Sister Ray Davies at The Library, Oxford

Sister Ray Davies, whose debut album Holy Island featured on my top 20 of 2025, played Oxford's diminutive The Library pub in Cowley Road last night. They're a dreamy shoegaze duo from Alabama's Muscle Shoals, comprising of Adam Morrow and Jamie Sego, although Jamie was sadly not able to come on the tour. For good reason though - he and his wife's first child came "much sooner than anticipated" but doing well. Instead, Todd Beene filled in. I'd been really looking forward to this gig! The setup is minimal (two guitarists, various pedals and a drum machine) but they can create such a epic sound regardless, one that's inspired by the likes of Ride, Slowdive and Mojave 3. Incidentally, do have a listen to the mixtape they put together for Ransom Note, it's superb. They played everything they could (the entire Holy Island album + the single "War Machine") and didn't disappoint. This is the kind of music that really hits my spot. I hope they tour again soon and get the chance to play…