Camden Does Rock
Just a little additional musing to the many people who've commented on the festive mess that was Camden on Saturday.
For the record, I was at the Monarch from late afternoon to see the Social, the Paddingtons and Carl. Had never really thought that it was an option to take a mid-evening trip to Underworld - or anywhere else. The venues were just too small, there were going to be too many people, and it was clear from pretty early on that although the timing suggested it might be possible to see both Peter and Carl, that was never gonna happen. And in some ways, that was OK - there was a need for something to underline that a reunion just wasn't going to happen. But the organisation overall was really dreadful - from the endless delays in announcing the line-up and timing for each venue - to the lack of adequate security or forethought about the numbers that would congregate at the Monarch when everything else had finished.
The Monarch was a bit like old home week - every third person was someone I knew, and it was really nice to see many people I'd not seen in a while. The Social, on at 5, were good fun, as were the marvellous Paddingtons, who did a blinding set at 8. But it had already become obvious that the lack of barrier (there was apparently also no barrier at the Underworld), and poor security were a problem. During the Padds set the crowd became dense and, although basically good natured, the small space and the number of people there meant that only concerted efforts of front-row fans and band members themselves prevented the monitors ending up on stage. The pub is big enough, but much of the space is on two levels behind a partitioned wall, leaving a really small performance area, probably only allowing a maximum of 200 people to actually see the stage. Consequently, when the bigger 'draws' were on stage, the space in front of it was completely crammed.
There was quite a lull after the Paddingtons, probably because a lot of people went off to the Underworld, but well before ten the venue began to feel very crowded. Texts from friends at the Underworld suggested Peter was (at best) late, and fears for a mass exodus from Underworld if a no show were to be announced prompted us to move into the performance area about quarter to ten. From that point on, it filled up amazingly quickly. To sardine-like status. At some point, a text was received announcing that Peter was on stage down the road. We became aware that there were crowds outside, and some rather inconsiderate security guys pulled the curtains closed so that those pressed against the glass couldn't see. Sadly, said security guys didn't seem much use at anything else, and weren't around when Carl was finally extruded onto the stage. An enthusiastic chorus of 'Happy Birthday' was greeted with a rather pleased sounding 'aww, you remembered' from the nattily besuited Barat, sporting the same outfit he'd worn a fortnight previously at the Rhythm Factory. We hoped he'd managed to wash the shirt in the interim.
It was a riotous gig. On lots of levels. Started sanely enough, with What A Waster, Ballad of Grimaldi and Deadwood. The set list was long and varied, and Kieran Leonard, Anthony Rossamando and Drew McConnell stood beside the stage with clear indications that they were going to play. We'd also heard that Josh Hubbard was due to join Carl for a song, and that the Paddingtons were going to play the last two numbers with him. But somehow, it all fell apart. Well, the prepared set did at any rate. We got Holly Golightly and France, according to plan, but all too soon it seemed that the police were outside along with hundreds trying to get in, and things were going to be curtailed. Nevertheless, we heard a lovely, if comically misremembered, version of 9 Lives sung by Carl and Kieran, and then Anthony and Drew came on stage for a sequence of Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things songs. Grant Dobbs manged to jump onto the drums, admirably coached by Drew for what was clearly an unprepared set. Josh finally appeared (we later heard that he'd had difficulties getting admission, and that other members of the Paddingtons had not managed to get in at all), and joined the throng on the tiny stage. To the best of my memory, they played Good Old Days, Bang Bang, Time for Heroes, Truth Begins, Can't Stand Me Now and finished with I Get Along.
There was lots of conferring, and references to the police outside and the need to finish, but we got several 'just one more' songs. The music was great, they sounded good together, and clearly enjoyed the crowd's wild enthusiasm. Which is what prevented an incredibly tenuous situation from exploding. People got shoved onto the stage, Drew spent quite a lot of time holding a monitor in place with his foot, and it was sheer good luck that no one got seriously hurt.
I've been to a lot of raucous gigs. I've been to a lot of gigs in small venues with inadequate safety and security. I've been to a lot of gigs with dodgy sound arrangements and where I really wouldn't have liked to investigate the electrics too closely. But this particular gig gets first prize on almost every count - for being unsafe, for inadequate attention to the protection of performers or audience, for mismanaging the flow of the crowd from one venue to another, and most of all, for failing to anticipate the numbers that would want to get into the Monarch come 11pm. That being said, I had a wonderful time. I loved the slightly 'make it up as you go along' feel of the set, really liked the range and variety of material, the mix of acoustic and full band, the supportive and co-operative interaction between the musicians. Moreover, all of the best times I've seen Carl perform have been in the small and sweaty venues - he clearly gets off on that slightly mad atmosphere and those gigs sparkle with positive interaction between crowd and performer. I'd imagine it wasn't the easiest gig in the world to play. It certainly wasn't the easiest gig to experience. I got covered in bruises, dumped unceremoniously onto the stage whilst trying to keep one of the monitors in place, and spent the last couple of songs wedged between a monitor and a speaker trying to hold them and myself upright. But the atmosphere and the music were buzzing, and for me, the pain took second place. By quite a long way.
For the record, I was at the Monarch from late afternoon to see the Social, the Paddingtons and Carl. Had never really thought that it was an option to take a mid-evening trip to Underworld - or anywhere else. The venues were just too small, there were going to be too many people, and it was clear from pretty early on that although the timing suggested it might be possible to see both Peter and Carl, that was never gonna happen. And in some ways, that was OK - there was a need for something to underline that a reunion just wasn't going to happen. But the organisation overall was really dreadful - from the endless delays in announcing the line-up and timing for each venue - to the lack of adequate security or forethought about the numbers that would congregate at the Monarch when everything else had finished.
The Monarch was a bit like old home week - every third person was someone I knew, and it was really nice to see many people I'd not seen in a while. The Social, on at 5, were good fun, as were the marvellous Paddingtons, who did a blinding set at 8. But it had already become obvious that the lack of barrier (there was apparently also no barrier at the Underworld), and poor security were a problem. During the Padds set the crowd became dense and, although basically good natured, the small space and the number of people there meant that only concerted efforts of front-row fans and band members themselves prevented the monitors ending up on stage. The pub is big enough, but much of the space is on two levels behind a partitioned wall, leaving a really small performance area, probably only allowing a maximum of 200 people to actually see the stage. Consequently, when the bigger 'draws' were on stage, the space in front of it was completely crammed.
There was quite a lull after the Paddingtons, probably because a lot of people went off to the Underworld, but well before ten the venue began to feel very crowded. Texts from friends at the Underworld suggested Peter was (at best) late, and fears for a mass exodus from Underworld if a no show were to be announced prompted us to move into the performance area about quarter to ten. From that point on, it filled up amazingly quickly. To sardine-like status. At some point, a text was received announcing that Peter was on stage down the road. We became aware that there were crowds outside, and some rather inconsiderate security guys pulled the curtains closed so that those pressed against the glass couldn't see. Sadly, said security guys didn't seem much use at anything else, and weren't around when Carl was finally extruded onto the stage. An enthusiastic chorus of 'Happy Birthday' was greeted with a rather pleased sounding 'aww, you remembered' from the nattily besuited Barat, sporting the same outfit he'd worn a fortnight previously at the Rhythm Factory. We hoped he'd managed to wash the shirt in the interim.
It was a riotous gig. On lots of levels. Started sanely enough, with What A Waster, Ballad of Grimaldi and Deadwood. The set list was long and varied, and Kieran Leonard, Anthony Rossamando and Drew McConnell stood beside the stage with clear indications that they were going to play. We'd also heard that Josh Hubbard was due to join Carl for a song, and that the Paddingtons were going to play the last two numbers with him. But somehow, it all fell apart. Well, the prepared set did at any rate. We got Holly Golightly and France, according to plan, but all too soon it seemed that the police were outside along with hundreds trying to get in, and things were going to be curtailed. Nevertheless, we heard a lovely, if comically misremembered, version of 9 Lives sung by Carl and Kieran, and then Anthony and Drew came on stage for a sequence of Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things songs. Grant Dobbs manged to jump onto the drums, admirably coached by Drew for what was clearly an unprepared set. Josh finally appeared (we later heard that he'd had difficulties getting admission, and that other members of the Paddingtons had not managed to get in at all), and joined the throng on the tiny stage. To the best of my memory, they played Good Old Days, Bang Bang, Time for Heroes, Truth Begins, Can't Stand Me Now and finished with I Get Along.
There was lots of conferring, and references to the police outside and the need to finish, but we got several 'just one more' songs. The music was great, they sounded good together, and clearly enjoyed the crowd's wild enthusiasm. Which is what prevented an incredibly tenuous situation from exploding. People got shoved onto the stage, Drew spent quite a lot of time holding a monitor in place with his foot, and it was sheer good luck that no one got seriously hurt.
I've been to a lot of raucous gigs. I've been to a lot of gigs in small venues with inadequate safety and security. I've been to a lot of gigs with dodgy sound arrangements and where I really wouldn't have liked to investigate the electrics too closely. But this particular gig gets first prize on almost every count - for being unsafe, for inadequate attention to the protection of performers or audience, for mismanaging the flow of the crowd from one venue to another, and most of all, for failing to anticipate the numbers that would want to get into the Monarch come 11pm. That being said, I had a wonderful time. I loved the slightly 'make it up as you go along' feel of the set, really liked the range and variety of material, the mix of acoustic and full band, the supportive and co-operative interaction between the musicians. Moreover, all of the best times I've seen Carl perform have been in the small and sweaty venues - he clearly gets off on that slightly mad atmosphere and those gigs sparkle with positive interaction between crowd and performer. I'd imagine it wasn't the easiest gig in the world to play. It certainly wasn't the easiest gig to experience. I got covered in bruises, dumped unceremoniously onto the stage whilst trying to keep one of the monitors in place, and spent the last couple of songs wedged between a monitor and a speaker trying to hold them and myself upright. But the atmosphere and the music were buzzing, and for me, the pain took second place. By quite a long way.