As most of you may know, Oxjam is a month-long music festival that runs throughout October with a number of events around the UK. These events are all organised by volunteers who know and love their local music scene. The best part? All the money raised is in aid of Oxfam.
This year Her Campus Leeds teamed up with a variety of local artists to put on a great night of music and fun! The event took place last Wednesday at the Library Pub and I am happy to announce that it was a huge success! Over 100 tickets were sold and nearly £400 was raised for Oxfam. Hats off to HCL committee! Well done girls!
The stage was set up opposite the bar and the venue wasn’t very big, which was good as it helped to create a relaxed and cosy environment.
The show kicked off with Pet Recycle who surprised the crowd when one single guy turned up on stage carrying an acoustic guitar, since everyone was expecting a band. David Lama, aka Pet Recycle, with his alternative sound and rather emotional performance. He’s one of those artists who put their heart and soul into their performance; you could tell he was feeling the music and meaning every word he was singing. He gave his everything on stage and the audience seemed to like it as by the time he finished his performance the venue was packed!
©Beth Murray
I never believed in the theory that music soothes the savage beasts, but Kate Ryrie’s performance proved me wrong. When the enchanting singer/songwriter got on stage the audience was very loud and not particularly paying any attention , but as soon as she started singing the hubbub suddenly quietened. She came across at first quite shy, however her confidence on stage proved otherwise. Her sweet, yet powerful voice contrasted delightfully with the sound of her delicate acoustic guitar accompaniment. She has a very personal folky laid back style, and her beautiful voice reminded me of Kate Nash sometimes.
©Beth Murray
Up next were three-piece Stray Arrows, consisting of a lead singer, a guitarist and a multi-instrumentalist. The band clearly has experience being on stage as they oozed confidence and charisma and interacted with the crowd through the whole performance. The chatty and strong personality of the singer stirred up the audience who responded with acclaim during and after every song. The mix of soul/ R&B/jazz/blues tunes and the use of a cajon drum made an impeccable performance.
©Beth Murray
Stray Arrows’ powerful performance was then followed by Deco, Honey. Skinny jeans, button up collar shirts and tattoos… I expected these two lads to be delivering some obvious indie-rock tunes, but not at all! Their unique alternative rock tone was enriched by haunting guitar solos and lead singer’s melodic vocals that contrasted with their young and trendy look.
©Beth Murray
There was an extra performer of the night: Conchúr White who played stripped back, acoustic songs; poignant lyrics sung in his distinctive voice. He was an excellent addition to the evening and set the stage for the final act of the evening.
©Beth Murray
Sheffield quartet Chatfield closed the evening with their alternative rock and ended the night on a high. Fast paced drums, catchy guitar riffs and relatively meaningful lyrics made up the energetic four-piece’s set. They gave the audience one last chance to dance and the crowd certainly took it.
©Beth Murray
I was a bit cheeky and used the excuse of reviewing the event to have the chance to chat to the artists between performances. They were all very excited about the event and especially about helping to raise money for Oxfam.
“Knowing that this performance is raising money for charity feels much better than any other performance. When we ask people to come to a gig the first question is ‘how much does it cost?’ but if you say that it’s a fiver but is for Oxfam they go like ‘oh yeah, I’ll come!’”
– Levi Bond, Deco Honey
“These kinds of events are a great thing. I believe that artists in general have lost the true meaning of what they’re doing. And I think that since we are living in a very capitalistic-driven era everyone just wants the ends to the mean of what they’re doing, but things like Oxjam are still around, and that’s good”.
– David Lama, Pet Recycle