Roxtober Oxjam!

• 9th Oct 2006

UK’S BIGGEST EVER MUSIC FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN LONDON

Hundreds of people across London will be participating in Oxjam, the biggest music festival the UK has ever seen, which Oxfam launches this weekend. Local people are showing their support by organising and attending Oxjam events, with many hundreds taking part throughout October. Nationwide, more than 12,000 people are organising more than 1,000 musical stunts, record attempts, club nights, gigs and concerts to help raise cash to fight poverty.

From Edinburgh to Exeter and from Anglesey to East Anglia, Oxjam takes place throughout October at hundreds of venues, as members of the public use their passion for music to fight poverty. The 1,000 events already confirmed will raise more than half a million pounds for the charity’s work, and Oxfam is calling on people in London to organise even more events in Oxfam’s follow-up to Live8, in which every single participant is the star.

Events taking place elsewhere in the UK during October include:
• Buskathon, a 24-hour, non-stop busk being held simultaneously in ten cities across the country;
• A UK karaoke record attempt in Manchester;
• A nationwide tour from ‘charity shop DJ’ Andy Jupp, who will be visiting charity shops across the country, performing DJ sets with the records he finds on his travels;
• 100 cellists playing in the reception of an office building;
• DJ events featuring members of the casts of Hollyoaks and Emmerdale;
• Oxjam live dates from the likes of Badly Drawn Boy, Embrace, Hot Chip, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, De La Soul and Scissor Sisters.

Dozens of top music stars are doing their bit, too: Kasabian tried their hand at forming a string quartet for Oxfam, The Futureheads went busking in the London Underground, and there are special Oxjam events planned by Scissor Sisters, Hot Chip and hip hop legends De La Soul to round off the month.

Chart-toppers Kasabian explained why they got involved, forming a string quartet at an Oxjam event this month:
“We picked up our violins because we wanted to try something new to support Oxjam, and we'd encourage everyone to do the same. Even if you've never got involved with music before, now is the perfect time to join thousands of people across the country in making some noise and fighting poverty at the same time.”

Pop superstar Dido voiced her support of Oxjam:
“Using your talents and musical skills to do something big or small for Oxjam can't be underestimated – I love singing and playing music and if that can be used to help in any way then why wouldn't I want to? Please do anything you can.”

Gareth Simpson, spokesperson for Oxfam, said:
“We see Oxjam as a kind of Live8 in your back garden – every single person who gets out there and gets involved is the real star of this festival. Together, we can all do our bit to fight poverty and enjoy some great new music at the same time.”

As part of a groundbreaking partnership between Oxfam, MTV and the new youth volunteering charity v, aspiring bands taking part in Oxjam will have the opportunity to appear on MTV by uploading videos of their Oxjam events to the MTV Flux website – the very best will be filmed by the MTV cameras for broadcast on the channel in the new year.

Oxjam is also being partnered by Galaxy FM, which is organising a wide range of its own Oxjam events over the course of October, and Pulse Rated, an integrated radio station and download store dedicated to unsigned artists, which has organised more than 100 of its own Oxjam events and will be releasing a compilation album of the best Oxjam bands.

To find out what Oxjam events are taking place near you during October, visit link or call 0870 850 6246.