The Camden Crawl 2012 - Review (Sunday)

Throwing the migratory concept of the multi-venue multi-gig idea out of the window, due to a weird combination of the organisers timetable programming and our own summer festival schedule which gives opportunities to see certain artists at numerous events and therefore not necessarily this weekend in London, our whole second day  of the Camden Crawl is spent in the bunting dressed Wheelbarrow pub. Camden Crawl ? More like Camden Stationary.

As the music and alcohol flows a constant stream of bladder-stressed punters are found pushing their way towards the front, for the location of the toilets is like a space planners entry into the Carbuncle Cup, being located behind the stage. It’s as if the audience are doing a constant conga through the crowd.

The first half of the day is presented by This Is Fake DIY and as you’d expect, what you get  is the more alternative, d-i-y shouty end of the indie spectrum, conga toilet dancing probably wasn’t on their agenda.

3 piece Tall Ships start with big sonics. There’s looped rifferama, huge multi-layered soundscapes and floor banging that could start an earthquake. Neil Diamond once sang ‘What A Beautiful Noise’. Maybe he had Tall Ships in mind.

Next is one of This Is Fake DIY’s own family; the preposterously named The Victorian English Gentlemans Club. Their set list is scrawled roughly on a huge sheet behind the stage. There’s a horny aggression about them, with moments when individual members look like they’re about to lose it completely with an experimental self-induced orgasm. Thankfully they keep it under control albeit with telephones used as microphones, sawing violins, oppressive drums and guttural noise.

The audience thins out a little before Evans the Death start their female fronted indie jangles. The band don’t look as if they’re enjoying themselves, but then not every form of music has to invoke a cheese-laden smile. Lo-Fi torch song You’re Joking is fairly endearing, the band stripping away the fuzz for something a little more naked with Katherine's female Morrissey mournfulness taking center stage.

Remember when indie bands actually sold records? Johnny Foreigner do. “You must be what’s left of the record industry, pleased to meet you,” Alexei, their indie to the core (he’s even wearing a Wedding Present T-shirt) vocalist starts. It’s followed by “This song is off our new album, didn’t anyone actually buy our new album?” “This song is from when we used to be famous,” is another one. Starting your set with off-microphone singing in a room full of people halfway through a day of all-day drinking probably isn’t the best way to get heard; the chatter wins this one. However Johnny Foreigner punch back with a raucous and glorious racket once amplified. Soon the whole audience looks like one amorphous nodding dog as sweat drips from Alexei’s brow. They might not be selling many records, but their ferociously good live show still trades excitement.

After a short break the second half of the day commences with Kyla La Grange. Kyla may be a slight figure on stage but her raspy unforced vocal has some balls behind it and she needs that to deal with the now ever increasing drunks. A dirty look from La Grange at some p*ssed lads who are standing right at the front with their backs to her talking says a lot about what La Grange is thinking, but she’s much politer than much of her ‘audience’ to say anything more. It’s a shame because her widescreen country / folk /rock sound typified by the frowning Vampire Smile is at times spine-tingling with its crescendos and hushed intimacies.

Any criticisms about music festivals being badly organised and running late are put to bed by Beans On Toast who comes on five minutes early, hashes up the first song and finally gets going bang on time. There are old songs (MDM Amazing), new songs (Dry War), a new band that sound like the Pogues gone wrong in a good way and a truncated cover version of the Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) all delivered with Beans gravel voiced wit and humour. For Dry War he explains that he started writing a song about the drought but it started raining every day since “so I put some stuff about war in it to make it relevant.”

There’s an influx of (mainly female) younger audience members in the front rows for Bastille. Vocalist Dan Smith sports a haircut last seen on Tom Bailey of the Thomson Twins, the euphoria dial gets turned up several notches and suddenly the drunks seem to disappear as the room takes on a new level of vibrancy. It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes. It’s easy to see why after a few years of plugging away solo with little return Smith and his band are now collecting the dividends. Songs such as Flaws, Laura Palmer and Overjoyed are compelling and have developed a life of their own – a rapturous and dramatic three quarters of an hour of pop music.

Burger King hats, leopard print, hotpants, stupid shades, bouncing (lots of), calls for ‘make some noise’, mates of Kanye (Mr Hudson), a bird watchers daughter (Rosie Oddie) and a collection of songs that sound like every best guilty pleasures compilation you’ve never bought finish the evening off, all courtesy of BIGkids, whose second set of the day they declare to be much better than the first. What they do is dumb-fun, fans of classic rock and indie will not be amused, but frankly this was a much better party than beard / cock stroking over a Beach House B-Side.

Hear a collection of songs from some of the bands in this review below.

Bastille - Flaws

Tall Ships - T=0



BIGkids - Superhero

Blissfields 2009

Following the unsuccessful attempt to change venue and step up from an event of around one thousand capacity to five thousand with subsequent cancellation due to poor ticket sales in 2008, Blissfields 2009 returned back to its roots, down at Bradley Farm in Hampshire. This year however Blissfields sold out weeks in advance. With headliners Super Furry Animals playing their smallest festival of their year and Mercury nominated and Breaking More Waves approved Laura Marling appearing on Friday night, organisers Paul and Mel Bliss served up aces on a weekend when Britains tennis hero Andy Murray failed to do so at Wimbledon. Added to these headliners were a variety of other bands and DJ's, including Breaking More Waves very own alter ego comedy DJ persona HoJo Hits supplying some slices of musical mature cheddar interspersed with the occasional of the moment big synth pop tune (Yes Giantess, La Roux, Passion Pit) to a relaxed chilled crowd who lapped up the sun at the main stage. Here’s DJ Hojo Hits daring to play Hansons Mmm Bop.

This year Blissfields welcomed punters to the ‘United States Of Bliss’, from entry onto the site with signs stating ‘Border control, please have your papers ready,’ to the camp site which was labelled the ‘Shanty Town.’ The festival even had its own president who was elected by way of a competition prior to the event and its own national anthem which was played out at the opening of the main stage each day. Then at the end of it all, a so called ‘Ambassadors Party’ was held in the big top with the eclectic Bestival / Sunday Best residents Sombrero Sound System and DJ Little Chief bringing the house down with a bunch of big old party anthems, whilst in between Beans On Toast brought his gravel clawed voice, acoustic guitar and songs about festivals, MDMA and Laura Marling to an appreciative crowd, complete with a stage invasion at the end.

So what of the live music highlights ? On Friday night the main stage belongs to Mumford and Sons and Beans On Toast favourite girl Laura Marling. Mumford and Sons play as the sun sets and the site turns into a romantic twilight haze lit by the moon, trails of lights marking pathways through the campsite and a few carefully considered spotlights. Marcus Mumford charms by explaining that he didn’t understand why there was so much disappointment when Blissfields was cancelled last year, but now he does. There is a real glow from the bands set, their sound unhindered by fashion; it pulls at the heartstrings. There is a tendency for the songs to be formulaic based around simple acoustic guitar and banjo building with a swell as kick drums take the songs rolling forward, but it's a formula that works. With the bands harmonies and bluegrass sound Mumford and Sons win many new fans at Blissfields and are probably the highlight for many. Half of the group then remain on stage to accompany Laura Marling who has grown massively in confidence since we first saw her about two years ago. Playing a mix of songs from her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim and new songs such as Hope In The Air, Marlings voice seems to be maturing, less girlish and more rasping and hearty; the sound of American country / folk played by a girl from Reading, England.

On Saturday three bands define the festival. Imperial Leisure first wowed Blissfields in 2007 and return as triumphant heroes, pulling one of the biggest crowds of the day, their energetic blend of rock, rap and ska skanking like Rage Against The Machine sparring with The Specials. From the word go the audience are in the palm of their lairy sweaty hands, their punchy brass and adrenalin soda fizz exertion creating a bouncing bottle of an audience that almost explodes with too much shaking. You can’t see the band in this video, but an audience reaction says it all.

“Last weekend we were at Glastonbury and it was too much like hard work,” announce Subgiant , echoing the thoughts of a number of punters at Blissfields. Subgiant are almost on home turf here, having been a Blissfields favourite and regular for some time now. Occupying the same sunset stage time as Mumford And Sons the day before, Subgiant bring samples and beats so large that we swear we feel the earth below our feet vibrating. A hedonistic warm old school festival vibe sweeps over Blissfields as bleeps and electronic riffs build and rise, strobes flash wildly, electronic drums pound and hands are raised in the air. Dancing outside has never been so much fun.

The final highlight comes from Super Furry Animals. Just last month we reported on their performance at Wychwood 2009 and suggested that they failed to move or engage. Tonight with a radically revamped set list SFA show us exactly why they have remained an essential part of the UK music scene, with their unconventional approach to song writing, ability to pen flawless pop songs, fine beards and sense of humour. “This is a live show just in case you thought you were watching the TV,” announces Gruff Rhys at one point. Later he gets the crowd to turn to the moon and howl at it. The songs they play have a spliffed out psychedelic oddness and inventiveness, but the band are never afraid to create just plain old infectious pop such as on Golden Retriever, which they dedicate to the kennels next to the festival site. Super Furry Animals are a fitting end to the main stage and whilst they may still not be a band we can adore, our admiration has been significantly increased.

Blissfields is the antithesis of corporate festival monsters such as Reading, Isle Of Wight and V Festival. It has a laid back, good natured feel that is suited to both young and old alike. With no over zealous security, lots of smiling faces, a site so small that it takes only five minutes to get anywhere, and this year a number of artists who gave excellent performances, Blissfields has firmly reasserted itself on the independent festival map following its stumble in 2008.

And to finish this review of Blissfields 2009 here’s a little more of our very own DJ set from a pod next to the main stage. Sun, dancing, and a bit of Wham. See you there next year maybe ?

Beans On Toast + Peggy Sue + Cherbourg + The Agitator @ Brighton Hanbury Club - Communion

With its central glass dome, black interior, wall lampshades, patterned wallpaper, decorative mirrors and flamboyant bar the Hanbury Club has always been one of the most exotically retro venues in Brighton, recalling the 1920’s in its ambience. This lends a sophisticated feel to Communion, the new folk club, direct from London for its opening night in Brighton. Not that everything here fits under the easy label of new folk.

The Agitator is the new project of Derek Meins. Sporting 50’s styled slicked back hair and braces, The Agitator means business; delivering primal, visceral acappella rock and roll with just heavy thudding drumming to back him. His mouth contorts in rubbery shapes as he howls his way through a raw undiluted set, including Mr Wolf, a song about bills you can’t pay.

If Gary Barlow from Take That that was a little younger, had grown a beard and sported a waistcoat he may look a little like the lead singer of Cherbourg (pictured). Their songs fall into two camps. The first are almost medieval folk songs, such as set closer Never Love Again which is full of fiddle and chanted melodies, a song that is as sprightly as a child dancing around the maypole. The second are more straightforward brooding and building guitar rock songs such as Scattered at Sea, which has just a hint of Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol in its vocal delivery. The band gush about the other acts on the bill and are obviously delighted to be playing, and by the end the audience appear equally as delighted with Cherbourg.

Peggy Sue have evolved somewhat since Breaking More Waves last caught them live. Then they were known as Peggy Sue and the Pirates. They are still resolutely lo –fi, mixing elements of blues, soul and alt. folk together in a slightly scrappy detuned style. But now they flesh out their material with accordion, ukulele and a drummer who bashes and clatters heavily, occasionally sounding like the start of a war march. Katy Klaw is dressed in an Eminem T Shirt, a reference and influence which seems about as far away as you can get from the sound they make. There are lyrics concerning sins and forgiveness on Lazarus, stomping changing time signatures, and a cover version of a Missy Elliot number. They remain quirky, odd and charmingly uncommercial despite their big bluesy harmonies doing their best to make them more accessible than their lo-fi leftfield acoustic sound really is.

The late night graveyard shift is left to Beans On Toast. Beans On Toast stands on a chair, elevated for easy viewing. With just an acoustic guitar and a gravel rough voice his performance is a mix of the comedic, personal and political. “You don’t like me in Brighton, because I make jokes about gays,” he gamely grins at the start of his set. Then as everyone begins to clap along to a simple riff, he announces “Let’s all clap hands,” pauses and then adds “F*ckin’ queers”. There’s plenty of laughter. Beans On Toast gets away with what could be conceived as arrogance and homophobia through his cheeky humour. With songs about rich kids in the music business and being old “Just turned 28 and going bald,” he wins virtually everyone over. “I think this is the best Beans On Toast gig ever. I’m gonna crowd surf in a minute,” he jokes. From way up on that chair it’s probably a blessing that he doesn’t as it’s a long way to fall; if he did though you get the feeling that he would be held triumphantly above the crowd in the manner of a rock star.

So the first Brighton Communion is a success. Breaking More Waves will be back for more soon.