Camden Crawl
Q's Venue: Earl Of Camden
24 April 2009
It’s early evening on the Saturday of the 2009 Gaymer's Camden Crawl, but one of the weekend’s hottest and most anticipated acts – New York’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs - are already playing at the Roundhouse. But in the packed-out Earl Of Camden, or even in the queues that stretch down two sides of the venue that Q has taken over, no-one seems to care – they’ve found their own Karen O in the shape of Chew Lips singer Tigs.
She may be diminutive, but as soon as the band launch into action with their glitchy, sexy, '80s-inspired disco vibes, she jumps out of her demure shell and begins shrieking and dancing with all the energy and exuberance of someone who’s just won the lottery. Bolshie and enthusiastic, she clambers up on the bar, tells “the people at the back” to shut up or leave and, as the band storm through debut single Solo, dazzles with infectious impertinence. It’s an impressive start from a band who, though only young, we’re bound to be seeing a lot more of soon.
Up next is Tommy Sparks, who continues the electro-pop themed evening with his particular brand of spiky, jittery, catchy noise. The rising Swedish star (who’s now based in London) picks up where Chew Lips leave off, injecting his bleep-ridden tunes with effusive lyrical explosions – imagine the Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner singing to a pounding bassline and laptop created hooks. It’s raucous, danceable fun and the bustling crowd – even those still queuing outside – act accordingly.
It’s the thumping, pumping beats of Filthy Dukes that gets the most wild reaction of the night, however, and for the duration of their set, the scenes inside this Camden boozer are more akin to an 80s warehouse rave, all whoops and cheers, thrusting fists and sweaty bodies as frontman Tim Lawton waxes lyrical in a dry, robotic voice over rolling, rumbling, headache-inducing basslines of songs from their recently released debut album, Nonsense In The Dark.
You can tell from the pained looks of those still waiting outside that they want nothing more than to be inside trying to break out in a fit of nihilistic dancing, rather than having to wait patiently and in a civilised manner to come in.
Luckily, though, the hotly tipped Dan Black is here to finish the night off in an electro-blast of hype and style, and most everybody is finally inside when the soon-to-be-megastar’s computer breaks just a couple of minutes into his set. You can tell that Black has been fronting bands for the last decade or so, because he doesn’t let this slight technical hitch get in the way of his or anybody else’s fun – instead, he keeps the momentum going with an air of bemused professionalism until everything is back up and running again.
While his tunes may not be as riotous as Filthy Dukes, his knack for catchy, pulsating rhythms and disaffected – not to mentioned quite high pitched – vocals, strikes a vital chord with the audience, who once again turn this unassuming local pub into a mess of tangled, dancing limbs.
If Dan Black’s career continues on the path that seems to have been set out for him, tonight could well be one of the last times he’ll play a venue as small-scale and intimate as this. And for those here, and no doubt Black himself, it’s a notably special moment that comes to an end in a frenzy of jilting, electrified pop – the perfect way to end a sublime evening full of new and exciting sounds.
Mischa Pearlman
4:51 PM | 26/04/2009
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Nice one Mischa! What a night. If only the kebab on the way home was as quality..
Posted by Lauren at 7:51 PM | 26/04/2009 | Report Abuse
What sort of kebab did you have?
Posted by Donna at 3:17 PM | 27/04/2009 | Report Abuse
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