Out of the Blue (Oxford University)
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Out of the Blue (OOTB) is an all-male student-run a cappella group at Oxford University in England. The group concentrate on covers of modern rock and pop songs, though also perform older songs, barbershop numbers and comedy sketches. As pioneers of college a cappella in Europe, they have travelled to the USA and were instrumental in starting the first European regional competition for the International Championship of College A Cappella.
Not only did they host the first competition, in April 2006 Out of the Blue were placed second in the International Championship of College A CappellaSee 2006 Results. They became the first non-US group to place in the top three. That month, Out of the Blue went on tour around the West Coast of the United States, with performances in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and Seattle.
In November 2006, Out of the Blue featured on the 8th Episode of The Slammer, a children's television programme broadcast throughout the UK on BBC1, failing to win their freedom from the fictional prison. Episode Guide from BBC-run website This followed appearances on both Central News (ITV) and South Today (BBC) in May 2006.
OOTB's live performances at the Edinburgh Fringe were recommended by the Daily Telegraph (link), and The Scotsman (link). In addition, positive reviews from critics have been posted on several influential websites covering the Edinburgh Fringe, including Edinburgh Guide, and publications on the Fringe such as Broadway Baby, who judged OOTB as one of their top-rated shows on the Fringe in 2006. ThreeWeeks magazine, the only publication to review every show at the Edinburgh Fringe, awarded OOTB a maximum five-star rating. (link)
The group has produced several CDs [1].
