Once in a far-off time, when giant herbivorous rock bands roamed the earth, the turning of moon and tide would regularly bring the biggest and fiercest of Oxford’s musical dinosaurs to Isis Farmhouse for the gig known in the annals of legend as the Day of the Deadbeats. Musicians, acolytes and ne’er-do-wells both human and supernatural would gather at this legendary venue for nights of raucous bacchanalia and superb music, hosted by the Deadbeat Apostles.Eighteen months on from the day the giant asteroid strike of covid came to lay waste to our world and live music was forced underground into a bunkered parody of its former self. Now, as Oxford’s musicians emerge blinking and pallid from their windowless home studios, bug-eyed from the dim glow of a thousand laptop zoom meetings and tormented by the wreckage of a hundred cancelled festivals, we wondered if those halcyon days could ever be recaptured. To which the riposte swiftly comes – of course they can, this is the Deadbeats! Yes number 14 certainly blew the cobwebs off and we can only thank all and sunder who braved the threatening skies to join us. What amazing people you have Oxford! Thank you to the incredible Emma Hunter who kicked the night off with a majestic solo set followed by the ever tremendous sounds of rock and roll from our friends The Beard of Destiny. To get up there and close the night bought joy we have only dreamed of for many moons. As always our hosts The Isis Farmhouse were warm, supportive and damn right beautiful – thank you to Noreen and Adrian and all the amazing bar staff. It’s taken nearly a week to get over it – but there’s work to do now! Recording of our 2 new singles on the 21st then Day of the Deadbeats 15 to plan of bloody course! Cheers to Jeff Slade for the top notch photographs. To freedom and live music people!
