Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Oxford Commas: Aca-demic Weapons
The Oxford Commas
Genre: A Cappella, Live Music, Music
Venue: theSpace Niddry Street
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
13-voice a cappella group from Oxford University portrays college life through song and dance in an enjoyable and audience-pleasing program.
Review
A cappella (singing without instruments) continues to shine at the Fringe, especially with young talent from UK universities. Oxford University has spawned several groups. This is the first Fringe appearance for the Oxford Commas, Oxford’s lower voices a cappella ensemble. It is a joy to witness their enthusiasm and charisma with their audience.
The premise of the show is a look at what it is like to be a student at Oxford. Dressed in black robes, there is an air of tradition. A generally accepted assessment is that Oxford is a very challenging institution that offers an excellent education. Throughout the show we learn about some of those challenges and how the students are meeting them. And, of course, the stories are told in song.
The show opens with “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. What is immediately apparent is the careful balance of the voices. Although most of the group is off mic, the leads always have a mic, as does the bass and the vocal percussionist. That anchors the singing.
So what does it mean to be an Oxford student? In their words, Oxford is a place for people who are passionate about what they do but also a bit quirky. Straight into the Maneskin hit “Beggin’” with excellent vocables, or non-word singing, as accompanying support for the soloist. The context is that the students are always begging for something – begging to get into school, begging for extra time to complete a paper.
A nice patter about traditions leads into the tune “Golden Brown”. Then they break into a small ensemble with “Run to You”, really well-performed with the intimate group.
The show continues with many other popular tunes, always relating them to a situation at Oxford. There are emotional moments in describing the student’s dream and a funny routine. A really lovely touch is the outreach to an audience member by one of the lead singers. I won’t spoil the routine but it was definitely a crowd pleaser.
Then there are the college marriages, leading to generations in the same family attending Oxford. Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” fits into that theme.
Finally, there is the requisite mash-up of tunes with “Be True to Your School” and “Good Vibrations”.
Overall, the enthusiasm for performance and the chemistry within the group makes this a strong presentation. There are occasionally some tuning issues, which are often the result of trying to sing in tune while dancing. They could tone down the choreography and concentrate on the tuning, which would help strengthen a couple of the leads.
These are not music students. Their 13 members are a collection of students and recent graduates from Oxford, studying a range of degrees, but notably with a number of scientists and lawyers who enjoy the creativity that music brings to their lives week-to-week. And their passion for singing is telling.
Oxford may be a 930 year-old academic institution but it is also a place of inspiration, as evidenced by the camaraderie and creativity in this group. Go spend an afternoon with the Oxford Commas. You will leave knowing more about this venerable part of English history but, more importantly, with a smile on your face and a song in your heart from these enjoyable entertainers.
The Oxford Commas recently completed a tour in Germany and were finalists of the UK Open A cappella Competition. I expect we will see more of them in subsequent Fringe years.
