Camden Crawl Day One - Camden, London - Saturday 30th April (Live Review)
Tuesday, 03 May 2011
Written by Hayley Taylor
London’s Camden is bathed in glorious sunshine and is ready to host a two day bender of brand new music. On the tenth anniversary of the festival, people have flocked from all over the UK to see their next big thing in some of the city’s smallest and most iconic venues.
300 bands, big and small, perform in 50 venues across Camden, from Dublin Castle to KOKO to busking on rooftops. It’s a truly unmissable date in the musical calendar.
Saturday’s first stop was the Ray Ban Session Bus to see the wonderful Two Wounded Birds. 15 people were crammed onto the bottom deck to watch the band play their very first acoustic set. Kitted out in RayBan sunglasses, they stormed through a 30 minute set of gorgeous sundrenched surfer-pop tracks, including new song ‘I Wanna Be With You’. The bus shook from James Shand’s frantic drumming and front man Johnny Danger’s toe tapping moves which were tamer than normal, being careful not to take out anyone in the audience with his guitar. Thomas and Ally’s “doo-wa-doo” harmonies set off the sharp set of snappy tunes and made the perfect start to the sunny weekend.
From here it was a stroll up to The Enterprise for ‘Island Life’, a day of gigs put on by Island Records showcasing some of their newest talent. First up was 22-year-old Angel, a London based singer songwriter hailed as the UK Pop and R&B industry’s best kept secret. He has written songs for acts such as Roll Deep and Devlin, as well as composing pop pieces for JLS and Cheryl Cole. Opting for an acoustic set today, he opened with a cover of 'Killing Me Softly' before showcasing a set of his own beautifully soulful music.
Next up was 18-year-old Rizzle Kicks AKA Sylvester and Jordan, two Brighton boys with a fresh pop sound fitting a carnival atmosphere. Witty, intelligent and fun, they rap and sing over indie, pop, reggae and ska to create what they call "indie-hop". Taking the playfulness from early 90s hip-hop and bringing into the 21st century, these boys utilise catchy samples to create fresh energetic music. Backed up by a band that included a trumpet player, they played a dynamic set including ‘Miss Cigarette’ and a cover of Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’. Dripping with charm, and sweat, they had the upstairs of The Enterprise shaking so much that security had to calm the crowd for fear of falling through the ceiling of the pub below. These boys are cheeky, charming and put on an awesome live show.
Following their intimate acoustic set earlier in the day, Two Wounded Birds returned later to play the Earl of Camden. This time was a full set with huge energy that really got the crowd excited. Playing their intelligent fusion of garage punk, seaside charm and summery guitars with intense undertones, they just get better every time.
Tonight the HMV Forum was home to an XFM curated night featuring some of the bigger bands on the festival line up. Villagers, the Conor O’Brien fronted folk band, brought some Irish charm to Camden with a performance of the incredible Mercury Music Prize nominated album ‘Becoming A Jackal’. Captivating the crowd with heartfelt and literate music, this was a performance from a man with a heavy heart. A gentle, moving and musically meticulous show that left the crowd craving album number two.
Rock and roll charmer Miles Kane was next on stage. Previously known as Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner’s counterpart in The Last Shadow Puppets, expectations are hanging over his head like a dark cloud. There was no caving into pressure here though and he treated the crowd to a full set of vintage pop gems from his debut album, ‘Colour of the Trap’. Lively garage rock, dashed with a psychedelic buzz and crammed with witty and observant lyrics, Miles Kane is an instantly likable character with a ‘boy next door’ charm and true rock star qualities.
Scottish scuzz rocking teens The View completed the line up with the final set of the night. No longer the scatty, puke ridden teenagers on stage, the Dundee boys are noticeably more developed in their sound and presence. They still have punk rock at the heart of their music, but The View have eased up on their scallywag ways to find a more polished performance. Hits like ‘Wasted Little DJs’ and ‘Skag Trendy’ sent the mosh pit of topless boys crazy and the band relished in the usual mayhem with confidence. An hour of euphoric anthems, infectious harmonies and crowd elation finished off day one of the Camden Crawl in a cider stained mess.
Day 2 – Sunday 1st May 2011
To be continued…
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From here it was a stroll up to The Enterprise for ‘Island Life’, a day of gigs put on by Island Records showcasing some of their newest talent. First up was 22-year-old Angel, a London based singer songwriter hailed as the UK Pop and R&B industry’s best kept secret. He has written songs for acts such as Roll Deep and Devlin, as well as composing pop pieces for JLS and Cheryl Cole. Opting for an acoustic set today, he opened with a cover of 'Killing Me Softly' before showcasing a set of his own beautifully soulful music.
