Last weekend’s Camden Market Lock Live was the first one in its brief history to get it right. Why? Because it actually felt, for once, like a proper festival.
That probably had something to do with the two decent-sized stages at each end of the cobbles, and the genuinely massive turnout. Plus bars and food stalls everywhere meant queues were slender; and so we lapped up those cute cans of Hells lager, as well as lashings of Camden Lock’s signature Half Hitch gin. Thank goodness then for a decision to scoff an enormo “bourbon steamed” Bit Burger – for which you can, if you wish, pay by bitcoin. Other eating options were, of course, available (at least a hundred of ’em).
And while we wandered, all around us live music from the various stages reverberated. Best of all were Stealing Sheep, the three girls in shades who captivated the West Yard crowd, at the end of a long day of acts including Frankie Forman, Flyte and By The Rivers.
Influenced by Siouxsie, B-52s and 90s bands like Saint Etienne, the Stealing Sheep played what already sounded like a greatest hits set – addictive little tracks like Shut Eye, the excellent Sugababes-esque Deadlock and catchy Not Real, also the name of their second album, recently released on Heavenly Recordings.
And, lest we forget, over at the dancier North Yard, festival stalwarts the Cuban Brothers did their crowd-pleasing break-dancing risque rapping schtick – and, my word, wasn’t that a lot of pelvic thrusting on display? Our only critique was that Norman Jay was on just a bit too early; at 6pm, not that many folk had their raving shoes on. Yet.
And finally, do you know who the couple embracing in our gallery are? In the evening light, the image was, in fact, quite magical.
