Rock and Pop: Latest News > August 11
Published: 11 August, 2011
by ROISIN GADELRAB
HOPEFULLY by the time this column goes to print, our venues will no longer need to be boarded up after dark, no more gigs will have been cancelled and Camden will go back to being its old self.
The madness over the past few days has had an unwelcome impact on London’s music industry.
There were rumours the Electric Ballroom was targeted as rioters rampaged along the street and that others sought shelter in the Roundhouse.
By Tuesday morning, the musicians were out in force, joining in the clean-up.
The Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson promised to be out with his broom as did Emmy the Great and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly’s Sam Duckworth while Eliza Doolittle pleaded for rioters to stop ruining the city.
And while things seemed to calm down in the evening, events were cancelled at venues including Proud and the Monarch, who announced their headliners had to cancel because their driver refused to venture into London.
But spare a thought for all those indie music labels whose stock has melted into a useless mess after some idiot set fire to the Enfield warehouse that housed them. On Tuesday, the Association of Independent Music appealed to supporters to buy one digital copy from affected labels to help them build up physical stock and visit your local independent record shops.
Visit www.musicindie.com
• Away from all this madness, don’t forget the Lockstock Festival (Thursday, August 18) at Camden Lock. It’s a great way to sample an eclectic mix of acts ranging from music, to comedy to art. It covers a number of venues including Dingwalls, Lock 17 and Lockside Lounge at Camden Lock.