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CHAOS UNDER NO TIES, METAL TO THE MASSES - OXFORD, HEAT 3, MARCH 2026

https://chaosundernoties.com/reviews/metal-to-the-masses-oxford-heat-3/ 

Mortifi’d:

Mortifi’d hit the stage like a burst of neon chaos, a trio whose personality was as loud as their sound. Before they even played a note, the details pulled you in: UV‑reactive shoelaces glowing under the lights, props scattered across the stage, and most importantly, their ever‑present squirrel mascot perched proudly like a guardian of mischief. It set the tone perfectly for a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still delivering a tight, old‑school punch. That, and Doll really liked the shoelaces! Everyone in the room knows the running joke: despite Doll’s full death‑metal makeup, they’re a pop‑punk lover at heart. Mortifi’d leaned into that contrast beautifully. Their sound carried that classic old‑school edge. Mortifi’d made a point of telling the crowd that every song in their set was original, and the themes were delightfully relatable. Doll managed to pick out a few lyrical gems – something about having too many spoons and never finding the right Tupperware lids, and another track dedicated to an obnoxious person on a bus. All very relatable gripes with the world! There were plenty of standout moments on stage, especially when the guitarist/vocalist tore into a riff right beside the bassist, the two of them locked into a shared groove that radiated pure joy. Between the glowing laces, the squirrel mascot, the sunglasses, the quirky lyrics, and the tight musicianship, Mortifi’d delivered a set that felt unmistakably them. They’re a band with personality, humour, and a clear sense of identity, and that made their performance one of the most memorable of the night. They closed Heat 3 with pizzazz.

Outcome:

Jay’s leap onto the stage brought the night to its final buzz. With the crowd still riding the high of three wildly different performances, he announced the audience vote first – Twin Skeletons, taking the win with the kind of roar that only comes from a room full of people who genuinely felt their set. Then came the judges’ decision, and I felt like they had a challenge on their hands. In the end, they handed the victory to Mortifi’d, a testament to the trio’s originality, personality, and the sheer amount of heart they poured into every second onstage.
As the cheers settled and the lights shifted, there was one more moment that deserved its own spotlight: a heartfelt farewell to Kalm. Stepping in on the day of the show is no small ask, and they handled it with grace, guts, and a whole lot of enthusiasm. Watching them grow in confidence throughout their set was a privilege. Whatever comes next for them, they’ve left a mark, and they’ve earned every bit of support that follows!!

~ Doll

NIGHTSHIFT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2025

https://nightshiftmag.co.uk/2025/mar.pdf

ANALOGUE ELECTRONIC WHATEVER / BABY MAKER / mOrTiFi’D Apothecary Tap, Banbury

Chris Oakes of Strummer Room Records is fast becoming Banbury’s live music version of John Peel, working hard with a small team to promote a truly eclectic variety of artists at his monthly nights at Banbury’s funky Apothecary Tap. Tonight’s triple bill kicks off with mOrTiFi’D, featuring solo singer/ songwriter Morti fortified with direct drums and busy bass. Morti proclaims “I promised you f-ing weird and I intend to deliver!” and we get an assortment of cartoon punk pop stories touching on inflatable fruit, dinosaurs, aliens and D’n’D. It’s a melodic melange that climaxes with a tale about «Vacuum packed radioactive squirrels”; you should check out mOrTiFi’D for that reason alone. Baby Maker’s bio states they “cherry pick and prod at the carcass of influence”. Amidst a crescent of foot pedals the solo figure does indeed seem to root matters in a lush backing track made from spare parts from the 90s, customising them with a speak-singing estuary delivery that’s embroidered with webs of live guitar. As with so much technology-driven collage-based music, it can be a challenge to balance the eclecticism of fingertipaccess-to-every-genre and making something-truly-distinct when there are so many references in the mix. In this regard Baby Maker and headliner Analogue Electronic Whatever share similar starting points even if the end results are quite different. Despite a logo bearing three figures, Analogue Electronic Whatever are just a single fellow, looking like an electro version of John Hegley and referencing glam and Gerry Anderson in a James May shirt with plenty of Batman-style Zap!s and Pow!s. In fact, as he stomps back and forth enthusiastically in front of his video projections and tweaking a veritable starship enterprise-sized collection of gear, AEW manages to mash just about everything from the 50s onwards into a space-age hosepipe blast right into your face, ears and all the way beyond into someone else’s idea of the future.   As with Baby Maker there’s plenty of it and it’s hard to pick out a distinct highlight, but that doesn’t mean either artist isn’t enjoyable; the crowd hops and bops for both and perhaps most importantly, at all times are only feet away from real life performers, giving their all for the sake of gigs in funky bars on small town Friday nights. Everyone here plays their part in making the event and if you stumbled across this sort of thing on holiday you’d never stop talking about it. Yet it may well regularly be happening not far from your own home if you take the time to look, so praise-be for small scenes! ~ John Zap