NEW YEAR PARTIES IN CENTRAL AND NORTH LONDON - THE SOCIAL MINEFIELD THAT CUTS ACROSS CAMDEN, ISLINGTON AND WESTMINSTER

BY NOW you're probably just about ready to contemplate New Year’s Eve's social minefield.
Here's my ultimate list of parties across Camden, Islington and Westminster.
Burlesque, fancy dress and circus prevails, what’s the plan next year?

FOR THE MYSTERIOUS
The Eve of Tomorrow (Boom Boom Club + White Mischief), secret location (Russell Square tube), 8pm-5am, £45.99
Inspired by 1930s World Fairs and industrial obsession, a large scale production, with theatre, cabaret, circus, electro swing, vintage jazz, rock ‘n roll, and more – my personal fave. Dress – ‘30s glam, grand evening wear, aristocrats, socialites and industrialists.

INDIE KIDS
The Flowerpot presents Foals + Trophy Wife + Chad Valley, HMV Forum (Kentish Town tube), 8pm, sold out
The Flowerpot promised one helluva NY Party –Foals, great acts and DJs. Camden’s in-crowd were on to it months ago but there’s always the chance of doorstep spares sales. AND The Wheelbarrow, Camden High Street has just announced it has 100 tickets left to sell, must buy from the bar.



Club NME Ball, British Sea Power + Joe & Will Ask + Fiction, Koko (Mornington Crescent tube), 9pm, £32
Koko knows how to throw a proper rock party – in stunning theatre surrounds.

SHAMELESS NOSTALGICS

Ultimate Power, Scala (Kings Cross tube), 9pm – 6am, £20adv
Nine hours of power ballads – Meatloaf, Phil Collins, Queen – sing your heart out.

Naughty Forties NY Party, The Old Queen’s Head (Angel tube), 8pm-4am, £20
Tweed, corsets and wartime waves.

NEW YOIKERS
To the 5 Boroughs NYE Party ft Man Like Me (full live band) + Mouthwash, Barfly Camden (Chalk Farm tube), 8pm, early bird £15
New York theme – trip from CBGBs to Brooklyn loft to the Bronx and dress accordingly – 50s gangsters, 60s beatniks, 70s punks and 80s sportswear.

DEPRESSIVES
Feeling Gloomy vs Club de Fromage, 02 Academy Islington (Angel tube), 9pm-4am, £20
Wallow in misery with Feeling Gloomy’s morose tunes then clamber from the depths of despair to Club de Fromage’s cheesy hits.

AIRHEADS AND PIRATES
Barbie Girls and Salty Sea Dogs ft Diaphragm Failure + Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons + Spacewasters, The Dublin Castle (Camden Town tube), 7.45pm-2am, £10 on door, £5 adv, or free before 9pm for fancy dress
Truly eccentric, dress as your favourite plastic doll or try out the Jack Sparrow look.

MOVIE BUFFS
Soundtracks, The Monarch (Chalk Farm Road), 8pm, £10
Blockbuster hits from fave movies, Dirty Dancing, Pulp Fiction, The Breakfast Club etc. Dress as your movie idol.

WARBLERS
Live band Karaoke, The Enterprise (Chalk Farm tube), 7pm-3am, £5
Feel what it’s like to front your own band – karaoke classics and new hits.

THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
Proud Camden’s NYE Burlesque Ball, Proud Camden (Chalk Farm tube), 7.30pm – 4am, general ticket £30
Proud attracts cool kids, aloof waifs, geek chic boys, and voluptuous burlesque beauties but there’s room for everyone, the music never fails and it’s always full of surprises. Captain Dangerous + The TV Night Jam Band live + burlesque shows.

CHEESY (AND SLIGHTLY TOWNY WE FEAR)
Shake NYE, 70s, 80s, 90s disco +dance party anthems, Electric Ballroom (Camden Town tube), £30adv, 9pm-4am
Rarely a good sign when a Camden Town venue feels the need to warn no trainers or sportswear. But this could be a fun cheesy night out in a big enough venue to avoid inevitable NY suffocation. Or it could be just like a night at The Ritzy.

SOUL, FUNK AND DANCE LOVERS
DJ Joey Negro and The Sunburst Band, Jazz Cafe (Camden Town tube), 7pm, £40 adv
Jazz Cafe’s marathon session with DJ Joey Negro brings a dash of sunshine with The Sunburst Band’s take on modern soul. Acoustic support from laid back Nathan Watson.

CARNIVAL TYPES
Good Times ft Norman Jay + Gilles Peterson + Ladybugz + Crate Diggers, Relentless Garage (Highbury & Islington tube), £30
Bringing Notting Hill vibes to Islington.

THE FANTASTICAL
Proud @ Matter – Cirque ft Shaun Ryder, DJ Yoda and The Maccabees (DJ set), 02 Arena, 7.30pm-6am, £20 adv
Yes it’s a trek but Proud has put on buses for those brave enough to venture that far east. Think 1950s Vegas, circus and burlesque and dress accordingly.

Cirque de la Nuit, The Winchester (Angel tube), 7pm-4am, £25/£15 adv
Shape shifting cage fighters, clowns, and guest DJs.

FOR THE MTV GENERATION
BLOGGER’S Delight presents Video Kills the Radio Star, The Lock Tavern (Chalk Farm tube), 8pm-4am, £10 adv/with regular's card or £15
DJs – Casper C, Skull Juice, Stopmakingme, Arveene, The Beeny Royston Experience, Gino Silano, Miss Odd Kidd, NikNikNik –disco, house and party faves upstairs, pop pop pop downstairs, get nostalgic, think 1984 MTV launch, Michael Jackson, Madonna and dance your way through to the end of the noughties. Come as your favourite tribute to the art of the music video – shouldn’t be too hard to find the garb across the road at Camden market.

DIE-HARD GLAM PUNKS
RACHEL Stamp + Conspirators + Spiderbaby + Et Tu Bruce + Deeds of the Nameless + Otherness, Monto Water Rats (King’s Cross tube), 6pm, £13
Glam punks Rachel Stamp rarely get together to play live anymore so witness this one-off show, grab a free signed copy of their latest album (first 50 arrivals), get your eyeliner on and dress the part for what promises to be a raucous party.

GARAGE DUBSTEP AND HIP-HOP
REGGAE Roast with EL-B & MC Rolla, Channel One, Daddy Skitz, Moodie, Excel + more, The Big Chill House, (Kings Cross tube), 9pm-5am, £15 earlybird/£20 adv
Reggae Roast’s first ever NYE party, Room one – UK Garage/dubstep pioneer EL-B ft MC Roll and Channel One Sound System with Rastafarian chants from Mikey Dread, Room II - UK Hip Hop legend Daddy Skitz party blend of Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, Dancehall and Reggae.

FOR THE MAD HATTERS
SAM and The Womp's NYE Hat Party with Sam and The Womp live, Senor Migan, DJ Cous Cous, Aaron Audio, Bobby Gandolf, Camino, (Kings Cross tube), 9pm-4am, £15earlybird, £20 adv, £60 restaurant ticket
High-energy Balkan, ska, dub, Latin and gypsy-dubstep with Sam’s six-piece band The Whompers, wear your most extravagant hat – prizes for best.

FOR THE CROONERS
Mitch Winehouse, The Pigalle Club (Picadilly Circus), 7pm-late, dinner, admission and champagne – £95, non-dining guests – £25
Crooner/cabbie/celeb dad Mitch Winehouse hosts a classy evening of jazz and swing – Amy’s been known to join him onstage but we hear she may be in Moscow.

COOL AND CASH-STRAPPED
The Wheelbarrow (Mornington Crescent tube), open till late, free
Top tunes, nice faces and an extended late licence – and you don’t have to pay a penny to get in.

RECORD OF THE WEEK - RIZZLE KICKS, Down With The Trumpets

AS THE cold dark nights draw in here's a little bit of sunshine to throw off the clouds.
Brighton duo Rizzle Kicks have come up with a lively, groovy tune about...brass (until now, my least favourite instrument group). Down With the Trumpets has a ring of Man Like Me - another reason I like this one. A tea tray features heavily in the video - why not? They're unsigned but not for long - check them out on Youtube now.

RECORD OF THE WEEK - JONA LEWIE PRESENTS MAN LIKE ME, You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties

IF YOU watch X-Factor and don't get up for a cuppa during the ads, you'll have seen Man Like Me dancing around a house of kitchens promoting Ikea covering Jona Lewie's 1980 hit You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties.
Band member and - it turns out - talented impressionist Pete Duffy sings lead instead of frontman Jonny Langer (deemed too wild for this song) and replicates Lewie's voice perfectly. This is the most restrained MLM - loved for their energetic dancing - have ever been. Great song but next time Ikea use one of MLM's originals.

OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL'S TRIBUTE CONCERT, ELECTRIC PROMS OUT FOR THE OLDIES, THE HAMPTONS SET SAIL + CARL BARAT'S MEMORY

SOME of my absolute favourite music events of the year are looming so save up your pennies. Tim Robbins plays the Union Chapel (Sept 30), Mencap Little Noise Sessions comes up in November and BBC Electric
Proms is next month.
The Union Chapel's Little Noise Sessions are the most memorable I've ever been to and always produce unique, unpredictable moments. I can not wait to see the line-up. Although the Electric Proms will be a smaller affair this year the kaliber of the stars is higher than ever.
Pleased to see Elton John and Robert Plant aready lined up to play the Roundhouse, but waiting with bated breath to hear which up and comers have been signed up.

(Here's some old footage of Elton teaming up with Guns 'n Roses)

• Mr Hudson, The Kooks, Man Like Me and Eddy Temple Morris are among the many acts signed up to celebrate the life of the late Charlie Haddon, former frontman of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, who died last month. Chazzstock takes place at Koko (Oct 3) – a particularly poignant event for Camden.
• Charlie from The Hamptons called this week to say his band plays The Monarch (Sept 21). From what I can gather they're called The Hamptons although they've never been there and Charlie, who once sailed the Atlantic in a yacht, is from Gainsville, Florida, of Koran burning preacher fame.
• Re-Libertine Carl Barat’s written a memoir – but will there be anything in it we haven’t already heard? He plays Scala (Oct 27) to promote the book and his debut solo album.

SAN FRANCISCO LIFE, CARNIVAL WITH MAN LIKE ME, WIN TICKETS FOR BRANDON FLOWERS & TRICKY HITS KOKO

“IF YOU’RE going to San Francisco...,” you must be me! Sorry I can’t bring you any deeply thought-out Alistair Cooke type Letter From America – I’m more like Sesame Street’s Alistair Cookie.
So far all I’ve discovered musically in SF is, there are a lot of open-air jazz bands around and I hear Snoop Dogg played somewhere near on Sunday. Smoking is violently disapproved of here, the smell of cannabis is everywhere but so far the hippies have evaded me.

• One of the finest live bands around, Camden’s smile-inspiring Man Like Me, join an all-day cast of live music at The Old Queen’s Head, Essex Road, on Sunday (3pm-3am). King Charles, Josh Weller and
SixNationState complete the bill and it’s free before 8pm.
• Fans of The Killers might like to know frontman Brandon Flowers plays a special gig at Relentless Garage (Sept 8). The only catch is there are only 200 tickets and you have to pre-order his album from HMV through the venue’s website by Wednesday (Sept 1). Good luck.
• Ready for Carnival? What about the vital after-party? Reggae Roast is promising to throw the biggest Roots Reggae party in the capital at the Big Chill House (Aug 29) with BBQ and Carnival vibes through the night with Manasseh feat Charjan, Moodie & Exel, Ramon Judah, Louis Slipperz and Dub Hunter. Course that’s just till 3am, you’ve still got the rest of the night to play with.
• Tricky – responsible for one of my all time favourite albums, Maxinquaye – plays Koko (Sept 22) to promote album Mixed Race. Ever evolving, I don’t expect a return to the suffocating headiness of
Maxinquaye but it’s sure to be an unpredictable evening.

CAMDEN CRAWL - WATERLOGGED AND WONDERFUL - DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP, ROLO TOMASSI, PENDULUM, CASIO KIDS, MAN LIKE ME, THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS AND MORE

RIVERS of black eyeliner streamed down Camden High Street as buckets of torrential rain threatened to wash away thousands of Camden Crawlers last weekend.
Unlucky for the ballet pump-clad crawlers queuing all the way to Morrisons car park waiting to swap their tickets for wristbands, Saturday was a warm washout.
Sunday was dry but infinitely chillier, the miserable kind that takes hold of your bones, amounting to equal stints of sprinting between venues and subsequent reluctance to move on to the next.

(Drenched Camden Crawlers enjoy Man Like Me)

An impromptu rave by collective Red Pill London, which sprung up under a small-time gazebo, ended abruptly when police swooped in and collared DJ “The Brain” – for “inciting a riot”. I was there, it wasn't a riot. LostProphets later leapt to his defence – see footage at www.youtube.com/RedPillLondon.

The few secret gigs were mostly tucked safely away from the real people in the VIP bar at Lock 17. Rumours of Johnny Depp joining Babybird and Mick Jones with Roots Manuva fell flat, but how important are the clandestine ones when there's already a packed timetable?

There were a few disappointments as Villagers, Joe Gideon and the Shark and others were unable to play, and creative crises as we were forced to choose between headliners.
Delays and The Drums, previous picks of mine, were casualties of scheduling only a time-machine could solve. Yet there were big gaps in the evenings, where a bunch of gigs would end with nothing scheduled for 45 minutes - staggering would be welcome next year.

Aside from these minor strategic issues, we found plenty of raw talent to keep us entertained.
Another triumphant, if soggy Camden Crawl.
Here's a round-up of some of the acts I made it to:

ROLO TOMASSI - RED BULL OUTDOOR STAGE

An enigma – switching from tuneless, eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-their-heads, roaring hardcore rock to almost deconstructed jazzy instrumentals, mathrock giants Rolo Tomassi were captivating but painful to listen to. It was hard to tear away from lead singer Eva Spence, who sounded like a sweet young girl when chatting, but became a freaky possessed wildcat with a piercing screech, when the music began, singing the odd delicate tuneful refrain. Not one for me.

CASIO KIDS, then KATY B - JAZZ CAFE
A welcome change of pace, light in sound, happy electro, they attracted huge queues and quite rightly so. The kind of guys you want to hang out with, because you know it’d be fun.
Katy B's soul had hints of rude-girl attitude but was a bit too loungey. An accomplished singer who feels every word.

PLAN B – ROUNDHOUSE

Plan B rocked the camp bouncer look. Switching from rudeboy rapper to shiny suited doorman, to cheesy house dancer to Marvin Gaye-soul, Plan B played a confusing set. He was a little light on the rap, focusing more on his crooning, but maybe not quite what his crowd was waiting for. Each time he did burst into a short rap, the audience cheered their approval.

EMILY BARKER - BLACK CAP
Described by Andy Ross as having one of the best voices in the country, Australian singer Barker, with fiddle and accordion accompanists played a pure set of beautiful country/folk.

PENDULUM - ROUNDHOUSE

What better way to dry out than to launch into the swirling tumble drier of a mosh pit for Pendulum. Their tunes didn’t need much variety, and too right, a track from their new album (plugged 300 times), verged on euro-dance and sounded flat. So a wise return to the repetitive beats, mindless MCing, the odd varied bassline and a bit of electronica. The ultimate professionals, Pendulum are masters of winding up frantic drum ‘n bass to the highest scale.

TIM TEN YEN - SPREADEAGLE

Food Records’ Andy Ross’ picks were varied and enthralling. Lanky besuited Tim Ten Yen, whose only accompaniments were the smallest keyboard in the world and a sleeping battery-powered cat, had an air of John Hegley about him. Geeky synth-pop, comic vocals and uncle dancing.

MAN LIKE ME - OUTDOOR STAGE
So good we saw them twice. Only the most hardy braved the outdoor stage on day one. Many questioned if the acts would even bother to turn up, but all credit to them, they did. Nothing would dampen Man Like Me’s spirits, they played like the sun was blazing, frontman Johnny Langer coming on under a Lidl bag. And they managed to raise a party from the small but formidable umbrella-clutching crowd. They played a triumphant show at Electric Ballroom at midnight, turning the crowd into one big house bash. It’s hard not to smile when they’re around.

GAGGLE - ELECTRIC BALLROOM

There was considerable buzz around this female choir who sing about modern-east-London type female dilemmas “How can I tell if My Man is a Liar” in a freaky tribal confrontational, don’t mess with us way, while sounding a little like the pickpockets from the musical Oliver!
Wearing colourful rags, they looked more like the latest wannabe Britain's Got Talent dance troupe but, although credit due for their bold attempts to be different - not something I'd like to hear more of.

THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS - DINGWALLS
Moody electro duo. Guy plays guitar, girl fiddles about with electric things, runs her hands through her hair a lot and pouts under her fringe. Sound great. They should be French.

DAN LE SAC vs SCROOBIUS PIP - RED BULL OUTDOOR STAGE

The only other act I saw twice. They command a loyal following, many thousands on twitter and many more in real life. A drier Hawley Crecent was packed for their earlier show, Le Sac a perfect wing-man to Giant Pip’s almost preacher-like demeanour. Extremely accessible, Pip was correct when he told me his music brought together followers from all walks of life – people you’d never expect to see enjoying the same gig. Their evening Electric Ballroom set turned into one huge messianic party – a clearly memorable show.

PROFESSOR GREEN - THE ROUNDHOUSE
Forced to play the evening set after endless delays during the Sugababes, Professor Green came on bounding with energy. He’s got a cheeky young voice and his hit “I Need you Tonight” was just that.

BABYBIRD - DUBLIN CASTLE

Stephen Jones aka Babybird was in fine voice, though a little nervous he wouldn’t be playing to anyone who’d actually heard of him. He was wrong. It was an all-age crowd and he won a warm reception.

LEAFCUTTER JOHN - BARFLY

His atmospheric solo was drowned out by the rudest baying Barfly crowd in history. Where in other venues, similar acts were respected, something strange was happening here. He soldiered on and the few who were listening were mesmerised. But it’s hard to believe he was not affected by the confidence-shattering reception

THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA - SPREADEAGLE
Last of Andy Ross' picks, New Age Canadian four-piece with haunting harmonies, a cross between Simon and Garfunkle and Fleet Foxes – a laid-back mid-afternoon interlude with Tibetan singing bowls and a cello.

ANOTHER BAND - ICE WHARF
Emerging Talent Award winners Another Band brought “atmosphere” to the Ice Wharf – absent since the day it opened – you know what I’m saying. We actually witnessed rhythm in the dancing crowd.

CAMDEN CRAWL MOMENT - TRY NOT TO SMILE WHEN MAN LIKE ME ARE ONSTAGE, I DARE YOU

THE Camden Crawl's been a test of endurance this year and it's only Sunday morning.
At times it felt like there was some anti-crawl giant chucking buckets of water from the skies to try to wash us all away.
But there are some bands that never seem to let anything dampen their spirits and Man Like Me are one of them.
They may not be instant pop chart toppers and they won't fit into any alt/indie pigeonhole, they just do their own ska-inspired thing and it's joyous!
If you get a chance to see them live I defy you not to smile.
Here's a couple of their older singles, which should help explain what I'm talking about (if you can get over all the meat in the background of London Town!).
Their line-up has since changed and increased, making them possibly even greater showmen than before.





More crawl news later.

CAMDEN CRAWL - BEAT THE SYSTEM, AND BEST OF THE REST

THEY love to keep us in suspense don’t they? But even though the Camden Crawl’s timetable is a tightly-guarded secret until the day of the event, organisers can’t keep a lid on all the bands.

So here’s how to beat the system – check out individual band websites and most importantly keep an eye on twitter.  That should cover most of them. Expect word of surprise appearances to spread like wildfire on the Twitter grapevine so if you’ve got an iPhone, now’s the time to make use of it.

                                          (New Young Pony Club)

But for a more unpredictable experience, manage your own expectations and take a scattergun approach. Pick out bands, singers or acts you like, expect to be beaten by the queues and look forward to checking out the band that follows, which is inevitably the point where you’ll finally be let into the venue. But if you really want to be certain to catch something, camp out from ages before. 

Here’s a few events I’ll be checking out:

ISLAND Records Boat Party, The Constitution (Sunday, 1pm-6pm): Off the beaten track, this is where the insiders hang out. Expect to see some of Island Records’ bright new stars.

A party boat with onboard bar and resident Island Djs will ferry fans from Camden High Street to The Constitution pub, where the likes of Essex 15-year-old rising star Daisy Dares You will be performing, along with Zimbabwean singer-songwriter (the dude with the cool giant glasses) Tinashe, Dagenham MC Devlin, Welsh singer-songwriter Pete Lawrie, Tennessee soloist Lauren Pritchard and the grit-laden man with soul in his core, Jonathan Jeremiah.

OUTDOOR Stage, Hawley Crescent: I’ve said it before but any carnival-type event isn’t complete without the high-spirited, hilarious choreography of Man Like Me. Their catchy nu-ska sounds have party written all over them. Catch them at the Hawley Crescent outdoor stage along with Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Chew Lips and Skepta – anyone with an NW1 postcode who applied online can get in for free.

                                          (Man Like Me)

PRIMROSE Chill: If you haven’t got a ticket, don’t despair. The Primrose Chill has lined up some below-the-radar acts to play four of the area’s most prized pubs. You can sort of pretend to be part of the Crawl – never mind you’re across the canal with the posh people, miles from the carnage, and you didn’t have to spend a penny.

ELIZA Doolittle: A singer-songwriter with folky undertones, she’s already caught the tabloids’ attention – for wearing short shorts. Her single Skinny Genes was released on April 12 and she’s been touted as one to watch.

DELAYS: This is one band we’ll actually be getting there early for. A must.

VILLAGERS: Rated sixth in The Irish Times’ 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now, well last year, Malahide’s Villagers have been compared to The Frames, U2 and Leonard Cohen. Low key, wordy, literate and dark – I imagine Tim Burton would be a fan. Tipped by Bob Harris on his radio show last week.

PLAN B and Pendulum, Roundhouse, Friday: The only show of the Roundhouse headliners I’ll be checking out. Plan B just because there’s always room for a little East London rap and Pendulum, known for their high-energy live shows, are a definite way to wake up after the long trawl through the day’s guitar offerings.

PUB Quizzes, various venues during the day: A chance to further your education or just show off – the battle for the title of king/queen muso begins.

Best of the Rest: Shy Child, The Sunshine Underground, The Drums, Akala, Joe Gideon and the Shark, The Hundred in the Hands, New Young Pony Club, Holly Miranda, Billy Childish, Best Coast, Speech Debelle (because she’s unpredictable) and Roots Manuva. 

For the 30-something sentimentalists – Cornershop, Babybird, Stereo MCs and Teenage Fanclub.

THIS ONE'S FOR THE LOCALS + CAMDEN CRAWL EMERGING TALENT WINNERS

I'VE been talking about the Camden Crawl for months – a time when hundreds of dedicated music lovers make the annual trek to Camden Town to enjoy our most beloved of festivals.
But what if you live in Camden and you want in on the action without having to shell out for tickets?
This year, the Crawl is taking over Hawley Crescent – the scene of many a celeb walk of shame after a heady night at the Hawley Arms – and anyone with an NW1 postcode can get in for free.

(Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip will play the outdoor stage)

Yes, NW1 residents can enjoy the likes of Man Like Me, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Chew Lips, Kasms and Skepta, who will take to the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Arena outdoor stage on Saturday and Sunday (May 1 and 2) for absolutely nothing. And if live music’s not for you, a separate stage will host DJs all day.
It is the only stage giving teenagers aged 14-17 the chance to join in the fun.
Expect a carnival-style atmosphere with food and fully-licensed drink stalls from 12pm-7pm.
All you have to do is register online at www. redbullbedroomjam.com and www.thecamden crawl.com/camden and bring proof of address on the day.
Camden Crawl wristband holders can also apply for entry via the same link.

And when the fun stops at 7pm each day, locals can continue the party over at the totally free Primrose Chill, where bands are taking over four Primrose Hill pubs – The Queens, The Lansdowne, The Engineer and The Princess of Wales.

For those who want to take part in the full Crawl, don’t forget a weekend wristband gives entry to 40 venues, featuring 200 acts over the course of two days. Pendulum and Plan B are the latest to have been announced as Roundhouse headliners and separate tickets must be bought for these.

The winners of the Emerging Talent Awards have now been revealed – to see tomorrow’s stars today, head down to the Ice Wharf stage. They are: Best New Band – Gaggle; Best Live Act – The Stow; Best Solo Artist – Truth; People’s Choice – The October Game; DIY Award – Motion Picture Soundtrack; Best Visual Impact – No Fixed Abode; Innovation Award – Creatures of Love. A special mention goes to Shiv Lizzy, who won Best Song. She tragically was killed in a road accident last month.

It’s tough to choose what to see when there’s so much on the bill so the Crawl compilation album, which was released digitally to ticket holders on Monday, can help separate the howlingly terrible from the hidden gems.

Ticket holders just need to go to www.7digital.com/camden crawl using their unique code and can download the album for free.

THE CAMDEN CRAWL - HOW ARE THEY COPING AND WHY THE SUGABABES??

THE Post-its are flying all over the place and staff at the Camden Crawl HQ are slowly being buried under a pile of CDs.

We’re only weeks away from one of the biggest events in the music calendar (May 1 and 2) – and with the ever-expanding daytime programme, it’s beginning to give the Edinburgh Festival some serious competition.

There’s the big names: LostProphets, We Are Scientists, Calvin Harris and The Drums. The oldies: Teenage Fanclub, Babybird and Cornershop. The dubious pop choice: Sugababes. The cool- as-ice Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, The Delays, New Young Pony Club and the most important to me, Camden’s home-grown talent – Akala, Ms Dynamite and Man Like Me.


(Teenage Fanclub, who play this year's Camden Crawl)

The day starts early with impromptu gigs, theatre shows, countless quizzes to tax even the brainiest muso, mind-bending spoken word performances and real comedy from real comedians. On top of all this there’s a series of free events for residents with a street party in Hawley Crescent, and free gigs at the Hawley Arms and the Primrose Chill. There’s also a programme of free live music in four pubs: The Queens, The Lansdowne, The Engineer and the Princess of Wales.

But right now organisers are preoccupied with the Emerging Talent Awards (ETA). And they’ve had a huge task to whittle down 1,000 hopefuls with stars in their eyes to just 45. And now the work begins, picking the eight best bands to play the ETA stage at the Ice Wharf.

Event organiser Chris Jakubiak said: “If the weather’s good we’ll have the doors open. The standard’s been really high, much higher than we’ve anticipated. The prizes are amazing.”

The finalists will be announced on April 12.

Barring Madness’s takeover of Inverness Street last year, this will be the first time the Crawl’s put on an official street party.

Chris said: “There’ll be a road closure in Hawley Crescent, from Kentish Town to Stuckley Place. We’re putting a Red Bull stage at the Kentish Town Road end and the space on the street is licensed to hold 2,000 people. That part of the event is 14-plus and accessible to Crawl wristband holders and also a few local residents will be invited. We’re going to look after everyone.”

So why did they book the Sugababes for the Crawl?

Chris said: “What’s a typical Camden Crawl band? It’s about diversity. They’ve got new material, a new line-up, the show will be very interesting. Very special guests will be announced next month."

Each year there’s the odd surprise gig – last year Graham Coxon played The Spread Eagle and Chris hints there could be more to come: “I’m almost certain that there’ll be something like that, but we never know until close to the time.”

But right now, the Crawl staff are busy turning the cogs.
Chris said: "I’m covered in Post-it notes and I’ve got stacks of CDs I’m
listening to. We’re working late into the night but it’s always an
enjoyable experience."