Without sounding like an old codger and saying "it wasn't like it used to be", I was a bit disappointed by last night's Camden Crawl. As in previous years, the running order details were kept a closely guarded secret - on the website, we were told that the night would run from 7pm - 3am. Great, I thought, I had a band rehearsal till 9 so I wouldn't miss too much. Wrong.
All the bands finished at 11 (the rest of the night would be filled with djs - boo!), so I only managed to catch 2 of the 42 bands that played (and I had to make do with Kaito as I couldn't get in to see Gravenhurst). The running order was such that all the bands at all the venues started at the same time, rather than staggering, so there was always the chance that you might end up getting into anywhere if you didn't time it right - but that didn't stop them queuing down the Parkway to see Graham Coxon at the Dublin Castle. I also felt rather sorry for Eighties B-line Matchbox Disaster - a dreadful band, but even so sticking them on at 6.30pm was a bit unfair.
However, there was plus side - The Wedding Present played a blinder of a set that was worth the £15 entry alone - alot of the old favourites sounding better than ever before, even if it's not the original line up. So we got "Crawl", "Dalliance", "Kennedy","Stay", "My Favourite Dress", "Once More" - what more could you ask for. However, I thought Mr Gedge's employment of a rather nubile female Towel and Plectrum roadie was a bit unnecessary. Hmmm.
I was also one of the 500 people who got locked out of Dingwalls when they played there on the first Camden Crawl in 1995, so I feel that I've finally been compensated.
So, a mixed evening overall - it could have been run alot better, and OK maybe I should have been a bit more organised in order to get more out of the evening, but it was great to bump in to so many people I hadn't seen for ages, and I do have a stinking hangover this morning / afternoon.
