* With excitement still raging after last week’s news Oxford indie-rockers Ride were to reform, rumours still circulate that Oxford fans may be in for a possible hometown show. While the band are far too canny to admit to anything like that, at least two members have admitted they’d jump at playing in the city. The announcement came officially last Wednesday, with confirmation of dates in Glasgow, Manchester, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Toronto, and New York — but the rumour mill sparked into overdrive the day before when the organisers of Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival unfurled a banner advertising appearance at next year’s event. Tickets for all shows have long since sold out — most within 30 minutes — leaving Oxford fans clinging to the hope of a warm-up show in the locale. Drummer Laurence ‘Loz’ Colbert this week told us: “There certainly should be something. I’d very much like it, but we’ll have to see nearer the time.” He also hinted that he, and bandmates Mark Gardener, Andy Bell and Steve Queralt, could return to the studio, saying: “That’s one of the things we are so excited about. I’m seriously hoping we get a chance to do that. It’s a tantalising prospect and one we’ll be seizing with both hands.”

* With the second Oxford City Festival approaching the end of its six-day run, we ignore our aching eardrums (and livers) and look forward to three more nights of great local music.

The festival, organised by city promoter Mark ‘Osprey’ O’Brien gets even more interesting with shows by former Inspiral Carpets man (and native Abingdonian) Tom Hingley at the Marsh Harrier tomorrow (Friday) and Balloon Ascents and The August List at the O2 Academy on Saturday. Being loyal souls, we’ll also be out cheering for one of our own: Oxford Times journalist Pete Hughes, whose band Brightworks play The Bullingdon on Saturday. What are they like? Expect afro-pop with boyband appeal — like an amphetamine-fuelled One Direction causing a riot in a Kenyan juke joint. Or maybe not.

* A standing ovation goes to the crew behind this month’s Audisoscope. The all-dayer, headlined by electro-pop samplers Public Service Broadcasting was a sold-out success — musically and financially. We learned last night the event, organised by Stuart Fowkes, Simon Minter and Giulia Biasibetti raised an amazing £2,100 for Shelter, taking the total raised for the national homelessness charity to more than £28,500 since 2001.