I haven’t been to the Crawl for a few years mainly due to apathy, this year’s line up included one of the first Odd Future UK shows which made it a little more appealing, that and a host of other bands said to be worth checking out.
A presenter I work with was curating the Barfly stage on the first day so I went down to check it out, I stayed there most of the day and was pleasantly surprised by some of the acts I caught. First up was
Divorce, a female led noise punk band supported by members of Comanechi in the crowd, it was a blistering force of noise and screeching vocals. After a few songs my friend and I retired to the bar downstairs, not for us.
They were followed by the fierce but poppy sounding
Turbogeist who had a mosh going for them, a messy one at that, with denim clad dudes slipping on the beer slick left behind by departed punters. Turbogeist are a great sounding punk band and I can only hope to hear more from them in the future.
I hung out in the bar for a while after before crossing the road to The Monarch to check out the completely excellent
Gallops. Having chanced upon them on the Hype Machine many moons ago I was delighted to finally see them live and see that they are every bit as good live as on record. It was also a delight to hear more of them as I had, until then, only heard a couple of tracks. Playing with a sheer level of intensity the instrumental songs took in a multitude of layers and sounds and kleeps your beer addled brain clicking and popping around.’ There was a surreal level to it as they played in the front window and you could see walking past over the drummer’s shoulder. Check ‘em out.
We returned to the Barfly to see that evening’s headliner
Ghostpoet. One of a host of highly tipped new acts Ghostpoet bring s laconic sounding rap over mellow dreamlike beats. An ingeniously entitled album “Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam” his songs capture the can’t be bothered charms of a young urban life and “
Cash and Carry Me Home” is everything a booze filled night’s journey home should be.
After a late night journey home and a good sleep I was all set for day two. I met friends by the Elephant’s Head, a great pub for old rock music and a moody crowd.
First stop had to be Odd Future, to the blind OFWGKTA are no one in particular but to those with an ear to the hype they are, apparently, the most exciting gang of rappers, producers and artists around. Put on the outdoor stage, perhaps expecting a large crowd, the masses gathered and chanted “WOLF GANG, WOLF, GANG”. There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air like something great was about to happen. Eventually a young looking girl walked on, plugged in a mini mixer and kicked in some beats, the whole crowd swayed and puished and pulled and moved like a freaked herd. Eventually Hodgy Beats walked out, slowly followed by Tyler, The Creator who walked on stage backwards with his mosh mask on. From then on the set was taken over by heavy bass lines, chanted lines, Hodgy and Tyler sitting on the speaker stacks before Hodgy eventually launched himself into the crowd. The band displayed a sense of menace and delivered with pure energy, a nasty looking mosh pit developed in the middle of the crowd. Enticed by the band fans tried to clamber on stage but couldn’t get past the burly security men. As Tyler and Hodgy left the stage the crowd rushed forward and clambered onto the stage in numbers security couldn’t handle and gave up on. Before long the stage was full of kids, jumping around and shouting “WOLG GANG” over the pleas of the stage manager and MC asking everyone to get off.
After that adrenaline rush the rest of the day paled in comparison but there were still some great performances.
Next up were the
Computers who delivered a barnstorming set at the Camden Rock. The singer spent half his time wondering the crowd mic stand in one hand and guitar in the other. In only a small venue it was a pretty impressive feat, he even climbed the central pillar as the hundred odd people who had crammed inside looked on. Their album This Is The Computers has a menacing rock sound which they bring live and deliver with every ounce of energy.
From The Computers hard rock to the blissful sounds of
Cloud Control over at Dingwalls. My first trip to the little venue surprised me, the tiered standing area affords great views but the low roof makes it feel very compact. Cloud Control are Australian but have decamped in the UK to promote their debut album released over a year ago back home. By this point the booze and sun had sunk in and their chilled and dreamy songs were a nice break to what had come before. It was nice to sit back and just let the sounds wash over you and take it in slowly.
We headed back to Camden Rock to see
Maverick Sabre a hip hop folk singer like the Plan B of old. He’s allright but beer has made me sleepy so I go upstairs and lie back on a large couch and listen, it sounds decent but I wasn’t overly fussed.
We end the night heading south towards Koko to see
Simian Mobile Disco. The place had quelled since what was reported as a riotous Lethal Bizzle gig earlier in the day with bodies flying around the ballroom. Simian Mobile Disco bring a huge light rig and stand in the middle of it, what follows is a set of
strobes and colours and blips, beeps and beats. A tired and drunken Koko sways and dances, girls and guys pull shapes and faces, the last remaining parts of fancy dress outfits are passed around the crowd and people smile and gurn and cheer each other on over the finish line of two great days of live music featuring discoveries, old friends and new favourites.
