The Camden Crawl returns home this month, taking over NW1 on 20 and 21 June. With a host of acts playing across the area’s venues, one of the artists playing, namely Steve Mason, has made us a Playlist of “songs to drink, eat and be merry to (around Camden)” to get you in the mood for the urban festival.
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood – Summer Wine
“I worked at the Vintage Magazine Shop on the High Street for a year or so around 1994 and the shop manager was a Rockabilly dude who was going through a big Hazlewood phase and his stuff was on from 10am until 6pm. I loved it and still do.”
Adam And The Ants- Plastic Surgery
“I bumped into Adam and his girlfriend in Camden market. I was a huge fan as a kid and I was kind of awestruck as I watched him squeeze into a vintage leather jacket in the changing rooms of some stall or other.”
Dr John- I Walk on Guilded Splinters
“A memory from Dingwalls down by the canal. Robin Jones and myself played pots and pans for the Dr on an album he did for Parlaphone and he asked us to play his Camden show aswell. Fantastic night of Voodoo.”
Mathar – Indian Vibes
“I used to go to Blow Up at the Laurel Tree and this track was played a lot. Was a great venue and club night until it moved.”
Johnny Burnette – Honey Hush
“The only place worth going after hours in Camden is London’s finest kebab shop. Head up the back, get a red stripe beer, order some food and sit back while a lone Rockabilly plays some classics tunes on electric guitar. All the flotsam and jetsome of the night was up at The Marathon, its one of my favorite places.”
NB Plastic Surgery is currently unavailable
U Roy – Chalice In The Palace
“I very good friend of mine called Brenden O’Conner lived in Camden and I would ride my scooter down to his in the evening and we would listen to U-Roy, his favourite reggae artist of all time. Nice memories of a good man no longer with us.”
Madness – The Prince
“I played my first ever London gig at the Dublin Castle in 1987 and had seen footage of Madness on the same stage playing an incredible show. Sadly the band I was in were crap and we got blown off the stage by the main act, The Clique. Embarrassing.”
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Crawling Up A Hill
“Just reminds me of riding my Lambretta up to Camden from Brixton for work everyday during 1994. I was excited to be in London.”
Oasis – Supersonic
“I was never much of an Oasis fan but I actively hated Blur, so whenever I got the chance I would pop into the Good Mixer pub where they drank around 1994 and put this on the jukebox. Just doing my bit for the North.”
Arthur Baker – Breakers Revenge
“The first time I ever went out for dinner in a restaurant was in some bistro in Camden just after the Beta Band got signed. The first person I saw when I walked in was Arthur Baker, who i’m a huge fan of, and I suddenly felt like I’d made it! Eating in bistros with the likes of him was a long way from being a car mechanic in Fife.”
For more, including the full line-up and latest ticket news, head to Thecamdencrawl.com.
