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

THE VACCINES PAY TRIBUTE TO THE FLOWERPOT + KENTISH TOWN'S CAMDEN CRAWL COUP + RIGHT SAID FRED - FOR REAL

THE Vaccines’ drummer Pete Robertson had plenty to say when I spoke to him last week – not least high praise for the guys behind The Flowerpot, now The Wheelbarrow on Camden High Street.


He told me: “The best thing about The Flowerpot was the promoters. They’re obviously incredibly passionate – they’re part of the industry’s good guys. The venue’s possibly secondary to the people that organised it and I’m sure they’ll do really well.”
See Pete’s SXSW first tattoo revelations, his secret admiration for a Taylor Swift love song and his belief that Nirvana changed his life – in my full interview above.



• Camden Crawl Update – there won’t be that much crawling while the sublime Miles Kane, Villagers and Frankie & the Heartstrings all perform at HMV Forum. Kentish Town may just dominate our route this year. The King Blues will headline the Red Bull Outdoor stage so pray for good weather.

• Each member of The Dum Dums has the words Dum Dum tattooed on a finger. See for yourself when they play Dingwalls on Tuesday (April 5).

• Plan B, Katy B, Eliza Doolittle and Devlin play a free gig at Proud Camden tonight (March 31) for Sony's Music Unlimited new music streaming service – will it be better than Spotify?

• Former Record of the Week pick The Chakras play the Bull & Gate (April 7) – looks like Kentish Town’s fighting Camden for the live music crown.

• If you’re too young to remember Right Said Fred, head to 02 Academy Islington (April 27) – your life will not be complete without hearing “I’m Too Sexy” at least once.

• Soul singer Lemar’s so far departed from the reality show that made him that it’s hard to remember he was ever a product of Fame Academy. He sings at Shaka Zulu tonight (Thursday) supported by Daniel Debourg.

THE LEMONHEADS + MILES KANE FOR CAMDEN CRAWL, MARK E SMITH'S GOT A BEER NAMED AFTER HIM + BOY GEORGE AND SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR'S CAMDEN CHARITY GIGS

CRAWLWATCH week 8453. So The Lemonheads have just been added to the Camden Crawl line-up. Remember them? If not, here’s a crash course.

Frontman Evan Dando – once a teenage grunge pin-up, even after cutting his flowing locks – took an odd turn when he briefly became an Oasis groupie and ended up playing guitar on the roof of the Buckley Tivoli (that’s north Wales to you London types) after one of their early gigs.

The Lemonheads has had many incarnations but Dando has remained a constant.
Their famous album was It’s a Shame About Ray (video to title track featuring Johnny Depp)...



(Official video not available to be embedded so here they are on Letterman instead)

...and Liv Tyler more recently duetted with them on a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hey, That’s no Way to Say Goodbye (see below).



Also added to the Crawl this week are one of my favourites Miles Kane, as well as Razorlight, Giggs, Guillemots and Yasmin.

• Anyone tasted the Mark E Smith beer at The Snooty Fox in Canonbury? Wonder if they were inspired to commission the exclusive ale by The Fall’s Crawl appearance last year.

• Charity gig week? Sophie Ellis Bextor hosts at Proud Camden on Tuesday (March 29) to raise funds for the young son of her friend, a make-up artist who died last year. The Aspidistras and Sinead and the Dawnbreakers support.

On Thursday, there’s An Evening with Boy George including Jazz by George, and support from Adam Ant, Josh Weller, Paloma Faith and special guests at the Jazz Cafe for The Hepaptitis C Trust’s Get Tested campaign. Snap up signed celeb photos in the charity auction – Boy George, Mat Horne, Sadie Frost, Jimi Mistry, Eliza Doolittle and Paloma Faith.

• Cutting edge alternative and electronic music promoters The Playground host their first Weekender at Electrowerkz, Angel, (March 25-26) featuring an exclusive debut London performance by San Francisco’s oOoOO as well as French popstar Yelle, In Flagranti, Punx Soundsheck and Waylayers. See www.theplayground.co.uk/event.

CAMDEN CRAWL'S SNEAK PREVIEW + VANESSA PARADIS MAKES RARE CAMDEN APPEARANCE + DIRTY BLUES FROM CIRCUS TOWN + STOKE NEWINGTON'S JAMMY LINE-UP

THE Camden Crawl has introduced me to an untold variety of bands I’d never heard of but have come to love.
So, in the lead-up to this year’s event – a welcome distraction from some royal wedding involving a girl who’s been called Kate all her life but now has to be referred to as Katherine – there’s the ongoing treat of the CC Tips nights.
CC Tips previews Crawl talent, a helpful nudge when struggling between the weekend’s delights.
So head to the Bull & Gate (Jan 27) for chilled-out beats from French multi-instrumentalist Anoraak, maverick Mat Motte and special guests.
PS - The Crawl’s also released details of the daytime line-up, see the Camden Crawl website

• Here’s one that came from leftfield – sultry pouty French singer and Johnny Depp’s missus, Vanessa Paradis makes a rare UK appearance at Koko (Feb 2) and, not surprisingly, has sold out already. Expect songs from her Greatest Hits album and some new tracks.
Ready for some retro Paradis baggy jumper dancing?



• It’s tough to decide which not-yet-famous band to see at The Dublin Castle when there’s something on every night and you know it’s full of hidden gems. So I’m helping out this week by suggesting filthy dirty blues maestros Circus Town (Jan 30).



• Stoke Newington International Airport’s a dark horse. It’s managed to secure the Topman CTRL gigs filmed for Channel 4. The line-up’s perfect. Each week someone different gets to curate the night so In-Betweener James Buckley has lined up Miles Kane, The Vaccines and States of Emotion (Jan 28), Misfits actor – and stunning singer – Iwan Rheon introduces White Lies, Brother and Gruff Rhys (Feb 1) and Mark Ronson brings in The View, The Joy Formidable and Lykke Li. Win tickets from www.topmanctrl.com

ROCK 'N ROLL MAYOR'S A HIT, SHHHH FOR THE MUSIC + MILES KANE AT XFM ALL-DAYER

SOUNDS like Mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson and his consort Amy Lamé were such a hit as guest DJs at Barfly’s Casino Royale birthday celebrations that there are already talks to bring them back. Casino Royal promoter and DJ Jeff Automatic was so impressed with their talents that he’s also considering taking them on tour to clubs around Europe – as ambassadors of Camden – you heard it here first.

What did they play on the night? The Smiths, The Beastie Boys, Suede, Iggy and the Stooges and much more. Apparently the band room – more used to groupies – was packed with councillors pre-set, not so rock ‘n roll.

• Saturday’s such a busy day it’s almost impossible to decide what to do.
Admirers of quiet music bite your tongue for the Shhh Festival at Cecil Sharp House. The bands are not always low key, but the audience is expected to keep schtum and a special team of shushers will be there to ensure hush. The all-day programme features more than 20 acts including a rare appearance from Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Still Corners and Lewis & Clarke.
More info from www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/01/shhh-cecil-sharp-house-london

• Another feast of music on Saturday is Barfly’s XfM X-Posure all-dayer, featuring the wonderful Miles Kane, Clock Opera, The Brute Chorus, Lail Arad and many more promising acts, handpicked by DJ John Kennedy. Worth a visit.



• For something a little more far out, geographically and musically, how about Stoke Newington International Airport. A night of heavy experimental music from members of a bunch of bands including Red Snapper, Three Trapped Tigers, The Heritage Orchestra, and Kandinsky – all for £5.

• I would love Bruno Mars to leave my radio alone but for those who don’t feel the same, the Brit nominee plays Cafe de Paris on Monday (Jan 24) and Koko (March 13 & 14).

RECORD OF THE WEEK - MILES KANE, Come Closer

MILES Kane owns the guitar. By owns I don't just mean, has one in his possession, I mean every note he plays (and sings incidentally), is like an extension of his very being.
That's not to say he's technically the world's greatest guitarist but certainly a skilled and to some extent underrated songwriter with a pure northern soul who feels his way through the music. A departure from The Rascals and The Last Shadow Puppets, Come Closer proves solo Miles can stand on his own two feet.
 

 
Miles Kane plays XfM's All Dayer at Camden Barfly on January 22.

ARCHIVE MOMENT - THE RASCALS, I'll Give you Sympathy

THIS song is just one reason why Miles Kane, who supports The Courteeners at Camden's HMV Forum, is so fantastic.
The Rascals are truly cheeky scamps - I can vouch for that, I've got the interview tape with anecdotes of foiled customs searches following a trip to Amsterdam - to prove it.
But they had a stroke of creative genius, stemming from Kane.
They managed to give what could have been straightforward northern rock just a tiny glow of psychedelic guitars and muted 60s beats and I loved them for it.
Live, they strayed down untraceable guitar solo paths and sounded all the more attractive for it.
Then Miles excelled himself when he went and teamed up with bessie mate Alex Turner (are they still) to create The Last Shadow Puppets - will we ever see them again?
And now Miles is doing his solo thing, supporting The Courteeners and I hear teaming up with Noel Gallagher.
I'm positively overdosing on all this luscious northern talent.
More please.
But in the meantime, remember The Rascals.

TALIB KWELI'S STAGE RAGE + LITTLE NOISE SESSIONS + THE RETURN OF MILES KANE

RAPPER Talib Kweli exploded in fury last week when the plug was pulled on his Roundhouse show midway through the final track.
Swearing in rage at the “disrespect”, he vowed never to play the venue again.



In a way he’s right, it’s a huge affront to an artist to be cut off mid-performance – in the case of Missy Elliott at Wireless this year, it was awkward and embarrassing to see the dancers flailing about wondering where their beats had gone.



But it’s not fair to blame the Roundhouse – yes licensing laws are there for a reason and neighbours need to be protected but surely there could be a short grace period post cut-off time?

• Latest names to be added to Mencap Little Noise Sessions at Islington’s Union Chapel are The Kooks, Example, John Bramwell, We Are Scientists and Leah Mason (Nov 18) and Ellie Goulding, Stornoway and Tinashé (Nov 20).

• Placebo fans watch out – former drummer and co-songwriter Steve Hewitt and his new band Love Amongst Ruin play Relentless Garage (Oct 30). New single ‘Home’ is out Oct 25.

• Not content with fronting cheeky scamps The Rascals, being Alex Turner’s bessie mate and one half of The Last Shadow Puppets, one of my favourite musicians Miles Kane is off on another side project. His obsession with psychedelia comes to fruition with the release of debut single Inhaler, an adaptation of 1969 track Mother Nature Father Earth in tribute to 60s LA psychedelic garage group Bonniwell Music Machine. He plays Monto Water Rats (Nov 23) and HMV Forum (Dec 7).

• Also at Relentless Garage, Liam Gallagher’s clothes label Pretty Green launches a club night (Nov 26) – live music from Exit Calm plus DJ sets from Andy Bell (ex-Oasis), Paul Gallagher (yes, his other bro), Eddie Piller and Jamie Skillz. But will Limo be there in his own clothes?