The Leeds Gig Guide

Band Biography for oxygen thief:

A guitar, a voice, and some effects pedals that make "du-du-du-du-durr-bwop-bwop-bwop-bwop" noises.

Gradually getting fed up of relying on two or three other people being organised/dedicated enough to turn up to rehearsals, soundchecks, and gigs on time, [placeformed]Bristol[placeformed]'s Barry Dolan decided to start playing solo under the name Oxygen Thief in 2006.

Eschewing the traditional gentle folk leanings of the "singer/songwriter" acoustic crowd, he carried on playing with the same level of passion, intensity, and volume as most people would with a full backing band behind them - adapting his guitar technique over time to encorporate the absent rhythm instruments with bass heavy riffs and a rhythm-heavy strumming style that generally looks like he's beating the living crap out of whichever guitar is unlucky enough to be chosen for that evening's gig.

Vocally aggressive, but with a keen ear for a rousing melody and a tempting hook, his mix of bite, brevity and beards has won him support slots with the likes of Frank Turner, Johnny Foreigner, Chris T-T, and Tubelord to name but a few, alongside a regular slot at Cheltenham's award-winning 2000 Trees Festival.

Following up 2009's split ep with Xtra Mile's Ben Marwood, and fellow Frank Turner tour support Jim Lockey, his debut full length album 'Destroy It Yourself' was released on Monday 9th May, and he is currently on tour supporting it.

Influenced by the likes of Thrice, Therapy?, The Wildhearts, Left Side Brain, and the sorely missed Reuben, Oxygen Thief makes music aimed squarely at rock, punk, and metal fans rather than for anyone looking for the next big folk act. Rarr, etc.

Tour dates can be found at http://www.oxygenthiefmusic.com

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