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.

SLOW CLUB READY FOR CAMDEN CRAWL + WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

YOU may have heard Slow Club cancelled their tour due to illness. Well...sounds like things are back on track - Rebecca is recovering and they have been added to the Camden Crawl line-up.


• New feature – ex-members-of-once-revered-bands-in-new-band-shock corner (catchy title eh?)
#1 – Remember Afghan Whigs? Frontman Greg Dulli has worked with Dave Grohl, Mark Lanegan and appeared in Steve Buscemi’s directorial debut Trees Lounge. Latest project The Twilight singers play the Electric Ballroom (March 18).
#2 – Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan) plays HMV Forum (March 18) – we’ve had GZA and Ghostface Killah before, why can’t the living Wu Tang coordinate their diaries and come to Camden en masse?
#3 – Bonehead, founding member of Oasis, is not quite attempting to rival Liam Gallagher’s new project Beady Eye with his less imaginatively named collaboration “Bonehead and John Mackie”. See them at Monto Water Rats (March 19).
#4 – Artmagic, side project of Suede guitarist Richard Oakes (he replaced Bernard Butler), play The Bowery on March 22.
#5 – Andy Burrows (ex-Razorlight bearded one) and new band I Am Arrows play The Old Queen’s Head (March 23)
• The fancy dress theme has been announced (rock stars, pop stars and divas) and the madness begins at Bestival’s preview featuring Kentish Town’s retro darlings Kitty Daisy & Lewis Koko (March 19).
• Had to mention this year’s JD Set at XOYO (March 24) where Ash’s Tim Wheeler, Emmy the Great, And So I Watch You From Afar, Ma Mentor and The Crookes bravely take on the great works of the Pixies. Follow their progress at http://www.thejdset.co.uk/