New album by Secret Rivals should send them into the stratosphere

  • SECRET Rivals are one of the most exciting young bands to have come out of Oxford.

The good-looking four-piece of Clouds, Andy, Jay and Reece blend ’80s synth-pop with tight indie rock, and hit home with engaging boy-girl vocals. A favourite of BBC radio’s Tom Robinson and Bestival curator Rob Da Bank, they are also a popular draw in their home city. Their set at The Oxford Times’s 150th birthday shindig at Oxford Castle in autumn was among the gigs of the year.

Their buzz is expected to soar with the release, at the end of this month, of their album Just Fall. The record is coming out on the Standard Tandoori label — set up by DJ and former Oxford city councillor, Nathan Pyle.

To celebrate the launch, the band play The Cellar, in Frewin Court, tonight (Thursday).

Support from Beta Blocker and the Body Clock, and King of Cats. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets £4 from wegottickets.com.

  • ANYONE walking along Cowley Road must have noticed The Bullingdon has received a much-needed makover.

Despite being one of the city’s most important small venues, the Bully had looked dreadful in recent years and its backroom even worse: tired, tacky and as uninviting for bands as it was for the audience.

So we were cheered to see the place given a full-scale refit, which seems to have been inspired by a rapper’s penthouse. There are sandstone walls, funky lights, art and musical instruments decorating the place and lovely comfy chairs.

The venue has also been ‘pimped up’ with proper seats, a decent floor you won’t stick to, and sound-proofed padded walls — appropriate for some of its livelier nights. There are some decent ales on tap, an old gramophone on the bar, and even the toilet fittings work (which if you’d been before, you’ll know is headline news).

The new look is expected to pay dividends to gig-goers with a livelier programme of music. And among those reaping the benefits is The Haven Club, which now holds weekly rock and blues nights on a Monday. Haven’s Tony Jezzard says: “The refurbishment of The Bullingdon is complete, from the new sign along the front to the venue in the backroom, which is the important bit for us. Now we have an up-to-date venue we have started to put gigs on weekly and have some exciting bands — some who have never played Oxford.”

This Monday, the club stages Brothers Groove. Future gigs include Headcount, Buddy Whittington and Hippy Haze. Visit wegottickets.com