Camden Crawl 2012

Head up to North London as the trailblazing Camden Crawl returns once again this spring. The first proper musical festival of the year, the Camden Crawl may be hit-and-miss with the weather - but always delivers with a cutting-edge list of up-and-coming local bands and established stars, performing in just about every important venue in Camden - KOKO, the Jazz Cafe and the Roundhouse among them - for three nights of music-fuelled abandon. What makes the Crawl so special is that exactly where and when the bands are playing often isn't announced until the last minute, creating a great buzz as you sprint from gig to gig (though around the 3am mark, sprinting starts to become a bit of a challenge). As this is an event for bands on the way up, it's not all about the star-studded line-up, but the promoters have a consistent ability to spot the artists who are just on the point of going stratospheric and this is a great way to see them up close and personal before they start playing stadiums. This year's acts include Death in Vegas, The Cribs, Alabama 3 and Niki & The Dove, and with the festival taking place on May bank holiday weekend there's an even bigger reason to get involved. For full line-up details and ticket information check here.