On Saturday 28th December it’s the return of Oxjam, a music festival that celebrates the local music scene and raises money for Oxfam- two undeniably great causes! After raising more than double the amount of their fundraising target last year, this time around it’s even bigger with 11 acts confirmed for an all day event.

It was good to speak to the organisers of this great event, Ross Hummell and Tim Picton along with Bradley Hollis  and Matt Broadbent from Harper,

Ross Hummell, Tim Picton, Bradley Hollis and Matthew Broadbent

You can hear our chat again here – Oxjam

It’s all happening on Saturday 28th December at The Essex Arms in Brentwood. More information here https://www.facebook.com/events/564596496911375/?fref=ts

The full line up is –

2.00 – 2.40 Denouement

An instrumental math/post rock band from Essex. We’re obsessed with obscure public figures, personality cults and Spanish words that are enjoyable to say, such as ‘sacapuntas’. 7/4 is collectively our favourite time signature. We try to take some tasty, mercurial riffs and stitch them together using a combination of luck and the wisdom of Dave Benson Phillips

2.50 – 3.20 James Terry 

Do you enjoy applauding politely regardless of merit but were unsuccessful in your attempts to get on the deal or no deal audience? If so then satisfy your desire by coming to see acoustic guitarist James Terry at Oxjam this year. Back by popular demand for his annual gig, Terry performs his own brand of pretentious existential humanism which is so captivating that it once sent somebody to sleep midway through a song.

3.30 – 4.00 Becky Druce

Becky Druce is a singer and acoustic guitarist from Upminster who has performed in various bars and venues around London and Essex. In the past she has experimented playing with bands and duos, but she is now embracing the solo route. Expect melodic, folk tinged pop songs and the odd acoustic cover.

4.10 – 4.50 Crooked Era

Featuring Phoenix FM’s very own Alex Hoggett

5.00 – 5.40 Prismism Project – Dance music

6.00 – 6.40 Bassment Jazz
Born out of a desire to re-institute true Big Band Jazz music to the Coopers’ Company and Coborn’s music department, ‘Bassment Jazz’ soon became a synonym for sleek musical performance, daring harmonies and abounding improvisational expertise. The band, reunited in aid of OxJam 2013, experienced the highs of performing in the Birmingham Conservatoire Concert Hall and the lows of entertaining Cherie Blair during their short-lived, but compelling career.

6.50 – 7.30 The Audience

7.40 – 8.20 Leanne Louise

Leanne Louise is an up and coming recording artist from Essex. With influences from artists such as Amy Winehouse and Adele, Leanne brings a collection of honesty and soul to the music. In 2011-2012 Leanne received support from Kiss FM, Radio 1Xtra, BBC Introducing, Deja Vu, Phoenix FM + Many more. 2013 has been about finding the artist within, whilst writing and recording at Stag Studios for her first solo project.

8.30 – 9.10 Curse These Metal Hands

A four piece semi-concept indie rock band that can be found making noise in their drummers garage studio, situated in the no man’s land that is Greater London

9.20 – 10.20 Harper

Four piece rock band from the never regions between East London and Essex. The band formed earlier in 2013, and have spent a large amount of time writing and demoing songs in drummer Toby’s studio , as well as performing a large percentage of our shows in London. In July 2013, we released our debut E.P., ‘Drawing Blood Blues’ which you can now stream or download for FREE from www.harperband.bandcamp.com where you can also find Harper’s new single – Feels So Hollow

10.30 – 11.30 The Lites

The Lites are an alternative rock quartet from Essex who are sometimes accompanied by a cardboard cutout of Alan Shearer. The band play a heterogeneous mix of shoegaze, post-rock and indie layered with pretentious lyrics mostly written when they were precocious sixteen-year-olds and had first discovered the ‘synonyms’ feature on Microsoft Word. This will be The Lites’ first gig in an entire year, so expect an awesome comeback set. https://www.facebook.com/thelites?fref=ts

Diverse and Quality music throughout so no excuse to miss any live music and give your all for a worthy cause.