Camden Crawl 2009

North London's biggest 'gigathon' The Camden Crawl returns in 2009 for two days of musical mayhem across 40 venues and featuring 150 'groundbreaking artists'. Last year news spread like wildfire that Alex Turner was putting in a secret performance, but the Arctic Monkey's frontman was nowhere to be seen, preferring to stay at home with a cup of coco. But the Camden Crawl has never been about established stars. Rather, this annual two-day (and pretty much non-stop) neighbourhood festival, which started back in 1995, acts as a shop window for up-and-coming stars treating their fans to something special and trying to win over a few more (not to mention the record execs). As usual, this year's listings has its fair share of (quite frankly) ridiculously titled ensembles, including Experiment On A Bird In The Airpump, BLK JKS and Pulled Apart By Horses. Although the latter may rather be what you get if you're caught in music-fuelled abandon wearing anything other than skinny jeans and converse trainers.

FRIDAY ACTS TO INCLUDE: Echo & The Bunnymen, Filthy Dukes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Idlewild, The Von Bondies, The Virgins, Hockey, The Whip, Kissy Sell Out, Kitty Daisy & Lewis and Wire
SATURDAY ACTS TO INCLUDE: Little Boots, The Maccabees, The View, 808 State, Billy Bragg, The Fall, Golden Silvers, Frankmusik, Ipso Facto, King Creosite, Toddla T and Hot Leg

MAIN VENUES:
The Roundhouse, Koko, Electric Ballroom, Dingwalls, Underworld, Cuban Bar, Barfly, Dublin Castle, The Monarch, Earl of Camden, Oh! Bar, Purple Turtle, Bullet, The Black Cap, St Michaels Church

Please see the official website for full venue and act listings. For teenagers between 14 and 18 there is a special alcohol-free event on the Saturday featuring 25 top bands in four venues from 12pm-8pm: the inaugural Red Bull Bedroom Jam X-Crawl.