The Return of Freud’s

Two Saturdays ago, Freud’s cocktail bar in Jericho played host to the first ‘Holy Funk’ night, where serious funk, soul and disco grooves were played in the former church of St Paul on Walton Street.

The ultimate alternative evening had live improvisation from saxophonists, trombonists and trumpeters, giving the avidly enthusiastic crowd something to go mad for.

The combination of DJs with good taste and soloists’ interaction with the crowd made this much more fun than any other night. The night obviously appealed to many whose main interest was soulful music and not the greasy repetition of rubbing bodies together in Park End or PTs.

Freud’s itself was a great venue for the event, tables pushed back giving plenty of room for dancers to bust moves at the front while still allowing people to sit and listen from afar. With no disco balls or UV rays, the lighting complemented the sincerity of the event.

David Meredith on tenor sax said “It was a good party vibe because we could actually get involved in the music. It’s always fun when you’re playing and people are dancing”

The crowd were dancing alright, as finally the Saturdays in Oxford offer something interesting for funk/soul fans to get their teeth into.

We’d definitely advise any sceptics to give the next Holy Funk a go, this Saturday (9th) from 10pm until late.

Words: Sophie Perry

Events manager James Shirley with Holy Funk DJ Zakia

We caught up with James Shirley, English student at St Catz until he graduated this summer, and now the new events manager at Freud’s.

The Tab: Hi James! Where’s Freud’s been all this time?

James Shirley: I didn’t really go to Freud’s before –  it lacked an image perhaps, but it can’t have a set image because it’s so versatile.

You can use the space to put on a moody Halloween night, in a Church with bass music and the lights down low, but you can also have this positive, upbeat vibe with Holy Funk.

For those who don’t know, what exactly does Freud’s give you that other places don’t?

James: You can turn up at any time, and if you wanna go drinking with your friends you can have a cocktail, or if you’re on the way home and want a coffee to relax, you can have that.

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You can be on a sofa in the corner with a coffee, or you can be dancing to some funk on the dancefloor. It’s very versatile.

Do you have a regular crowd?

James: The regular crowd is a bit older, from 23 and over. Most students see it like a treat, they make a plan to go to Freud’s. We’d like it to be the place where people just turn up casually, eventually.

Your Holy Funk night is described as ‘Funk/Soul/Disco/Jams’. What exactly is the difference between Funk and Disco? 

James: I guess disco is the root of house, so while you’ve still got the taglines of funk, there’s a more steady 4/4 beat. Funk is closer to jazz, a looser feel.

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Did you expect the success you had with the first Holy Funk and then Halloween?

James: We got a sense it was going to be fun from talking to people. There’s no reason to hate it – it’s not trying to be a certain thing. If you make a house night it’s difficult to pitch it, because do you try to make it a really fun night, or do you try to do a “serious” house night?

Funk and soul covers music you know quite well, there’s no reason to feel select about going, it’s free too, so far.

Did you have any sound problems in the events?

James: There’s a very high ceiling and it’s a very big venue so it’s difficult to fill it. We recently installed a very good sound system, one of the best in Oxford, but ideally you’d have stacks of speakers to make it work.

When the door opens the sound goes straight down the street, and Jericho’s a residential area, and so we have to be careful about making too much noise.

What other nights has Freud’s got coming up?

James: We’re going to have a new swing night on Fridays – we might look at a Gatsby-esque theme for that.

Also in the pipeline we have asked the university’s jazz orchestra to play in a few weeks’ time. That will be a sit-down event where you book a candlelit table.

Thanks James! Holy Funk is tomorrow (Saturday 9th November) from 10pm until late.