenings with the newly launched Adventurers Film Club, featuringย Becoming Led Zeppelinย (28 Jan 2026),ย Set the Piano Stool on Fireย (25 Feb 2026) โ the acclaimed documentary about legendary pianist Alfred Brendel and his protรฉgรฉ Kit Armstrongโand more.
Introducing the new season, Daniel Clark says โHere youโll find a wide-ranging series of concerts from some of the most exciting voices of the past, present and future of music. From great legends of music-making to rising stars, weโre committed to bringing the best music we can to our special venue, and hope youโll find something that will transport, inspire and delight you.โ
Highlights:
Angela Hewitt:ย one of the worldโs greatest living interpreters of Bachโs music and recipient of the City of Leipzig Bach Medal in 2020 will make her WMC debut. (30 Jan 2026)
Angela Hewitt
London 2016
Chris Addisonโs Incomplete Guide to Chamber Music:ย Chris Addison brings to life the rich, vibrant โ and sometimes bizarre โ history of classical chamber music. A musical journey from baroque courts and European revolutions to todayโs contemporary composers with some of the UKโs finest musicians and Chrisโ brilliant and original facts and insight. (14 Feb 2026)
Eric Bibb:ย Three-time Grammy nominee and blues legend with a career spanning over five decades tours brand new album,ย One Mississippiย blending blues, folk, soul, and Americana. (27 Mar 2026)
Ute Lemper: International cabaret star bringsย her showย telling the storyย of Hollywood legend Marlene Dietrich through songs and stories: from the Berlin Cabaret years to her Burt Bacharach collaborations. (8 Mar 2026)
Lau Noah: Beautiful, innovative and evocative vocal and guitar harmonies from self-taught Catalan composer and songwriter who has supported Chris Thile, Ben Folds and Jacob Collier on tour over the past two years. (3 May 2026)
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes
Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in the sphere of electronic music and music technology. On the first Thursday of the month The Barbican held a concert commemorating Daphne’s centenary, where sound and music fair access partner, Nonclassical, in partnership with The Oram Trust and Oram Awards played commissioned reimagined works from various contemporary electronic artists, inspired from tapes in Daphne’s archive. This has been released as the album, Vari/ations: An Ode To Oram.
London university Goldsmiths acquired Daphneโs archive in 2006, bringing her work into the wider public domain, after decades of relative obscurity. ย In the male dominated realm of electronic music, this has presented a better understanding of Daphne as a visionary in the early development of the genre, and in turn inspired female musicians and producers.
But our story begins rather differently, in the late nineteen-twenties, at Belle Vue House, Devizes, where a much younger Daphne is caught trying to climb inside the family piano! Daphne’s niece Carolyn Scales explained, โshe was asked โwhy are you doing that?โ and Daphne replied, she wanted the piano to make a sound between the notes on the keyboard.โ
Daphne with brother John
Iโm grateful to Carolyn for providing some fascinating background into Daphneโs family and childhood in Devizes, something overlooked by the insurmountable information available regarding her work.
โAll the siblings enjoyed listening to classical music but only Daphne had the ability to create music,โ she told me. โIdaโs sisters often joined her to play trios and quartets at Belle Vue House while James did learn to play the cello but was happy to stand aside for more competent players. In his defence Jamesโs fatherโs diaries only mention one musical instrument at their home, a piano declared by a piano tuner as not worthy of tuning. Maybe we underestimate the strength of our Oram artistic genes.โ
Daphne at five months, with mother, Ida, brothers Arthur and John
Daphne Blake Oram was born on the 31st December 1925, to James Oram (1890-1964) and Ida nee Talbot (1887-1972.) โIda ,โ Carolyn explained, โwho at heart seems to have been a natural party goer, was plagued by ill health. Daphne was born in Ivy House Nursing Home not because of a fear of losing Daphne but because of Idaโs problems with her legs. In the first photograph of Daphne she is being held by Ida who is sitting in a wicker bath chair with Arthur and John in front of their new home of Belle Vue House.โ
โIda was born in Braintree, Essex into a family of drapers,โ ย Carolyn said, โwho soon moved to a shop on Maryport Street, Devizes, opposite the top of The Brittox, which they ran from 1888 until 1914. Unfortunately Idaโs father Alfred died in 1896 leaving her mother Alice nee Blake to run the business.โ She continued to describe ย Aliceโs six children helping at the shop, and its failure, though ย Ida was in charge of the millinery department, and how later there was a room in Belle Vue House devoted to her hats. Carolyn told of Idaโs painting ย hobby, in watercolours, oils and other mediums.
Talbot family with parents. Ida on swing with her twin
Daphneโs father, James, was known in Devizes as โJimโ or โJimmy.โ He was not Irish but proud of his upbringing off the coast of County Mayo, and โnever lost his soft Irish brogue.โ His father Arthur Oram was a farmer and land agent in one of the most deprived parts of rural Ireland, hit hard by the famines of the early 1800s, and as such it was a natural breeding ground for agrarian discontent, later producing some prominent members of the IRA. This caused James to be keenly aware of local injustices.
โIn 1961, when James took us to see where he was born,โ Carolyn expressed, โhe told us he was upset that he was not allowed to go to school with his friends. They were Catholic and he was a Protestant and to highlight the differences James and his siblings had to travel to school in Newport by pony and trap, rather than walk to the local school.โ
โI feel sure that our father John was correct in saying that if James had stayed in Ireland he would have become a renowned barrister. Unfortunately, just as James left school there was a change in the familyโs fortunes as The Congested Districts Board on behalf of the British Government were, quite rightly buying estates and redistributing the land among farmers living on tenanted, uneconomic smallholdings.โ
Therefore, instead of attending university at sixteen James travelled to Devizes, to help his uncle (by marriage,) Alfred Hinxman, the manager of the Devizes branch of a Salisbury coal merchant.ย James lived in Devizes for the rest his life, managing the coal merchant until his retirement. Overseeing the distribution of coal in the southwest during the Second World War, James was so horrified by the profiteering he didnโt take a penny for his efforts and received a MBE.
James Oram, Devizes Mayor
โJames soon became a trusted member of the community,โ Carolyn said, โactive in its civic life, as a magistrate and a school governor. This included being Mayor of Devizes during The Abdication and coronation of George VI.โ
โJames also successfully became involved in many businesses including The Devizes Brick and Tile Co. Somehow James also found time for his interest in local history and was a member of various local societies. He could have become wealthy but instead gave away his excess income after ensuring that his family lived in a comfortable style. Every Sunday dinner during the depression of the 1930s they would discuss the families that the brickworks supported, carefully working out if they would have the money to feed their children. The discussion would end by choosing someone who was struggling to hire to cut the Belle Vue House lawn during the following week.โ
The Devizes Brick and Tile Co. Photograph by HR Edmonds
Jamesโ generous nature rubbed off on his children.ย Daphne actively supported composersโ rights to royalties while she was a Trustee of The Performing Rights Society in the 1970s. ย โIn particular,โ Carolyn noted, โDaphne helped to set up the PRS Membersโ Fund that continues to support those registered with the PRS and their families when they are in need of financial help. During the 1980s Daphne arranged Christmas hampers for these families.โ
Before Daphne was born the family lived in rooms above the coal merchantโs office at 7 High Street, Devizes. James wanted Belle Vue House, empty at the time but out of his price range, until theย state of dilapidation dropped far enough, which was just as Daphne was being born. The house would have been at the end of Belle Vue Road, now replaced by Waiblingen Way housing estate.ย
Retired designer Paul Bryant, who still resides locally told me he grew up close to Belle Vue House, and recalled her returning to the family home and, โthe excitement that was generated when she was awarded grants from the Gulbenkian Foundation.โ Paul expressed โit is heartening to see the ancient horse chestnut tree, then at the end of the Oram’s garden, still surviving in Waiblingen Way.โ Meanwhile, local musician Peter Easton has written in request for a blue plaque to be erected in Daphneโs honour.
Daphne, with the grass roller at Belle Vue House, Devizes
Carolyn explained how the siblingโs engineering abilities can also be traced to the Oram side of the family. โTheir great uncle John had designed machinery to make barrels for Rockefellerโs oil, and their uncle Arthur oversaw many civil engineering projects in the Indus Valley, now in Pakistan.โ
โArthur, aged 9 and John, aged 5 were to share a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room that James agreed they would turn into a workshop,โ Carolyn said. โThey had already started their own tool kits and Arthur was delighted when James added a foot controlled fret saw.โ
In a letter to John dated April 2003, Arthur wrote it would be the 77th anniversary of their move from the High Street to Belle Vue House: โEvery 20th April was the day of an annual fair on the Green, and Hitlerโs birthday. That one in 1926 was a very special wet Tuesday for us. Our mother was taken the half-mile in a big closed Bath Chair drawn by a man holding the long handle in front, because of her illness with a bad knee. She was helped into their old oak bed in the drawing room, on the right of the door towards the fireplace. In that room there was placed, near the door, the old radio that our mother had bought some years before from proceeds of her Barbola work, with its two bright emitter valves and six volt battery, from which we had news through the general strike of 1926.โ
โLater the workshop became home to Johnโs lathe and of great interest to Daphne. John told me that he was sometimes very mean to Daphne when she came to the workshop. At first she had to stay outside the open door and be silent, if she passed that test she was allowed to stand just inside the door for a while before coming closer to John and even helping when possible. John taught Daphne to use a lathe and she had one of his old lathes at Tower Folly, albeit by then worn and no longer a precision tool. John also admitted to teasing Daphne over his Meccano set that she wanted to play with. Daphne had to watch John make, say a crane ,then he would tighten all the nuts and bolts before walking away leaving Daphne to dismantle his work.โ
Daphne visits her parents in Devizes
Carolyn said, โthere were three main early influences on Arthur, John and Daphne namely their father James, mother Ida and their home which gave them space to both work together and follow their own particular interests.โ
Iโm eternally grateful to Carolyn Scales, Daphne’s niece, for a fascinating insight into Daphneโs early years and family life, and for the photographs too. It seems her curious childhood nature was focused on what makes music, and her engineering skills were honed early, enhanced by her intrigue and not being allowed to assist by her elder brothers. This led her to create ย the Oramics Machine, her early synthesiser, built in the 1960s, but lost after her death. We should concentrate our efforts on Daphneโs work ย in the third part, and how it shaped modern music……
All images are taken with permission from the personal collection of Carolyn Scales with thanks. ยฉ2025 Carolyn Scales. Please ask permission before use.
Highest season of goodwill praises must go to Chrissy Chapman today, who raised over ยฃ500 (at the last count) for His Grace Childrenโs Centre in Uganda, with a little help from talented friendsโฆ.
Years back as soloist singer-songwriter One Trick Pony, Chrissy organised annual fundraising gigs at the Southgate around Christmas time, but now tuned up a notch with her incredible Americana band Burn the Midnight Oil behind her it was a high noon lock up and load for a Sunday afternoon hoedown at the Muck and Dunder rum bar in Devizes. The better half, Mrs Devizine, has been asking me to take her somewhere tropical, so given such an opportunity, we bused it to The Brittox.
With Burn The Midnight Oil rightfully grasping the top slot with the same intensity as me holding my pineapple vase of piรฑa colada, all kicked off at half-two with Gary Hewitt-Long performing a rare acoustic set. New to the game, and while I obviously cannot condone a satirical song aimed at a certain rogue local councillor, Gary was unnecessarily bashful, as he acoustically played out some great originals to warm the crowd!
Perhaps it was the crowd which, understandably nerved him; it sure was building, as Martin Rea sauntered through them, sporting a fashionable bum bag and dishing out raffle tickets.
A Wiltshire duo new to me, One Plus One may offer sums even I can handle in name, but their performance was delightful. A proficient and lovable pop cover duo to please any event, One Plus One is guitarist Dave, and Emily on vocals, confident to take on an Amy Winehouse cover or two and come up trumps. Chapel Roan’s Pink Pony Club also got a superb makeover, and they polished it off with the seasonal Fairytale of New York; why not?
Maybe only because our modest local folk legend Vince Bell, who followed, also planned to finalise his sublime set with the UK’s best loved Christmas song, with his wife Lisa as Kirsty MacColl. Though more musical theatre, no stranger to the limelight, Lisa nailed it, and the handsome, pretty, and the queens of New Devizes City crowd never minded the doubled up cover and sang the chorus.
Vince also offered Chrissy the accompanying chair for a spellbinding middle duet they supposed they should record, and they should. But beginning his set with his divine self-penned melancholic earworms, garnished in percussive rhythm guitar mastery akin to flamenco, and raising the spirit with the more spritely Spiderman Pajamas, Vince is a local treasure and never fails to charm.
Exactly a year after we first interviewed the original lineup, Burn The Midnight Oil came bursting on and delivered their awesome set with unified passion and precision, seemingly lapping up every minute. You’d be excused for assuming this band has been playing together for decades despite it being less than a year in the new format.
They appeased the audience with a taste of what they’ve been working on, looked fantabulous, and, most importantly, put 210% into their show. Yet it was arguably the sum of all these parts and the community festive spirit, which made it the wonderful afternoon it was.
devizine.com 