SPECIALISSUE

Bigger, better and louder than ever, CamdenRockswas back in North London for a sold outsummer Saturday, transforming the area inone massive street party.It went from 4 to 20 venues and multipleheadlining acts including Bullet for MyValentine, New Model Army, Skindred andTheDictators NYC, but in 2015 like in its debut2009 edition, Camden Rocks has stayed loyalto its spirit: a celebration of this unique area ofLondon and its long music tradition, spillingfrom pubs and clubs on the roads of N1,punters blending with tourists and artists walking around with guitars and amps in hand.

On this sun blessed Saturday, thecrawl starts at about midday, firststop the legendary World’s Endwhere wristbands can be collected.We know by now there’s no way tocatch all the gigs we’d like to,especially towards the end when allvenues will be packed, queues ofhopefuls forming outside; butCamden Rocks is about discoveringyour new favourite bandafter all, andthe first few hours are the best to gohunting. While on the look for nextbig thing, you might even find yournext regular North London boozer.

It’s a bit like an all-you-can-eat buffet, where you eagerly pick a bit of everything with curiosityand enthusiasm at the beginning, only to end up feeling full before the main course; even if themain looks good and you can’t find the space, you still go home a happy diner. And the tastebuds in our ears were definitely delighted by the music banquet on offer this year…

Amongst those we managed tocheck out were Walkway, TheAmorettes, The Fourfits, GlenMatlock, Chinese Missy, Gun,Trampolene, Lostgravity and Bulletfor My Valentine. We also talked to afew acts on the bill, interviews to befeatured in our regular July issue ofSonic Shocks Magazine - thanks toDivision PR for arranging andGilgamesh for hosting thepressareathis year, we’ll be back for dinnersoon!

A big thanks of course to Chris McCormack for makingit happen and keeping the true spirit of rock’n’roll alive,and to the best festival crowd ever.

Last but not least, the biggest chunk of love goes to ourbeloved, unique,magicCamdenTown. Seeing the righthalf of the Lock demolished breaks our heart andwe livein hope the development is not going to change the faceof one of London most famous alternative hangouts. Imust say, the fact the area is now owned by Teddy Sagi- Israeli billionaire, property tycoon and technologyentrepreneur who has made hundreds of millions fromthe gambling industry and was jailed for nine months in1994 for insider trading and bribery - doesn’t fill me withthe utmost confidence, with The Black Cap and PurpleTurtle being the latest casualties of Camden’s long timefeared gentrification.

I don’t know how many venues will still be standing bythis time next year, but I know the spirit will be alive andkicking; what I’ve seen in the streets today takes some

doing to kill. And while we wait for Camden Rocks 2016, we can all put up a hell of a fight bysupporting livemusic -bandsandvenues -and independent traders in thearea.Choose tohaveyour pint where live music is played, choose unique establishments versus corporations, buya CD or a t-shirt if you like what you hear and if you’re feeling peckish after have a pub lunchor try some of the amazing street food on offer. And enjoy it while it lasts…

WALKWAY12:00 @ Jazz Cafe

One of the opening actsplaying to a an almost

capacity crowd at the JazzCafe, this south east fourpiece have a thread oftraditional eighties rockwith hooks and licks a

plenty. But with a guitaristresembling Eddie VanHalen, what would you

expect!

THE AMORETTES13:00 @ Proud

This three piece all girl band fromScotland also know how to pull in thecrowd. Ten minutes before their stagetime, the Proud was almost empty.Two minutes before their stage time,it was almost capacity! Deliveringbare bones rock, you can see whythey were picked by Europe andBlack Star Riders for touring!

THE FOURFITS15:00 @ Hawley Arms

Getting the crowd dancing at the Hawley is not easy. This all girl band ofsisters managed though! Local lasses from Camden, some classicallytrained (musically) deliver their own brand of Rock to the delight of the

crowd. Good to listen to, good to look at, and great to talk to (if you can barefour ladies talking to you at the same time!)

Not even 4 o'clock andthe crowd's already excited...

GLEN MATLOCK17:30 @ Proud

Old timer Glen from the SexPistols performing a standalone with an acoustic

delivers well. Covering someof his own material, songshe was involved in, and ofcourse… Pretty Vacant! Notbad for a solo old timer, anda great warm up for Gun.

CHINESE MISSY18:30 @ the Barfly

They got my curiosity with a video ofCameron and Osborne in pink underweardancing in a public toilet, and with a liveperformance like this they got my fullattention. Rock'n'roll at its rawest.

Ok, I guess it was a musical fullimmersion, but maybe this guy took it atad too seriously... He probably melted

way before the aftershow!

GUN18:45 @ Proud

ThE venue was at capacity beforeGun reached the stage. With a thirtymetre queue outside these guys fromScotland having thirty years in thebusiness delivered new material aswell as old and proved they still havewhat it takes to fill a venue andplease a crowd. Of course their

penultimate song ‘Word Up’ rockingCamden off its feet.

TRAMPOLENE19:00 @ The Enterprise

Shopping at Poundland will never be the same...Our favourites for next big thing, and the crowdseems to agree. Koko residency in July, get yourtickets now. But first head here to find out more:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TrampoleneOfficial

LOSTGRAVITY19:30 @ Barfly (Downstairs)

Having gone through a line-up change,these guys have come out fighting withnew energy. The crowded venue seemedto appreciate them although i’m not suresome of the none festival goers walkingpast the venue were in agreement. As

Breno would say “Rock On”!

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE21:30 @ the Electric Ballroom

What can I say, packed venue, disapointedfans queuing outside, packed photo pit, all aprelude to the band arriving and driving thecrowd into a frenzy. Great way to end the day!

and now one for the crowd...

...one for the ladies...

...one for the lads...

...one for rock'n'roll...

....and one for our Camden!

Th

There's

tapas,fracas, alcoh

ol,tobaccos

Bongs,bon

gobingo,

Portuguese m

aracas

There's

reggae

in thejeggae

,music ev

erywhere

Every k

indof song

anddan

ce,Madne

ss in th

e air

There's

Turkish ca

kes, designer

fakes,fathers dr

essedas n

uns

Every k

indof m

usic he

re andthe

night h

as just

begun

In Camden

Town I'll m

eetyou

bythe

underground

In Camden

Town w

e'llwalk there as th

e sun goes

down

In Camden

Town youcan

doany

thingyou

want t

o

In Camden

Town

Suggs - "

Camden

Town"

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR FOLKS!