5/7/2015 East Barnet Festival - Part 2

Sunday finds me heading back down to the park for the last day of the 2015 East Barnet Festival. Once again the weather is lovely - warm and mostly sunny, without being too warm. Unfortunately, I don't manage to make it down in time to see the The Silver Manatees who were one of the bands I had been looking forward to seeing - they were very good last time I saw them. Being in the pub until after midnight after yesterday at the festival probably didn't help matters... Still, Sunday is an interesting day at the festival - with a few surprises.

The first act I actually managed to see was Kerrie Masters. This girl was new to me but seems like seasoned and experienced performer. She is a soul/jazz type singer who also plays the flute.

Kerrie has an excellent voice and knows how to use it. Her band are good too - although a bit on the dull side. Maybe this is deliberate to highlight the singer? The songs are funky and soulful, but there is a bit of a a surprise when Kerrie launches into an AC/DC song! The unexpected cover of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' is performed in a very laid back and relaxed fashion - so much so that I suspect a lot of the audience don't even realise they are hearing one of the all time classic hard rock songs!

The tempo is taken up a bit when well known local pop/rock/soul covers band Paparazzi take to the stage.

This is probably the most varied set of the day and includes numbers by The Scissor Sisters, Creedance Clearwater Revival (in a Tina Turner style) and even Guns 'N' Roses! Their singer Andrea can really belt out a tune!

Paparazzi have a good sound and play really well - definitely one of the highlights of the day.

The next act is a bit of a surprise - no one seems to know who Vigilante are. The singer has an American accent but claims to have been born locally. Fortunately their playing is better than their wigs!

The band play original hard rock songs and aren't as bad as they look - I guess they don't mean to be taken too seriously anyway. The frontman is actually quite charismatic and entertaining - which is just as well as the songs don't really hold your attention that well.

Next up is well known local musician Mark O'Connor - who appears to be a last minute addition and doesn't appear on the bill. He performs a short solo acoustic set and is always a lively performer.

Next were popular local rock covers band Texas Flyers. The band are all highly experienced musicians and regular performers at this festival as well as in local (and further afield) pubs. Their set consists mainly of well known rock and blues classics, but there are a few more rarely heard songs thrown into the set as well to keep things interesting.

This is a band who know the right sort of songs to play to get people going.

A Texas Flyers set is always entertaining, but all too soon it's over and it's time for today's headline act...

Variety has always been a feature of the music at the East Barnet Festival, and today is no exception. After various acts earlier in the day featuring funk, rock, pop, and soul (and that's just on this stage - there are 3 others) today's show is brought to a close by something completely different - Minnie's Henhouse. I've known about this band and been wanting to see them for a long time, but this is the first time I have actually managed to see them. This is a long way from the type of music I'll normally go and see - it's from a time before there was even such a thing as rock & roll. I wasn't even sure if I'd like it as people had been telling me it probably wasn't my kind of thing. Minnie's Henhouse is an act as much as it is a band, and the musical style is taken from the 1920's to 1940's. Not the sort of thing people who know me would expect me to like at all. Little do they know that many many years ago I used to listen to a show late at night on Capital Radio that used to play this sort of stuff. I listened mainly because there was nothing else on the radio at that time of night to be honest. But I still listened - so there must have been something I liked about it...

This is a cleverly put together act, and although this music is from a time before 'rock' - it rocks! It swings and it rolls too. The music is lively, fun, and energetic. Minnie herself has great stage presence and charisma - a natural performer who works hard all the way through the set - although there is one entertaining interlude where she takes a chance and asks a member of the crowd to get up on stage and carry her while she sings a song - something that could have easily ended in disaster depending on how much he had been drinking - good thing she didn't ask me! It was very funny though - and didn't quite end in disaster! At one point a 'special guest' is introduced to sing - the brilliantly named Pimms Brooke (New/East Barnet residents should get the joke) who had apparently flown in from Dubai for the show.

There were a few surprises in the Henhouse - just when you are getting into the 1920's/30's vibe - a very familiar song pops up in the set - one you are more used to hearing played by Nirvana! This band certainly keep you on your toes...

Most the band had dressed in period costume to some extent - apart from the violin player - but at least her hairstyle was very 1920's. I'm not complaining though 'cos she had great stage presence. Nice boots too!

There always seemed to be something happening on stage and it seemed a polished and professional show - while still being a lot of fun and having a slight edge to it.

In spite of Minnie's Henhouse being a long way from the sort of act I'd normally go and see I thought they were worthy headliners for Sunday's bill and I thoroughly enjoyed their set - great fun! This was a great end to the 2015 East Barnet Festival and I look forward to seeing this band again.

And as the (surprisingly reasonably priced) beer tent shuts at 21.00 - it's back to the pub....

Same time next year then?

PS: Did anybody spot that a certain bass player turned up in more than one band?

4/7/2015 East Barnet Festival - Part 1...

Always a good day out - if the weather is OK. Fortunately this year the weather could hardly have been better. I would say that the East Barnet Festival is always great value for money, but actually it's better than that as it's free! Well it's free to get in, but obviously things like the beer tent and the funfair aren't free - although (very unusually for a festival) the beer tent has real ale and the beers are at normal pub prices. Why can't all festivals be like this? It's so nice to be able to have a few festival beers in the sun without feeling you are being ripped off. However, I'm not here for the beer - I can always go to the few remaining local pubs for that.

There is a wide variety of live music to be found over the various stages, but none of the early acts on the Saturday look like my sort of thing and I've got to get my shopping done so I don't get down to the park until mid-afternoon when The Fraudsters are playing.

This fairly well known local rock covers band turn out a solid set of crowd pleasers. Then it's time for something a bit different. With a name like Dark Skies this band isn't likely to be a 'pop' or indie act - and they certainly aren't. If you were expecting something more Goth/rock/metal then you'd be right - Metal to be precise. Their sound is not a million miles from Black Sabbath. They are obviously good musicians and have written some decent songs, but how do they expect anyone to take them seriously as a metal band when they dress like this?

I quite enjoy their music, but although they play well they appear to be performing a set of entirely original material. The crowd don't recognise any of the songs - they just don't 'get it' at all. And the singer doesn't seem to 'get' why although he makes a good effort at giving a proper 'rock show' performance no one really seems to be into what they are doing.

Lose the shorts guys - as a 'metal' band they make you look ridiculous. A basic schoolboy error, but you are not the first 'rock' band to make the same mistake at this event.

Next act on the main stage is local blues band and East Barnet Festival regulars Hokum. They look like a standard middle aged pub blues band, but they actually give a more lively performance than many of the younger bands today.

Meanwhile, there is good stuff happening elsewhere on the site. There is a stage for new young bands and some of the times the stuff going on here is more lively than what's happening on the main stage - at one point there is a good band of kids with a girl singer doing a Rage Against The Machine song - one of the heaviest things I hear all day.

I seem to miss Rangoon back on the main stage - or at least I don't seem to remember anything about them - shurely I wasn't in the beer tent the whole time? Things got a bit strange after that. Next was something billed as Pop Coulture and a 'special guest' was introduced. I can't remember his name but I think he was a 'celebrity' from some TV show like Pop Idol or The Voice. He was given 'star' status and performed solo to a backing track. Nobody seemed to know who he was - apart from the handful of 'fans' who seemed to be going crazy in front of the stage. Maybe they had bused in specially? Or minibused in. And there would have been a few spare seats on the bus. Another act that no one apart from a (very) few who the hype seemed to work on seemed interested in. He was the only act of the day to do an 'encore' (even though hardly anyone was watching and it was so obviously pre-planned) and returned having changed out of his 'pop star' threads into jeans and a leather jacket for some instant 'rock-cred'. I doubt anyone was convinced (apart from the tiny rent-a-fan 'crowd' at the front) or even cared.

Fortunately things took a major turn for the better with today's headline band - an act I suggested for this festival years ago but I never thought would play in spite of their local popularity..

The Fabulous Feedback Band used to play regularly in Barnet a few years ago and built up a considerable local following. They are (or were) a rock covers band - a very good one but have now moved up in the World and call themselves a 'Function band'. Nearly all the rock stuff that earned them a big following has been ditched in favour of a far more indie/pop set for wedding and corporate gigs. I don't think many of the currant local festival crowd actually knew of this band previously, but they went down a storm regardless - getting a far bigger crowd down the front and dancing that the previous 'star' turn. And they didn't even resort to playing 'Mustang Sally', 'Brown Eyed Girl' or the dreaded 'Sex On Fire'. Well done lads!

This band were easily in a different class to anyone else - all the other bands I saw today looked like 'pub bands' however well they played. The Fabulous Feedback Band were the only ones who didn't wear shorts - none of the other bands seemed to get why shorts make you look shit. This is why they will remain pub bands. Go figure.

The Feeedback band played songs people like, and they played well. All the other bands I saw today played well too, but this lot play very well. They were very polished and professional, but that's not what made them easily the best band of the day. They looked great compared to all the other bands, but that's not it either. They had something the other bands were sadly lacking in - charisma and stage presence.And of course it helps that they play songs most people know. A great end to the day! And so to the pub - then back tomorrow for more...

28/6/2015 A little piece of aviation history - over Barnet!

A nice day for a walk in the park? Not really - not as far as the weather goes anyway... So why was I in the park then? Well I had to pop out to the shops to get some milk for my breakfast on Monday morning, and I like to take the 'scenic route' even if it takes a bit longer. While I was in the park I happened to witness a remarkable and never to be repeated event that lasted only a few seconds. Was it coincidence that I was in the park at that exact minute? Maybe not...

2015 is the last year ever that it will be possible to see a remarkable piece of British engineering in the skies. Avro Vulcan XH558 was built in 1960 and retired by the RAF in 1993, and that seemed to be that. Until 1998. A massively ambitious and expensive project was launched to get the now privately owned aircraft back in the air - with absolutely no help from the RAF or the government. Amazingly, both the project and the aircraft got off the ground - after 14 years XH558 flew again. It was originally thought that it would be possible to fly the Vulcan for another two or three years. It has now flown for eight years since it's return to the skies, but for a variety of reasons it has been decided that although the aircraft is in amazingly good shape and has been very reliable 2015 will be the last year it will fly. Ever.

The Vulcan is a remarkable piece of history in it's own right, and this particular machine is the last example of a British designed and built four engined jet aircraft of any type flying anywhere in the World - we shall never see it's like again.

As part of it's last year of flight it was decided to pay tribute to the RAF's old V-Bomber force (which also included the Victor and short lived Valiant bombers) by flying the Vulcan over every single remaining intact example of these three classic aircraft in the UK. This 'Salute to the V-Force' tour was planned to take place in two stages over this weekend, and on the Sunday it would be flying over London to pay tribute to the Vulcan at the RAF Museum in Hendon. The aircraft would only be making a single low level flypast over the museum at Hendon - any sort of air display there would be frowned upon these days - although Hendon aerodrome was once the venue for the World famous air display that has more recently taken place at Farnborough. I was thinking of jumping on my bike and heading over to Hendon (taking advantage of the free motorcycle parking at the museum) to catch the unique site of a Vulcan flying at low level of the site. However, it was raining in the morning and low cloud made it look possible the day's flight might not even take place - the Vulcan can fly safely in cloud and rain, but there isn't much point if no one on the ground can see it! I didn't much fancy getting a soaking on the bike as I slithered about on wet greasy London roads and then possibly standing in the rain and not seeing much anyway....

A little research provided the Vulcan's exact flight path - after it's flypast at Hendon it would be heading to Duxford in Cambridgeshire to fly over the examples of the Vulcan and Victor at the museum there. It's route to Duxford would take it right over Barnet! So maybe I didn't need to go to Hendon after all? I didn't think I'd see much from home - too many obstructions, but the park would be slightly closer to the Vulcan's flightline and is only a couple of minutes walk away so...

The rain had stopped and the low cloud was clearing. For once my planning actually worked out perfectly. The Vulcan was due over Hendon at 14.00 and by that time I had positioned myself in a carefully chosen vantage point in the park to get an unobstructed view. I looked over towards Hendon just a few miles away and sure enough at around one minute past two a small and very distinctive delta shape in the sky grew rapidly larger - accompanied by a growing roar! The Vulcan's planned flightpath would have taken it right over Barnet Church, but it seemed to be flying East of there and actually much closer to me than I expected! I may well have got a better view of the Vulcan right on my doorstep than if I had gone to Hendon to see it. I had occasionally in the past seen Concorde's flying over London, but they were much higher than this equally distinctive delta shape. The astounding Concorde is now history, and only to be seen in museums - soon the same will be said of the mighty Vulcan. But not today. I didn't bother taking my camera with me as past experience has shown that unless you have a massive telephoto lens an airborne aircraft will always look tiny - even if it's really close up. I wanted to soak up the sight and sound with my own senses as it happened, and I find wielding a camera really gets in the way of that - and this was a moment I would never experience again. I took a couple of very quick pictures on my phone before putting it aside and enjoying this unique moment. The Vulcan looked far far closer to me standing in the park than it does on the pictures from my phone - I felt I could almost see the pilot looking down at me! And of course there was the famous 'Vulcan roar' - a sound probably never heard so loud and so low over this spot, and never to be heard again over London.

I sort of expected a few other aviation enthusiasts to be in the park to witness this event - in much the same way as steam locomotive fans gather on the platforms in Barnet when they know an old steam loco will be hauling a special train through. As the Vulcan's roar grew quieter and the aircraft started to climb away over the woods leaving four trails of black smoke behind it I looked around me - I was alone in the park. It felt strange. I know many many other people over North London will have just seen and heard the Vulcan pass low overhead - even if many of them didn't know what it was or why it was there, and I'm sure there were hundreds at the RAF Museum in Hendon specially so see it fly over. But I was the only one standing in the park to witness this once in a lifetime event - it felt almost as if the aircraft had just flown over especially for me - a secret rendezvous in the park - my own private air display. A special and unique moment in time that I will always remember.

26/6/2015 Last night ever at the Purple Turtle

Friday night and there are far too many things going on - unfortunately I can't get to all the gigs I want to get to. Tufnell Park tube station being closed for the rest of the year doesn't help me include anything happening there if I'm trying to get to many gigs as possible in one night and time is of the essence - so I have to travel straight through there and get off the train at Mornington Crescent for the Purple Turtle.

I was very sad to learn that this great Camden music venue is closing. I've not been there often in the last couple of years or so, but it used to be a regular hangout of mine a few years ago when it (or it's various promoters) used to book far more of the type of rock 'n' roll bands that I like. It's always been a very reasonable price on the door and the Newcastle Brown Ale used to be reasonably priced too. I had seen countless great bands there over the years - as well as some not so great ones. It's always been one of the few venues I have actually looked forward to visiting. It's a nice size, has good views of the stage from various points, the toilets aren't too disgusting, the bar is above average and there are places to sit and chat. Many changes and improvements have been made since I first visited the venue when the stage was at the front by the windows. Unfortunately the lease has now expired, and the landlords (Camden Council) seem unwilling to let the club remain for the remaining three years until the building is knocked down for redevelopment. I don't see why what appears to be a perfectly sound building needs to be demolished, although I suspect it's just Camden Council wanting to flog the land and make a lot of money. What is more puzzling is why the Council (who claim to support the arts and 'alternative' culture) would apparently rather have the building empty for the next three years instead of having a popular music/club venue paying rent? It must be gutting for the people who run the venue as I can see quite a lot of money has been spent on upgrading the seating area since my last visit, and I believe they planned to spend a lot more on further upgrades to the venue in the future as well...

So, Friday night finds me heading down to the Purple Turtle for probably the last time ever.

It's only £3 on the door tonight - bargain! Even better news is that all drinks are only £3 all night! I look for the usual Newcastle Brown Ale as I get to the bar, but they don't seem to be stocking the old standby any more. I'm not as disappointed by this as I once would have been as the stuff doesn't seem to taste or smell the same these days - possibly because it's not even brewed in Newcastle anymore. The legendary beer seems to have lost it's character... However, I do find an acceptable substitute behind the bar in the form of Dublin Porter - at only £3 I drink as many of them as possible in the time I am in the venue - well it's helping to support live music isn't it? Actually, I think they just want to get rid of all the booze before the venue closes down. I do my best to help them out....

Well known promoter on the underground rock scene Mick Monsta is one of the main people behind tonight's show, and he is determined to make the venue go out 'LOUD'. I hadn't heard of most of the bands on the bill:

The Day Of Locusts
Empire Warning
Healthy Junkies
Mordecai
Die Kur
The Mercy House
Sumer
Leevil

However, I did want to catch Healthy Junkies even though I only saw them the other day elsewhere in Camden.

Actually, it made a nice change seeing them somewhere other than The Unicorn - although I did see them at the Camden Rocks festival recently too.

The band are on good form tonight - their new drummer has been really powering their sets along since he joined a few months ago.

Even though Healthy Junkies are one of the first bands on tonight, quite a few of their loyal fans are here early enough to see them. They are not disappointed.

This mob are pretty seasoned performers by now, and I'm sure their catchy blend of pop/punk'glam/grunge wins a few more people over tonight.

Although the band aren't using their normal backline they get a good solid meaty sound.

All too soon their set is over - and so is my night in Camden as I have to rush off to get back for a local gig...

13/6/2015 Jelly & Healthy Junkies @ The Unicorn

My evening doesn't get off to a good start. I'm already running late, and when I arrive at the station I find my train has been cancelled! Thanks a lot Great Northern! - they are just as bad as First Capital Connect who ran the service until losing the franchise recently. Great Northern deserve to lose it too as their trains are often late.

When I finally arrive at The Unicorn I have missed most the bands and Jelly have almost finished their set too.

There is a good crowd in to see this band playing their 1970's/80's style rock with a modern twist. Album number two is on the way from this band and some new songs are played tonight along with stuff like 'Get Outta Jail' from their excellent debut album.

All too soon Jelly's set is over - I look forward to hearing more new stuff from them soon - and hopefully catching their whole show next time...

At least I get to see all of the set from Healthy Junkies - tonight headlining their own monthly club night at this venue. Not everyone get's to see the whole set though; there is a bloke I noticed earlier nearly getting to a fight who is obviously off his face - the security guys persuade him it's time to leave after he keeps dancing around and crashing into people. The bastard trod on my blue suede shoes so the fucker deserved to get thrown out!

The band's 'Rock 'N' Roll Rendezvous' is always great value for money - free to get in, cheap beer, and three or four bands who are all worth a look.

Healthy Junkies themselves are always good fun - almost too good tonight as a moshpit breaks out and gets a bit out of control - selfish bastards spoiling the enjoyment of people who are just trying to watch the band..

The crowd and the moshpit fuckers stop me getting many pictures, but the band give a good performance as usual - their new drummer is shit hot - very fast and really driving things along.

Like the previous band, Healthy Junkies are also adding new songs to their set now album number three is in the pipeline - it will be interesting to hear how the band progress with their punk/pop/grunge hybrid sound.

Camden Rocks festival 2015

This is an event I have looking forward to for months - the Camden Rocks festival has gone from strength to strength over the last two or three years. If you are a rock fan there are bound to be plenty of bands you like whatever style of music floats your boat - over 200 bands spread out over more than 20 venues all within a few minutes walk of each other. And all for a mere £30. What other festival can rival that in terms of value for money? And no camping required as it's easily accessible by public transport - plus you don't have to be ripped off by corporate bars and rip-off beer prices. Don't like the quality of beer or the prices in the venue? No problem - there are plenty of other pubs and bars to choose from a couple of minutes walk away and once you have your wristband you can come and go as you choose all day long.

The first bands started in various venues at mid-day. I arrived in Camden Town around 11.30 and found the wristband collection much improved from last year - it was at the World's End pub and I didn't have to queue at all - very well organised! The only snag with there being so many bands playing is that there will inevitably be timing clashes and some of the bands you particularly want to see are on at the same time. But as there is so much to choose from you are spoiled for choice and you can't complain really. I started out with a shortlist of 22 bands I wanted to see. I knew it was unrealistic to expect to see all of them before I'd even started checking the stage times. I soon narrowed it down to around 11 bands I thought I could realistically expect to see. I eventually caught only 9 of them, but even that was great value for money.

After picking up my wristband I have some time to spare, so I gravitate to the nearby BrewDog for some quality beer while waiting for the queue outside the Black Heart to shift into the venue when it opens it's doors.... Just after 12.00 I observe that the queue has vanished - it's time to rock!

My day at Camden Rocks is kicked off at The Black Heart with the ever dependable Healthy Junkies. Unlike last year the Orange amplifiers (sponsors of the festival and providing amps at all the venues) have turned up on time and the band can actually start when they are supposed to.

This band never fail to disappoint and they continue to refine their live set as they work towards album number three.

Singer Nina has developed her lively stage persona over several years with a more individual style compared to her earlier style more influenced by Queen Adreena and the amazing Katie Jane Garside.

 Healthy Junkies are really fired up today - particularly impressive as it's not even lunchtime yet!

 The band are on top form, and as they have been given only 30 minutes to play they condense their two album plus repertoire  into a quality set of pop/punk/glam/grunge influenced rock 'n' roll.

The band are in a more suitable venue at this year's Camden Rocks and in spite of hitting the stage much earlier this year they find themselves playing to a lot more people - the room is pretty busy!

It's amazing how many people are in this room at midday as the first bands are taking to stages in various venues and I struggle to get any decent pictures are there are four photographers in front of me snapping at the band.

It's a shame Healthy Junkies only get to play for 30 minutes - they have more than enough decent songs to fill an hour as they have two albums under their belt and a third on the way.

After Healthy Junkies have finished playing to a surprisingly full Black Heart I head off to Proud to catch The Amorettes

These three girls from Scotland have been getting quite a lot of attention over the past year with festival appearances and some good support spots. They have also managed to draw a sizeable crowd to the Proud Galleries to check them out. The audience are rewarded with a tight and punchy set of somewhat generic hard rock - not so much Girlschool or Rock Goddess and sounding more like a female Airbourne - although with better vocals. The band had already played most their set by the time I found my way into the venue and as the place was so full I didn't manage to get any decent pictures before the band finished playing. The Amorettes seem like a band worth checking out properly at a future gig though...

I don't have far to walk as I leave as my next port of call is also in the Stables Market area and only yards away from Proud. I find myself in a very crowded Cuban to see the highly entertaining Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing. Unfortunately the venue is far too small for this popular band and as so many people got in the place before I did I hardly get to see the band at all - and from where I standing the sound is terrible as well. It's a shame as I've missed this band the last couple of times they have played in London and I was particularly looking forward to their set today.

The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing turn in a well played and most entertaining set of Steampunk as usual - why aren't these guys much bigger than they are? My pictures were crap, but if you want to see some really good ones by the very talented Sophie Garrett then click here.

Next I'm back at Prod again. Unfortunately most of the bands I particularly want to see at Camden Rock this year are at my least favourite venue and one I some time ago decided to stop drinking at due to the outrageously priced bar and it's poor beverage selection - I wear out quite a lot of shoe leather today rushing to BrewDog between sets today.

Unfortunately I miss most the the Love Zombies set. I'd never heard of this band until Ginger Wildheart introduced their singer to take vocal duties on some Hey! Hello! songs at his Birthday Bash show last year. At the time I assumed the appearance of Hollis Mahady on stage with Ginger was a one off... Anyway, her band Love Zombies are playing at Proud and I just manage to catch their last song - they were pretty good!

I'm sure it's no coincidence the the following act at Proud is Ginger himself. This is not yer usual Ginger solo show though - if there actually is such a thing. Over the last year of so this guy seems to have taken it upon himself to re-invent the music industry. The old record company based model is now largely dead in the water - and Ginger has abandoned ship. He's launched out on his own with a highly successful series of PledgeMusic campaigns. Not content with putting out Pledge funded albums, he is now doing a similar campaign to launch a new book telling the story of his life since he started The Wildhearts. Not only that, but he has just completed a solo tour -and he's re-invented that format too: Instead of touring the usual venues on the circuit he has deliberately avoided them and instead played at small seated theatres - old ones with an interesting history behind them. And instead of the usual type of solo acoustic show he has come up with a format he calls 'Songs & Words' - meaning he plays songs spanning his interesting and varied career, but also tells anecdotes in between - which works very well as he is an engaging and funny storyteller with a seemingly endless supply of material. On tour these shows can last two and a half hours with no support act - Ginger only gets about 45 minutes today so we get a very cut down version of the same format with a medley of songs played in an acoustic style accompanied by Jase Edwards from Wolfsbane on second guitar.

As expected this is highly entertaining! The only thing which some people aren't too keen on is the way the song medley arrangements move on so quickly that just as everybody has recognised the song and started singing along it changes into another song before we can really get into it - it's sort of Ginger-lite. It's still a very enjoyable show though, and Ginger seems to have really caught the bug playing his 'Songs & Words' shows in intimate theatre venues - he's enjoyed it so much that he is now planning to do more of these shows next year...

It's at about this point that my plans for the day start to unravel. Next I'm off to the Electric Ballroom to catch Black Spiders. I manage to catch their whole set and they are very good. The venue is packed and I decide to settle for staying at the back where I can still get a pretty good view, although it's a waste of time taking pictures back there with my cheapo digicam.

I've seen this band a few times but had to miss their last couple of London shows so it's good to see them again. They manage to sound heavy, but quite polished at the same time - they are not lacking in confidence and really look like they own this large stage in the biggest of the Camden Rocks venues.

Only a couple of minutes walk away from the Electric Ballroom is The Underworld - a venue which rivals Proud as my least favourite of this festival's venues. However, I've already decided not to be drinking in there either so that's one of my major issues with the venue out of the way. These days I need a good reason to set foot in The Underworld. Today a very good reason is provided by a legendary band from New York who I never thought I'd have the chance to see live. Seeing The Dictators in a small sweaty club (their natural environment) is possibly the highlight of my 2015 Camden Rocks. What better song to kick off their set with than 'The Party Starts Now!'? And it really does feel like a party - a very loud one!

It may not be the full original Dictators lineup but if it features Handsome Dick Manitoba and Ross The Boss then I'm more than happy, and it's about as close as it will ever be possible to get. And it genuinely feels authentic.

Like The Stooges and MC5 this is a band who were punks before anyone had heard of 'punk rock', and in spite of being no spring chickens (their first album was released in 1975) they still play with genuine fire and passion - it's very obvious these guys still 'mean it'. Ross The Boss is a damn fine lead guitarist and after helping kickstart the New York punk scene with the Dictators he later ended up in the infamous metal monsters Manowar of 'All Men Play On Ten' fame. The band's (no so) secret weapon is singer Handsome Dick Manitoba - a full-on 'in-your-face' frontman along the same lines as Rose Tattoo's 'Angry' Anderson (who I've also seen in this same venue). This guy is the real deal - also a New York bar owner and former taxi driver. He's also one of the best frontmen I've ever seen! No shrinking violet - he believes in taking the music to the people and jumps off the stage to sing 'Baby Let's Twist' from out in the crowd while encouraging audience participation.

This band provide the most fiery and exciting performance I see all day. Some well known newer bands don't convince me with the 'energy' and 'passion' in their live performances but these guys are in a different class completely - there is nothing forced or fake about this band and their performance here puts many famous younger reformed punk bands to shame. The Dictators are definitely not just 'going though the motions' for the money as many other old bands seem to be - this band are virtually worth the money for the festival ticket on their own and I'm sure most the other people who witnessed this show would agree - this was something special.

It's after I leave The Underworld that I realise my plans have gone horribly wrong. Having had a busy week all my planning had to wait until late last night. I knew there would be a few of the inevitable timing clashes between bands I really wanted to see, but thought I'd worked my way round most of them. I now realise I've just missed Tropical Contact who really impressed me at the Pure Rawk Awards earlier this year. I'm particularly gutted to realise I've also just missed the brilliant Eureka Machines - a band I've been looking forward to seeing for months and who I maintain are the best live act in the UK. Unfortunately, they were playing at Cuban for this year's Camden Rocks - a venue FAR too small for them (as it was for The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing earlier. Last year they played at the Electric Ballroom and got a lot of people in to see them so I doubt I've have been able to see much if I got to Cuban in time anyway. This is one the the problems with this otherwise great festival - there are difficult decisions to be made regarding what bands you can get to see; is it worth queuing outside a venue for so long to see one artist that you have to miss two or three others due to the time spent in the queue? To be fair, it worked out very well for me personally this year as although there were some clashes forcing me to miss certain artists I didn't have any trouble getting straight into any of the venues.

Even out in the street there was music going on - there was a full electric band busking outside the Electric Ballroom at one point, but unfortunately I didn't have time to stay and watch them. Then as I was walking back up to Proud (yet again) I heard a racket coming down the street towards me...

...it was a band playing on a trailer being towed down the street!

I've no idea who they were but they sounded pretty good!

So I end up back at the dreaded Prod Galleries yet again.

I have a good reason for heading back there though - a bit of deja-ju. Ex-AntiProduct musos Alex Kane and Clare Pproduct are playing guitar and bass in Richie Ramone's band. They are no strangers to blasting out Ramones covers -  in fact 'Blitzkrieg Bop' often turned up in AntiProduct's own sets as well.

It's not the first time the AntiProduct pair have played in an ex-Ramones drummer's band as they were in Marky Ramone's touring band for a while as well. Alex is a much underated guitarist - he really ought to get another band of his own together as he is a great frontman and is wasted here.

This set is a lot of fun!

It could hardly not be fun as the set consists mainly of Ramones songs - and most of the crowd know all of them! It's actually the second time this band have played today as they performed a set of all Ramones songs at the Electric Ballroom earlier.

This set is another of today's highlights for me personally - I particularly enjoy seeing the band blast out a great version of 'Blitzkrieg Bop' with Alex taking lead vocals - all the more fun 'cos he is standing right in front of me playing a song I really enjoy performing with my own band.

Unfortunately, while all this is going on at Prod I am missing Maleficent - another band I had been particularly looking forward to seeing. If I walk back to the Black Heart were Maleficent are playing I'll still miss most their set - and I'll also miss most the set of the following band at Proud too by the time I've walked back. I feel bad about missing Maleficent as I haven't been able to see them for a while and the nearest I get today is a nice but random meeting with their lovely singer outside the Black Heart earlier.

Meanwhile, at Prod I get to see a lively set from the Michael Monroe Band. The former Hanoi Rocks singer is bringing the Glam back to Camden and is still one of the best frontmen out there.

Michael always has a good band and it currently features his former Hanoi comrade Sami Yaffa on bass and ex-New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte - plus Amen, Black Halos, Yo-Yo's/Loyalties guitarist Rich Jones.

Michael & Co are currently out promoting his second solo album with his own band, but naturally a few old Hanoi Rocks songs get thrown into the set as well - needless to say this all goes down a storm with the crowd!

And so ends the 2015 Camden Rocks Festival - an outstanding day packed full of great music and terrific value for money!

As you can see, my pictures from the festival are rubbish! The wonderful Trudi Knight took hundreds of great photos at Camden Rocks (mostly of bands I didn't see myself) and you see see loads of them here.

Same time next year then?