September, 2010

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17
Sep 10

The Camden Store on Tour – Bestival

This month I headed off to the Isle of White for the bestest of all the festivals, Bestival. Here are a few of my personal highlights…

Mad but marvellous Tunng put on a sketchily brilliant performance with a lady dressed as a sheep and a tres talented percussionist who appeared to be using the entire contents of a charity shop as a drum kit.

Stornoway had us all squelching along in the mud as they battled some pretty minging weather conditions to play a great set. Their lead singer turned out to be a bit of a chatterbox and enthralled us with a bizarre collection of odd ghost stories – apparently there was a lady on the Isle of Wight who tried to get out of paying her electricity bill by blaming it on a ghost who kept turning the lights on and off…anyway.

You may not want to hear it, but everyone’s favourite Grandpa, Rolf Harris, was excellent. He brought out the sunshine with a massive turnout, despite the fact he was on an early slot and is a staggering eighty years old – what a legend.

Echo and the Bunnymen looked somewhat out of place playing in bright sunlight dressed in big coats and dark glasses smoking endless fags. They would have been much more at home in some dark and grimy venue but somehow it worked, especially The Cutter.

Shoot me down if you must, but I didn’t rate The Flaming Lips live. They had the predicted giant bubble, the lights, the props, but somehow I just couldn’t click with their tunes in the great outdoors. For me The Prodigy were far more engaging and the crowd rightly went mental for them – they can’t really be beaten.

I reckon Jonsi has to have been my fave act of the weekend. This man was made for a fancy dress festival. Decked out in his usual garb as a cross between a Red Indian and an Eskimo, he put on a totally atmospheric set with crazy lighting and projections galore. Will definitely be looking out for any gigs of his in a more intimate setting….

Bravo Bestival x

Words: Ned Drury

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14
Sep 10

Villagers come to town

Ok kids, it’s time to get organised. September is here, it’s back to school season and we need to sit up and start paying attention to what Camden has on the syllabus this term.

First up for our musical education is a visit from Mercury-nominated Conor J. O’Brien, aka Villagers, playing at Scala on 5th October.

He’ll be showcasing his precocious debut album Becoming a Jackal. This record requires a bit of studious concentration on the listener’s part as it packs a lot in with a running time of just under forty five minutes.

Conor has said that he tried to “make it sound like someone whispering in your ear”, balanced with an appropriate sense of epicness. The indie folk tunes are laced with sweet melodies yet darkness is never far away with some pretty serious attempts at haunting melancholy – Pieces being a superb case in point.

Aside from the occasional lyrical clanger (To Be Counted Among Men containing a couple of let-downs), the majority of his songs are pure poetry and we reckon that the richness and endearing quality of Conor’s voice is enough to win over even the most hardened of Mercury sceptics.

If you’re looking for similar song-writer references then we’d point you in the direction of Elliott Smith, Conor Oberst and Fionn Regan.

So, do your homework and have a little listen – we know you’ll thank us for it in the end.

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13
Sep 10

Listings (09 13 2010)

What are we waiting for? A week of live music, gigs, dancing, and fun nights out in Camden Town awaits. Check out the weekly Camden Store listings right here….

List – Me – Up

Mon 13th Sep
Barfly presents First @ Barfly
Barfly presents Speakeasy @ Barfly Down
Forest Fire @ Borderline
Snuffed It: Talking Endlessly, The Heist, Reykjavik and Dirty Vibes @ Enterprise
1973, Beneath The Beach, The Pavement, Empress @ Monto Water Rats

Tue 14th Sep
Barfly presents Sound-a-lise @ Barfly Down
Glasswerk: SELF, Pale Fires and Ghostnotes @ Enterprise
Endless, Ashley Noot, Johny’s Day Out @ Proud

Wed 15th Sep
Musicborn.com presents Rowse + Magic Polar Bears + The Kokos + Erin K & Tash @ Barfly Up
Musicborn.com presents Kal Lavelle @ Barfly Down
Barfly presents Sarah Superclicker @ Barfly Down
Jim Bob + Tim Ten Yen + Pete Kosanovic + Tbc @ Bull and Gate
Live Music: Hot Fiction, DASTARDS, Daedalus Right Eye and Jespa @ Camden Head
Cherry Ghost (Pictured) @ Dingwalls
The Magic Lantern @ Green Note
Wolf Parade @ HMV Forum
Raghu Dixit @ Jazz Café
Karova, Jersey Budd, Baedeker and Spitfire @ Monarch
Boy Cried Wolf @ Monto Water Rats
Slaraffenland, Look, Stranger, Boy Mandeville LIVE @ Proud

Thu 16th Sep
SJM Concerts presents ANA FREE @ Barfly Up
Barfly presents JAH BLESS @ Barfly Down
Rodeo Massacre @ Blues Kitchen
Goldheart Assembly + Tbc + Tbc @ Bull and Gate
Snuffed It Unplugged – Live Music: Lewis Mortimer, Petar Kosanovic and Sheila Lord @ Camden Head
Darden Smith @ Green Note
Underworld @ HMV Forum
Matt Bianco @ Jazz Café
Dead Leg – Live Music: Between The Screams, Feral Eve, A Long Time Dead and Kansas City Shuffle @ Monarch
Jimmy Gnecco (OURS), **Jimmy Gnecco on stage at 7.00pm**, Kelly Woods, The Pictures, Astroman, Kush @ Monto Water Rats
Dansu, Ms D, Tribes, Turbogiest, Dj’s; Bones, Dan Lloys James @ Proud

Fri 17th Sep
Barfly presents Filthy Whisky @ Barfly Up
Barfly presents Lovers Unite @ Barfly Down Up
The Killermeters @ Blues Kitchen
Martin Stephenson & The Daintees, Helen & the Horns @ Borderline
Kingmaker Mmx + Extradition Order + Paul Hawkins And Thee Awkward Silences + David Cronenbergs Wife + Bozwood @ Bull and Gate
Bloody Awful Poetry: Call Me Animal, The Winter Olympics and Moscow Drive @ Enterprise
Lil’ Kitties @ Green Note
Matt Bianco @ Jazz Café
New Riot, Audio Visuals, Lucid Jake, My Single Line @ Monto Water Rats
Bloody Awful Poetry, Dixon Brothers DJ, Kubla Khan, Them Changes @ Proud

Sat 18th Sep
Dynamic Music presents The Jizzly Bears + Le Revieras + Isolation + The Targeteers @ Barfly Down
A Corrupt Event presents Kentish Fire + Mangoseed + Alpha Rays + Balloon Man @ Barfly Up
Barfly presents DJ Eloise De Fine in the bar @ Barfly Down
XK8 presents Casino Royale @ Barfly Down Up
Oldboy @ Blues Kitchen
Jackdaw4, Eureka Machines @ Borderline
Thee Faction + The Lone Sharks + The Phobics @ Bull and Gate
Bluesmix @ Green Note
East Town Pirates, Miss Scarlett, Pete and Repeat, Young Lust, Neverify @ Monto Water Rats
Laurel Collective, Minnaars, Foals (DJ set) @ Proud

Sun 19th Sep
Frontline Promotions presents Kids Can’t Fly + This Is Freedom + Lost In Colour + The Deering + Roses In Rome + Four Letter Cure @ Barfly Up
Inquisition + Nefarium + Eastern Front @ Bull and Gate
Open Mic: The Camden Sunday Sessions @ Camden Head
The Bon Vivants, Small Horses, Brassneck @ Proud

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5
Sep 10

Listings (09 06 2010)

What are we waiting for? A week of live music, gigs, dancing, and fun nights out in Camden Town awaits. Check out the weekly Camden Store listings right here….

List – Me – Up

Mon 06th Sep
Barfly presents Speakeasy @ Barfly Down
Hatcham Social + La Shark + Younghusband @ Bull and Gate
Electric Sound Club – Live Music: Mirna Ray, Life Of Birds and DJs Tomo + Ben Glass @ Camden Head
Friday Street @ Enterprise
The Askew Sisters @ Green Note
Absynthe Minded, Under City Lights, Milk (EP Launch) @ Monto Water Rats

Tue 07th Sep
Barfly presents Esther Mitchell Band + Rob Bravery + Nightlight + Pocket Satellite @ Barfly Up
Barfly presents Laura Dollyrocker @ Barfly Down
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Borderline
Live Music: Goldmine Events @ Camden Head
Jonah Maddox, Dead Loss Dick and The Wandering Coyote @ Enterprise
Blues at Green Note @ Green Note
Mixtapes (London Loves) – Live Music: The Television Personalities, The Bon Vivents and The Black and Reds @ Monarch
The Ettes, The Mars Patrol, Colour of Sound, Gia Mellish @ Monto Water Rats
SCALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, KIKI KABOOM, ROSE WATTTHE, SOFT CLOSE-UPS @ Proud

Wed 08th Sep
Barfly presents Why Why Peaches + Some Velvet Morning + Badkatt and the Wolf @ Barfly Up
Barfly presents DJ Holly Hotlips @ Barfly Down
Nemhain @ Borderline
Revere + Curly Hair + Chi Limpiroj @ Bull and Gate
A Little Bird Told Me – Live Music: Hella Better Dancer, Vaughan King and the Dirt Diggers and Remodel @ Camden Head
Janelle Monae @ Koko
Kiss The Music Promotions – Live Music: Replicas, The Walk On By and Widows @ Monarch
Elijah Wolf and The Rubalous, Fake Teak, The Lightwings, The Candle Thieves, Effort @ Monto Water Rats
‘NEW WEEZER ALBUM’ PARTY!GUITARS HAVE GHOSTS, LITTLE FISH, INNERCITY PIRATES @ Proud
The Colour Movement, Your Kids, Coconi, Black Light Pioneers @ Proud

Thu 09th Sep
Barfly Presents in association with ‘The Runaways’ presents The Bookhouse Boys + Bleech + Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster DJ Set @ Barfly Up
Elliott Brood, Mountains & The Trees @ Borderline
The Heartbreaks + Orphan Boy + The Musgraves + Tbc @ Bull and Gate
Speed Of Sound – Live Music: Fresh Face, Max Mackintosh and Jo Woodward @ Camden Head
Fay Hield @ Green Note
The Mountain Goats @ Koko
Magnet Man @ Monto Water Rats
Losers (Live), Night Bus (Live), Guest DJ Dumb Blonde (Anne Savage) @ Proud

Fri 10th Sep
Clash Magazine Presents presents C3 @ Barfly Up
Tom Mansi @ Blues Kitchen
24 Pesos @ Borderline
Eugene Mcguinness + Anna Calvi + Ed Seed @ Bull and Gate
Peter Rowan @ Green Note
Booka Shade @ HMV Forum
Hackney Colliery Band @ Jazz Café
Mirrors, Kill Her Killer and Los Locos @ Monarch
Johnny Barlow(Amsterdam) + Nasher (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), John Bull and The Bandits, Kypie, The 335, De Shamonix, Pete Hickman Band @ Monto Water Rats
Filthy Few, Dixon Brothers DJ, Alex Vargas, Jesse Rose Trip @ Proud

Sat 11th Sep
Barfly presents Louellen + Tin Pan Gang + The Good Suns Up
XK8 presents One Party State + Vicarious Bliss (Ed Banger Records) + We Are Animal LIVE + Call The Doctor LIVE + DJ Steve Harris (XFM) + Ed Wilder (Club NME) @ Barfly Down Up
Gwyn Ashton’s 2 Man Blues Army @ Blues Kitchen
Sep Rileys ** SOLD OUT ** @ Borderline
FlashForward: The Sterlings, The Standards and Screaming Tupelo @ Enterprise
TJ Johnson @ Green Note
Gong @ HMV Forum
Julien-K (Korn and Orgy), Murder FM, Black Iris @ Monto Water Rats
Villa Nah, Fiction, Civil Civic @ Proud

Sun 12th Sep
Firestar Music presents Steevi Jaimz + The Mercy House + Generation Graveyard @ Barfly Up
Open Mic: The Camden Sunday Sessions @ Camden Head
The Fraziers, Bad Solution, The Evil Stairs, The FiftyFours + more @ Enterprise
Kristi Stassinopoulou @ Green Note
Maxdmyz, Bloodcell, Efferus, Calatrilloz, Faith And Fury @ Monto Water Rats
Vivianne Viveur, Adam Clark and very special guests from the burlesque world @ Proud

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5
Sep 10

Heart Stolen at Steeles…

I bloody love Steeles Fest! It’s the festival of the summer for me. Free, unpretentious and literally two minutes walk from my flat – that was already enough to make it a winner. But, wait – there’s so much more to it than that!

Steeles

Friday. After some pretty speedy carb-loading on the way home from work, I found myself camped out in the corner of the pub, Steeles Fest bunting floating above my head.

The crowd began to swell by mid evening, just in time for This Is Black to take to the stage. They were excellent. Think Jim Morrison crossed with Albert Hammond Jr. More people should sing like that. Folk is dead. Dark rock will return, mark my words.

Bands came and went, rocking us out along the way. There was only one place left to head as the night wore on. You know where: The DANCE ARENA. That’s where. A secret staircase took us up. It was like a disco in your rich great uncle’s library. Brilliant. There was even a disco ball. And I thought they had all been taken to the dump with the lava lamps c. 2000. Not so. The disco ball lives on. And so too did the festival….

Saturday! Whoop. I was pleased to see that the festival toilet dramas had begun. The ladies were getting pretty feisty about the blocked lav and lack of toilet roll. This just made me love it even more.

Saturday highlights were the headlining Rodney Fisher, who was releasing his new record, and Mr Pepe Belmonte whose harmonica infused folk enthralled us. Plus, he had amazing eyes. Both worth a proper listen. Get on it.

Pepe Belmonte

Rodney Fisher

So to Sunday. Not to be outdone by the previous days, Sunday cracked out some corkers. Ben FM! What a dude. Not only did he perform some of his own material, but he also whipped out a Boss cover towards the end of his set and had girls screaming for more. SCREAMING. What a legend.

Ben FM

Jim Vane

Bridging the afternoon into the eve, Jamie Ley took to the stage and cooked up a treat with some jigging thumping folk. Think early Johnny Flynn or pre-Marling Mumford

Jamie Ley

So that was that, a weekend at Steele’s Fest. It was pretty amazing. You should come next year. Ladies, bring your own toilet roll.

The Camden Store Team X

Words: Pip Latimer

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