The shortlisted finalists for the Oxfringe/Bob Harris Music Competition were: Dead Jerichos, Gunning for Tamar, and Message to Bears.
Special recognition for originality and excellence went to these three runners up for the final: Space Heroes of the People, Adam Barnes, The Black Hats.
Bob Harris kindly agreed to share his birthday weekend with Oxfringe, to participate on the finals judging panel along with Tim Bearder and Ronan Munro, editor of Nightshift and to announce the winner.
Our thanks go to Steve Larkin, for his dynamic compering of the event and to Autumn Neagle of Coo Promotions who coordinated the entries and organised many of the music competition gigs. Also thanks to The Epstein who rounded the evening off with a stunning, high quality performance.
Dead Jerichos were the overall winners. Dead Jerichos are a young energy-driven three piece post punk / new wave band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, taking musical inspiration from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Hurtling to the top of the pile they are stirring up quite a sensation reminiscent of early Supergrass days! Despite having to rush off and play another gig that night after their Oxfringe finale performance last Sunday at the Bullingdon Arms, they charmed and wowed judges and audience alike with their break-neck performance. Whispering’ Bob Harris announced them as winners and applauded the rock’n roll nature of their rapid exit. Receiving the good news later that evening they texted “We didn’t even play that well! We’re Buzzing! Ha!” Catch them if you can! Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/deadjerichos
Bob Harris said on his radio show the next day: “I was on stage last night, at this festival in Oxford called Oxfringe… I was announcing the winner, and a really good band called Dead Jerichos, they won, they were excellent… there were 60 odd bands but they were the winners”
