Our guide to the week's best gigs

Art-rock

  • EFTERKLANG
  • O2 Academy Oxford
  • Tonight
  • Tickets £12.50 from ticketweb.co.uk

Denmark’s sublime soundsmiths finally make it to Oxford after sold-out shows everywhere from Sydney Opera House to London’s Barbican, to play material from last year’s acclaimed album Piramida. The trio are renowned for sublime electronica and dreampop. Heroes in their homeland, their second album Parades was famously performed by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra at the Copenhagen Concert Hall.

Swing

  • THE ORIGINAL RABBIT FOOT SPASM BAND
  • The Cellar, Oxford
  • Tomorrow (Friday)
  • Tickets from wegottickets.com

Oxford’s liveliest live band descend to The Cellar tomorrow to showcase material from the eagerly-awaited new album. If you’ve seen this scorching 14-legged-groove machine before, you’ll know the score. If not, expect rich blasts of trumpet and sax, smooth guitar, virtuoso jazz and blues piano, and a spicy mix of soulful and growled lyrics from frontman Stuart Macbeth. And expect to dance. The party continues late with swing, ska, be-bop and 78rpm boogie-woogie grooves from DJs Count Skylarkin and Ska Cubano frontman Natty Bo.

Singer-songwriter

  • ELOISE REES and TOM MCRAE
  • O2 Academy Oxford
  • Monday
  • Tickets are £16.50 from ticketweb.co.uk

YOU probably haven’t yet heard of Eloise Rees. To be fair, until a few weeks ago, nor had we. But this 22-year-old singer has a formidable talent and will be huge.
Describing herself as “a small blonde singer-songwriter with a helium voice” the Wantage lass, pictured, has been a fixture on the local music scene since the age of 14, when she made her debut in an all-girl rock band.
There is less rock there now, but still plenty of passion in her melodic country-folk. While citing the likes of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, as well as more contemporary figures like Ben Howard and Lisse, as influences, her sound is all her own.
On Monday she supports BRIT award-winning singer-songwriter Tom McRae at the O2 Academy Oxford, and is easily as talented as the headline star, and utterly unmissable. The show follows previous support slots for The View.
Listen out for single Fire with Fire, released tomorrow.

Jazz

  • NEO JOSHUA
  • The Star, Stanton St John
  • Tomorrow
  • Admission is free, call 01865 351277 to book a table if dining.

THE beautiful and distinctive voice of Neo Joshua, pictured, will ring out  in Stanton St John tomorrow as the Tim Dawes Quartet makes its debut performance at The Star. Neo, a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, now sings full-time with The Boxettes and will be joined tomorrow by top jazz pianist Tim Lapthorn, former Amy Winehouse drummer Nait Allen and gifted double bass player Tim Dawes. Expect an exhilarating evening of jazz, soul and funk from 8pm. Admission is free, call 01865 351277 to book a table if dining.

Bluegrass

  • THE KNIGHTS OF MENTIS
  • The Cellar, Oxford
  • Saturday
  • Tickets £5 from wegottickets.com

Old-time string band music from a bunch of certified eccentrics. The Knights are joined by Bellowhead co-founder Giles Lewin and Pete Watson for a session of Eastern European stomps.

Indie-rock

  • I AM KLOOT
  • O2 Academy Oxford
  • Sunday
  • Tickets £17.50 from ticketweb.co.uk

John Bramwell, Andrew Hargreaves & Peter Jobson — aka I Am Kloot — return to Oxford with their Guy Garvey-produced album Let It All In. Expect alternative-art-pop with witty lyrics and a cerebral edge.

Welsh country/indie

  • SWEET BABOO
  • O2 Academy, Oxford
  • Wednesday
  • Tickets £6 from ticketweb.co.uk

The latest instalment of the O2 Academy Oxford’s Upstairs nights sees Welsh alt-folkie Sweet Baboo (aka Stephen Black) headline a night of national and local talent. A former member of JT Mouse, his music is a deliciously psychedelic blend of folk and country with warm lyrics. Also up are Oxford rising stars Jordan O’Shea; Katie and Jess; Americana-indie act Toliesel; and our fun-loving Afro-beat buddies Nairobi.

Folk

  • OXFORD FOLK WEEKEND
  • Tomorrow (Friday) - Sunday
  • Venues around Oxford city centre
  • folkweekendoxford.co.uk

Annual feast of folk takes over the city centre for a rousing three days of fidding, Morris dancing, concerts and informal gigging. Highllights include Jackie Oates, Magpie Lane and the Melrose Quartet.

Read more about folk queen Jackie Oates here