Gig news and gossip: With Roger Eno playing a cinema, a jazz beauty preparing to enchant Didcot - and more names announced for Oxford's Gathering festival

 

  • WHEN staff at East Oxford’s Ultimate Picture Palace decided to mark the completion of the venue’s four-week refurbishment, they came up with the perfect celebration of cinema and music.
     

Tomorrow the venue screens a silent movie consistently listed as one of the best of all time, but will bring it to life with a stunning soundtrack played live by composer Roger Eno.
The muso, brother to the world-famous Brian, will perform live his own music for the 1928 classic The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Joan is a stirring and emotive soundtrack by the BAFTA-winning ambient soundsmith and perfectly accompanies the moving film.
UPP owner Becky Hallsmith says: “The Passion of Joan of Arc, as one of the most moving films of all time, is a natural fit with Roger’s music. The experience of viewing this powerful film on the big screen accompanied by a live performance of what is bound to be an evocative, poignant score is guaranteed to enthral the audience.”
Tickets are £12 (£10 concs) from uppcinema.com

  • IT’S hard to believe, but it has been five years since Didcot’s Cornerstone opened its doors to the public, finally putting the South Oxfordshire railway town on the artistic map.
     

This weekend the venue celebrates the occasion with two days of music, drama and fun. For music-lovers the highlight promises to be tomorrow’s show by jazz artist Alice Francis. The singer recreates the age of the Great Gatsby with a 1920s-flavoured night of sultry jazz — but with a modern bass-heavy twist.
One minute femme fatale, the next girl rapper, Alice is the living link between prohibition jazz and 21st century r’n’b — with pop, hip hop, electro and Latin sounds thrown in to flavour the mix. Tickets are £15, which includes a glass of fizz on arrival plus a piece of Cornerstone fifth birthday cake. For details call 01235 515144 or visit cornerstone@ southoxon.gov.uk

  • FURTHER details reach us this week of the biggest rock and indie music event of the autumn: Gathering.
     

Taking place on Saturday, October 19, the urban festival sees 40 bands, including the likes of Local Natives, London Grammar, Drenge, Temples, To Kill A King and Waxahatchee playing a clutch of East Oxford venues over the course of one afternoon and evening.
Shortlisted for the Best New Festival and Best Metropolitan Festival at the UK Festival Awards, the event is a sure-fire success and will sell out, meaning music-lovers should snap up tickets wile they can.
Tickets are £25 in advance  from wegottickets.com.
And, good news for locals: 200 tickets at £20 are available to OX4 residents, only from Truck Store, Cowley Road.