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Underground > Radio & Music >

Oxbow.

The Return Of Rothkoid

17:08 / 18.04.02

First up: what the fuck?

I've just put on a copy of Oxbow's new album, An Evil Heat on here... and it's insane. Kind of like The Birthday Party, only with crack, much louder guitars, and even more slurred vocal delivery. And I. Want. More.

Anyone know anything about them? Raves? Hates?

They're touring soon, too. Hm. Hmmm. Same day as Rammstein, so maybe a Brighton trip is in order. Maybe. Likely to be worth seeing?

19:21 / 18.04.02

i love oxbow. they have a bunch of records, from quite a while ago, one of which had the very memorable name FUCKFEST... i'm suprised to hear they are still rocking. they're are really really heavy, but so.. peculiar.

they have a website at theoxbow.com

The Return Of Rothkoid

15:53 / 29.04.02

Tour dates ahoy:

OXBOW TOUR DATES
Last Updated: 03/26/02
Europe:
TBA: TBA, Berlin, Germany, Surprise Event!
05/04/02: TBA, Stockholm, Sweden
05/05/02: TBA, Malmo, Sweden
05/07/02: TBA, Oslo, Norway
05/08/02: TBA, Bergen, Norway
05/10/02: TBA, Newcastle, Great Britain
05/11/02: TBA, Glasgow, Scotland
05/12/02: TBA, Belfast, Ireland
05/13/02: TBA, Dublin, Ireland
05/14/02: TBA, Leeds, Great Britain
05/15/02: TBA, Manchester, Great Britain
05/16/02: TBA, London, Great Britain
05/17/02: TBA, Brighton, Great Britain
05/18/02: TBA, Brussels/Antwerp, Belgium
05/19/02: TBA, Brussels/Antwerp, Belgium
05/21/02: TBA, Koeln, Germany
05/22/02: TBA, Muenster, Germany
05/23/02: TBA, Hamburg, Germany
05/24/02: TBA, Leipzig, Germany
05/25/02: TBA, Berlin, Germany

I'm heading to the Brighton gig, I think. Any advice, except for "watch out for the wrestler when he's singing"?

16:05 / 29.04.02

There's a piece on Oxbow in the new Carless Talk..

Debut Album called 'Fuckfest'. Follow up album called 'King of the Jews' was so scary nobody reviewed it. Singer says he can never understand why people applaud them, as their intention is to totally ruin their evening. They seem to talk entirely in veiled references to the apocalypse and cock-sucking metaphors.

I think I'm going to like them.

The Return Of Rothkoid

16:50 / 29.04.02

Read the tour diary. Hot cock action, handguns, wrestling and kicking ass.

Oh, and music, too!

The Return Of Rothkoid

08:11 / 10.05.02

Update: Gig on the 17th is now at The Verge in Kentish Town. A fiver, with three other bands.

Sooooooo...

08:54 / 13.05.02

ok, what the hell. i can afford a fiver.

The Return Of Rothkoid

10:25 / 13.05.02

Rock. So far, myself, Loomis, KCC (probably), videodrome and Chairman Maominstoat look like we're heading along. More the merrier!

Another, important update!

The gig at The Verge is Wednesday the 15th. Not Friday. Tentative plans...

The Return Of Rothkoid

13:10 / 14.05.02

Bump.

Right. Tomorrow night. £5. The Verge in Camden. Big scary rock and roll with wrestling and doom. Assorted Barbelithers will be there: myself, videodrome, Loomis, maominstoat (if I can drag him with threats of beer) and others, mayhap.

Who's in? There's a thread in The Gathering here.

Come oooooooooon.

10:26 / 16.05.02

for those of you who haven't read it, this review describes the live performance pretty darn well...

especially the "seasick feel". i thought the floor was going to collapse.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:05 / 16.05.02

Aww, shucks.

Riz, they play Leicester tonight. Don't know where, but kill to see them. It'll be cheap, and their discs are a great deal cheaper at the gig than in the shops. (ie: £8 or £6 for the two I didn't have, as opposed to about £17 on import!) And the cash goes to them direct, so it's a Good Thing.

Go!

11:17 / 16.05.02

TONIGHT!!!

Fucking Hell, WHERE?

12:43 / 16.05.02

the lamplighter, i believe.

13:22 / 16.05.02

Yeah, I looked it up. That's, like, a really grim Metal/biker type pub.. should be a scary evening..

13:43 / 16.05.02

oh, trust me, it'll be scary. but in a GOOOOD way.

say hello to eugene afterwards; he's really quite a sweetie.

14:05 / 16.05.02

Have any of you lot who've heard the recent stuff heard the first LP, 'F***fest'? If so, I'd be interested to know what you think of it - I haven't heard the new stuff, but going by your descriptions it sounds like they've made some major changes since then. I think I listened to that LP one and a half times when I first bought it and since then it's only ever pulled out on those occasions when I get desperate and have to decide which LPs to sell.

14:44 / 16.05.02

so.. less than great then?

15:04 / 16.05.02

Rizla>

Well, I'll have to fish it out again and give it a proper listen, but I remember it as being a bit weird and a bit heavy but didn't go far enough in either direction to make it either interesting or engaging. Also suffered from a lo-fi sound that I reckon doesn't suit heavy rock. But I'll give it another go tonight, it might sound ace to my older ears.

15:15 / 16.05.02

Reading Rothkoid's review linked to above, I know have an unpleasent idea that this gig is going to scare me shitless and give me a headache and completely ruin my week.. gulp.

09:10 / 17.05.02

Fucking hell, that was insane..

Not counting the support bands and the support bands girlfriends, I think I was one of about eight paying customers in this tiny upstairs room with a gothic cathedral painted on the back wall. (Leicester seems to get quite a few great gigs of that variety).

This is probably gonna sound like a silly thing to say, but Oxbow are the musical equivalent of a David Lynch film, aren't they? From the second they start making noises you get a feeling of deep discomfort and an idea that the usual conventions which usually apply in such situations (rock gig and feature film respectively) aren't going to be obeyed.

And indeed that idea is proved accurate when a guy starts dancing around on the stage and the singer gets him in a headlock, tears off his trousers, steals his underpants and kicks him halfway across the room, during which the band don't miss a beat. At the end of the song the guy returns and starts muttering about how he's going to charge the band with assault. "I was only joking man" says the singer, still holding the guy's pants, "this is what happens at an Oxbow show, what did you expect, the fucking Hives?".
The joking bit doesn't exactly ring true, as looked to me like he was trying to either rape or kill him, but then if you're going to start dancing round like a grinning twart with a man who's stage persona basically says 'I want to tear your throat out', I don't suppose you can complain about the results..

As to the music - No Wave/Hardocre guitar destruction mixed with the dirtiest, most obscene sounding funk imaginable mixed with .. something else entirely? How does that sounds for a description? It's quite amazing really. And that guy plays guitar in a way I thoroughly approve of (ripping all this strings off guitar#1 halfway through the second song, and spending most of the rest of the gig battering guitar#2 against the amp).

And yes, you're right about the seasick feeling.

10:41 / 17.05.02

When this guy (purposely) rolled onto the stage at the London show, we were all waiting for Eugene to go to work, but all he got was a quick shagging of the back of his skull before being cast aside. Rothkoid asked Eugene after the show how come he let the guy off so lightly, and his reply was something like, he judges how much he thinks the person can take before delivering the treatment, and this guy apparently was "soft". Oxbow have the best interests of their fans at heart, bless 'em.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:59 / 17.05.02

Heh.

Saveloy; I picked up Fuckfest/King Of The Jews at the gig - haven't listened to it, but will let you know what I think. An Evil Heat is fucking superb.

Riz: I'm fucking gutted that I didn't get to see the pantsless action. That's genius.

Who says I only listen to shit, eh?

12:56 / 17.05.02

no one, hopefully.

14:28 / 17.05.02

Rothko> cool, I'd like to know how you think it compares to the new one.
I gave F***fest' a listen this morning and it is better than I remember it. Very much like early Buttholes, especially vocals-wise, with more of a True Metal slant.

The Return Of Rothkoid

13:39 / 28.05.02

Ahoy! Finally, my review - and photos by videodrome - has gone live. While it lacked the trouser-ripping splendour of the Leicester gig, you should be able to get an idea of what's going on there.

I've yet to listen to Fuckfest, to be honest, so I can't quite comment on it... laziness and stress, bah.

14:37 / 28.05.02

Good review. I totally see what you mean about the shamanism and 'Albini with bigger balls'..

The Return Of Rothkoid

22:17 / 02.09.02

This thread got a mention in their latest newsletter, y'know...

Again, time for me to shill: Oxbow play the ICA. Soon.

Here's the writeup:

Oxbow, Noxagt, Nought

Performance:
Sun 29 Sep 2002.

"Don't call it art rock, call it total reality, transcendence, sex, excess and hysteria" Terrorizer

To celebrate the publication of their second issue, the fanzine Hardcore Is More Than Music presents an evening of sonic assault, with a rare UK gig by San Franciscan noise terrorists Oxbow, featuring the eroticised presence of vocalist Eugene Robinson.

Special guests Noxagt hail from Stavanger, Norway, combining viola bass and drums, into a brutal and hypnotic maelstrom of sound.

Rounding out this exciting bill is London's own instrumental guitar pugilists Nought. Finally, DJ Spykid will be on the decks.

Venue(s) : Theatre (standing).

Sun 29 Sep 19:00 Theatre (standing)

Full Price : £7.
Concessions : £6.
ICA Members : £5.

Someone better go. It will fucking terrify you. And rock like a bastard.

And if someone can pick up a copy of Let Me Be A Woman there and send it along, financial recompense and grateful ooh-ing sounds will be made in your direction.

C'mon. It'll be good. And they're probably not touring Australia until I get off my arse and organise it...

12:52 / 04.09.02

That sounds like the place to be. I'll start "reckon we should go to London to see Oxbow?, c'mon, they're great!" discussions as soon as possible.

The Return Of Rothkoid

22:54 / 04.12.02

More news. There's a trailer for Oxbow's tour film online here. Featuring Mr Naked Arse From The Audience In Leeds, I believe.

Go watch.