Just like SXSW, the Camden Crawl has become a big out of control event with lines, beer sponsors, packed venues, buzzed about bands and more lines. It was held last weekend and while I told you about a few bands you should keep an eye on, there are some acts that concert goers were chatting-up.
Doing my research, the No. 1 band everyone wanted to see and almost caused a riot for was White Lies. The three-piece U.K. band have the makings of a band to reckon with, especially when you throw in the names Muse, U2 and The Smiths as influences. They've got a handful of songs in their arsenal, but they sound like they've been at this for years. Again, let's not get out the anointing oil yet, and earmark them for Arctic Monkey size mega-overnight success. Then again, this is the Internet, home of the over-hype. I will say this, from what I've heard, it's pretty powerful stuff from a young band. It's big, brash, emotion and British.
Take a listen to Death:
Los Angeles electro act/singer/DJ Sam Sparro made his London debut, and I'm just not buying his act. His big hit, Black and Gold, is making some serious noise on the U.K. charts. I like elements of that song, but his vocals lack personality. I think we're being inundated with these 80s throwback acts like Crystal Castles, Dan Deacon and Cut Copy, and it's all starting to blend together to seem like the same person. On the other hand, Ladyhawke, I think, will set herself as a unique artists.
Good to see Florence and the Machine getting some props around the U.K. scene and during SXSW. She's a big ball of unbridled energy with a great rock voice, a lot of percussion sounds pounding away and a hodgepodge of styles clanging against each other. Florence Welch is the woman behind the band and she could give Karen O a run for her money. She's making some heads turn with tunes with help from Pulp's Steve Mackey and Blur's Alex James. In her biography, she says “She makes the kind of music Lily or Kate would make if they'd grown up locked in a cage full of snakes in the basement of a Louisiana funeral home”. Hey, that's not funny, I was raised in a cage full of snakes.
Crystal Castles are more like a throw-ahead to the 2020's than the 1980's.
Cut Copy sound more like 1990's Daft Punk than the 1980's.
Dan Deacon is very 1980s, I'll admit.
Posted by: Graham | April 22, 2008 at 02:06 AM