[quote] The craziness was in full swing by the time we arrived, with kids dancing on the stage and Jager bombs being fired left and right” [/quote]
Saturday saw Camden Town transformed into a day-long party for the second Camden Rocks festival. A mix of established names and emerging talent across a dozen intimate venues, it packed the streets stretching the mile or so from Chalk Farm tube towards The Wheelbarrow near Mornington Crescent.
First up on the list of my must-see bands were The Dash at the Enterprise. Already earning a burgeoning live reputation, there’s no denying they know how to give it some, their catchy pop hooks clad in a full metal jacket of rawk. Yet, despite checking my cynicism in at the front door, it was difficult to look past the wife-beater vests and perfectly groomed ‘scruffy’ hairdos – and not feel it was all a little This is Spinal Tap.
Alas, a quick exit to the Barfly was in order, where Hawkeyes were finishing, and Glen Matlock about to take to the stage. An admirer of the late-seventies punk era, I was excited at the prospect of the Sex Pistols’ original songwriter himself. But was the man at the forefront of punk, who penned such classics as Anarchy in the UK, actually onstage with an acoustic guitar? I think it’s fair to say the majority of the crowd were here to sing-along to God Save The Queen.
Yet Matlock’s songs still had an authentic punk feeling to them, and he’s an undeniably powerful lyricist. The mood of his songs reminded me of The Jam’s That’s Entertainment; no bad thing.
Following Matlock’s set, it was time to check out some more up-and-coming acts. And the Lock Tavern dished up many of these, in particular two bands – Cuban Heels and The Cramatics. With the crowd split between the front-of-stage dancers and those listening from the bar’s awesome upstairs terrace, the former brought a much-needed injection of indie sensibility to the day. With a Phil Lynott-esque bassist-frontman, the songs were well-sculpted, melody-driven, and designed to engage heads and feet. Even more impressive? This was only their fifth gig.
The Cramatics kept the spirits of the audience up with their brand of bouncy, ska-influenced guitar rock. The crowd seemed somewhat divided, however, by a covers medley that included Black Eyed Peas and Bruno Mars. Probably the excuse I needed to move on and catch the Rifles down at the Jazz Café.
By now there was a palpable buzz as we made our way down the street, a stream of folk heaving in and out of the pubs. Cleverly starting out with a stripped down no-drums set, the Rifles had the Jazz Café’s full-capacity crowd singing and swaying along in a proper ‘knees-up’ fashion; only then did they bring the rest of the band onstage and the ‘real’ gig begin.
Classics came thick and fast with songs like Repeated Offender and The Great Escape. Feet stamped, bodies rocked, drinks spilled. This felt like the pinnacle of the day, and when the crowd were released onto the streets afterwards there was very much an atmosphere of “where’s the after party?”
The answer? The Wheelbarrow. And the craziness was in full swing by the time we arrived, with kids dancing on the stage and Jager bombs being fired left and right from behind the bar. The honour of last act of the day was bestowed upon The Computers, who delivered the raucous garage-rock finale that was needed, their motto of “destroy everything” fitting the hedonistic mindset of their audience.
With our palate for hard rock and indie more than sated (for that day anyway), Camden Rocks delivered everything it promised. And, preferring to catch the Rifles, I didn’t even make it down to see headline act Therapy? Maybe you can add your own thoughts below if you did.
It’s obvious this festival was about more than just the bands. It’s essentially about Camden Town itself, where you can party any night of the week, there are no airs and graces, the hard stuff flows freely – and you can be a bit Spinal Tap and still be loved.
Words: Gav Duffy
Gav is a musician and blogger. Follow him at @Raisedby_Wolves
7 thoughts on “Review: Camden Rocks Festival”
I’ve seen the Cramatics a few times and I must say they remind me very much of a younger version of ‘The Velvet Underground’. Alex being the Lou Reed spearhead of the band.
Me and my friends tuggy dale and aidy went and saw them the other day, they wer naughty, or though are night was cut slightly short after tuggy recieved a blowjob in the mosh pit and we wer ejected from the venue, which meant we missed there encore 🙁
Me and my bud Andy Carruthers went to this gig, it was pretty farking sick. Great tunes, epic weather, fab friends, lots of beer, what more could a braw want. I even sent Andy’s sis a selfie of me & Chris from the Cramatics then whhen back & blew my beans in her, how mad is that? G2G, this Chinese won’t deliver itself x
Great gig, went into it with a really open mind as this type of music isn’t usually my cup of tea, a mod like my prefers oasis and the libertines, but I put on my best blazer and cravat and gave it a go and really enjoyed it! Now I’m even contenplating making one of there tracks my #tuneoftheday 🙂
Top band, top boys, good night I remember
I think I was at that gig, but I can’t remember because I was running around the festival site chasing some idiot who took my straw hat that I was wearing. All I can remember is looking at the drummer of The Cramatics and thinking “thank god I’m not him”
I’ve got an alien head!!!