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Suggs from Madness on a world tour of Camden during the Crawl weekend |
Better than ever, Crawl or nothing
REVIEW: CAMDEN CRAWL 2009
Various venues
SOMETHING changed this year - was it the sunny weather, the huge Madness street party, the Roundhouse taking the pressure off some of the queues or just people being so much more up for it?
This year, my fourth year at the Camden Crawl was undoubtedly the best. There may not have been the tabloid-fodder surprise acts of the past but the ones that did happen were a genuine compliment to music.
Putting the beautiful Graham Coxon in the Spreadeagle for an unnanounced daytime set was intimate and perfect - if you ignore the rib-crushing swell of fans so eager to catch a glimpse that they were willing to risk asphyxiation. The Madness gig in Inverness Street was the street party Camden has been waiting for. Even for those without wristbands - the food sellers in the street, Jonathon Miller, and passers-by - this was a joyous excuse to let off steam that is all too rare.
The Crawl still had its trademark queues but they didn't all seem as bad as last year. The major downfall came with the arrangements for the Roundhouse. Regular ticket holders queued outside MTV for a chance to snap up a coveted ticket, spoiling the day for many, who were stuck in line instead of making the most of the day's entertainment. Next year, maybe they could allocate the tickets online, or on a different day?
Crawl highlights included, rock gods Kasabian swaggering across the stage like they are the kings of the world, Man Like me bringing carnival vibes, irresistible dancing, smiles and laughter to the Monarch, Graham Coxon being his gentle, subtle self, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O striding across the stage in a flowing kimono, the steely-eyed DJ pushing a huge turntable blaring out beats, through the impenetrable hordes all the way along Camden High Street, ending in an impromptu rave outside The Enterprise (we hear the council put a stop to that one), The Joy Formidable doing rock the right way, Madness doing a raw song and a half unplugged outside the Edinoboro Castle, Echo and the Bunnymen sounding no more weathered than ever before, after-party jamming session with ex-Libertine Carl Barat, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell, Reverend and the Makers' John McLure, rapper Lowkey and ex The La's Lee Mavers looking like the years had been cruel, getting home in time to buy Sunday's paper...before sleep.
Lowlights - Little Boots, overrated pop playing to a confused indie crowd - she's not Kylie but she'd have got a better reception playing G.A.Y., sore feet after walking up and down the high street for the 100th time, the huge telephone bill my Twitter updates have rung up, timetable clashes meaning I missed the start of The Maccabees to catch a glimpse of Man Like Me, who were late starting after losing their tuba player - seriously. |
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