Skylarkin' Soundsystem: Booze n' Badchoons.

Last Thursday of every month at The Zodiac, Oxford (featuring The Legendary DJ Derek and guests)

2nd Friday of every month at The Prince, Brixton.

For more info or to book Skylarkin' Soundsystem / Count Skylarkin email skylarkinsoundsystem ..at.. gmail ..dot.. com

Beloved of drinkers and dancers everywhere, Skylarkin' Soundsystem was born via a 1997 mixtape in a South London cafe, and has been kicking out its patented brew of Jumpin' Jivin' Rockin' Swingin' Reggae, Ska, Soul, Dancehall and Rhythm & Blues Exotica in East Oxford every week for the past five years, with a monthly residency at The Prince in Brixton.

We've put on the odd live act in that time (mostly at the Oxford Zodiac), with roof-raising shows from Ska Cubano, Alton Ellis, The Skatalites, The Topcats and Max Romeo under our belts - not to mention numerous rip-roaring appearances from our house band, The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers.

DJing luminaries to have joined resident Sir Count Prince Skylarkin on the decks have included Daddy G, JStar, Wrongtom, Natty Bo, Bam Bam and Gaz "Rockin' Blues" Mayall. The Nextmen mashed up the dance at our All-Singing, All-Dancing 4th Anniversary Shebang in September 2006. And on the last Thursday of every month we're proud to welcome the ageing Bristolian reggae institution DJ Derek to the decks at our regular Zodiac hoo-ha!

Finally, Summer 2006 saw the The Disco Shed - brainchild of Aidan Larkin and his good buddy Peepshow Paddy - conquering festival-land, rocking the allotment at Truck Nine and The Big Chill. Skylarkin' Soundsystem also rolled up, rocked the tree house and got royally hammered at The Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire. More of the same to come in 2007!

For my own part, I made my fortune performing dubious scientific experiments on political prisoners in the old Eastern Bloc, before investing in a thriving West of Ireland "nite" spot (The Dalton Inn is regularly voted Disco Of The Year in the Farmer's Journal) and now enjoy the trappings of seasonal homes all over the Caribbean, where I fostered my love of music. Some years ago I happened by chance upon Aidan Larkin, an up-and-coming ex-pat Irish disc jockey playing all of my favourite sounds whilst in Oxford visiting my old pal Tomas Jesus Rotulas, and the rest, as they say, is history. Divorced from my childhood sweetheart The Delectable Ethel since 2004, I now live in Oxford, England with my manservant The Disgraced Former Bishop of Galway.

Dalton Nuggets