RECORD OF THE WEEK: WE ARE THE PHYSICS, Goran Ivanisevic

AS WILD as Goran Ivanisevic at his most magnificent, We AreThe Physics have released this topical lunatic single so contrary to thecivilised Wimbledon setting that it deserves to be noted. Amazingly, while starting out sounding slightly deranged,they have recognised the musicality of the sparkling, brooding Croat’s name and managedto layer it into an almost anthemic tribute as unpredictable as the man himself.

HOW TO BRING A SONG TO LIFE - A LESSON IN TALENT SHOW SNOBBERY

HERE'S an example of American Idol contender Phillip Phillips proving that real musicians can be uncovered on such shows.

This is the original Usher song Nice and Slow - scroll to 4.20 to see the matching segment.




And here's what Phillip Phillips did to it...




I don't buy talent show snobbery.
I'm quite happy to judge alongside the rest of them, often despairing at song choices.
But I aways find a favourite I love almost enough to want to stay in on a Saturday night - almost but not quite, there's always online catchup TV...
Granted, there's the inevitable sinking feeling that once the chosen one has been anointed, whatever it was that made them original will be filed away to nothing by the time their first overproduced single is released.
But that is the fault of others and, often, the runners-up end up having highly successful careers, sometimes credible even.
So next time you find yourself in a state of despair, think of Phillip Phillips...

NOBODY CANNA CROSS IT - A POSITIVE TAKE ON A SERIOUS SITUATION

I'm a bit late to this one but for those who haven't already seen it, here's a video to make you smile - a light take on a difficult time.
It was some time ago and not intended to mock the destruction caused by flooding at Mavis Bank in Jamaica last year. If anything, it'll have raised some awareness.



For the curious, the link below chronicles the history of the clip.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nobody-canna-cross-it

CAMDEN CRAWL - ARE YOU READY? ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL KIT TIPS

THE hour is approaching – the Camden Crawl Festival, our annual ramble through territories familiar and not so, begins tomorrow and we’re doing a reverse rain dance in anticipation.

While some are still recovering from the London marathon, we Camden types are in training for our very own Camden-style athletic challenge – a 3-day test of endurance comprising miles walked, queues joined, decibels tolerated, venues visited, pints drunk and all in skinny jeans and suspension-averse ballet shoes. Bring on the gold medal.

Headliners Glasvegas

There’s not enough room to tell you every name, venue or activity programmed so here are the basics. A weekend ticket can buy to Saturday and Sunday (May 5 and 6), hundreds of singers, artists, comedians and the first ever Crawlternative Media Expo at St Michael’s Church. Ghetts, Admiral Fallow, Clock Opera, Glasvegas, Lady Leshurr, The Futureheads, Alabama 3, Gaz Coombes and so, so many more will feature over the weekend, while the full list of artists, venues and details of the Crawl’s daytime programme can be found at www.thecamdencrawl.com Tickets for Friday’s launch headlined by Death in Vegas at Koko, can be bought separately.

To help you on your way, here’s my Camden Crawl survival kit.

1) Phone charger. Pack one for times when you want to check out SBTV’s Electric Ballroom urban takeover while your gig buddy would rather check out the record fair at St Mark’s Church or an acoustic act way down the other end of Camden High Street. If your phone has the misfortune to have a short iPhone battery, take every opportunity to charge it along the way – or risk spending the rest of the Crawl alone, or worse, unable to tweet.

2) Plan your timetable. Some acts, like Baxter Dury and Ellen and the Escapades play both days while there’s only one chance to catch others.

3) Plan for queues. You can’t always see everything, so be realistic. If there’s a real must-see band, get there early.

4) Comfy shoes – two days trekking up and down Camden High Street will leave even the most hardy feet feeling battered and bruised, perhaps finally an excuse to dig out that unwanted Christmas foot spa?

5) Layers and light waterproofs – We don’t want a repeat of the great Camden washout of 2010 when every inch of every layer of our clothing was drenched before the (cold) sun had gone down.  

6) Waterproof eyeliner / guyliner / mascara – there’s no shortage of heavy make-up in Camden, just make sure it’s of the waterproof variety, so it can withstand both the sweaty heat of a mosh pit and any potential torrents sent to try us.

7) Research the line-up – you can’t possibly have heard of every band on the line-up. Look up the unfamiliar ones, find the hidden gems lurking in the small print, they may be the next big thing. That’s how we saw Florence and the Machine some time back and Rizzle Kicks last year.

8) Keep your eyes open, listen out for the buzz and monitor Twitter. There are always surprises, guest appearances and random musicians – usually called Pete Doherty – wandering the streets.

FAREWELL MCA - BASTIE BOYS' ADAM YAUCH RIP

WHILE those in the know will today be taking stock of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's contribution to music, I'll be remembering his effect on the formative years of my skateboarding friends. Their older albums were favourites but it was the era of Ill Communication that seemed to be composed to our lives. Sabotage was a masterpiece, Sure Shot's flute intro a crystal signal to action and The Beastie Boys' ensuing energy daring us to match them. Adam, or MCA, was not yet 50 and although his illness was not new, his loss remains a shock. Farewell MCA - the many tributes already posted online are fitting.



and the classic Sabotage...

RECORD OF THE WEEK - Cake, Long Time

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.... since I've posted on this blog.

So, having been reminded by a repeat of Shameless USA just how magnificent Cake's song Long Time is, and in light of the apt title, I thought I'd start with this...

CAKE - Long Time

GHOSTPOET - A PRIZED SPECTRE

AFTER a heavy night out, when the sun and moon were at war and thoughts were pleasantly hazy, Tricky’s Maxinquaye album filled the silence with an intense cosy wooziness.
Sixteen years later the same foggy evenings are now smothered in Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam, the debut album from Ghostpoet.

One of Mike Skinner’s favourite MCs, and hailed as one of the most exciting new hip-hop talents in the UK, Ghostpoet aka Obaro Ejimiwe, was recently nominated for a Mercury Music Prize.

 We last saw him solo, accompanied by a complex-looking console of laptops at Barfly for the Camden Crawl. Next week, after his nomination for one of the industry’s prestigious music prizes, he plays Scala (Oct 13), with an entourage of musicians, promising a number of surprise guests.

Although he had never met Mike Skinner, The Streets’ frontman – on temporarily taking over the Guardian music page – nailed his colours to Ghostpoet’s flag, citing him as one of his favourite MCs and streaming his album on the website.

Obaro said: “It was really amazing because I’ve been a fan of his music for so long. The idea of him bigging our music up is really out of this world.”

Less verbose than his songs, his blog reveals some curious insights, like his appreciation for Haribo wine gums: “It’s one of these comfort things that sometimes you need in your life. It’s kind of fundamental on tour life to have a few sweets you can eat so Haribo is the sweet of choice at the moment.”



Food is important to Obaro, explaining how his album was named after household spreads: “I needed a title that encapsulated the feeling of the album to me personally. I never listened to it as a whole piece until it was finished. For me it was quite a lot of melancholy in there and the idea of being a bit down, a bit out, a bit grey, the idea of not having a great day but still hope for the future. That was where I was getting the melancholy...I like comfort eating when I feel under the weather so I like peanut butter, I like jam so I thought I’d put it together.”

He’s not as morose as his album, swearing he’s like any normal person: “Like everyone else I guess, (I have) good days and bad days. Some days I don’t want to get out of bed, I want to stay in and wallow, other days I want to enjoy the sunshine, whatever works. Up and down good and bad, left and right, round and round.”

Obaro, who is engaged but coy about how he proposed, is more reserved than expected, saving his innermost insights for his music: “It’s connected to emotions. I try to pour into the emotion and feelings I get out of the music I create, it’s about tapping into that and letting the music tell me what to write. I guess the lyrics are a combination of the things I come across over a period of time, it could be from my life, from someone else’s life, from something I come across on the road and I try to shape it around a particular tune that I’ve made.”

His mild superstitions prevent him from revealing any unrecorded lyrics: “I couldn’t do that, I’m really bad with stuff like that. I don’t like saying lyrics until they’re recorded, they may change if I say it out loud it may jinx it, can’t say anything until it’s recoded...I don’t like saying much about potential things, rather wait until its set in stone before I announce stuff.”

He harbours a plan to one day open a dog farm: “It’s not an easy task starting a farm for dogs. But I think it could potentially happen if I have the means and the finances. I have one, I wish I had four. I never really was into dogs when I was a kid. I got one about three years ago and they’re just great companions, no matter what kind of mood you’re in they’re always there for you.”

While the glare is all on Obaro, his reaction couldn’t be more understated.
He said: “I’ve become slightly busier... people who may have never heard of my stuff before have been exposed to it a bit more I guess and that’s great, kind of what I wanted from the Mercury if anything so I was grateful to get that awareness, pick up a fanbase and cement a career of sorts...to be part of the Mercury was a complete shock to me.”

He added: “It’s definitely a case of more doors are opening because of the position I got myself into now and I’m really pleased with how things are going.”

AMY WINEHOUSE - OUR TARNISHED CHANTEUSE

Here's a piece I wrote for the Camden New Journal. I took the picture at Amy's Snakehips DJ night, The Monarch, 2008.

AMY Winehouse, our treasured, tarnished chanteuse whose talent lay as much in the heart-shattering cracks in her vocals as her ability to bare her darkest moments in song, soul laid bare on the kitchen floor, has left us too soon. Camden without Amy is muted, the loss immense. Such was her omnipresence that the void is even greater.

I saw her at her best – The Dublin Castle, Camden Crawl 2008, entrancing as her aching vocals beguiled observers into feeling her pain, and her worst – oblivious, lost, transformed into a museum piece during her Snakehips DJ night at The Monarch as, roped off like an exhibit, Blake brooch in her hair and blinded by a constellation of camera flashes, she barely played a disc. Instead she painted her nails. I last saw her at The Dublin Castle, Camden Crawl 2010. A combination of brassy barmaid and vulnerable child, she pulled pints, enjoying every delicious second of her semblance of normality.

Some mourn Camden of old, before the market mushroomed into a mall of trinkets, when punks were more than just a curiosity carrying a sign to the nearest tattoo shop.

But Amy saw past this. She exposed the lure of Camden to a new crowd, each eagerly mimicking her style with backcombed punctuations on every corner.

While tabloids leapt in excitement every time Amy made a surprise appearance, Camden barely raised an eyelid. She was a fixture, part of the furniture, and one that was expected to turn up any moment. This knowledge was a comfort.

Amy showed her fierce loyalty to her beloved borough by not becoming precious, visiting her favoured kebab shops, newsagents and pubs regardless of the 24/7 media glare.

As she showed her allegiance to Camden, the borough returned the favour. When spotted in the street at night, it wasn’t the locals who followed Amy but the paparazzi. Her attraction to the area could well be put down to the safe familiarity of the characters and venues that went out of their way to protect her.

She saw the positive side of Camden while others were busy pointing out the dark side.

Her troubles were widely known and while the sorry end to this tiny girl with the exquisitely loaded voice was somewhat inevitable, there was the always hope that another surprise appearance was imminent and this time, those troubles would have melted away.

SHE BECAME A MASCOT FOR CAMDEN - IT IS A QUIETER PLACE TODAY [Amy Winehouse tribute in today's Times]

AMY Winehouse was synonymous with Camden. Here is a piece I wrote for today's Times.

IF HOME is where the heart is, then Amy Winehouse’s heart — larger than most and perhaps more prone to bleeds and breakage — was in Camden Town in North London.

Her fierce loyalty to the place was made obvious in 2008 when she was at the height of her success. Thousands of miles away, having heard that she’d won a Grammy Award for Back to Black, a stunned Winehouse dedicated her award to London “because Camden Town ain’t burning down”.

She was referring to the infamous fire that razed half of Camden Market, taking with it her drinking headquarters, the Hawley Arms.

Asking what the appeal of Camden was to Winehouse is a bit like asking about the private habits of bears in the woods. It doesn’t require interrogation. She was attracted to its intimate villagey community but also to its excess. The vibrant market centre, which sits between the commercial district of Westminster and the cosy affluence of Hampstead, has a long history of this. In the early 1800s, the influx of Irish railway workers brought with it a legacy of institutionalised alcoholism that lives on today. Added to that today is a lively drugs scene.

More recently, the Britpop heyday brought the first generation of the celebrated “Camden caners”. Blur and Oasis drank in the Good Mixer, an unreconstructed drinking hole that focuses more on fun than on pretty decor. The second wave of Camden caners — including actress Kirsten Dunst, Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell, Kelly Osbourne, Mischa Barton and Paris Hilton — was headed up by Winehouse. Their home was the Hawley Arms, right in the heart of the market. Messy-haired, vested bar staff in skinny jeans kept the beer flowing, and then it was back to someone’s house for a party.

Musicians love the place. Name any act, from the Killers to Supergrass, from Madness to the Specials, and they will have played the darkened stage of the Dublin Castle, one of the borough’s most iconic music pubs. And this is why the tastemakers will always be here. Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq can often be found at the Barfly checking out the latest talent, or curating a night at The Bull and Gate. The Camden Crawl — a two-day festival bringing together more than 100 acts in as many venues — has become known as one of the few places you might get to see a superstar act in a tiny venue.

Winehouse and Camden were mutually dependent. She helped make it cool again after Britpop faded; after the glorious downfall of the Primrose Hill set and later the huge redevelopment of the market. She became a mascot for the borough.

No matter where you were, Winehouse’s influence, in music and style, shaped Camden’s culture. Take a walk down Camden High Street tomorrow and count the backcombed hairdos and ballet shoes. Although her minders were a necessary accompaniment, there were no airs and graces or presumptions about her. She didn’t demand special treatment, and no matter how infamous she grew, she was more likely to be seen eating kebabs at Marathon Kebab House, than sipping cocktails at the Met Bar.

Winehouse loved playing the Dublin Castle backroom and told the landlord, Henry Conlon, as much. Once, she was waiting to be served and Conlon told her to come around and serve herself. She stayed three hours and came back again and again. She craved the interaction and chat with the locals, but needed the safety of the bar between her and them.

Winehouse’s addictive character extended to more than substance abuse. She was hooked on music and the jazz and soul records she grew up with. In Rehab she says she’d rather be at home with Ray and Mr Hathaway, a reference to Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. But she was addicted to her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil too, and to drink and drugs and to Camden. No matter how often she moved away, to Barnet, a calmer more suburban area at the end of the Northern line, or St Lucia, her home from home, she always came back.

I became used to seeing the tip of the diminutive Winehouse’s beehive as she made her way through the crowds, sandwiched by 6ft tall, 6ft-wide minders. Her catalogue of performing appearances included a spellbinding set at the Dublin Castle, an unforgettable evening during which I witnessed the raw beauty of her voice, up close and away from the drama surrounding her.

Most telling was the night in July 2008 when she was due to DJ at the Monarch, but turned up looking vacant. With a “Blake” brooch in her hair, she painted her nails while someone else took over the decks. Events took a bizarre twist when the crowd spent two hours photographing her rather than dancing, as she became a real-life waxwork.

Now her neighbours and fans will have to go to Madame Tussauds to see her. Camden is a quieter place today. We miss her very much.

Roísín Gadelrab is music editor of the Camden New Journal

CAMDEN CRAWL 2011 - LAST MINUTE TIPS

IT RAINED for the first time in the history of the Camden Crawl last year. When I say rained, more like giants stood atop Primrose Hill hosing down Camden High Street until all the little indie ants were washed down the drain.


So let’s hope this year, the giants take a break from watering their gardens just long enough to let us music-loving ants swarm over Camden and Kentish Town’s finest venues for the Camden Crawl’s 10th anniversary.



Odd Future, Miles Kane, Killing Joke, British Sea Power, St Etienne, Graham Coxon, Frankie and the Heartstrings, Villagers, Giggs – the list of unmissable acts is endless but to be sure to catch your top choices requires military precision.

Army-style discipline alone is tough but throw in sun, good times, queues, clinging onto friends in a sea of people, navigating dark venues, and mountains of alcohol and the best laid plans are bound to dissolve into a haze of good intentions and gigs you didn’t quite plan to see.

This is not a bad thing –the Crawl is the ideal spotting ground for new music so enjoy the unknown acts and see if you can predict which ones are going to make it.

Here’s a few tips for the day – I won’t labour the wear comfy shoes point this year no matter how vital I think it is:

- It’s not all about gigs in dark places. There’s a whole daytime programme of comedy, theatre and the chance to pit your mind against some of the industry’s biggest musos at a choice of challenging pub quizzes.

- Manage expectations – don’t expect to see every band you want – there will be timetable clashes, mad dashes from Mornington Crescent to Kentish Town, and just plain old queues so prioritise and enjoy the unknown.

- Keep your eyes and ears open for secret appearances, pop-up gigs and the unexpected, last year Amy Winehouse was pulling pints at The Dublin Castle and Pete Doherty was hanging around outside the job centre, a few years previously David Schwimmer joined the crawl.

- Try to predict collaborations – as Giggs and Lethal Bizzle are both booked to play and they’ve just released the Monsta Man remix, that’s the one I’m guessing.

- Check out the Red Bull outdoor stage – it’ll be a rare chance to see rap collective Odd Future who made waves at this year’s SXSW festival. And if you can prove you’re an NW1 resident, you can get into Hawley Crescent for free.

- Download the Gaymers Camden Crawl 2011 The Album compilation – free to ticketholders from www.7digital.com/camdencrawl – and check out the bands you haven’t heard yet, you never know, it might just stop you missing out on the next band of the year.

- AND FINALLY – follow me on twitter for live updates throughout the weekend and tweet me any Crawl news, gossip or rumours of secret gigs – I promise to share – @roisingadelrab

ROCK 'N ROLL MAYORESS LINES UP EXTRAVAGANT BARFLY BALL

CAMDEN'S rock and roll Mayoralty were such a hit the first time they DJd at Barfly Camden they’ve been invited to return.
But this time Camden’s illustrious Mayoress Amy Lamé takes control alone as she plays gracious hostess at The Mayoress of Camden’s Charity Ball.

Ms Lamé has handpicked the acts that will invade Barfly Camden on May 6, chosen a bunch of class DJs and thought very carefully about the entertainment for the night.

And unlike what you might expect from a parochial do, this mayoress will not be turning out the lights at the respectable time of 10.30pm and there will be no carriages awaiting.

Instead, the night will run into the early hours – 3am to be exact so pack your flat shoes in your handbag for the stagger home.

Playing live will be The Caezars, UP, Suburban Mousewife, Emily Cappell and Kites with DJ sets from HORSEMEAT DISCO, Kevin Rowland (Dexy’s Midnight Runners), Hushpuppy, Gary Crowley, Readers Wifes, Martin Green and Broken Hearts.

There will also be installations and performances from the notorious Scottee, last year’s Time Out Performer of the Year, a Charity Cake Stall by Lily Vanilli (who has baked for Elton John, Alexander Mc Queen and Henry Holland), a mini salon giving Camden makeovers – a must for outsiders keen to capture that deliberately scrappy look – by Nina's Vintage Hair Parlour and a badge making stall by Philip Normal.
Expect surprise guests and performances throughout the night.

Proceeds go to the Mayor’s chosen charity, The Roundhouse Trust.
Tickets - £5adv from www.barflyclub.com

CAMDEN CRAWL TWEETERS + POLY STYRENE SLEEPS + PALOMA FAITH, TIM BOOTH AND HUGH LAURIE

A QUICK reminder to anyone not heading for the Camden Crawl – though can’t imagine what else you want to do with the long weekend – you can still feel like part of the festivities by catching Graham Coxon, Marques Toliver and more at their Levi’s Crawl set at Proud Camden on Sunday for a separate £10 ticket. Entry free to Crawl wristband holders.


And in case you didn’t see my appeal in our final preview, remember to tweet any Crawl news, sightings, gossip or secret gig rumours to me @roisingadelrab, I’ll be reporting the whole weekend live on Twitter.



• Really sorry to hear about the death of X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene. Poly, whose real name is Marianne Elliot Said rejoined the band for a one-off show at Camden Roundhouse in 2008.

In a tribute this week, Jonathan Ross told how X-Ray Spex were the first live band he ever saw – at the Hope & Anchor in Islington.

• Coming up at the Union Chapel – Paloma Faith’s special charity show (May 5) to help raise funds for a friend who suffered brain damage in an accident. She will be joined by Noisettes, her X-Factor favourite Rebecca Ferguson, Michael Nyman, Claire Maguire, Rox, Alfie Boe, David Arnold & Ricky Wilson and the night will be hosted by Keith Lemon.

• Remember when James was great? Maybe Tim Booth can recreate some of their heyday magic when he headlines Koko on Tuesday – maybe he can fill us in.

• Former Record of the Week contenders and all-round new favourites Warehouse Republic play The Bowery on Wednesday – what else have you got do?

• Anyone got a golden ticket for Hugh Laurie’s Union Chapel show on Wednesday? Let me know, is he a better musician or actor?

KENTISH TOWN'S HIP HOP CONNECTIONS - SNOOP DOGG & WU-TANG CLAN HEADING TO NORTH LONDON

WHO said genuine hip-hop is the domain of south London?


Camden may be the natural lair of the guitar-plucking indie kid but it’s fast becoming a credible rival to Brixton when it comes to quality rap – both old school and decidedly much newer school.



These days anything slightly urban is no longer confined to the Jazz Café, which continues to host the gold standard acts for which it has become famous.

It’s just as likely that visiting rappers will play Koko, Electric Ballroom or, in the case of Ghostface Killah, be found chilling with Mark Ronson at Proud Camden.

Take a stroll down Kentish Town Road over the next couple of months and you’ll find some of the biggest names in the world bringing their hip-hop vibes to HMV Forum.

First, tha DoggFather himself, Snoop Dogg and his lazy ways launches his album Doggumentary – the permutations of the moniker knows no bounds – on May 17.

Then, on June 11 and 12, the stage will do well not to buckle under the heavyweight players that make up the Wu-Tang Clan.

Snoop has picked Kentish Town to debut his 11th studio album and is bringing a bunch of as yet unreleased special guests to the party.

Although we do know countless international producers including Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, DJ Khalil and Kanye West worked on the plaited rapper’s latest album.

Doggumentary chronicles Snoop’s long career – nearly 20 years in the business – and will be a useful aid-memoir to established fans as well as a convenient pocket history for a whole new generation.

The Long Beach rapper’s long been a fan of Twitter and now he’s using his social media prowess "doggument" – yes seriously – the album’s progress online.

He has launched the obtusely-labelled #PuffPuffPassTuesdays campaign, where he releases exclusive clips and tracks to his 2.5 million Twitter followers every week and is giving unprecedented access to his inner circle via his frequent Ustream sessions.

And did you know his real name was Calvin Broadus?

Don’t forget the sunglasses to avoid being dazzled by his accompanying bling.

The second and arguably more significant hip-hop show to hit The Forum this summer will be the might of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Over the years, RZA, GZA, and Ghostface Killah, among others, have appeared separately in Camden Town but to have the collective together at last is what we’ve been waiting for.

In their first tour together in four years, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa as well as the aforementioned trio should all be there.

Significantly absent will be Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who died in 2004, but his son, the aptly named Young Dirty Bastard will take on the rhymes of his father.

Yelawolf, recently signed to Eminem’s Shady Records label will also support.

RIP GERARD SMITH - TV ON THE RADIO BASSIST DIED TOO YOUNG

How sad to hear about the untimely death of TV on the Radio bassist Gerard Smith of lung cancer at just 34.
The band put the following on their website.:

"We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly.


The following shows will be cancelled:
April 20 St. Andrew Halls, Detroit MI
April 22 Metro, Chicago IL
April 23 First Ave, Minneapolis MN
April 24 First Ave, Minneapolis MN
April 26 Ogden, Denver CO
There will be more information as it becomes available."

Terrible news for a stunning band, due to play the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park later this year in support of Pulp.
In the meantime, take a moment to appreciate Gerard Smith's talents in Nine Types of Light, linked here.

Alternatively, here's an older video but worth watching.

GLASVEGAS NEW DRUMMER JONNA LÖFGREN - "I DIDN'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE"

GLASVEGAS have toured with U2, Kings of Leon and supported Oasis.

Three years ago they were winning universal critical acclaim for their debut album but over in Sweden, young drummer Jonna Löfgren, had never heard of them.
In fact she nearly missed the lecture that changed her life and catapulted her into one of Scotland’s most talked about bands of the last decade.




It may have been a joke, no-one really knows but when Rab Allan (guitarist and frontman James’ cousin), said he wanted a female Swedish drummer to replace original drummer Caroline McKay, Sony listened.

“I’m glad they took it seriously, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” 23-year-old Jonna says.
She still not clear about Rab’s motives: “He likes Sweden, he likes Swedish girls and he likes girls. I think he just said it one day, I don’t know if he was really serious. When they tell me, they don’t know if he’s serious or not.”

Glasvegas play HMV Forum in Kentish Town on May 10. Expect to hear tracks from album Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\ released last week.

Jonna has been in the band for just five months.
She was studying at music college in Sweden and had just signed a contract to drum for a musical production of Snow White for the next six months when everything changed.

She said: “We had a guest teacher for a day (at college) and I just had a fight with my ex-boyfriend. I didn’t want to go but we ended up going to the lecture. I think it was meant to be.”
She got talking to the speaker who mentioned Sony was looking for a Swedish female drummer.

So Jonna sent demos to Sony and Glasvegas’ management but it was a DVD recording of her drumming over the track Geraldine that clinched it.
“I was playing the song standing up like how they play it. I think that video was the thing that got them to like me. I think they felt my drumming was good enough so I didn’t have to audition for them.”

Jonna was invited to meet the band in London.
She said: “I was really nervous. I had a whisky on the plane down. Before I went I looked on Youtube for interviews with them speaking because I wanted to practice the accent, it’s so difficult. It didn’t work because I couldn’t understand them at all. Now it’s different because I’ve been hanging out with them so much. I really enjoy the accent.”

Jonna confesses she didn’t quite understand the enormity of being chosen to play for Glasvegas.
She said: “When I got the first phone call I didn’t know who they were. (The caller) was telling me on the phone how big this was. My hands started shaking when he was telling me. When I hung up the phone I Googled them. There was so much to read about them, how they’ve been touring with U2 and Kings of Leon, I was like Oh my God.”

Jonna showed early ambitions to be a drummer. At three she was banging pots and pans around in the kitchen, at six, she was telling her father just how much she wanted to be like a drummer on TV and at seven she got her first drum kit.

She said: “My dad said he was going to take me to buy some winter shoes and I was so happy because I have three siblings and he was only going to take me. I was like “yeah I’m going to get winter shoes”. So we went to this city and then it turned out we didn’t go to the shoe store. We went down to a basement and this guy opened the door and it was a drum kit. My dad asked me "Do you want this?" and I was like "Oh yes", I was so happy. So my first drum kit is my winter shoes.”

HUGH LAURIE'S GOT THE UNION CHAPEL BLUES + ODD FUTURE AT THE CAMDEN CRAWL

LISTEN up NW1 residents.

Those generous Camden Crawl people have saved up some of their most treasured signings for the Red Bull Bedroom Jam, which takes over Hawley Crescent for the May Bank Holiday weekend (April 30 – May 1). Entry is free for residents aged 14 or over (under 16s accompanied by an adult) who show proof of residence and age on arrival space allowing.

The King Blues headline on Saturday and the much-hyped ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL play their first UK festival show on the Sunday. Others lined up include Attack! Attack!, The Qemists, Turbowolf, P Money and S.C.U.M. Crawl wristband holders also welcome.

Not easy to find a clip of Odd Future in their collective element so here's Tyler the Creator doing his own thing - Warning some may find lyrics offensive.


Forget the menacing hip-hop, this second clip shows Odd Future as straight-up skater boys - brings back memories of my own reprobate skater friends of the past.



• He’s so convincing on House, I’d forgotten he’s English – now Hugh Laurie’s embracing the deep South soul. He plays New Orleans blues from album Let Them Talk, which features collaborations with Tom Jones and Dr John, at the Union Chapel on May 4 – shame it’s sold out.

• Want to break into the music biz? Head to King’s Place for MusicConnex (April 19-21) where more than 100 industry experts will share their expertise on securing a career in the digital age in a series of seminars sponsored by Facebook, Youtube and MPA. Plus showcases from ILUVLIVE, Canadian Blast, One Taste and Busker Tales.

• We’re in the middle of London Latin Music Festival and the best is yet to come – see Ojos de Brujo’s 10th Anniversary Show at the Barbican (April 15), supported by Depedro, and A Night of Twisted Cumbia ft Mexican Institute of Sound, Axel Krygier and Pollito Boogaloo at Koko (April 17).

RECORD OF THE WEEK - GLASVEGAS, Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\

GLASVEGAS have evolved just the right amount – the music is bigger, more produced and tinged with futuristic elements in the Blade Runner vein – but they’re still in there.

The accents haven’t softened, the lyrics are as gritty as expected and James Allan’s vocals are as laden with pain and heartbreak as ever.
What is missing is much of their characteristic retro percussion, which seems to have been superseded by Euphoric /// Heartbreak’s spacey dimension.

Single The World is Yours bursts through the French intro as a formidable anthem, an apt preamble to Euphoric///Heartbreak’s oddly jarring and hypnotic arrangement – expect to wake from your slumber. Almost faultless, although we could do without the forward/backslashes in the title.

SHAKESPEARE V WORLD CLASS RAPPER - AKALA'S HIP HOP SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PUTS THEM TO THE TEST

“MAYBE it’s hatred I spew, maybe it’s food for the spirit,” – Shakespeare or an internationally renowned rapper?
This is just one of the tests Akala poses in his quest to show young people the Bard’s work is not as archaic as they think.



For those who couldn’t work it out, the answer’s Eminem, on Renegade with Jay-Z.
The success of the hip-hop Shakespeare Company – which explores the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between Shakespeare and hip-hop – spearheaded by rapper Akala aka Kingslee Daley, and brother of Ms Dynamite, has not gone unnoticed.
They’ve featured on CNN, there’s a film in the pipeline and they’re due to appear at the Roundhouse Studios during the Camden Crawl (April 30-May 1).

Any trepidation youngsters have when joining a workshop is immediately broken when faced with the Shakespeare v Rapper test.
Kingslee, who grew up in Camden, and went to Acland Burghley School, said: “We ask if they think they can tell the difference between a quote from one of their favourite rappers and Shakespeare and they all say it’d be obvious, Shakespeare’s so different, so old. We do the test and no one can ever tell the difference.
“Once you take the language out of context you start to get a sense of how much your perception affects your treatment of art... Whether you like it or not, that’s just a part of the human condition. You make these judgements not solely based on the quality of the work and that’s what really becomes obvious to people.”

The Company aims to remove the elitism that surrounds Shakespeare, the “ignorant crass stereotypes” that surround hip-hop and to highlight entitlement.
Kingslee was attracted to Shakespeare from an early age because of its parallels to the lyrical music he already listened to: “It just clicked with me this is the same kind of stuff I already listen to – it’s poetry...he captured to human condition the way few writers have,” and is torn between Hamlet and Richard II as his favourite play.
He said: “Richard II is the most rhythmic, it sounds like a rap. Hamlet for the complexity of the story, the betrayal, the cauldron of feelings – it’s maybe his strongest character.”

The project has provided jobs and training for some of the most promising participants. One young writer has gone on to scribe plays for the Young Vic and Kingslee hopes one day to set up a whole institution dedicated to the cause.
Kingslee said: “Ultimately we all want the same thing – young people that can read and write well and are enthusiastic about language. Whatever methods we use that are most effective – that is the most sensible thing to do.”
Kingslee finds the job particularly rewarding.
He said: “When you work with young people in difficult circumstances and they share something with you through a piece of writing and it becomes a cathartic experience for them or they realise they have a passion no-one’s ever stoked in them or they have an intelligence that no one ever told them they have – that kind of ability to help people self discover is the thing I’m most proud of.”

He has just returned from Sudan, where he hosted workshops in-between gigs.
He said: “It went really well. I hate to say it but every time I travel, particularly to countries in the so-called third world, it’s embarrassing the level of education. No disrespect, but they have a much firmer grasp of the English language than most of the young people (he works with here). You have 16 year old kids when we’re talking about Shakespeare, saying, yeah he wrote in archaic English – this is the level of grasp of the language we’re talking about.

“Perhaps because education over there is so much more difficult to obtain, there’s so much more respect for it once it’s gone...They take it very seriously if they get the opportunity to get a decent education.”
And while Shakespeare proved a hit, so did the hip-hop.

He said: “Hip hop over there is as big as it is over here – all over Africa – hip hop and reggae – Bob Marley’s become bigger then he even was in Jamaica. He’s become a larger than life persona throughout the African continent. And hip-hop, particularly the more politically aware socially conscious hip-hop, has really connected, from my experience throughout the continent and the world.”

Kingslee no longer lives in Camden, having left for the peace of Hertfordshire but he’s having a change of heart: “I’m out in the sticks now but it’s a bit too quiet for me. I think I’m going to move back into Camden.”
• Further info from http://www.hiphopshakespeare.com/

SPOILED FOR CHOICE + ADAM ANT BOOK LAUNCH + JOSE GONZALES WAS A PUNK + THE VACCINES DJ

I SOMETIMES forget how lucky we are, living on the music-rich soil of Camden, Islington and Westminster – but then a week like this comes along and I remember how spoiled I am.


I was supposed to exclusively reveal Killing Joke are playing the Camden Crawl but Japanese Voyeurs beat me to it – Romily told Glasswerk Wales website they’ll be supporting the post-punk legends at the Electric Ballroom – Don’t forget to enter our ticket competition.

After the Crawl there’s still Wireless, Kenwood, Hard Rock Calling and the totally free iTunes Festival – and that’s just the festivals.

• Adam Ant’s as spirited as ever. He plays live at the launch of his book All The King’s Horses – there’s also a short play featuring a surprise actor – at Monto Water Rats tonight (Thurs).

• Badly Drawn Boy, Gideon Conn + Jim Noir join special guests at the Union Chapel tonight (Thurs) for Manchester Aid to Kosovo’s Ten album launch.

• If you miss The Vaccines at the Electric Ballroom, they DJ afterwards at The Wheelbarrow (April 8) – totally free.

• Did you know Jose Gonzales was Swedish? He’s mellowed since his days in hardcore punk bands and has teamed up with the 20-piece Gothenburg String Theory orchestra to play the Barbican (April 11).



• Music Week’s Breakout night is NOT to be missed – acts include Dog is Dead, Manchester Orchestra and felon turned rapper Fem Fel – Proud Camden (April 13).

• Wonder what Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis would sound like on his own? He plays solo at Relentless Garage (April 14).

THE VACCINES DRUMMER PETE ROBERTSON ON TATTOOS, TAYLOR SWIFT AND HOW NIRVANA CHANGED HIS LIFE

A YEAR ago Pete Robertson was doing the usual rounds as a session drummer, convinced he’d reached his childhood rock musician dreams had reached their pinnacle.
Then along came The Vaccines, critical recognition, a top 5 album (What Did You Expect from The Vaccines) and an awful lot of fuss.

“(Radio 1 DJ) Zane Lowe asked us “How did this happen? You survived. We tried to destroy you with our hype and yet you’ve managed to make a great debut album.” Part of us that was like yeah you’re kind of putting us in quite a difficult position with this. But I feel like we’ve overcome it and hopefully proved some people right,” said Pete.



In little under 12 months, the band has gone from non-existence to attracting the world’s attention at SXSW – and they can chart the turning point in their supersonic rise to one night in Camden.

Pete said: “We loved The Flowerpot. It was kind of a landmark for us. We’d done a couple of gigs around the country playing to about 10 people. We were opening to school bands, playing to them and their parents.”
But they were noticed by the music media and a demo was championed by Lowe.
“We got to The Flowerpot and no-one was there. We thought, it’s just one of those shows. We went up to the dressing room, hung out till it was time to go onstage, went downstairs and they were queuing out the door.”

The word was out, the muso crowd had shown up and the likes of Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) and Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs) crammed into the former Kentish Town venue to see them.
“It was a very special gig for us. When we were writing and rehearsing even when we were playing our little toilets we still felt like we were doing something, we could connect to people, we just thought it might take a little longer.”

The Vaccines play Electric Ballroom next week (April 7 and 8) and are planning a bit of an experiment.
Said Pete: “We’ve done it once or twice but it’s not really taken on for us – the last track on the album Family Friend turns into a noise fest at the end. We’ve only dabbled with playing that live before it’s so sparse at the top for the first half that it’s right on a knife edge but we will be doing that at the Electric Ballroom.”

Unable to describe his own character, except to say he questions himself regularly, Pete kindly summed up his bandmates: “Justin’s got an incredible mind, an amazing way of thinking, incredibly intelligent and thoughtful. Freddie is in a similar way a bit of a geek. He knows his music inside out, it’s pretty encyclopaedic. He’s got a wicked sense of humour as well. Arni (from Kilburn) is like a typical Scandinavian. I guess he’s quite quiet but when he has odd days he gets very passionate about it.”

Coming up with the band name was difficult he said, adding: “We had a few good names we weren’t allowed to use because they were a bit inflammatory. We did one gig as The Catholics. But we were told it would probably cause a bit of outrage in about half the world. We’re not Catholics. We were Red Indians as well for a while – apparently that’s racist.”


His own music preferences vary dramatically.
Pete said: “I don’t really go in for hero worship. There’s an awful lot of drummers I admire. The drummer who put me on to wanting to play drums, my first inspiration was probably Dave Grohl.
"Nirvana basically changed my life as it did for most kids at that time – that was a proper landmark. Dave Grohl’s drumming is brilliant but I think it was that whole band and that whole ethos they had that was so inspiring to people of that generation.”

He has time for the softer side too: “I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I find music snobbery like wine snobbery. I’ve been derided for liking one of Taylor Swift’s songs the Romeo and Juliet one – it’s such a good song.”

He believes drumming keeps him fit: “I’ve got quite skinny arms but I think it must be (good exercise) because I’m not fat and I should be, I eat and drink quite a lot. The most impressive muscle I have is in my hand, no-one ever sees it, it’s my thumb muscle. Most drummers if you have really massive biceps it’s because you have bad technique. I don’t get much love for that (thumb).”

They’re due to tour the US with the Arctic Monkeys although they haven’t met yet, and have already devised coping techniques for touring.
Pete said: “We entertain each other by basically taking the piss out of each other to the point that we end up fighting and then fighting for fun and watching fights for fun. We’re in a bit of a pressure cooker at the moment. It gets pretty full on, the gripes are bound to happen. Fortunately we know each other well enough to chill it and then it’s over – no grudges or anything.”

They recently caused a fuss at SXSW, where they caught the ears of the US media, but Pete had a more important mission on his agenda.
He said: “I got my first tattoo. I kind of knew what I wanted but I was still wondering if I was still going to have the guts. I met this guy and he was a tattoo artist and drew me one and I loved it so thought why not drill me with needles repeatedly so I now have a rising sun stamped on my arm forever.

“All the guys came down and I thought they were going to help talk me through a difficult period but they just laughed and drank cocktails. They say it’s addictive. I was halfway through getting it done when I already had an idea for the next one. You never know, by next year I’ll be a painted man.”

Recalling the band’s beginnings, while still a session drummer, he said: “It’s great to be able to make a living doing music but I thought that was it and the dream you have as a kid was fading fast. I realised I needed something more from my music, some creativity and everyone else was kind of in the same boat so when we got together there was a real energy and enthusiasm. It felt like we were escaping and it was really great. The first rehearsal we had together you could kind of feel something there.

“We’re all fans of depth and meaning through simplicity. Listening to I guess brave music – stuff that’s laying the character and soul completely bare for everyone to see. “

And for now, life looks rosy for The Vaccines.

Pete said: “I’ve never been busier in life but it doesn’t really feel like work it’s something we want to do. It’s all really exciting and fun. I’ve yet to experience getting bored with playing music. I’m sure it happens but I can’t imagine what that would feel like.

“It doesn’t feel like a rush, it’s been quite a steady and natural progression. There are odd moments when you kind of pinch yourself but the majority you just kind of get on with it and enjoy the moment.”