If you’ve ever wended your way down the canal path in the dark, to light on the shores of The Isis pub for an evening of folk music, then you’ll know the mischievous haven that this spectacular venue is. Only accessible by foot or bike (or boat, if you’re more intrepid), you’ll leave the city behind as you’re greeted with a warm and bustling pub atmosphere, alive with folk music.

Tonight saw the double bill of Oxford folk legends Owl Light Trio, who have been touring their new album ‘Sound Into Light’, and pan-Celtic band Xogara, who despite geographical distance came back to their Oxford roots to treat us to their unique blend of instruments taking on Galician and Welsh traditional music.

Owl Light Trio features three exceptional instrumentalists, who weave together melody and harmony so expertly on their instruments that in listening to them you’re not listening to a fiddle (Jane Griffiths), guitar (Colin Fletcher) and concertina (Jim Penny), but a sound which exists somewhere between them, made up of how they bring their three voices together. The trio’s arrangements and compositions play with breakdowns and motifs which they build up into captivating sets. It’s hard to know as a listener how much in the arrangement is pre-composed and how much is live, as the music comes across as both expertly structured and yet also free and led first and foremost by emotional direction.

All of this musical entertainment was interspersed with Jim Penny’s exceptionally dry and somewhat philosophical stage patter, which left the audience creasing and bemused, usually at the same time. As well as the philosophy (musical and otherwise), at the core of the group are fantastic melodies, played with love and with arrangements that draw out the heart and soul of the music; a band not to be missed.

Following them in the second half, Xogara took the stage. Hailing from Galicia, Wales, the West Country and united by Oxford, this lively and quirky folk group bring together all of these traditions, and more. The inspired pairing of soprano saxophone (Jo Hamilton) and oboe (Siriol Davies), with Galician bagpipes (Mano Panforreteiro) brings a bright and sonorous fanfare to their traditional melodies. This is coupled with driving rhythmic energy from guitar and bouzouki (John Ruddock). Testament to the band’s energy was the spontaneous Galician folk dancing which broke out among the audience, both from those who clearly knew how to dance a muiñeira, and those who were going to have a lot of fun figuring it out on the fly.

But the band aren’t only about high octane Occitan melodies: they know just how to deliver the slower numbers. Siriol Davies treated the audience to her wonderful vocals, singing in Welsh and Galego, sometimes soaring above the louder full-band arrangements, and sometimes bringing the energy right down. A particular highlight was a duo performed between voice and pipes, which showcased the band’s understanding of what traditional music is at its core. Xogara know how to add brilliant voicings, harmonies and textures to add their own voice to these old melodies, but it’s done in a way which keeps the traditional songs and tunes at the core of what they do. Their love and pride for the music they play shines through their arrangements, and tonight’s audience were captivated by their music.

If you missed tonight, do keep an eye on both bands as I’m sure it won’t be long till they’re bringing their joyful and spirited folk music back to an Oxford venue soon.