The BBC last week hosted Oxford auditions for Mastermind. Tens of quiz contestant hopefuls pitted themselves against one another at the Randolph Hotel, hoping ultimately to face John Humphrys in the famous black chair.

The BBC is looking for 96 people from around the country take part in the show famous for the catchphrase “I’ve started, so I’ll finish…”

Benjamin Skipp, a Christ Church seventh-year studying music, chose for his specialist subjects Clarissa Dixon Wright, the TV presenter and author, and Walter Hussey, dean of Chichester Cathedral from 1955 to 1977. He explained the challenges each contender faced at the auditions. “The audition just involved two researchers from the BBC asking me 20 general knowledge questions and then an informal chat about various topics which could be my specialist subject…They said they'd let me know in about three weeks if I had been successful.”

BBC researcher and panel-judge Mr Farnell said that there had been many knowledgeable contestants at the auditions. He told the Oxford Times, “We’ve had people booked in for auditions and people walking in off the street.” He admitted that the 20 questions were “a tough set. But we need to know people’s general knowledge is good because we can’t have people struggling on TV.”

More than 30 hopefuls attended the auditions at the hotel on Beaumont Street last Wednesday hoping to emulate 2006 Mastermind winner Geoff Thomas. Each candidate was given a general knowledge test consisting of 20 questions, before discussing potential specialist subjects with a panel featuring BBC researchers Michael Farnell and Fiona Hamilton.

Contestants were told to turn up with at least two specialist subjects, although contenders were told that they might need up to four topics if they managed to work their way through all stages of the competition.

The more interesting the special subject, the better their chances of progressing to the next round, the contestants were informed. Subjects duly ranged from the missionary journeys of St Paul through to Klaus Fuchs, a German spy convicted of giving information to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The results of the auditions are to be announced in the coming weeks. The show is due to be aired on BBC Two from September.by Rob Pomfret

Before Simian I had only seen one genuine dance act live before; Faithless, in front of a crowd of 100,000 at the V Festival. A tough act to follow I’m sure you’ll agree. In fact, despite being an avid fan of Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release I was rather unsure what to expect from SMD. Would their rather creative, quirky, analogue indie dance translate to a live arena at all? Well, a packed and excited crowd certainly seemed to think so and a few crafty shoves and elbows later I was just metres from the stage, confronted by some of the most bizarre technological equipment I had ever seen. Dominating the stage next to the obvious collection of synthesizers and decks stood what appeared to be an enormous switchboard, which later research revealed to be an enormous modular synth. This was going to be no ordinary gig and the immense array of strobe and neon lighting only whet my energetic appetite further.So, rather more impressed than on entry, the crowd eagerly awaited the arrival of the two reputable dance behemoths of Jas Shaw and superstar producer James Ford. Yet what strode on stage to a wall of noise and anticipation was not the uber-cool, removed men you might expect; these two looked like ordinary people. In fact for all his credentials James Ford was more reminiscent of Superbad’s Jonah Hill than an arty disinterested DJ, but I’ll be damned if anyone thinks this is a bad thing. Throughout the gig the pair looked like they were really having a good time and despite an absence of vocal banter the crowd responded in kind. The atmosphere only grew as the music began, with extended mixes of expanded dance stompers backed up by a plethora of strobe flashes and neon bursts to whip the crowd into a raving frenzy. Naturally the big hits stood out, especially the extended version of ‘Hustler’ with its insistent background beats and catchy lead hooks leading an expansive crescendo and the encore opening ‘I Believe’ changing the tone with its swaying, airy melody and old skool synth lead. My only complaint is that it was too short; at most an hour on stage didn’t quite satisfy my dancing appetite. Yet without a doubt this gig exceeded my expectations. To be honest I was rather more looking forward to Justice; now it’s the French duo that has something to match up to.
– By Sean Lennon

The exclamation mark alone gives you a pretty good idea of the sort of relentless cheeriness the seven members of Los Campesinos! peddle. In these dour days of overly serious, achingly cool scenesters it’s refreshing to hear such unashamedly joyful and unbridled music.Superficially they share a similar sound to the likes of Architecture in Helsinki, but it runs deeper than that. Previous single ‘International Tweexcore Underground’ (sadly lacking from this LP) reads like a journalist’s easy-to-read guide to Los Campesinos!’s influences – Amelia Fletcher by way of Henry Rollins – although admittedly they do lean to the twee side of that silent ‘x’.Songs mostly stick to the same propulsive, incessantly lively template, and yet somehow the band manages to keep the majority of the album from sounding tired and repetitive. Opener ‘Death to Los Campesinos!’ is a definite sign of intent for what’s to come. Guitars on the softer side of squally, twinkling xylophone, rapid percussion matched by equally rapid vocal interchanges between Gareth and Aleks Campesinos! (yes they really write their names like that). ‘Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks’, ‘We Are All Accelerated Readers’ and the word-count challenging ‘This Is How You Spell, “HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics”’ are all brilliantly crafted, insanely memorable, unabashed pop tunes. And not to mention the careening behemoth ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ which is easily one of the best songs of the last five years.
There are so many reasons why it shouldn’t work. The lyrics veer from brilliant to slightly cringeworthy to pretentious and back to brilliant, Gareth’s voice is quite erratic and sure to prove divisive, it’s not wholly original and it is really really upbeat, but fuck it; it’s just too bloody enjoyable and catchy and witty and downright irrepressible. I love it.
– By Harry Thompson

See also: last term's video report on Greyfriars' closure

 Alumni and students could take legal action after Friars refuse plans to help religious Hall relocate

Friars have rejected a £30 million pound proposal that could have saved Greyfriars Hall from closure, Cherwell can exclusively reveal.

According to the Hall’s students and alumni, the Capuchin friars who currently run Greyfriars blocked the deal – which would have required only nominal participation by the Order – because they wanted no further involvement with students.

On 25 October last year, the friars announced that the permanent private hall was to close, citing a lack of staff and financial reasons, and arrangements were made to transfer students to Regent’s Park, another PPH.
In the month following this announcement, Into, a company which runs courses helping international students gain places at UK universities, made a business proposition to provide £30 million to relocate the Hall and continue teaching for its students. The company has developed partnerships with Newcastle, East Anglia and Exeter universities, and runs courses for international students to study English and improve academic skills before beginning a full degree.

Barry Hudd, Communications Officer for the Capuchin Order explained that a representative of Into had spoken to the previous Warden of Greyfriars, Dr Nicholas Richardson, and had made contact with the tutors and fellows of the Hall. However, he added that the company had never made direct contact with the trustees of Greyfriars, who had ultimate control over the future of the Hall.

Fellows of the Hall proposed to relocate Greyfriars to another site in Oxford with the money provided by Into, with the friars providing the license for the PPH but with no responsibility for its day to day running. At a meeting of the Order’s trustees from 10-12 December, Hudd said that the friars refused to accept this ‘business plan’ because it “would have given the Capuchin Order full legal responsibility and liability for the Hall without any control, which is why they rejected it.”

However, current students and alumni have claimed that many friars did not want to involve themselves with students any further, and blocked attempts to re-establish the Hall with only token links to the Capuchin Order.
In an email to students sent last December before the proposal was considered, Rupert Abbott, of the Greyfriars Society alumni association, wrote, “The Order agreed to consider a proposal which is in place to save Greyfriars and secure a wonderful future. This proposal includes significant investment, a relocation to the former site of Greyfriars, and a focus on providing opportunities to the underprivileged.”

“However, in hindsight it seems that the Order’s assurances were a stalling tactic. The Order led the Fellows to believe that the alternative proposal to closure would be considered, and then disregarded these assurances to the extent of denying that they had ever been made,” he stated.

Abbott threatened legal action if the friars refused to consider the offer. “Students, Fellows and alumni [that] I have spoken to are united in their desire to fight the Order’s decision to close Greyfriars. We have sought the assistance of influential contacts to put pressure on the Order and University. Please note that if the Order fails to reverse its decision, legal action will be brought (in the form of an application for judicial review of the way in which the decision to close was made),” he wrote.

Abbott failed to comment on whether legal action was a possibility, but students contacted by Cherwell said that the alumni society, fellows and current undergraduates could all be suing the friary.
One former student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that some friars had opposed any links to a relocated PPH during unofficial negotiations with the University and students. “Their attitude was effectively one of ‘we don’t want you here,’” she said.

Another student, who also wished to remain unnamed, said he felt that negotiations failed because “the Order does not want the college there.” David Cochrane, a former Greyfriars student, said he felt that some of the friars resented the original decision by the Order in 1981 to begin educating students as a Permanent Private Hall. “There might have been some residual sense that the friars shouldn’t have done this in the first place,” he said.

The current Acting Warden of Greyfriars, Reverend Mark Elvins, refused to comment on the allegations, saying that they were “conjecture” and “speculation.”

In a statement, Into denied having any formal discussions with Greyfriars about the proposal but added that “it is not the company’s practice to comment in any way on the many conversion that it routinely has with institutions in this country and overseas.”by David Matthews, Deputy Editor

The Feeling’s first album, Twelve Stops and Home, came with certain social conditions attached – or I felt it did at least. Chief amongst these was that under no circumstances could you tell your male (gangster rap-loving) friends that you’d even listened to it, let alone owned it. The Feeling, in musical terms, were the definitive ‘guilty-pleasure’.But it was good, and it sold. The simplicity of the arrangements, the charming voice of Dan Gillespie-Sells, some intelligent (if quirky) lyrics, and all the while a quite prevalent, though not superficial, emotive backdrop. You felt the album did have ‘feeling’ to it.Not so with this new album. Simply, Join With Us is not that good. There are some of the trademark hooks, which will stick in your head for days. But in this album, they’re hidden between some points of daftness. Ditto with the touching messages. Take the title track – it has the most terrific pre-chorus. And then spoils it with a hideous chorus and the lyric ‘the world is in your hands’ set to a really mad, peculiar beat. It actually makes you feel ill. Loneliness has such a memorable refrain that my roommate (who, in the interests of his general popularity, shall remain nameless) starting singing along. But then somehow the actual verses are shockingly bad.
There is some good stuff – the best track is ‘Spare Me’. The reason – it’s simple. Piano, nice lyrics, the odd harmony; and none of the annoyance you get elsewhere. My conclusion – The Feeling were given lots of money to make their new album, and they spent too much on orchestras, and ‘big’ production. They’ve ended up with an album that is just far too ambitious. There are some great moments, some fragments of borderline genius, but it’s almost lost amongst the daftness – there was actually a baby’s voice at one point. Much of it, in truth, would not be out of place in the score for a pantomime. And that’s not The Feeling I remembered.Three stars.– By Nick Coxon

The Glitches this Saturday became the first student band to headline the Carling Academy, and they deserved it. Rocking through their short set, the band satisfied the crowded room with a danceable energy and professional intensity at the same time. The biggest student band for the Academy, and also the biggest gig to date for the band. ‘We played a couple of balls before but they weren’t really our gigs’ says Robbie, the lead singer. ‘I felt my nerves of steel starting to crack’, concedes Ben, the band’s huge bassist. ‘There was no promotion from the Academy at all either’ says Robbie. The website didn’t even work, leading to a Canadian Christian rock band. It wouldn’t make much difference anyway, Ben admits, ‘we only have seventy friends on myspace’. Not a bad achievement then to fill up the Academy.The four finalists came together at the start of their second year. ‘Robbie gave me an EP of his old band and it was shit’ says Mike, the guitarist. Robbie laughs. ‘We decided to give him a chance though’, said Mike, grinning. ‘Mike and I were already in a Wadham band’, chips in Ben. ‘We started playing in what is now The Glitches in secret without telling the old band. We cheated on our last band to start this one – The reaction when he found out was kinda the same’. The band began life as The Cheltenham Average, morphing into The Glitches during the summer and improving ever since. ‘We had a natural aversion to getting involved with Imsoc’, says Robbie. ‘It’s all a bit inbred’, agreed Ben. ‘A lot of bands like being an Oxford band, but we don’t want to be an Oxford band, we want to be a UK band’, says Robbie. The band certainly are ambitious: they’ve signed a fifteen-month contract which will see them devoting next year to the band, recording and touring.Able support for the band tonight was provided by Figment, another band with Wadham connections and the potential to go far. Hailing from Bristol, they played an energetic punky kind of electric indie that got the crowd going for the main event. The Glitches set was dominated by driving pop rhythms, not dissimilar from mainstream indie bands but executed with skill and feeling. My personal favourite was the more mellow ‘January to June’, but guitarist Mike cited the hilariously titled ‘Papua New Guinea’s got a brand new bag’ as a favorite, and the band agreed on its seminal significance for them. Our interview was cut short by the entry of drummer, James, furious after being left outside by his bandmates. Meeting the band after their biggest triumph to date only the confirmed the impression gained in the audience: this is band that’ll go much further than Oxford.– By Michael Bennett

 Student's Valentine's plans get too hot to handleA steamy Valentine’s night ended in disaster for one Keble student last Thursday after a fire broke out during a candle-lit date in his room.

Second year Modern History and Politics student George Warren looks set to be faced with a bill of £1,000 after being asked to pay damages by Keble College authorities.

The fire started after Warren, who had planned for a romantic evening in with his girlfriend, placed candles next to some curtains by his window.

Describing the incident, Warren said, “In order to save some money, I decided to cook my girlfriend a meal so I lit some candles to create the right atmosphere. Stupidly I placed them on the windowsill.

“After we ate, things started getting steamy and she suggested I close the curtains. I did and minutes after we sat down to take a breather, the curtains went up in flames. I ran over, ripped the curtains down and threw them out of the window.”

By this time the fire had already damaged the window, and before he threw the curtains out onto the concrete the flames had spread to the carpet and the wardrobe. “The window cracked from the heat and my carpet and wardrobe were also caught by the flames,” Warren said.

JCR President John Maher lives next door to Warren on staircase P4, but had left his room for the evening to give him some privacy.  He said, “The walls are very thin in Keble and obviously I didn’t want to hear whatever George got up to so I tried to avoid my room for the evening by hanging around the post area.”

On hearing shouts that there was a fire, Maher called 999 and quickly alerted people by knocking on doors.
He said, “I knocked on as many doors as I could because we have a lot of fire drills at Keble and it was important that people took notice that this was a real fire.”

A student living on the floor below George was woken up by the fire alarm and said, “There was so much smoke that I thought my room would suffer from smoke damage. The porter was running around panicking but a fire engine came quickly and everyone was evacuated from the building and carted into the JCR.”

Students were kept waiting for two hours while the fire crew dealt with the flames.  Warren’s girlfriend, who is not a member of Keble, was left among the JCR wearing only a dressing gown.

One eyewitness said, “She must have been really embarrassed because she didn’t know any of us.
“When we were allowed back into the building, all we saw on the ground was a pathetic lump of burnt, charred curtain.”

Warren, who is currently directing Night of the Iguana at Keble’s O’Reilly, was not seriously hurt in the incident but did suffer burns on his hand as he battled with the curtains. He claims he has learnt from his mistake, saying, “I now know that putting candles next to curtains is obviously a silly thing to do. I was fairly contrite about the whole thing because it could have been worse, I’m lucky that no-one was seriously hurt.”

Keble College Bursar, Roger Boden, said, “We have not yet had estimates for repairs to the room but they are unlikely to come in at less than £1,000.  Obviously the College will have to seek recovery of all costs.

“The College Handbook clearly states: “Lighted candles and burning incense in College rooms constitute a fire hazard and are expressly forbidden.”  The prohibition is there for a reason, as this incident illustrates.”

Action was taken the next morning with cleaners inspecting College rooms and emptying them of candles and other fire hazards.

In an email to the JCR, Senior Dean Dr Rogers said, “The room will be uninhabitable until next term. It could have been much worse, and the College is thankful for the prompt and decisive action of the Porter and for the co-operation of those residents who evacuated the staircase.”

Dr Rogers added, “The episode underscores the importance of regular fire safety drills. These may not be popular, but they are essential. You are expected to evacuate your room within 3 minutes in the event of an alarm. The penalty for failing to do so is a fine of £25.”

Following a meeting with College authorities this week, Warren has been temporarily re-housed in a small room that Keble students call the ‘linen cupboard’. He has been asked to pay £1000 for the damage to his room. Warren said, “I’m not refusing to pay it but it does seem a bit much. They’re going to add up the costs and get back to me for another meeting.”

Maher claims some good has come out of the incident: “In an attempt to quench the fires of his passion, George has sparked new life into the slow-burning debate about fire safety.”by Omotola Akerele, Deputy News Editor

Police are investigating an Oxford student’s claims that he was attacked by a bouncer outside Filth after being ejected from the club.

Charlie Moore, a first year Brasenose student, claims that he was left with a bloody nose after the incident, which he says took place in the early hours of Friday morning.

Speaking about what he claims took place Moore said, “For no reason that I can remember I was picked up and thrown out of the club by a bouncer and then physically thrown onto the floor outside Filth. I got up and naturally wanted to go back inside. But when I approached the bouncer and asked if I could go back in he told me to ‘fuck off’. Then he head butted me in the nose so hard that I had blood gushing everywhere. I went back over to my friends and another guy called the police.”

Whilst admitting he was rather drunk at the time, Moore claims that had the bouncer insisted on him leaving he “would have been happy to do so.”

While the police took statements Moore says that he spoke to the management at Filth. “They said that the reason I had been thrown out was because I had been touching the fire exit. But that does not give the bouncers the right to manhandle me.”

The management of Filth claim that they have subsequently checked CCTV footage of the evening and could not find anything to corroborate the claim of the attack.  Filth owner Stuart Kerley said that Moore was thrown out for pulling down drapes on the club’s dancefloor. He denied that any of the club’s bouncers could have been involved, insisting that they were inside the bar at the time of the alleged attack.

“It’s a bit of a mystery,” said Kerley. “As far as we’re concerned we’ve done an internal investigation and there is no evidence of anything at all.”

Louise Randall, Vice President (Welfare and Equal Opportunities) of OUSU said, “All students deserve to have fun and feel safe at every club night they attend. If clubs and their promoters are going to provide an environment for students to have fun and have a drink in they need to take some responsibility for maintaining a safe atmosphere; the door staff are there to help with that, and if this allegation is true then something has clearly gone wrong down at Filth.”

Moore was more philosophical, saying simply “I think I will be giving Filth a wide berth, for this term at least.”by Katherine Hall, Deputy News Editor

What's on in the coming week…Friday 22ndFilm
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Big Lebowski (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 2330
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
I’m Not There (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2045
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1115, 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1145
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1200
Music
The 1810 Generation Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt J du P 2000
Tenebrae Facyae Sunt The Marian Consort New College Chapel 2030
OU String Ensemble Elgar, Mozart, Howells, Dowland Wesley Memorial Church 2000
The Allegri String Quartet Mozart, Britten, Beethoven Holywell Music Room 2000
Nouvelle Vague New Wave Zodiac 1830
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly & Emmy the Great Folk Academy 1830
Fuse featuring Audio Bullys Zodiac 1930
Alvin Roy Swing/jazz Old Orleans Bar 2030
D-Blockers Music Wheatsheaf 2000
South Central Heroes Punk/metal Jericho Tavern 2000
Vatican Cellars Folk/country QI 2000
Stage
Madama Butterfly Puccini New Theatre 1930
The Night of the Iguana O’Reilly, Keble 1930
Now and Only OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 2130
Patience Gilbert & Sullivan Merton College Chapel 1930
Quills OFS 1930
Spies Frayn Playhouse 2000
Three Sons OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1930
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore Moser Theatre, Wadham 1930
Turn of the Screw Oxford Opera Company Hertford College Chapel 2000
Other
Cockerell’s Ashmolean Lunchtime gallery talk Randolph Gallery, Ashmolean 1315
The Boer War: Letters of a Great Uncle Cecillie Swaisland Okinaga Rm, Wadham 2000

Saturday 23rd
Film
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Big Lebowski (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 2330
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
Future Shorts (12A) Phoenix Picture House 2330
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1545, 2100
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1515, 1715, 1915, 2125
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1115, 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1145
Sigur Ros: Heima (15) Phoenix Picture House 1130
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1200
Music
Queen’s College Recital Queen’s College Chapel 1315
A Concert of 8s with OMO Schubert, Dvorak Sheldonian 2000
Ralph Vaughan Williams OSO High Sheriff of Oxfordshire’s Concert Merton College Chapel 1930
Oxford Music Network Oxford Lieder Holywell Music Room 2000
The Allegri String Quartet Brahms Holywell Music Room 1230
OU Wind Orchestra Maslanka, Whitacre, Tichell University Church of St Mary 2000
Dolittle Music Wheatsheaf 2000
The Long Insiders Pop/rock Jericho Tavern 2030
Dog Show Electro Cellar 2000
Vampire Weekend Indie/afrobeat pioneers Zodiac 1930
The Kooks Sold out (in all senses) Academy 1900
Stage
A Couple of Cold Ones OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 2130
Madama Butterfly Puccini New Theatre 1930
The Night of the Iguana O’Reilly, Keble 1530, 1930
Now and Only OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1630
Patience Gilbert & Sullivan Merton College Chapel 1430, 1930
Quills OFS 1430, 1930
Spies Frayn Playhouse 1430, 2000
Three Sons OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1430
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore Moser Theatre, Wadham 1930
Tom’s a-cold OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1930 Sunday 24th Film
Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest (U) Phoenix Picture House 1100, 1430
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Big Lebowski (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 1100
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
I’m Not There (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100
Kings of the Road (15) Phoenix Picture House 1100
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1730
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1115, 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1145
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1700, 2015
Three Colours: Red (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1515
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1200
Music
Sacconi & Navara String Quartets Brahms, Mendelssohn Holywell Music Room 1115
Electric Six Take me to the… Academy 1900
David Gray Singer/songwriter New Theatre 1900
Go Faster Jericho Tavern 2000
Baby Gravy Alt. Punk Purple Turtle 2100
Stage
The Ministry of Mirth Wheatsheaf 2000
Frühlings Erwachen in German Moser Theatre, Wadham 1700
Other
God: Reality or Delusion? Christian Science Church 1400

Monday 25th

Film
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Big Lebowski (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 2300
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1600
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Three Colours: Red (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1900, 2100
Music
The Oxford Gargoyles Fundraising J du P 2000
Klaxons Day-glo annoyance-pop Academy 1930
Stage
The Oxford Imps Improvised comedy. Wheatsheaf 2000
Free Beer Show Norman Lovett Cellar Bar 2115
Spies Frayn Playhouse 1930
La Voix humaine & Le Livre blanc Telephonic opera Merton College Chapel 2030

Tuesday 26th

Film
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
In the Shadow of the Moon (U) Odeon Magdalen St. 2000
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Rescue Dawn (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 2100
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Music
Reel Big Fish Ska legends Academy 1900
Stage
Debris Burton Taylor 1930
Dolores Wears the Stares Burton Taylor 2130
Frühlings Erwachen in German Moser Theatre, Wadham 1930
Oxford Revue Wheatsheaf 2000
Spies Frayn Playhouse 1930
La Voix humaine & Le Livre blanc Telephonic opera Merton College Chapel 2030
Other
Derek Acorah TV “spirit medium” New Theatre 1930
Clarendon Lectures: Yeats and the Measure of Violence Professor Michael Wood St Cross 1700
Mostly Men Lunchtime Gallery Talks Ashmolean 1315
Freedom From Oil David Sandalow University Museum of Natural History 1700
Celebrating Franco Musically Enrique Sacau-Ferreira Denis Arnold Hall, Music Faculty 1715 Wednesday 27th
Film
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
I’m Not There (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2100
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Music
Queen’s College Organ Recital Queen’s College Chapel 1310
St Hilda’s Music Society Recital Piano J du P 1315
One Night Only ‘Rock’ Zodiac 1900
Montjoys Jacket Acoustic sessions Purple Turtle 1900
Stage
Debris Burton Taylor 1930
Dolores Wears the Stares Burton Taylor 2130
Fanshen O’Reilly, Keble 2000
Spies Frayn Playhouse 1930
Other
Role of the Art School in the 21st Century Panel discussion Modern Art Oxford 1830
Film
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
The Bank Job (15) Odeon George St. 2045
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1245, 1815
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1430, 1645, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1715, 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
My Blueberry Nights (12A) Phoenix Picture House 1300, 1500, 1700, 1900, 2110
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1400, 1700, 2000
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Rescue Dawn (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 2100
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1500
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015Thursday 28th Music
Queen’s College Choir & London Handel Orchestra Bach Queen’s College Chapel 2015
OU Philharmonia Elgar, Rachmaninoff Sheldonian 1930
Tony Kofi Sax Spin @ The Wheatsheaf 2100
Pama International Ska Academy 1900
Off The Radar Album release party Jericho Tavern 2000
Stage
Debris Burton Taylor 1930
Dolores Wears the Stares Burton Taylor 2130
Fanshen O’Reilly, Keble 2000
Frühlings Erwachen in German Moser Theatre, Wadham 1930
Spies Frayn Playhouse 1430, 1930
Other
The Temptations of form Clarendon Lectures: Yeats and the Measure of Violence, Prof Michael Wood St Cross Building 1700
Islamic persuasions: pathways to change in Islamic norms John R Bowen Exam Schools 1700

Thomas Barrett interviews Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion 'Who?' seemed to be the general reaction from my friends when I told them that I’d be interviewing Lightspeed Champion. Even less people know his actual name, Dev Hynes. Yet here is someone who’s had a massive effect on modern British music. At the age of 17 he was the guitarist of the Test Icicles, generally thought to be the band that started nu-rave. After developing a strong following, the band decided that they didn’t actually like their own music and split up. I suppose you can’t really have a better reason, can you? Perhaps, without Dev there’s be no Klaxons, no “rah-ve”, and none of those god awful pink “Save The Rave” T-shirts in Primark. In spite of all that, you’ve got to love him. How many people do you know who can carry off big furry hats with such abandon? Now, to general surprise, he has reappeared under the guise of Lightspeed Champion, this time with a folksy, Americana-style tilt to his music.When I meet him, Dev seems uncomfortable with his return to fame. He fidgets slightly as he tells me, ‘I really didn’t think this album would get any attention. It’s got me questioning myself’. What surprised me most is how modest and self-deprecating he is. Given that he’s spent years as a performing musician, I thought he would ooze self-confidence. But he says, ‘I’ve always found playing live a weird concept … something I’ve had battles with over the last few years’. For him it seems that music is a personal thing. While he find playing live awkward, his attitude to music itself is vastly different, ‘I love music, it’s natural, like breathing. I just do it’. He adds, ‘I feel like I can write a song whenever I want to’.Inevitably, the Test Icicles come up. I ask if he sees the whole experience as a good thing. He thinks and then says ‘I don’t regret anything I ever do … I see everything as a learning experience’. But Dev is surprisingly unwilling to take any credit for his band’s influence. He says: ‘I never want to admit that I had an influence on something’. We move on to Lightspeed Champion. It is, he says, ‘just me by myself. I wouldn’t want to call it my name, because then people would assume it’s the real me.’ But then he comments that ‘it’ll always exist, unless I die.’ He surprises me by adding ‘but then it would probably be better’. Lordy.Dev’s apparent lack of faith in his abilities disappears on stage. After performing bass duties for support act Semifinalists, he confidently takes to the stage. He plays brilliantly, engaging well with the crowd and delivering a great set. Dev always seems to be several years ahead of himself – the next album is already written. He plays several of these new songs, showing that we have much to look forward to in the future.