Oxes tour in June

I'm tempted with Brum, imissed them the last time they played in moseley.

The oxes play the Milton Keynes show on the 11th June, which is also part of a gig to celebrate 3 years of 'fortissimo records'.

We are putting on a two day festival at Bletchley leisure centre, to celebrate 3 years of Fortissimo records. The label was originally created in 2002, whilst I was cleaning offices. The name was found in an old guitar tuition book, and it means 'to play a piece of music loud and fast'. We felt that there was a need to put on our own gigs, release our own CDs, and help bands that we liked to get somewhere!
Our first promotion was at the pitz on June 1st 2002, and we were very grateful that Paul Rivers had some belief in our new cause. We have come a long way since then releasing 4 CDs (One of which was recorded at southern studios and played on John peel), and promoting up to 50 d.i.y gigs around Milton Keynes, bringing great acts like The Ex, Giddy Motors, Cat On Form, Kill Yourself and now the Oxes to this wonderful city.
Fortissimo records is completely self sufficient, in that we receive no outside funding, and everything from guitar strings to p.a rigs are paid for entirely by the fortissimo collective. The label was set up to help new bands from Milton Keynes release CDs and play gigs; we believe we are fulfilling our promises. Our main aspiration for the future is to put Milton Keynes on the map, by booking MORE independent bands from all over the world, and releasing records by quality bands such as 'the dark hadou' and 'Dawn Chorus'.

Help us celebrate 3 years of Fortissimo by turning up to this event!

The festival will take place at Bletchley leisure centre on 10th and 11th June. Tickets will be sold separately, or people can buy a weekend ticket for £10 and receive a FREE 'Riotmen' CD for doing so.
This will be a truly amazing gig, and should not be missed by anyone! We have a decent p.a, lights, cakes and everything! ooooh....

Here is the line-up;

10th June - 5.30pm -11pm (£5)

6.00 - 6.30 - DJ
6.30 - 6.50 - Pete Taylor
7.00 - 7.20 - Tokyo Power triangle (Ex modulator Pete and Harry)
7.30 - 8.00 - Dave Mclean (Drum machine and an akai pedal)
8.15 - 8.45 - Ajutprop (Electronica Mayhem from pete and Jezz)
9.00 - 9.30 - Elation Through Sound (Everyone’s favourite prog rockers)
10.00 - 11.00 - Evil Ryu and the lost Maji v.s Action Beat (I dont know what to say, but you can expect some rude behaviour)

11th June - 5.00pm - 11pm (£7)

5.00 - 5.30 - DJ
5.30 - 5.50 - Paul grant (The vet)
6.00 - 6.20 - Terror Agents (Math rock two piece, heavy as fuck)
6.30 - 7.00 - Odd man Out (MK legends)
7.10 - 7.30 - Riotmen (MK deadbeats)
7.40 - 8.10 - Dawn Chorus (Starters of Riots outside clubs...nice one boys)
8.20 - 8.50 - Dark Hadou (The best band in town)
9.00 - 9.45 - That FUCKING tank (Britains best bnd)
10.00 - 11.00 - OXXXES (suck Coxxes)

Remember; £10 for both days, plus a free 'Riotmen' CD, which is priceless

10th June;

Pete taylor - Pete is a simple guy with complex riffs and a great knowledge of music. He is secretive about what exactly will occur during his set, but he is a fantastic musician, and I promise he will not dissapoint.

Tokyo Power triangle - Featuring ex members of 'modulator' Pete simpson and Harry taylor, and also Jon from local band Stoma. Expect everything from screeching guitars to mesmorising electronical bleepings.

Dave mclean - Ex Brave frontman now plays solo with a looping delay pedal and hard hitting drum machine.

Ajutprop - Electronical Mayhem from Pete (Dawn Chorus) and Jezz. The are said to use laptops, samplers, chaos pads and raps to entertain the crowd.

Elation through Sound - Formed Mid-2004, Elation Through Sound are a creative, enthusiastic, precision group. They try to capture the best elements of the styles and the sounds of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In particular, cutting edge musical techniques made well known by acts like Mum, DJshadow and aphex twin, are combined with the post-rock sensibilities of Mogwai and Godspeed.

Evi Ryu v.s the Lost Maji - Definitely two of the sickest bands in town! Here the 2 'side projects' of fortissimo go head to head to decide which band really are 'the kings of sickness'. Evil Ryu consists of a caped warrior and evil magician who pull all kinds of weird and incredible sounds from their box of tricks. They are a frantic band, and do not sit still for a single moment... think of 2 hyperactive four year old's consuming a bottle of coke and being let loose in a practice room. The Maji are confident of destroying Action beat, and they even claim to be 'the worlds greatest live band'.
Action Beat are an insane spazz band from Bletchley. The bassist is yet to reveal his true identity, as he masks his hideous face at every show. The beat are not scared of the Maji, and welcome their childish games to the stage. The beat have been said to shock and terrorise the crowd on a number of occasions, perhaps it has to do with the bassists incredibly large pants!


11th June

Paul Grant (AKA 'the Vet') - The vet is a true fortissimo legend, even though he would never admit it. I'm not afraid to say that 'the vet' was a great influence to me when I started fortissimo, by getting me into quality bands and explaining what punk and underground really meant. A great guitarist, and an incredible musician.

Terror Agents - Math rock 2 piece, heavy as hell with rhythmical complex drum patterns, and riffs that will astound you! They don’t play live very often, and fortissimo is proud to have them on the bill. be sure to see them, and be sure to wish the drummer happy birthday.

Odd man Out - Local legends odd man out have been on the scene for as long as I can remember. They have always helped fortissimo out by playing gigs for us whenever we've asked. They also played our first ever show on the 1st June 2002.

Riotmen; are a loud punk rock band, influenced mainly by Shellac, Jesus
Lizard, Don caballero, Fugazi, the Ex, sonic youth ect... Our stage shows
are really energetic, with guitars and bodies flying all over the place, a
dirge of filthy riff's, weird time signatures and turbulent rhythm to
back it. We promise not to disappoint. Our first Record was recorded at
Southern Studios at the end of January, which has received some great reviews from numerous fanzines and press, not to mention airplay on the John Peel show.

Dark Hadou; Playing sonically charged songs that can be beautiful at one
moment then destructive at the next. The dark hadou prove to audiences time and time again to be an incredible force. They are influenced by Slint, the youth, Don Cab, Oxes, Shellac. All members have an amazing live presence and know how to put on a good show, they always give it 100% at each gig.

Dawn Chorus; Have to be one of the most gifted bands in MK, playing a kind of Funky jazzy punk, that cant be compared to many bands around. Their main influences are Karate, sebadoh, pavement, fugazi, primus ect.. Definitely a band that make you just want to forget about everything and break out into some crazy dance.

That Fucking Tank - Ahh, the rigour of That Fucking Tank's riff-ravaged post rock is quite a detachment from the banality of everyday life. These local boys, dressed in psychobilly attire, complete with cowboy hats aloof, certainly look as if their every essence is reflected in the rhythmic, foot-stomping instrumentalism they have to offer. Reminiscent of local angular aficionados Bilge Pump, but devoid of any vocal interjection, That Fucking Tank are certainly not for the faint hearted. Softly, softly, then wrenchingly, aggressively loud, with every volume in between, their dynamics are astounding, forever shifting keys and time values. For an entire 25 mins, the audience is suitably entertained, almost entranced.
Comprising of two thirds of Kill Yourself, That Fucking Tank are a drummer and guitarist duo hell bent on producing noisy, angular but danceable instrumental rock. ‘A Document to Our First Set’ proves that That Fucking Tank are any bit as good as other bands with similar M.O.’s. like the bastard children of Q and Not U and Oxes, the five tracks present here groove, churn and lurch along to form one of the most compelling debuts you’re likely to hear for a long time to come.


THE OXES - "Raised on the champion streets of Baltimore, the OXES have grown over the last several years to become one of the most innovative and exciting bands recording and touring today. Earning every penny, the OXES have been heralded by the likes of John Peel, Shellac, WIRE (the band), the British press, and fans abound. The best part is the OXES epidemic has only begun.

Combining the energy of three very talented musicians in a pyramid of extremism, moderation, and jokes, the OXES have created a tri-force of rock'n'roll fury. Marco Mirror and Nettarino Fowler patrol on two wireless hand made guitars (built by ABC Studios) while Han Sum pounds away on his denim covered drum kit. Bass-less, but not top heavy, the OXES fill all voids with HUGE riffs, all HUGE riffs with voids, the claw technique, and amazing percussion. Yes their music is technical, but it isn't a wankfest, it is pure rock'n'roll.

The OXES began their recording career with a 7" on Reptilian Records and a split with Big'n on Box Factory Records. These two hard to find goodies were teasers for the first release which came out the summer of 2000 on Monitor Records. Chock full of riffage, and Zep meets AC~DC stadium anthems, the OXES s/t full length debut became an instant classic.

After steady touring the OXES released their first piece of controversy. They put out a 10" lp on Wantage with who was supposed to be Arab on Radar, instead it was 100% OXES. Unknowing to everyone, the record was released causing a stir among fans and the involved parties. Lawsuits were threatened and many fans were outraged over the OXES alledgedly imitating AOR and trying to sell it as a legitimate split release. After months of message board banter and e-mails back and forth, the dust settled.

But to change the subject, controversy for the OXES was not over. After recording their second full length with Bob Weston (Shellac) the OXES decided they would challenge themselves to make a more interesting artwork concept. As with all good ideas, it was destined to be misinterpreted.

Like the AOR release, beginning again by having the artwork become an extension of the confrontation of OXES live shows, coupled with telling the press that the protest was real; ended in sometimes interesting, sometimes hilarious results.

Yes, the artwork scandal was a big topic of conversation, but in the end it was the music that held up the OXES second full length, OXXXES, as one of 2002's best releases. This second full length, captures the OXES with all of the rock as the first record, with a pinch more punk and pop and lock and hop. Beginning with accolades by the British Press (see WIRE, NME, Q, etc.), BBC Radio (click here for the live John Peel Session), fans at the All Tomorrow's Party Festival in the UK, the OXES began their XXX crusade in triumph.

Following a brief summer break the OXES are back out on the road, strategically advancing across the Greenland USA, proving you don't have to be from New York City to "bring back rock'n'roll" as the press spins it".


http://www.monitorrecords.com/
http://www.epitonic.com/artists/oxes.html
http://www.supersphere.com/Club/Archive/?ID=1 (follow the link and see a gig... scroll down to find oxes. Also, might be worth checking the other bands, this is a great site)

Its just a press sheet. Seriously though, if anyone would like to go to the Bletchley gig, there are trains running there all day! If you are an oxes fan you will get to see them in an amazing venue, with some amazing bands!

Yup will give it a go.