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

CAMDEN CRAWL APPROACHES

NOT too long ago a group of wise old music moguls gathered in Dingwalls for the annual “pick me” fest that is the Camden Crawl band allocation day.

As DJ Steve Lamacq described it in his Going Deaf for a Living blog: “It’s like picking teams in a school playground.”
Except a fair amount of young musicians I knew at school would’ve run a mile at the mention of PE.



So while we don’t yet know who the 14 promoters hosting gigs for the Crawl managed to wrangle for their chosen venue, we can still bring you a selection of the names that have been released so far.
St Etienne, Villagers, Frankie & the Heartstrings, Lethal Bizzle, British Sea Power and Simian Mobile Disco – the most high profile of the names we know right now.
Toddla T, Hadouken, Mazes, Young Dreams, The Qemists, Dinosaur Pile-Up, The Phantom Band, and Hudson Mohawke are also on the known list.

But there are a whole lot of not so well-known musicians that are worth a look-in.
You never know – one day Florence and the Machine’s playing to 100 people in The Crescent pub for the Crawl, the next, young Flo’s sharing the stage with Jennifer Hudson at The Grammys, playing the socialite’s entertainment in Gossip Girl and Dog Days is being assimilated into Glee choir’s indistinctive repertoire.



While the main headline acts are yet to be announced, rumours are rife.
Although I’m hoping Aerosmith will be among the headliners, I’ve a feeling Steve Tyler’s caught up judging a little talent show over in the states.

So here’s a basic summary of what it’s all about:
The Camden Crawl – one wristband, two days (April 30 – May 1), music, comedy, fringe arts, and interactive events, 250 live acts and special guests across 50 venues.
While there is music all day from the very start, there’s a whole bunch of other activities during the sunshine hours to help crawlers prepare for the hardcore trek around Camden (and Kentish Town) venues as dusk sets in.

The real games begin after the taxing music quizzes, comedy, spoken word and performance, visual arts and crafts, interactive events and games (see www.thecnj.com/music) are over.
I leave you with a brief summary of our recommendations.

There’s the Island Records showcase at the Enterprise featuring Tribes, Kid Adrift and Jon Fratelli, as well as Cocknbullkid and Rizzle Kicks (previously featured on this page).
Or take vantage on the Roundhouse Terrace for the Summer Sundae Weekender with Benjamin Francis, Leftwich, Delta Maid, Dog is Dead, Lulu & the Lampshades, Marques Toliver, 2:54, Beth Jeans Houghton, Dry the River, Peggy Sue and Young Dreams.

We don’t yet know who else is playing where so here’s a brief list of some of our picks from the rest: Visions of Trees, Paris Suit Yourself, DELS, Dananananaykroyd, Divorce, Japanese Voyeurs, John and Jehn, Wild Palms, Flats, Little Comets, P Money, Sound of Rum, The Chapman Family, Teeth and Fiction.

For tickets, as well as profiles of all these bands and the rest of the line-up, visit www.thecamdencrawl.com

GHOSTFACE KILLAH'S PROUD APPEARANCE + CAMDEN CRAWL 2011 + JANELLE MONAE, GODDAUGHTER OF SOUL + THE CUBAN BROTHERS, SAY NO MORE

WE HARDLY raise an eyebrow when rockstars and famous waifs stumble past us in Camden, but Ghostface Killah? He would turn my head. We hear, in True Wu Tang style, he caused a bit of a ruckus at Mark Ronson’s afterparty at Proud Camden last week – but where were the rest of the Clan?

• The first lot of names have been released for The Camden Crawl. My picks so far – the stunning Villagers who sadly had to pull out last year, former ROTW Frankie and the Heartstrings and Lethal Bizzle. Canadian comedian Tony Law on the Comedy Crawl will be memorable.



• Thanks to Camden’s rock ‘n roll mayor Jonathon Simpson for pointing out the Camden New Journal’s star appearance in Kentish Town’s rockabilly family Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’s 2008 video for (Baby) Hold Me Tight. But which page is being read?



• Show off your music knowledge at the Mayor of Camden’s Charity Quiz at The Monarch (March 2) – hosted by the mayor in aid of the Roundhouse Trust.

• Tiny soul superstar Janelle Monae, whose dancing owes the late great James Brown a major debt, arrives in Camden fresh from the Grammys to play The Roundhouse (March 1). Support from CockNBullKid.

• They’re crazy faux-Latin breakdancers with a penchant for taking their tops off and the Gumball rally - always breathtaking. The Cuban Brothers play Proud Camden on Saturday (Feb 26).

• I may not be the greatest fan of celeb DJs but at Proud does it in style. The club has taken over 02 superclub Matter with Proud 2 - Little Boots, White Lies, Mr Hudson, Hot Chip, Jazzy Jeff, Bloc Party and Tim Burgess are all lined up over March and April. Official public launch on March 5.

LETHAL BIZZLE V N-DUBZ - WILL IT EVER END?

The plot thickens...and the row over who came up with the hook to I Need You continues.
You need the background? Read previous posts here - but don't forget to come back for the latest chapter.
N-Dubz v Lethal Bizzle, Is Row Over I Need You Hook For Real?
N-Dubz v Lethal Bizzle Rights Row Descends Into Batt;e Of The Cribs - Plus Bizzle's Broken Mobo
Lethal Bizzle Gagged But N-Dubz Take Note, He Don't Hold Grudges

I reported yesterday how Lethal Bizzle's hilarious response video to N-Dubz' claimed "proof" that they were the first to come up with the hook was removed from YouTube.
Not one to be beaten, the resourceful Lethal B sent a twitter message to all his followers including a link to the banned footage.
So I'm happy to announce we have a copy - sadly it won't upload here - so instead here's the link to download it yourself.
If you can work out how to upload it, let me know.
Click here and enjoy!

LETHAL BIZZLE GAGGED - BUT N-DUBZ TAKE NOTE, HE DON'T HOLD GRUDGES!

LETHAL Bizzle has been forced to take down his video response to N-Dubz in the row over who came up with the original hook to "I Need You".
The gagged rapper may have been annoyed but he didn't show it last night when he told his twitter followers who appeared to have come up with a mafia-style solution: "Wow! Listen! This ndubz situation is over! Why are people sending me their home addresses lolololololol I'm not 50cent, I'm not that cold."
Perhaps we're on the verge of a fragile peace...or has Lethal B's lawyer just delivered some good news?
Up till now, the Camden trio and Lethal B have been airing their boxfresh laundry in public over twitter and via shaky mobile phone footage on YouTube.
Both sides had the chance to have their say, with the row degenerating into a battle over who's got the best crib. (See previous post)
But sadly the greatest clip - Bizzle's hilarious response, in which the sleighted rapper boasts of his fame, his fortune and his broken Mobo award - has been taken down.
In Bizzle's own words: "So now N DUBZ has got their label to remove my response video! Hmmmm I wonder why? Lololololol BAIT CATS! P.S its too late lolol."
A real loss.
I only hope someone out there has a copy they can send me, it should be treasured.

N-DUBZ v LETHAL BIZZLE - RIGHTS ROW DESCENDS INTO BATTLE OF THE CRIBS - PLUS BIZZLE'S BROKEN MOBO

IS this the UK's version of the East coast/West coast divide?
Thanks to the advent of the dodgy mobile phone vid British rappers can settle their fights in public on Youtube - safer than a drive-by I suppose.

Four days ago N-Dubs' Fazer and Dappy posted their "proof" that they didn't steal the hook for I Need You from Lethal Bizzle, as previously written in this blog (see here)

In the middle of it all, Fazer's film pans round to show off his crib.
Now Lethal B's posted his response on YouTube, but better still is his fightback over who's got the best "yard". Look out for the broken Mobo.
Still can't work out if the whole thing's a wind-up though - it's all relatively polite.



and more...

N-DUBZ v LETHAL BIZZLE - IS ROW OVER I NEED YOU HOOK FOR REAL?

Woah what's happening here?
The twitter row over who first came up with the hook for "I Need You" has prompted N-Dubz' Dappy and Fazer to post "proof" on YouTube.
It all started last week suggestions Lethal Bizzle had some legal beef with N-Dubz.
Tulisa hit back, claiming Lethal B emailed them a similar hook to that on "I Need You" but only after the band had cut their own record.
Now the row's moved over to YouTube and Fazer's looking pretty angry.
He wants to put a stop to any suggestion the Camden trio nicked the hook from Lethal B and is out to prove otherwise.
Fazer's posted a YouTube video - see below - looks like it's been filmed on his mobile phone - telling Bizzle: "Stop talking breeze...man don't need to cat tunes off you".
The shaky video then pans around Fazer's house as he explains: "This is my crib bro."
Turning to focus on emails and dates on his computer screen, he says the band cut their record two months before Bizzle emailed Tulisa with the disputed sample.
Dappy weighs in on the second video - "The Proof - part 2" - this time filmed in the studio, lots of focusing on computers, file dates and shaky footage of Dappy and Fazer moving the mouse around.
But listen carefully to Dappy's tone, sounds like he's serious about making the point but there's a hint of respect in there - could a conciliation be in the air?
Wonder what Lethal B makes of all this?



... and it goes on ...



So who's right? Is it for real? And is there any hope for peace?