Oxjam Music Festival: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

“Raise money, raise the roof” is the promising slogan of Oxfam’s new fundraising venture, mixing the latest music with charitable giving for the fashion and trend-conscious of the UK.

After Graham Coxon’s headline-grabbing performance on Monday at Dalston’s Oxfam, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs followed up on Tuesday, headlining an eclectic night of DJ sets and dancing. Supported by Ben Westbeech, TEED attracted a stylish crowd which seemed at home browsing the vintage vinyl and clothing available to buy in store. 

Not “enormously” well known yet perhaps, but Orlando Higginbottom has attracted a devoted following of music aficionados and celebrity singers alike. His professional guise as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs has garnered praise from the likes of Katy Perry, Professor Green and Lady Gaga and he is steadily developing an enthusiastic fan-base, as was clear to see at Tuesday’s performance.

Playing for a large crowd, squeezed in between stacks of music and shelved books and knick-knacks, TEED mixed his better known tracks such as Trouble from his debut album Garden with newer material, most notably Tapes of Money which was released this year – a single which has been unexpectedly embraced by commercial music stations such as Radio 1, suggesting we’ll be hearing a lot more of Orlando on the airways as his career progresses. 

Although differing in musical genre from the more famous Coxon, both TEED and Westbeech seemed to be perfect choices to front Tuesday’s show. The intimate atmosphere in-store, combined with their impressive credentials and engaging performance style (not at all limited by the main instrument being DJ decks) ensured that Oxfam’s new enterprise, aimed at attracting a younger clientele and in effect attempting to re-brand the dated image of the charity shop, came together incredibly well. Oxjam offers the unique opportunity to enjoy the latest music up-close in an unorthodox venue. Whether it is a well-known member of Blur, or the recent breakthrough artist in electronic dance music, Oxjam is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Clare McCraith

For more information about the Oxjam Music Festival click here.

Listen to Trouble here:

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