Camden Crawl - day 1

My ears are ringing, I feel in a daze, and I'm only halfway there. One day of the Camden crawl down, one to go. Yesterday was awesome, with some memorable moments. The day started with the Fallout records pre-party at the Crescent. Reggae/ska outfit King Blues warmed everyone with a storming 35 minute-set, taking a swipe at the BNP and praising mayday protesters, finishing with a crowd sing-a-long. They were followed by a short set by Select Dance Party.

Then to Koko to see I am Kloot, who overall I thought were ok. But I really love their song Proof, so was delighted when it came round. Then after a quick dinner break it was back to Koko for Hadouken! whose electro/rock/hip-hop stylings really got the crowd going. Playing next single Liquid Lies and finishing with That Boy, That Girl.

Dublin castle was next on the list. After a 10 minute queue to get in, managed to see most of iLikeTrains set. There intense epic set reminded me of Hope of the States, although with a little less character. I'll definitely be getting some of their tunes though.

Next was my personal highlight of the evening (if not the musical year so far) was in the Camden Tup. The quiet backstreet bar was packed to bursting with a huge queue outside, the reason why......Pull Tiger Tail. And they did not disappoint. A blistering set in the tiny venue even had someone crowd surfing in the 2ft between the heads of the crowd and the ceiling. The crowd then went wild as the ended the set with Animator and Lets Lightning.

From the tight surroundings of the Tup to the sticky floor of the Electric Ballroom. Arriving just before Air Traffic took to the stage. I was expecting something pretty good. They came through with a brilliant set including recent single Charlotte. I predict big things for these boys this year.

Then there's ASH. The Irish indie-pop heroes have been going strong for about 10 years now and they have the material to prove it. The 45 minute set had 3 new songs, and the a host of old favourites. Setlist: Burn Baby Burn, Angel Interceptor, You can't have it all, Orpheus, Kung Fu, Polaris, A Life less ordinary, Oh Yeah, Girl From Mars, Twilight of the Innocents. All the old songs rocked as hard as ever, with huge crowd sing-a-longs during Oh Yeah and Girl From Mars. Of the new songs, the new single You Can't Have It All, didn't really impress. But the other two new ones bode well for the next album.

All in all a great night!! Bring on tonight!!!