Pop, rock and folk highlights - Taking Back Sunday, Foxes and more

Francophile charmers Les Clochards team up with Wallingford’s Band of Hope for a free night of music in this popular Cowley watering hole.

Expect (roast) chestnuts from the likes of Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen, Gaston le Pseud and Don Estelle, among classic Clochards offerings.

Rock
Taking Back Sunday
O2 Academy Oxford
Sunday
Tickets £18.50 from ticketweb.co.uk

Cult Long Island rockers Taking Back Sunday do their emo-post-hardcore thing at the O2 Academy on Sunday, ahead of the release of album Happiness Is: The Complete Recordings - a re-working of this year’s sixth album.

Since forming in Long Island in 1999, the band have sold millions of albums. The show sees the return of their classic lin-up of vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist/vocalist John Nolan, guitarist Eddie Reyes, bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Mark O'Connell.

Support comes from Blitz Kids and the mighty female-fronted Marmozets, who are supporting the release of their debut album The Weird And Wonderful.

Acoustic
Wonder Stuff
O2 Academy Oxford
Tuesday
Tickets £15 from ticketweb.co.uk

In what is sure to be a treat for late 80s indie-fans, The Wonder Stuff hit town on Tuesday for one of just four acoustic shows. The ‘Sleigh the UK’ tour sees frontman Miles Hunt, Erica Nockalls and Dan Donnelly joining up with former Bluetones star Mark Morriss for a night of ‘Stuffies’ classics - acoustic style. Miles explains: “Erica, Dan and myself just couldn't refuse the opportunity to come and have a seasonal knees up. The three of us will be performing favourite Wonder Stuff tunes acoustically. And we're chuffed to bits to be joined by the wonderful Mark Morriss.”

Folk
Maddy Prior
St John The Evangelist Church, Iffley Road, Oxford
Tuesday
Call the Box Office on 01865 305305

Maddy teams up with Carnival Band - consisting of local artists Giles Lewin and Jub Davies - for a Christmassy night of acoustic fun calling itself Carols & Capers. Expect a range of familiar, and not-so-familiar, festive material, played on a mix of renaissance, modern and ethnic instruments and accompanied by plenty of humour.

Electro-pop
Foxes
O2 Academy Oxford
Tonight (Thursday)
Tickets £12 from ticketweb.co.uk

She’s won a Grammy, toured with Pharrell Williams, hit the top five with her debut album, and even appeared on Doctor WHo.

Now the lovely Foxes - aka Louisa Rose Allen - faces the ultimate end of year treat (cough!) by returning to Oxford. Southampton’s greatest musical export comes armed with such trademark anthems as Youth and Clarity - the Grammy-winning result of a collaboration with Lady Gaga producer Zedd. She might even treat us to her jazzy take on Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, as performed on Doctor Who.