Tell us your priorities for the Oxfordshire music scene at our first Open Meeting tomorrow night. Anyone and everyone welcome! Tues 7 July from 6pm to 7.30pm + drinks afterwards Upstairs Room The Oxford Retreat Hythe Bridge Street Oxford, OX1 2EW
Causing A Scene
@causingascene.bsky.social
Community owned co-op set up to be the collective voice of Oxfordshire’s music scene & associated culture. https://causingascene.org/ Become a member for £1: https://causingascene.org/membership Mailing list: causingascene.org/contact#mailinglistsignup
This upcoming Oxford music exhibition looks brilliant. It’s the starting point for a wider project - ‘City Stories 'Oxford's Music History.' Contribute your own memories, tickets, flyers, set lists, photos etc below. museumofoxford.omeka.net/contribution museumofoxford.omeka.net/contribution
Open Meeting postponed until Tues 7 July. After much consideration of tomorrow’s predicted 36 degree heat, we’ve decided to postpone our Open Meeting for 2 weeks until Tuesday 7 July. Same time (6 to 7.30pm) & same venue (the Oxford Retreat). In the meantime, stay cool and stay safe
It’s time to ramp up the conversation about what the Oxfordshire music scene needs to thrive, so Causing a Scene is excited to announce its first Open Meeting. Everyone welcome! Just turn up. Tues 23 June 6 to 7:30pm (drinks afterwards) Upstairs Room The Oxford Retreat, Hythe Bridge St, OX1 2EW
We just reached our 100th member. Welcome Richard Lawrence, whose letterpress works in Hurst Street are where some of Stanley Donwood’s most celebrated linocuts were printed. richardlawrenceprinter.co.uk If you haven't yet, please consider parting with £1 yourself. CausingaScene.org/Membership
A massive thank you to our brilliant panel of community ownership experts at The Bullingdon last night for their mixture of insights, information and inspiration. Micaela Tuckwell of the Ultimate Picture Palace Lenny Watson of Sister Midnight Steve Henwood of The Bell Inn
A quick reminder that this brilliant free event is tonight (Mon 18 May) at the Bullingdon. If you can't make the panel event at 18.15, come for the Social afterwards from 19.30 (see details on previous post). Book your free tickets at: WeGotTickets.com/CausingAScene
Free Grassroots Community Panel Session + Music & Arts Social - Mon 18 May @theBullingdon Oxford GOOD DEEDS - How collective grassroots community action can save, create & own spaces for music & the arts. Book your free tickets at: WeGotTickets.com/CausingAScene
Here’s a local authority led music, arts & culture survey for anyone who lives or works in, or even just visits South Oxfordshire / Vale of the White Horse. You all know what to do (hint - we need more community-oriented music and arts spaces). www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/SouthernOx...
Southern Oxfordshire arts, culture and creativity survey
Please take the time to complete our survey. Your feedback is important.
smartsurvey.co.uk
Causing a Scene is owned by & accountable to its members, so as we close in on our 100th member, we're giving our community a nudge to help us reach that milestone. It costs a measly £1 & gives you a say on what we do and who runs the organisation. Join today: causingascene.org/membership
Inspirational BBC Radio 4 feature on Beaker, putting the Oxfordshire music scene, past and present, on the map. Catch them live at the Jericho Tavern on Friday 8th May. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oxford indie band Beaker on returning after 25 years
Beaker first emerged from Oxford's 1990s music scene and have reunited more than 25 years later
bbc.co.uk
Music Venues Day is always the most inspirational, thought provoking, and genuinely useful event in the grassroots music activism Calendar. So as well as CAS, it was great to see Oxfordshire represented on stage by record label manager, Josie Faulkner, of Oxford’s very own Big Scary Monsters.
Great little CAS / Live Music Fund feature on BBC Oxford yesterday morning, featuring James Taylor, Paul Williams and Hannah Bruce at 35:30 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Sophie Law - 16/03/2026 - BBC Sounds
Wake up with Oxfordshire's latest news, great music and conversation with Sophie.
bbc.co.uk
Save the UPP! It’s not strictly music related, but this relates to a very important local community owned arts space, so please sign and share. c.org/JPfhkbmsFM
Sign the Petition
Save the Ultimate Picture Palace
c.org
On Weds we hosted a panel at Oxford Brookes on the importance of mapping music & arts ecosystems/audiences in making policies that help creative economies thrive. Big thanks to our panellists, Jett Glozier of Sound Diplomacy, Dr Patrycja Rozbicka of Live Music Mapping Project & our own Oli Steadman.
We’re pleased to report Oxford City Council’s new £20k a year Live Music Fund was approved at a full council meeting on Mon 23 Feb. Here’s a 5 min impassioned speech our director Paul made at the meeting in support of the Oxfordshire music scene and the new fund. youtu.be/kwrl1PgyArE?...
Full Council - 23rd February 2026
YouTube video by Oxford City Council
youtu.be
There are a handful of remaining places for our free to attend Oxford Brookes Creative Industries Festival event at 1pm on Weds 25 Feb, featuring leading music industry experts discussing the importance of mapping music and arts spaces. Book your free ticket: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/everything...
Everything in its right place: Panel on mapping music, arts & culture
A panel session discussing the role of mapping music, arts & culture ecosystems, and audiences, in making informed, evidence-led policy
eventbrite.co.uk
We hope this is a step in the right direction and will be speaking in favour of the new Live Music fund at the Oxford City Council budget meeting next week. www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2585421...
Live music support funding proposed over concerns for city nightlife
Funding to support live music events in Oxford, home to Radiohead, Supergrass and Glass Animals, is being proposed in the upcoming budget.
oxfordmail.co.uk
Launched today - Oxford City Council wants to hear your views about its busking / street entertainment policies. Deadline for feedback is March 17th. consultation.oxford.gov.uk/regeneration...
Busking and Street Entertainment in Oxford City Centre - Oxford City Council - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by Oxford City Council
consultation.oxford.gov.uk
"Nightlife is the most undervalued asset class in culture." mixmag.net/read/nightli...
Nightlife contributes £112 billion to UK economy annually, new report reveals
The report claims that the nightlife economy is the “most undervalued asset class in culture”
mixmag.net
We’ve organised a fascinating ‘mapping music, arts & culture spaces’ panel session for the Oxford Brookes Creative Industries Festival, from 1pm to 3pm on Weds 25 February at Brookes. Book your free tickets now, & check out the other festival sessions: www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/6th-inter...
6th International Creative Industries Festival
All events are part of the 6th International Creative Industries Festival organised by the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Network at Oxford Brookes University, it is FREE and OPEN TO ALL!
eventbrite.co.uk
Last night we were privileged to attend the launch of the Music Venue Trust annual report at the V&A. Please give the report a read and share with anyone in a position to affect positive change for grassroots music venues. www.MusicVenueTrust.com
musicvenuetrust.com
Music Venue Trust@musicvenuetrust.bsky.social · 7mo agoThank you to the guests and venues that joined us for the launch of our 2025 report - and especially to those venues around the UK who continue to fight every day to keep their space open. 📸 by Georgia Penny
Our Annual Report 2025 is now available to read at www.MusicVenueTrust.com. Venues, artists, promoters, crews, and fans - this is vital reading for anybody in the live music sector. It offers research and information, as well as your blueprint for what we do next.
1 week today! Our Christmas Oxfordshire music scene Social is on Thursday 11 December at @modernartoxford.bsky.social from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Come and say hello. There's lots to talk about. Book your free place at: wegottickets.com/CausingAScene Socials kindly supported by Truck Store
