* One can’t help but love Gaz Coombes.

Oxford’s greatest pop star is not only a superlative musician, he is also one of the nicest guys in the business.

Despite reaching the dizzy heights of fame and success, the former Supergrass frontman never lost sight of his Oxfordshire roots and, when his mother passed away, in 2005, he headed back to his beloved Wheatley to live with his dad. He is still there, with his partner and daughters Raya May and Tiger.

It comes as no surprise then, that having released a critically-acclaimed Top 20 album, his friends in Oxford should be among the first to hear it live.

On Saturday Gaz returns to the O2 Academy Oxford for what will inevitably be a sold-out show.

“There’s all the pressure and tension of having fans and friends — including those friends who insist on standing right at the front, in my line of vision,” he told Weekend. “I have to tell them to move. It’s more terrifying playing to a few of your friends than to 80,000 people at Glastonbury!”

Gaz Coombes plays the O2 Academy Oxford on Saturday. Tickets £16.87 from ticketweb.co.uk
Matador is out now on Hot Fruit Recordings

Read our full interview with Gaz at oxfordtimes.co.uk

* As reported in this week’s The Oxford Times, Truck Festival organisers have unveiled this year’s big name act — Basement Jaxx.

Also wheeling out the big guns are Reading Festival, who revealed another tranche of artists for their three-day bash over the border at Little John’s Farm. Country-folk-pop act Mumford & Sons join US heavy metal band Metallica as headliners, and there are also slots for Royal Blood, Bastille, Deadmau5, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Pretty Vicious, Jack Garratt and Hannah Wants.

But it was a name further down that piqued our interest: that of one David Rodigan MBE. The Oxford reggae DJ will join dance acts Chase & Status, Rage and Shy FX as part of supergroup Rebel Sound, playing reggae, jungle and drum & bass. (Rodigan is pictured above, fourth from left) Last time Messrs Chase and Status played Reading the crowd were so lively, the band had to stop the set four times.

We predict the show of the summer.

More details from readingfestival.com