First gig from Little Fish after SXSW trip. It's a good evening and plenty of longtime fish fans to chat with . I (and many others, I think) enjoy it more than last time I saw them at the Water Rats. The lights on Nez are excellent and on Juju rather marginal. Both are totally yellow so I shoot in Black and White.

Tonight is an important evening. Little Fish the duo are joined by a bass/keyboards player. My initial reaction on hearing this news is fairly agnostic. I don't think they lack anything as a duo, but what would I know; Linda Perry is hugely successful which suggests she does know. On the night I think the addition of a third person makes the band less distinctive. Some people are quite critical. My friend Spanna has only seen them once before and thinks them better than last time at the Hope & Anchor. His girlfreind who hasn't seen them before was expecting something 'more edgey'. In terms of world domination for Little Fish, Spanna may be a better judge, as he is off to Wembley on Saturday to see Elbow, whereas most of us doubters (to varying degrees)  would never dream of buying a ticket to see a band at Wembley (just to make it clear that I am prepared to go to Wembley if Little Fish invite me one day !).
Anyway when a band change it is easy just to compare today's set/sound with what one has been used to for 18 months (although it has obviously evolved during that time and new songs have been introduced). I think it is more sensible to take the 'new' Little Fish and judge them as a new band you'd just come across. I have a video of the gig so I shall listen to it and form a better judgement.
To me the real disappointment of the evening was that Juju hardly spoke. Her chatter has always been a vital part of a Little Fish gig and I hope that this was just for the evening as they tried to fit as much as possible into their timeslot. Also slightly odd was Nez keeping his jacket on all evening.
Afterwards Paul Weller arrives to see the headline band and he seems happy to pose with anyone who wants photos. I end up chatting to Paulie the manager of Rubella who I shall see tomorrow (I'm not sure he is really called Paulie, but Rubella call him that, and it makes it easier to distinguish him from the aforementioned Paul Weller). I think Paulie has come to see the same band as Paul Weller, but as we chat throughout that band I'm not really sure. Anyway we both forget to twitter the presence of Paul Weller.

Acoustic Sets from Juju and Treana are a bit of a treat, and Richard has also booked Sharron Levy. I haven’t heard of her before but she does a good show and seems a nice person. Richard specialises in nice people with talent. He and I both discovered Little Fish at the same gig in May 2007. More emphasis on music and friends than on photography tonight, but I took a few snaps to share with you.

Three days without a gig has been really tiring. I had planned to do so much that I end up being still up at 2am and still don't get the ironing done. Tonight is only my second trip to Oxford this year. Whilst I still love Little Fish, I do appreciate the opportunity to se more bands than I was doing this time last year, when I was seeing Little Fish several times a week, all over the country.
Tonight is not only an opportunity to see Little Fish, but also a chance to catch up with many of their other fans that I know quite well from those gigs. Johnny Moto is also there and offers to let me have a go with his D700. I refuse as I already want one; if I actually used one I may do something foolish like buying one on a creit card with no particular prospect of paying it off. He seems to be doing well.
There are several support bands including the Black Cats who I have seen several times and Drunkenstein who feature James the soundman who I have met many times at Little Fish gigs. They are very good but several of their songs felt as if they weren't quite finished.
Little Fish are still working on the transition from old songs and sound to new. Tonight they bring back a fairly original version of Perfect Strangerwhich is appreciated by the crowd. The mix of old and new songs seems about right, although the new aren't entirely new anymore. It's well worth the trip and I remember now why I had to see all those gigs a year ago.

An acoustic night of girls playing guitars. I generally expect acoustic acts to be well-meaning and dull. Nothing could be further from tonight's gig (although as far as I know all the acts are not not well-meaning). I have known Treana to talk to at gigs for a while but this is the first time I've seen her play. I am impressed. Elle Jay who follows is quite pleasant and has brought a bit of a crowd. She says she also has a proper band and I think I might prefer that. This may sound a bit harsh, but they were worth seeing. Tonight the standards are very high.
Juju plays a typical set. If you haven't seen her play an acoustic set, just imagine a Little Fish gig without the drums. If you do see Juju play you will not forget it.
The evening is rather pleasant with a smallish room with tables where people talk to each other. I find it rather continental. I'd expect to find somewhere like this in Berlin or Prague (but probably wouldn't). The beer is good. It's quite light in a living room sort of way and I take several pictures of the crowd which please me.