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Concert Review - The People Assembly, The Apothecary Tap, Banbury, 1st May 2026
Picture three guitarists, one also the vocalist and one playing the kind of 8-string more commonly associated with the downtuned technical metal of Meshuggah. Add in a bassist, a drummer, and a Brian-Eno type hunched over assorted electronic gizmos for those “overflowing washing machine” moments. The People Assembly are not struggling to fill the stage.
This ensemble, bafflingly dressed for the most part in sensible black trousers and dad-knitwear present a sculpted wall of noise, leaning towards slab-like math rock in places but with sinuous roots of melody coming from all sorts of different directions. At any one time the gizmo-ist, most of the guitarists and even the bassist were all throwing out melodic lines, with the drummer knitting them together somewhere between the rhythmic monotony of Can, the sloshing cymbals of Hawkwind and the lacy breakbeat details of Slipknot.
Their overwhelming sense of rhythm presented itself provocatively onstage too, with the five standing members often stiffly and metronomically scissoring up and down at the waist as if they were pumping bellows. This did contrast with a tendency to crash into each other when things leered towards the chaotic; this seemed all too familiar at times and almost like it was on cue (“passionate guitar attack? Quick, I’d better lose control of what I am doing and fall over!”).
Amongst that much aural activity it was hard to twig what the singer was singing about and though he did seem like a passionate fellow towards the end of each song nothing especially stood out lyrically.
That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable experience; the band gave us their all for over an hour and there were probably eight or nine long-form songs, each one presenting its own sonic and rhythmic assault and the crowd really did cry for more at the end as the players were trying to pack away (you can hear it for yourself; the promoters, Strummer Room Records, put most sets on Mixcloud).
This level of experimentation and creative bravado mixed with syncopated togetherness was a real treat for a small town on a Friday night. 30 years ago this was the sort of thing I read about happening at the Knitting Factory in NYC or the kind of places in Berlin where you needed to know the password to get in, and here it was in the beer garden of the easiest-going bar in North Oxfordshire. Assemble, people for The People Assembly!
Francis Bookwood
NONO, WREX, CANNED PINEAPPLE, LAKE ACACIA, BIG TROUSERS, AQUALINE - THE APOTHECARY TAP, BANBURY
It’s hard to believe that The Apothecary Tap was the only venue in Oxfordshire to sign up to Independent Venue Week 2026. The two day event was opened by Banbury-based instrumental duo NONO (North Oxfordshire Noise Orchestra). Guitar, bass, drum machine with a personality, and song titles as diverse as ‘Sister Kitty And Her Radical Cats’, they didn’t disappoint with their 1960s ‘cosmadelic groove’ of surf-punk beats.
Maybe I was right to feel a little nervous when WREX were doing their sound check. The Brighton alt-rock duo launched headfirst into their high-octane 12-song set with intensity and maximum energy. Pairing heavy guitars with clever shifts in tempo, along with some impressive high kicks, they delivered an immersive and unforgettable performance.
Day One ended with Brighton scuzz-pop quintet Canned Pineapple. With sunshine in their name, they brought sunshine into the room – thanks to the sharp wit of lead singer, Seán - who channelled more than a hint of Elvis Costello - and the presence of rock-god guitarist and songwriting partner, Oakley. With an eclectic mix of sixties, classic rock and pop, the band romped through a string of songs which already sounded like hits, culminating in the sublime ‘Little Things’.
Banbury alt-rock duo Lake Acacia kicked off Day Two. Reminiscent of Royal Blood, Tim and Joe blended powerful bass and drums to produce electronic-fused rock with heavy riffs, lifted by soaring vocals and Biffy Clyro inspired two-part harmonies.
Next up, post-punk experimental power duo from London Big Trousers. Loud, unpredictable and provocative, they captivated the crowd with fuzzy guitar and sharp, satirical spoken-word lyrics on contemporary topics, playing out with the popular ‘You Are Reading Your Last Free Article.’
The final act, Guildford five-piece Aqualine, were special. Moving through an eclectic mix of styles, ranging from melancholy moments of shoegaze to hip-hop, rock and experimental ambience, there were definite echoes of Nirvana (‘Stupid Brain’) and sometimes Radiohead (‘See it Coming’). It was a joy to see them noodling - seemingly each doing their own thing, yet collectively creating something beautiful.
(CS) Oxfordshire Music Scene Magazine - Issue 67
MYSTERY BISCUIT - THE APOTHECARY TAP, BANBURY
Mystery Biscuit are the most recent Oxford band to trundle up the M40 to play at the easy-to-get to and very well stocked Apothecary Tap beer bar in the heart of Banbury’s old town, courtesy of Strummer Room Records. In an age of laptop-lurching soloists and compact two-pieces Mystery Biscuit seem almost traditional with their synths, guitars, bass, vocals and drums and deftly demonstrate how to blend them all live with unexpected results. Their eight songs open with a seething sketch of proud patriotism. ‘Practical Man’ is witty but weary, lamenting a society that complains complacently (it turns out they’re having to retire it because the irony is lost on those they parody). Bringing something from Sonic Youth in the drums and guitar sounds, they contrast these with towering synth sounds from the Dr Who era. At the centre is a bass groove anchoring their eclecticism and allowing experimentation without deviation from good taste. Subsequent songs and singing nod to Britpop and shoegaze but Mystery Biscuit reach back even further to stretch out Krautrock-style mid-set. When extemporising things stay very much on the Autobahn without resorting to prog, making a chant like “Jesus taught us how to die” over a 6/8 groove surprisingly palatable. With relaxed between-song banter the crowd are happy to throw shapes to the miscellany of ‘Dingy Cage’, blending E.E. Cummings samples, ska farfisa, 606 drumatix and p-p-p-pick up a penguin muted strumming. Things draw to a close with a tribute to Columbo, the knight in a dirty mac. Is that really a starting point for a great song? Well this Friday night it is.
(JZ)
Oxfordshire Music Magazine – Autumn 2025
THE MUTHAS / CONCRETE FUNHOUSE / SHAUN BANKS - Apothecary Tap, Banbury
It’s fair to say that Strummer Room Records have breathed new life into Banbury’s live music scene with their regular free gig nights, and in the Apothecary Tap, the town has one of the coolest and funkiest, if smallest venues around.
Tonight’s gig once again showcases three emerging artists, beginning with Shaun Banks, all the way from Slovenia. Talented is an understatement with this guy as he plays drums with his feet, guitar with his hands and sings songs with his soul. He has the charisma too, getting the crowd involved from the opening seconds of his unconventional set. The music is a mix of desert blues and rock with a few unexpected twists along the way, with standout track ‘Grandmothers Chemistry’ sung in Slovakian and inspired by Breaking Bad; its dirty sliding blues could easily have been on the soundtrack.
Concrete Funhouse are playing their first gig outside of their native Coventry tonight. Their set is an intense avant garde glam punk maelstrom; from the outset it’s clear this is a band who are going to do whatever they want and be impossible to pigeonhole, mixing up everything from pop to post-punk and even hardcore. Vocals are variously sung, shouted and screamed along to song structures that are almost completely unpredictable. Definitely ones to watch.
Also hailing from Coventry are The Muthas. The trio amble onstage, face each other, a click of the drumsticks and we’re off into full-on propane-fuelled blues rock that only increases in intensity as the set progresses. This isn’t the kind of easy rhythm’n’blues that might see them turning up on Later… ; instead, bassist Ben Jones hits a groove that digs ever deeper, the chemistry between the three of them evident as they lock together and take us for a ride. The energy never lets up and the only thing that ever slips is the singer’s sunglasses. It’s over too soon and we’re left knowing that even in such a small space, we’ve witnessed something special.
Paul Goddard – Nightshift Magazine – May 2025
ANALOGUE ELECTRONIC WHATEVER / BABY MAKER / mOrTiFi’D Apothecary Tap, Banbury
Chris Oakes of Strummer Room Records is fast becoming Banbury’s live music version of John Peel, working hard with a small team to promote a truly eclectic variety of artists at his monthly nights at Banbury’s funky Apothecary Tap.
Tonight’s triple bill kicks off with mOrTiFi’D, featuring solo singer/ songwriter Morti fortified with direct drums and busy bass. Morti proclaims “I promised you f-ing weird and I intend to deliver!” and we get an assortment of cartoon punk pop stories touching on inflatable fruit, dinosaurs, aliens and D’n’D. It’s a melodic melange that climaxes with a tale about «Vacuum packed radioactive squirrels”; you should check out mOrTiFi’D for that reason alone.
Baby Maker’s bio states they “cherry pick and prod at the carcass of influence”. Amidst a crescent of footpedals the solo figure does indeed seem to root matters in a lush backing track made from spare parts from the 90s, customising them with a speak-singing estuary delivery that’s embroidered with webs of live guitar. As with so much technology-driven collage-based music, it can be a challenge to balance the eclecticism of fingertipaccess-to-every-genre and makingsomething-truly-distinct when there are so many references in the mix. In this regard Baby Maker and headliner Analogue Electronic Whatever share similar starting points even if the end results are quite different.
Despite a logo bearing three figures, Analogue Electronic Whatever are just a single fellow, looking like an electro version of John Hegley and referencing glam and Gerry Anderson in a James May shirt with plenty of Batman-style Zap!s and Pow!s. In fact, as he stomps back and forth enthusiastically in front of his video projections and tweaking a veritable starship enterprise-sized collection of gear, AEW manages to mash just about everything from the 50s onwards into a space-age hosepipe blast right into your face, ears and all the way beyond into someone else’s idea of the future. As with Baby Maker there’s plenty of it and it’s hard to pick out a distinct highlight, but that doesn’t mean either artist isn’t enjoyable; the crowd hops and bops for both and perhaps most importantly, at all times are only feet away from real life performers, giving their all for the sake of gigs in funky bars on small town Friday nights. Everyone here plays their part in making the event and if you stumbled across this sort of thing on holiday you’d never stop talking about it. Yet it may well regularly be happening not far from your own home if you take the time to look, so praise-be for small scenes!
John Zap - Nightshift Magazine - March 2025
Nightshift Magazine - December 2024
