Camden Crawl

[innit]

I've never been in there roud: but guess DJ sets would work best.

The Fridge has just been closed down I think - due to the incident where some of the doormen whacked someone with a metal bar.

 

[clandestino]

i don't think you could include the academy. that puts 4000 or so punters into the equation and almost guarantees that you wouldn't be able to get into the smaller places. i don't think there's anything at the roundhouse during the camden crawl is there?

 

[twistedAM]

i'd like to see it all done properly in brixton. we have enough venues after all. call it...erm...the brixton brawl?

What about the Brixton Splash?

 

[clandestino]

What about the Brixton Splash?

that's something else though isn't it? don't think it's a good idea to try and merge the two events.

 

[twistedAM]

that's something else though isn't it? don't think it's a good idea to try and merge the two events.

Well it's supposed to be a Brixton celebration of music.

They tried to so something like you're suggesting in New Cross last year and it all fell flat on its face.

 

[story]

i don't think you could include the academy. that puts 4000 or so punters into the equation and almost guarantees that you wouldn't be able to get into the smaller places. i don't think there's anything at the roundhouse during the camden crawl is there?

Good point... I suppose we could round it all off with a big last night gig at The Academy.

 

[clandestino]

Well it's supposed to be a Brixton celebration of music.

They tried to so something like you're suggesting in New Cross last year and it all fell flat on its face.

yeah, i remember. what went wrong? any idea?

 

[clandestino]

Good point... I suppose we could round it all off with a big last night gig at The Academy.

i think just do it small - one night, just the small venues, don't sell too many tickets. have a bunch of gigs running at gig times, and then club nights in the various venues afterwards.

to add to the venue list:

southside
the telegraph

 

[story]

Well it's supposed to be a Brixton celebration of music.

They tried to so something like you're suggesting in New Cross last year and it all fell flat on its face.

But that was New Cross, and all those cliquey artrocker student types, wasn't it?

A scene just waiting to not work properly

They wisely moved their ops up into real London.

 

[clandestino]

Well it's supposed to be a Brixton celebration of music.

i remember it being sold as something broader than just music - it was being promoted as a family day, at one point.

 

[story]

i think just do it small - one night, just the small venues, don't sell too many tickets. have a bunch of gigs running at gig times, and then club nights in the various venues afterwards.

to add to the venue list:

southside
the telegraph

Two nights, I think.

But otherwise agree.

 

[clandestino]

But that was New Cross, and all those cliquey artrocker student types, wasn't it?

A scene just waiting to not work properly

They wisely moved their ops up into real London.

also i guess that kind of relied on people travelling to new cross to make it happen. we have better transport links for the non south londoners, plus they're already used to coming here for a variety of gigs. but, crucially, there's also an audience for the whole thing that already lives in and around brixton.

 

[clandestino]

Two nights, I think.

But otherwise agree.

camden crawl was one night originally irrc.

 

[twistedAM]

also i guess that kind of relied on people travelling to new cross to make it happen. we have better transport links for the non south londoners, plus they're already used to coming here for a variety of gigs. but, crucially, there's also an audience for the whole thing that already lives in and around brixton.

alright let's do it on 7th September...I'll have Jeffrey Lewis in the afternoon and So so Modern in the evening

 

[story]

also i guess that kind of relied on people travelling to new cross to make it happen. we have better transport links for the non south londoners, plus they're already used to coming here for a variety of gigs. but, crucially, there's also an audience for the whole thing that already lives in and around brixton.

Exactly.

I really enjoyed the whole New Cross scene but it was doomed from the start because it was in New Cross.

 

[story]

Do you know, some years ago during a manic phase, I went on at great length and to the massive amusement of my mates about how we should move the music biz from Camden to Brixton.

I told them it was only a matter of time. They said I was mad, but I knew I was right!

 

[clandestino]

Do you know, some years ago during a manic phase, I went on at great length and to the massive amusement of my mates about how we should move the music biz from Camden to Brixton.

I told them it was only a matter of time. They said I was mad, but I knew I was right!

no no no no no no no no no, you're wrong!
if the music biz moved here, i'd have to move somewhere else. please don't make that happen.

 

[clandestino]

a manic phase

ah, the nineties! i remember them well.

 

[story]

ah, the nineties! i remember them well.

 

[bluestreak]

alright let's do it on 7th September...I'll have Jeffrey Lewis in the afternoon and So so Modern in the evening

Need any DJs

I really like this idea. We should do it.

 

[story]

no no no no no no no no no, you're wrong!
if the music biz moved here, i'd have to move somewhere else. please don't make that happen.

Well I admit that the main reason behind my intent was my dislike of the Northern Line.

I think it would be a rather fine joke if we could put together an Urban inspired Brixton Brawl.

 

[bluestreak]

Yeah, me too. Thumbing our noses at the Camden types.

 

[twistedAM]

Need any DJs

I really like this idea. We should do it.

Yeah we need to spread the U75 DJs around the place...I bags Beyond Fathomability then.

 

[clandestino]

Well I admit that the main reason behind my intent was my dislike of the Northern Line.

I think it would be a rather fine joke if we could put together an Urban inspired Brixton Brawl.

We'll never be able to do it...

To really stand a chance, we'd need a local full time promoter, someone who runs a popular local website who also puts on gigs, someone with connections in the gigging world that stretches back over twenty years, and someone who runs an indie club night that's popular with the kids (of a certain stripe). And two of those will have to have served time as music journalists. It's impossible. Where are we going to find those kind of people around here?

 

[story]

Hmm... yes... I see you point, ianw.... a tall order... where does one find such people....

An futile quest....



....unless..... Hey!

 

[innit]

Ahem...

getting back to the Camden Crawl...

It was good actually

We saw Elle S'Appelle who were fine (the girl looks like our friend Stacey, if she were a scouse indie chick instead of a kiwi rock chick).

Next up we wanted to see Ipso Facto but the queue was immense - we reckon it was people getting in early to see Sam Sparro. So instead we strolled casually into the Enterprise (no queues there) and saw Stricken City - bf liked them, I thought they were ok at the time but instantly forgettable.

Then we headed to the Black Cap (odd venue!) to see Florence and the Machine - I thought she was good, she has a Goldfrapp-esque charismatic quality, but then she lost me when one of her choruses featured the line "A kiss from a fist is better than none". I'm not really into light hearted songs about enjoyable domestic violence. Bf thought she "needed editing". She certainly had a lot of devoted fans so she must be doing something right.

We finished up with Slow Club who were very sweet. I love seeing girls drum they make it look so effortless - no macho posturing or dripping with sweat.

 

[noodles]

Worth going on Saturday just for Acoustic Ladyland. Knocked all the other indie-schmindie rubbish into a cocked hat.

 

[Augie March]

Had a good time though one minor gripe is the seemingly endless amount of queuing to get into places, some bars (during the day in particular) just didn't seem prepared for the amount of people there. Also had a distinct feeling some bouncers were creating queues for no apparent reason too. Apart from that though, had a good laugh, got rather merry and saw some good new bands (though managed to miss a fair few that I would've seen because of all the queuing).

Los Campesinos were ace, if not slightly messy (kinda adds to their appeal though I feel).
Sam Sparro (who looks like Timmy Mallett if he came out of the closet) was cheesy as hell but a good way to start things off on the Friday.
Youthmovies were interesting and maybe worth another look as I was a tad inebriated when I saw them.
Royworld were standard indie schmindie affair.
Lykke Li was some nice scando-pop music, slightly let down by the fact that she had Robyn join her on stage when we saw her.
Disappointed Lightspeed Champion pulled out and it looked like The Cuban Bar (where he was playing) was having some nightmare with sound problems. Some of the staff were looking discintly harrased and unhappy there!

Actually thinking about it, we ended up missing a lot of bands due to boredom from queuing or just genrally being in a bit of a confused state! Still it was all good and a particular shout out to one over-exicited punter who appeared at at the Lykke Li gig screaming 'Let's go fucking mental!' to us as he walked in. A man who clearly had found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[bluestreak]

We'll never be able to do it...

To really stand a chance, we'd need a local full time promoter, someone who runs a popular local website who also puts on gigs, someone with connections in the gigging world that stretches back over twenty years, and someone who runs an indie club night that's popular with the kids (of a certain stripe). And two of those will have to have served time as music journalists. It's impossible. Where are we going to find those kind of people around here?

Goddam it, we were so close too

 

[twistedAM]

Los Campesinos were ace, if not slightly messy (kinda adds to their appeal though I feel).

Did you see them on Fri or Sat? Heard the Enterprise was uncomfortably full on the Friday. Koko for all its faults was probably a better bet.