The Camden Crawl

Riding the Peaks and Troughs of Live Music in Camden Town

If you asked me what my live music fantasy was, I’d probably reply saying it’s not really my thing. Generally speaking a night out somewhere like Camden isn’t my natural choice – there are too many teenage Goths lining the pavements and not a cocktail in sight. However, a couple of the girls love to get sweaty and drink cider and black, so I thought I'd ditch the sassy cocktail dress, and ‘go native’ for a night and join them on the Camden Crawl. For those not familiar with the concept, the Crawl is a night of concerts from upcoming bands with one wristband granting entry to 12 venues spread across NW1. In the back of the wardrobe I fished out a pair of torn jeans and a band t-shirt from my teenage years and jumped on the Tube.

The performances we caught were fantastic fun – local hotties the Holloways eased us in violently as they raced through a fast-paced, sticky set of post-punk energy in the cramped confines of the NW1; a large crowd in the Electric Ballroom saw the bass guitar stomp of Shit Disco charm the crowd like Franz Ferdinand with a lobotomy; the night finished off in the Koko to the sounds of the criminally underrated Futureheads, followed by an indie disco till the wee hours. Sadly we missed it, but the chance to see an established act like Supergrass in a venue as small as the 200-capacity Dublin Castle was truly special.

However, it wasn’t all smiles, all night long. It was hard to believe the queues that greeted revellers outside some of the venues. And later the lack of bar staff in the Koko added insult to the injury of the tailback outside, stretching halfway to Camden Tube. Given the nature of the event, it’s understandable you might have to stand in line to get into smaller venues, but a friend ended up only seeing two bands all evening. Oh yes, and the ticket declared the event open from 4pm till 4am – but really the bands only lasted from about 7:30 till just after 11. And my final moan – move it to a weekend – some of us have to work.

For someone not familiar with live music in Camden it was a great intro. The Crawl only started up again last year, after a seven year hiatus, due to a dearth of decent acts, but now the scene’s thriving once more. This totally unique concept is a really novel night out and it really, nearly, was everything an urban music festival ought to be. But please – after paying £25 for a ticket you expect what it says on the tin. A revised version could be a great curtain-opener to the summer festival season.

Gripes aside, I might feel like death with a dry mouth this morning, struggling through Friday to the weekend, but I’ve put the ripped jeans and band t-shirt aside for my return. Camden hasn’t seen the last of Sadie Nelson.

Sunflower Painting Dug Up

Wilted Sunflowers – the lost masterpiece by Austrian expressionist artist Egon Schiele – has been rediscovered and is set to be auctioned at Christie’s in June. Previously stolen by the Nazis, the painting has been missing for over 60 years and is expected to sell for between £4 and £6 million.

Mayor in the Spotlight

Ken Livingstone is set to face his constituents next month as he takes part in a live, televised debate on ITV. The London Debate will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 10th May, and will focus on issues faced by Londoners, Mayoral policies and plans for the city.

Landmarks' Literary Light-up

Extracts from famous poems and works of literature were used to light up London’s landmarks this month. City Hall, the Barbican, Senate House, Somerset House and St Paul's all became canvasses for American artist Jenny Holze’s ‘For London’ project, aimed at engaging passers-by with words and architecture.

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