Oxjam

Currently I am sitting in the school library being constantly reminded about the fact that I should be revising Geography- you know that lovely paper one I was talking about yesterday-fun times I'm sure. However I'm not going to take Sophie seriously as she is doing a Sudoku-i.e also not revising. Damn it now she is-maybe I should just steal her book-that will stop her. :)
She has notes-stupid.

Anyway I have decided that this first lesson will be dedicated to blogging about-you guessed it-music-again. More specifically this blog will hopefully not turn into a rant. No no, today it will be about a "Do it Yourself" type Festival called Oxjam. What is Oxjam I hear you asking (yes I do often hear voices in my head and no I will not be seeing a doctor), Oxjam is a spawn of Oxfam. A play on words if you will.

Described on its website; http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/fundraise/oxjam/index.php, as being a "Music festival with a difference", and with hundreds of events taking place throughout October, it is quite literally a music festival that is organised by ordinary people and currently is taking living rooms, small pubs and clubs by storm right across the UK.
This is the type of festival I look up to, the kind that has a clear aim and comes with a chance to get potentially good bands heard of (I say potentially scathingly if you recall a previous blog), either way it's an opportunity to have a laugh with your mates and enjoy live music which hopefully will be reasonable.

Now I have finished with promoting a worthy cause I will get onto other matters.
Festivals in general.
Glastonbury in particular, how much is it again? Oh yes £175. Wait a minute-what??? How is that possible. I though we were currently in the claws of an economic depression-we were weren't we? Or am i just imagining news stories about job loses and bankruptcy. Seriously this may be a petty complaint considering the sheer amount of talent headlining and playing at this years festival but I can't help but feel a little bitter. The first festival was £1and you got free milk. They were better times weren't they. T.Rex played, T.rex one of my favourite bands-played. People got the chance to see them for £1, and they got milk. Wow.
The next year the price was-wait there wasn't a price, it was free. For no money you got to see David Bowie. How is this fair? How is it that 37 years later tickets cost £155 and the headline act was JZ? Okay granted there were alot more famous acts than say 38years earlier but still, surely the spirit of glastonbury should remain the same. One of Free spirit. And by Free I do mean Free. It's a shame that money has once again reared it's ugly head in the music industry making this once great Festival (and yes in some respects it still is great) into a coperate nightmare. if I wanted to go to Glastonbury, and i do, like I really really do, it would take me ages to save. That's what i don't get. How can students afford to go to these things. How do they managae to scrape together the cash? Arn't they all constantly complaining about their lack of money flow? If you are a student and you are reading this, please please tell me how you manage it because this year the festival costs £175 and I would really like to know how you all have that much spare.

For once i don't actually want to knock what I'm writing about. I want to like Glastonbury, christ i want to go to Glastonbury but I can't, in sain mind, give that much money to be emersed in mud, surrounded by drunks and pay to see acts that are so up themselves they think they can get away with a couple of songs before telling the audience to "F off". I know that in a few years time though, I to will join the the hundreds, thousands even of students paying ludicrous amounts (for them) to be part of this experience because well, it's...Glastonbury.

Thats why I'm so pleased with Oxjam, prices of tickets can be up to you, you won't get supposed rockstars demanding feshly squeezed orange juice and if you are lucky you'll still get good acts. Granted not famous but good none the less. Oxjam may well bring back the original feel of Glastonbury and that would be nice. Artists in the past have included Kaiserchiefs and Chemical brothers, not my cup of tea really, but as the site itself says;
"It's the creativity of ordinary people that makes it so exciting to be part of Oxjam"

I hope i havn't bored anyone too much with this blog, everyone has their own opinions on things and I would like it to be known i do like Glastonbury and definately want to have the experience of going. Hopefully by the time I get round to it ticket prices may have dropped a bit though. fingers cross.

Now if you'll excuse me, i must actually revise now. Second lesson has begun and so learing time must being :)

Au Revoir.