From Gaz Coombes and Johnny Greenwood to Atomic Kitten: A look ahead at Oxford's year in music

Save yourself! Batten down the hatches... and, whatever you do, don’t go out. After the razzmatazz of the festive season, the cultural landscape at the start of the new year resembles the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

Where once were heaving venues of grinning clubbers, there are now empty rooms — the eerie silence broken only by a solitary cleaner sweeping up the last of the party poppers.

But, while it’s good to take stock and recover, this is also the time to plan our assault on what promises to be a vintage year for music lovers. So, after a couple of days off to recover, pull the streamers out of your dancing shoes, drop off that Christmas jumper at the charity shop (it wasn’t very funny in the first place, and will be moth fodder by December), and head out on the town for a taste of the sound of 2015.

Things start noisily enough atthe O2 Academy Oxford tonight, with one of last year’s breakthrough acts, Royal Blood.

The Sussex two-piece reference everyone from Queens of the Stone Age to Foo Fighters and heritage British rock acts like Black Sabbath and Led Zep. Bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher’s eponymous album, released in August, debuted at number one, making it the highest charting rock album for three years and shifting more than 150,000 copies in the UK alone. Live, they are a phenomenal spectacle.

For those who prefer a more vintage brand of rock, the New Theatre commences a run of tribute shows with the Johnny Cash Roadshow (Wednesday, January 14) and, the day after, Rock ‘n’ Roll Paradise — a smorgasbord of ‘50s fun compered by The Big Bopper — or, at least, someone purporting to be him. He will be joined by look and soundalikes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison soars, Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly.

Things take a more introspective turn at the O2 Academy on January 21, for the rescheduled show by Hozier.

The 23 year-old Irishman, real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, was another 2014 breakthrough phenomenon, his EP Take Me to Church, with its belting UK top 30 title track, establishing him as a voice to take notice of.

For a flavour of one of this year’s big breakthrough acts (prediction time: you will be hearing a lot about these guys over the next 12 months), don’t miss Oxford’s Balloon Ascents at the Bullingdon/Art Bar. The band fuse alternative rock, electronica and folk to sublime effect earning comparisons to Oxfordian forebears Stornoway and Radiohead (More here on this exciting new band...).

Flying high: Balloon Ascents

As the daughter of singer Cleo Laine and jazz saxophonist and clarinettist Johnny Dankworth, Jacqui Dankworth has an impeccable jazz pedigree — and that breeding shows. On January 24 she plays the Oxford Playhouse, showcasing tunes from her own acclaimed albums, including her most recent Live to Love, alongside new self-penned material and her favourite standards.

At the opposite end of the musical spectrum sits Superstar DJ Pete Tong. The man who gave his name to a piece of Cockney rhyming slang (Pete Tong = ‘wrong’), pitches up at the O2 Academy on January 30 for a night of arms-in-the-air house music, to ease us gently into what promises to be a very eclectic February.

Quick, quick: Slow Club

For lovers of catchy indie-pop we have easy-on-the-eye boy/girl act Slow Club at the Bullingdon; die-hard boyband fans will no doubt go crazy for Busted’s Charlie Simpson at the O2 Academy on February 6; metal freaks can mosh along to hard rock survivors Saxon at the same venue the same night, while lovers of Britpop and indie should form an orderly queue for Gaz Coombes, who plays the O2 Academy on February 7.

The former Supergrass frontman presents songs from his new album Matador (out on January 26). The record is the self-produced follow up to 2012’s Here Come The Bombs, and was recorded in Gaz’s home studio in Wheatley and at Courtyard Studios in Sutton Courtenay. We have been told that everything on the record was played by Gaz himself, except for synths by his brother Charly and drums by Loz Colbert of the recently reformed Ride.

The variety continues with a set by all-girl acoustic rock act The Staves at the O2 Academy on February 12, Irish folk duo Hudson Taylor at the same venue on February 15, and X Factor winner Sam Bailey the same night, over at the New Theatre. We last saw former prison officer Sam in action at Cornbury Festival, in July, treating crowds to her chart-topper Skyscraper, fresh from a tour support slot for Beyonce. The show follows the re-release of the down-to-earth Leicester lass’s number one debut album The Power Of Love 2014, a collection of covers and new tracks, all performed with her trademark spine-tingling vocals.

Also returning are London legends Chas & Dave, who play the New Theatre on February 16. The Rabbit stars come armed with such ‘Rockney’ classics as The Sideboard Song, Margate and Ain’t No Pleasing You, and tunes from their latest top 20 album That’s What Happens — their first new LP in 27 years. Gertcha!

A very different kind of evening awaits guests on February 21 at St John the Evangelist Church, where Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood pitches up for a performance alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra. The guitarist and composer will be playing a selection of his film score pieces and works by Purcell, Xenakis, Messiaen and Bach. The concert, which, as far as we know, is Jonny’s first solo gig in town, and will also see him playing the tanpura — a long-necked Indian string instrument — and an early electronic instrument called an ondes Martenot, which went out of production in 1988 and is played by only a handful of musicians around the world.

The bill will include Jonny’s scores for the films There Will Be Blood, The Master and Norwegian Wood. The centrepiece will be a performance of Steve Reich’s seminal solo guitar work Electric Counterpoint.

A more raucous night is likely at the O2 Academy on February 27, when the NME Awards Tour rolls into town to celebrate its 20th anniversary — with sets by Palma Violets, Fat White Family, The Amazing Snakeheads and Slaves.

Not so fragile: Glass Animals

For a taste of genuine Oxford talent, do not miss the homecoming show by Jericho buzz band Glass Animals. One of 2014’s great breakthrough acts, the former St Edward’s lads headline the O2 Academy on March 3. The show follows a great year for the trip-hop indie act which saw them releasing their debut album on Adele and Plan B producer Paul Epworth’s Wolf Tone label, making their Glastonbury and Bestival debuts and selling out venues around the world, including London’s South Bank Centre and our own Jericho Tavern.

For a change of pace, Britain’s Got Talent 2014 winners Collabro play the New Theatre on March 6, as part of a tour featuring special guest, the opera singer and BGT runner-up Lucy Kay. Collabro can loosely be described as a musical theatre boy band, and their perfor-mance of classic covers wowed judges on the talent show, despite them forming just a month before their audition.

Michael Auger, Richard Hadfield, Jamie Lambert, Thomas Leak and Matthew Pagan have since been signed by Simon Cowell’s SYCO Music label (of course), and released their debut album Stars.

Further ahead, we have good news for prog fans in the shape of The Australian Pink Floyd Show, who bring their Welcome To The Machine tour to the New Theatre (March 10). There’s delight for fans of glamorous classical songbird Katherine Jenkins, who performs her own new album at the New Theatre, on March 13. Then, the next day, versatile pop-rocker Paul Carrack — who has had hits with Ace, Squeeze, Roxy Music and Mike and the Mechanics, and written tunes for The Eagles, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Michael McDonald and Jools Holland.

Mike and the Mechanics themselves play the same venue on May 5, as part of a 23-date UK Hits tour. The latest line-up features Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford on guitar, with R&B singer Andrew Roachford and Canada’s Tim Howar. Expect to hear such classics as The Living Years, All I Need Is A Miracle, Word Of Mouth, Another Cup of Coffee, Over My Shoulder, and Silent Running.

Veteran punk-fuelled rockers The Stranglers make their annual visit to the O2 Academy on March 23, followed two days later by those other icons of the punk era Stiff Little Fingers.

Four play: Blue

Fans of boyband Blue will be invited to All Rise on April 7, when Antony Costa, Duncan James, Simon Webbe and Oxfordshire’s Lee Ryan play the New Theatre. Lovers of showtunes can sing along with Olivier Award winning, multi-platinum recording artist Michael Ball at the same venue on April 8. Legendary Jamaican reggae producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry brings his bass bins to the O2 Academy on April 11. Then Bellowhead bring a brass and string-heavy funk-rock-jazz take on English folk music with a New Theatre show to promote new album Revival, on April 18.

The stars of last year’s Cornbury Festival, Simple Minds, return to the county for a headline show at the New Theatre on April 26. They will also be armed with their new album Big Music, their first in five years.

Moving from spring to summer, there are headline-grabbing shows by Bryan Ferry (New Theatre, May 9); Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll —now trading under the name 8:58 (O2 Academy, May 12); Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers (O2 Academy, June 2); Elvis Costello (New Theatre, June 3); Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton (O2 Academy, June 4); the latest Drifters line-up (New Theatre, June 4), The Moody Blues (New Theatre, June 14); and John Barrowman (June 15).

And then it’s time to dig out the tent, shades and (heaven forbid) wellies, for the start of festival season. But more on that later.... we’ve got winter to get through first; if it’s safe enough to go out yet. Be careful out there!

Reggae legend: Lee 'Scratch' Perry