Barely a year old, this Oxford band will melt hearts and minds with their warped soundscapes.
“Last night was our tenth or eleventh gig,” begins frontman Jack Goldstein, “so we’re only just in double figures.” We’re speaking after Fixers brought their blissful ambience to London to support US slackers Wavves, and Goldstein is chattering excitedly about his city, his band and everything in between.
After bursting out of his bedroom with a clutch of demos and starting the band, he set about redefining Oxford’s fertile musical landscape with a slew of addictive, spacious, acid-washed recordings. Organically graduating to sharing stages with the likes of Best Coast and Magic Kids, Fixers, who bonded over their love of The Beach Boys, are developing their sound in breathtaking fashion.
“In our first few shows we were going for a heavy wall of sound, but it got to the point where we were listening to so much music, from Cocteau Twins to ’60s psych, that it evolved into something else entirely, you think ‘I love that sound’, and suck it all in,” he says. Goldstein’s enthusiasm is infectious. His informed description of the development of his local scene (“we’re at an early stage, the bands are learning and growing at the same rate and it’s a nice aesthetic”) is followed by an admission of his band’s love of a certain celebrity. “We have an unhealthy obsession with Tom Cruise, he’s the ultimate celebrity!” he laughs, before recommending we check out another local band. With ambition, ideas and songs to fall in love with, Fixers are well worth checking out too.
Words by Ben Homewood
Where: Oxford
What: Harmony-drenched psych-pop
Unique Fact: When they’re not touring or recording, the band work jobs in music venues and hospitals
Get 3 songs: ‘Amsterdam’, ‘Iron Deer Dream’, ‘Crystals’
