OXJAM MUSIC FESTIVAL

This weekend, Oxfam got London jiving and jamming to fight poverty all over the world with Oxjam Islington 2016. The charity music festival boasted 100 bands in 10 venues on Upper Street and Essex Road. People from across London came out to support the cause and hear great live music. All access wristbands allowed attendees to hop from one venue to the next and listen to a variety of talented acts. These were sold at £10 each with proceeds to Oxfam.

ABOVE: THE OXJAM PROMOTIONAL FLYER

The festival showcased some of the freshest local musical talent, with a broad selection of styles and genres. It was a win-win event for local artists, who took the opportunity to perform in front of large audiences of music-loving Londoners, while also raising money for a great charity. Many took to twitter to share their favourite acts of the night, using the hashtag #oxfamislington.

ABOVE: OXJAM ISLINGTON TICKET DESK

Venue 1, ‘The Library’, was a particular highlight. A group of 18-25 year old multimedia trainees from London 360 volunteered to run the venue. They took on roles from Artist Liaison and Sound Tech to Ticketing and Door Staff. They ensured the evening’s schedule ran as smoothly as possible, through effective timekeeping, communication and of course love for music!

ABOVE: PEARL DIVINE GETS JAZZY WITH HER HARP

Harpist Pearl Divine wowed the crowd both with her instruments and delicate voice. She thanked her audience for their charity before putting her unique spin on classics including Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and Love is a Losing Game. Pearl and Amy both attended The Brit School. Later, Peter Von Toy got everybody clapping along and stomping their feet to his electric performances. He threw in some laughs into his 30 minute set, with some anecdotal interludes. A certain voice to watch out for is Sacha T, who performed an impressive rendition of Rihanna’s No Love Allowed. Other notable acts included Matt Tubey and Blackaby. In fact, no one wanted the evening to end. The festival-goers demanded an encore from The Library’s final act Mark Sullivan, who ended with powerful guitar solos as well as vocals.

ABOVE: MARK SULLIVAN, FINAL ACT AT THE LIBRARY

As the evening drew to a close, many ended the festival by listening to some live music at Oxfam’s Music and Bookshop, which had been turned into an event space with a practically fully-stocked pop-up bar! Phoebe Katis and her two back-up singers stunned the audience with their astonishing vocals, giving off a definite Laura Mvula vibe. With their killer harmonies, this barbershop in the bookshop proved a fantastic finale to Oxjam 2016.