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Michael writing his review in the New Journal newsroom |
Oxygen, please! Great day, but music needs variation
THIS was my first time going to the Camden X-Crawl and actually my first time hearing all of these bands, but I have to say it was an amazing experience.
Maybe it was the hordes of youths scouring the area to find the venue where their favourite bands were playing, or the energy of the bands and the audience, but I have to say it was an experience not to be missed.
I started my day late which meant I was only able to catch two bands, but the two I saw were excellent. I began at the Underworld where the band Attack! Attack! were playing. I was completely amazed at how much of a following they had – but very early into the act I realised why.
They put on one of the best shows of the day with fantastic showmanship and audience participation.
For my first time hearing this band and also seeing them live, I really enjoyed it and the audience it drew also seemed to enjoy it with one half of them completely mesmerised by the sounds of the band and the other half moshing. All in all I would give the band an 8 out of 10 simply because it was my first time hearing them and I thought that they were quite simply the highlight of the day for me with excellent guitar solos.
The second band I went to see was Saving Aimee, who were playing in a smaller venue called the Hobgoblin with more or less the same amount of people in the audience as Attack! Attack! which as you can imagine left me feeling quite claustrophobic.
My friend and I were squashed right up against the desk where the light show was being controlled, but even so we managed to watch the majority of the show. I was less impressed with this band, but they were still very good, and I probably would have enjoyed them more if it wasn’t for me quite literally running out of oxygen by the third song.
The parts that I heard over the screams of the audience were great and I honestly believe that if it were done in a bigger venue I would have had more fun.
I am afraid I can only give this band a 6 out of 10. They were very good, but due to the miniature panic attack I suffered during their performance, I wasn’t really able to enjoy it.
Overall, I enjoyed the Camden X-Crawl experience and I would encourage others to come and join in the utter mayhem of the whole day with people dashing from place to place to catch the next act and members of the bands mingling with the audience after every show. Even if indie music isn’t your thing I suggest that you simply come down for the grand atmosphere and the unforgettable acts. The only upset for me was the scheduling conflicts, with four bands playing all at once, meaning that if you wanted to see one you would have to miss the other three bands who were playing at roughly the same time. To be perfectly honest, the music wasn’t what I would usually would be found listening to, and judging from the difficulty I had finding others to accompany me to the X-Crawl, it wasn’t their piece of pie either, so maybe a little variation would have made the experience more enjoyable for everyone.
Guest reviewer Mouncif at the New Journal |
Plight fantastic! Underworld was a blast
THE Camden Crawl is a massive annual event that lasts for two days in over 40 different venues. This year’s event introduced the first exclusively 14 to 18-year-old day, where over 20 bands played across four completely different venues such as St Michael’s church, where the acoustics and lighting set the mood perfectly for such an epic concert, and the Underworld, where a combination of darkness and UV lights really complemented the performances of The Plight and Attack! Attack!.
The first band at St Michael’s was Left With Pictures. They used an acoustic set of instruments and performed in a folk-ish manner with their audience sitting on the ground around them.
The next band who I saw perform at St Michael’s was Kitty Daisy & Lewis who are a family band, born and brought up in Camden, who play a sort of rockabilly style of music. Their performance was amazing and the crowd couldn’t help but move to the catchy rhythms. Throughout the performance, the band members were constantly switching between instruments – banjos, harmonicas, guitars, the drums – and they all seemed to be talented in a number of different musical devices.
After they were done, I made sure that I was able to ask them a few questions:
Mouncif: You are a family band, do you ever have disagreements or other family issues between you?
Ingrid: We argue all the time!
What encouraged you to play this specific style of music?
Ingrid: Well we all have our own likes and dislikes of music, but this everyone is into!
How is it that you were able to play so many instruments?
Lewis: Well they are all quite similar to play really, and I think they are quite easily transferable skills.
I then moved to the Underworld, where I saw The Plight. I was unable to make out a single word that the main vocalist screamed into the microphone, but nevertheless, the performance was amazing; their rhythms were catchy and they were my personal favourite. Attack! Attack!, without a doubt, had the biggest audience of the performances I witnessed – fanatical fans were jumping up and down and got so into the song that mosh-pits broke out several times. The room was electric with energy from both the audience and the band who constantly got the crowd involved with their songs, teaching them lyrics and encouraging them to clap along.
I then headed back to St Michael’s to watch the Howling Bells, but unfortunately, the band was unable to perform as their lead singer had a problem with her inner ear and suffered from a balance disorder, which caused her to fall over and not be able to get back up. She was then rushed to hospital.
I will definitely attend the Crawl next year and I urge all the readers to do so also.
There are performances to cater for all tastes of music with a schedule that allows you to miss bands that you are not interested in, and watch something else.
>> Click Here for more Camden Crawl |
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