TIM HUGHES looks at what’s in store at the next music night at Modern Art Oxford

FORGET sweaty clubs and pub backrooms where you stick to the floor if you linger too long... smarter gig-goers in Oxford are choosing to get their fix of live music in an altogether cooler space – one more accustomed to whispering art-lovers than cheering music fans.

But, rest assured, there will be no place for smug chin-stroking; instead we are promised edgy blues, quirky pop and laid-back soundscapes.

Modern Art Oxford is staging a series of gigs in its open air yard and is encouraging more of us to check out what they are doing.

Its next Live@MAO night, on August 11, should be an artistic spectacle capable of matching anything on the gallery walls.

Headlining are ambient melody merchants Message to Bears, who are joined by bluesman Huck, and pianist and singer Rainbow Reservoir .

It is, say’s the gallery’s Verity Slater, all part of it’s mission to get more people through the doors.

“We are bringing in new talent and trying to encourage people to come in and see what we do here and to experience something different,” she says.

“We think it’s important to stage local bands and artists while also working with international artists, which is the core activity of the gallery. So we are experimenting with different spaces, themes and ideas.

“The yard works well for live music as it is half outside,” she goes on. “It gives a different feel and experience. People have the opportunity to hang out in the bar and see what’s going on. It’s a unique space in a part of Oxford which is quiet in the evenings, and we want as many people as possible to see it.”

The gig is being staged by PinDrop promoter and musician Seb Reynolds – a member of Oxford bands The Epstein and Flights of Helios.

He said: “MAO is a fantastic venue to programme events for. I have nothing against the various wonderful, and smelly, pub backroom venues that Oxford has to offer, but variation is the spice of life and MAO has a fantastic atmosphere and fully-functioning toilets.

“I try and programme my shows there to tie in with the art exhibitions that they are hosting, so from a creative point of view it can be very inspiring.”

And the bands are ideally suited to the cool surroundings. He said: “Headliners Message To Bears have long been one of my fave Oxford acts, and MAO is the perfect space to be affected by their sweeping, melancholic melodicism. Also on the bill is Huck (formerly of Oxford band Huck and The Handsome Fee), who’s forthcoming album, Alexander The Great, is a runaway myth that tells the story of two young friends and their fall from grace in Dixie.

“Opener is Rainbow Reservoir, the alternative ego of world renowned classical saxophonist Angela Space. Based in Oxford, Angela’s first gig as Rainbow Reservoir was opening for The Epstein at the Folk Union festival at Kings Place in London. Influenced by the oddball pop of Magnetic Fields and Silver Jews, Angela is a unique musician and a songwriter of the highest quality.”

“We are really looking forward to playing MOA,” says Jerome Alexander, frontman of Message to Bears.

Jerome, a former Oxford Brookes student now living in London, started writing music as a child.

He plays alongside East Oxford viola player Laura Ashby, guitarist Adam Harvey James, percussionist Jack Olchawski, and bassist Sam Lund-Harket. So what can we expect from this talented guitarist and electronic-effects artist?

“It is essentially a bedroom recording process which has gone live,” he says.

“It’s very visual. There is a lot of experimentation with layers and loops, and is inspired by whatever is going on at the time.

“There are also vocals but not what you would expect from your usual singer-songwriters. The voices are used as another layer, along with the other instruments. It’s quite hypnotic – and a lot of the songs are linked together.”

  • Message to Bears, Huck and Rainbow Reservoir play Live@MOA on Saturday August 11. Tickets are £5 (£4 concessions and students). Booking is essential.
  •  modernartoxford.org.uk