1/8/2016 Choking Susan & Healthy Junkies @ The Unicorn

I don't think I've ever been to The Unicorn on a Monday night before, or seen Healthy Junkies on a Monday night either. However, here I am for what is a warm up show for some bands playing at the Rebellion festival. It's a strong bill for a Monday night, but unfortunately I don't get to the gig as early as I'd have liked and I miss Serratone and Red Lion Licks. I just catch the last song by Neon Animal - a new band featuring Mark Thorn of Bubblegum Screw. As far as I can tell it's pretty much business as usual and if you liked Mark's previous band then you'll probably like this one too.

Healthy Junkies are great fun as usual with their blend of punk, glam, and grunge.

With three albums in the can and what must be hundreds of live shows under their belt this band have become a tight and polished live act with a strong repertoire of catchy pop/punk songs.

This band have done well from running their own monthly club night at this nice little Camden venue - ensuring that they are always playing regularly themselves as well as putting on many other bands at their shows and generating extra exposure for all. Some of the bands who play at their 'Punk N Roll Rendezvous' club come back time and time again as they build their own following.

A band who don't appear in the UK as much are Choking Susan - they travel over from their native Detroit about once a year for a tour.

Fronted by the remarkable Colleen Caffeine this is full on punk rock with added shock rock and glam.

'In your face' doesn't come close to describing this band and their singer's attitude, but the music backing her up is tight and hard.

You cannot fail to be entertained by Choking Susan - Colleen absolutely throws herself into this 100%. I've been aware of this band for quite a few years now, but this is the first time I've actually managed to see them. I shall have to make sure it's not the last - even if I have to wait another year.

Towards the end of the band's set it becomes apparent that a 'special guest' has just arrived in the venue and is going to join the band on drums. This is the icing on the cake for me as my evening ends with me watching Robin Guy playing drums on the Stooges classic 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' - which is even more special for me as I've been on the same stage at this venue playing the same song a couple of times in the past year or so.

This has been a lot of unexpected fun for a Monday night, and being the Unicorn it's a cheap night out too with free admission and beer at pub prices rather than Camden or West End prices - what's not to like?

30/7/2016 Syteria @ The Lounge (Archway Tavern)

Girlschool's lead guitarist Jackie Chambers has a new band (Girlschool are still gigging and recording BTW) and this is their first ever show in London. It's (sort of) my first ever visit to this venue - well this room anyway. Actually, this is the former Archway Tavern of Muswell Hillbillies/Kinks fame - a place I have visited quite a few times over the years under various different names. In more recent times I have been there it has been 'Dusk to Dawn', The Intrepid Fox, and now a large room upstairs round at the back is called The Lounge. The big old ground floor bar closed as the infamous Intrepid Fox earlier this year - maybe it really is the end this time? Since then it's supposedly going to be turned into a restaurant, although at the time of my visit it looked derelict inside. PS: A week later the ground floor appeared to be being refurbed into a bar. Anyway, upstairs I go. My first impression isn't good - I get quite a shock being stung for a fiver just for a bottle of Old Speckled Hen. That price ensures I don't go to the bar again all night and doesn't encourage me to return to this venue. To be fair, the door price of £7 is very reasonable for 3 bands while the actual venue is quite nice with a big stage and good sound and lighting systems. Unfortunately, I don't manage to get there in time to see the first couple of bands.

Syteria are based in Yorkshire and still a pretty new band. Although formed by Jax from Girlschool, Syteria are nothing like her 'day job' band. Although this is a female fronted band they do have a bloke on drums. The music is tuneful and catchy, but definitely heavier and more 'metal' than Girlschool. Jackie's lead playing is melodic, but she is more free to rip it up and go a bit wild than she is with Girlschool who have a more established style and format - she looks like she is having a lot of fun - not that she doesn't when she plays with Girlschool, but as this is her own project she has more freedom for self expression.

Everybody in this band plays and performs well - singer Julia really throws herself into it and looks like she is auditioning to be a member of Judas Priest! This band look as well as sound more 'metal' than Girlschool who although lumped into the whole NWoBHM genre are more of a classic hard rock band with a raw punky edge. However, Jackie shows her punk rock roots when Syteria launch into a cover of the Ramones classic 'Rockaway Beach' to end the show.

Here is some video from this gig - not taken by me BTW - it's on the band's website.

I look forward to catching Syteria again when they get back to London. I expect it will be at a different venue, although bar prices aside I quite liked The Lounge.

PS: I was back at The Lounge a week later, and possibly as a result of me moaning about the price of a beer a whole pound had been taken off the price of a pint. Sometimes venues/management/promoters do actually listen....

22/7/2016 Ginger Wildheart Band, Ryan Hamilton & The Traitors + Hey! Hello! @ Brooklyn Bowl

This was another of those nights that I always knew was going to be fun - and it was! The venue is a comparatively new one to London's live scene. Brooklyn Bowl is getting a reputation for being rather a good place to go and see bands. Although it is situated in the O2 complex at Greenwich it doesn't feel as 'corporate' as most of London's medium to large venues do these days - it seems to have a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere with the security and other staff being friendlier than most other venues. It's not a solely dedicated music venue - it's also a ten pin bowling alley and restaurant. The less said about the fucking outrageous prices for a pint at the bar the better though. However, a little research beforehand revealed a Wetherspoons style (but not an actual Wetherspoon) pub also in the O2 complex called the Slug & Lettuce serving real ale at a surprisingly reasonable price - London Pride at only £3.65 a pint. So that's where I spend my my beer money before and after the gig instead of in the venue.

Suitably refreshed I arrive at Brooklyn Bowl with a few minutes to spare - I particularly don't want to miss the first support band. Ginger being a canny lad has decided to support himself at this show - it's not the first time he's pulled off this trick, but it seems popular with the fans so why not? It's not as if he has any shortage of material to play. In fact, this show is part of a whole tour with Ginger playing with two different bands each night. So tonight's opening act is Hey Hello! - Ginger's other other band. Or something. The big difference between this band and Ginger's various other bands and projects is that he doesn't front the band himself.- he takes a step back from the pressure to become *just* the songwriter and (mainly rhythm) guitarist. I think he want's to have fun on stage being being just a guitarist again - and he certainly seems to be enjoying it. Hey! Hello! are a lot of fun.

There have been some changes in the Hey! Hello! camp since they were last seen on stage. The changes have in fact all been singers, with the first two being lost along the way. The band's second singer bailed just before a tour earlier this year - which was somewhat inconvenient to say the least as the band's second album was already in the can. Many auditions took place, and the album is finally being released with a variety of people taking lead vocal duties on different songs. For this tour vocal duties are being taken care of by Cat Southall - is she the band's new singer? Who knows? She does a very good job though - both vocally and with her stage presence. The rest of the band is unchanged and they are rock solid performers - Toshi (ex-AntiProduct) on bass, and the Rev (ex-Towers Of London) on lead guitar are a dynamic duo with much stage experience between them and they certainly do justice to Ginger's songs while drummer Ai keeps a good solid beat at the back and drives things along.

Most of the band's debut album gets an airing, but there isn't time for all of it  The band's self-titled album is a pop/punk cracker stuffed with great tunes like the brilliantly catchy 'Swimwear' and dark and twisted lyrics along with some good advice for up and coming new bands in the form of 'How I Survived The Punk Wars' - I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the forthcoming Hey! Hello! Too! album.

Ginger gets a break for (most of) the following band's set. Ryan Hamilton & The Traitors are new to most people in the UK, although their bass player isn't. Yes, it's that rock/pop/punk hired gunslinger Rob Lane again!

Ryan Hamilton was a new name to me until this tour, so I was going in cold as far as his material goes. He is an American country rock singer/songwriter - with the emphasis more on the rock. Not quite the sort of act I'd normally go and see, but I warmed to his set as time went on. He has a good band, and an engaging personality - his sense of humour and struggle to understand the British sense of humour he has encountered on tour was quite entertaining.. Ginger reappears at the end of the set to join the band with a run through the REO Speedwagon classic 'Take It On The Run' - he looks like he's having a great time!

The fun ain't over yet for our Northern hero as he is soon back on stage with his own band. The new version of the band he has put together for these shows ending with the Ramblin' Man Fair is pretty good. Ginger is reunited with his old Silver Ginger 5 bandmate Conny Bloom - best known for his time in Sweden's Electric Boys as well as the final version of Hanoi Rocks. Conny has great onstage charisma and definitely has the whole 'rock star' vibe going on - a great addition to the band. Toshi also joins Ginger on stage for the second time tonight, while the drum stool is occupied by the phenomenal  Denzel.- when the band launch into Wildheart's classic 'Suckerpunch' he sounds like he is drumming for the mighty Motörhead!

The setlist is a terrific run through Ginger's career ro date: Some WiLDHEARTS classics, the fantastic 'Sonic Shake' from SG5 and a load of stuff from Ginger's various solo albums. The inevitable 'Geordie In Wonderland' (seen on Top Of The Pops performed by the Wildhearts back in the day) get's played, along with Ginger's new take on the same subject of someone new to London finding themself as a stranger alone in the city - a cautionary tale called 'If You Find Yourself In London Town. Ginger has just released this as a single and you can see the video here. See if you can recognise any of the places in the video....

Needless to say, there are loads of sing-a-long favourites and the atmosphere is terrific! This is certainly one of the best gigs I've been to this year - not just because of the great music and the people playing it, nut also because the venue is better than most and it's easy to get a good view. Unlike many of the city's best known venues Brooklyn Bowl is a place I'll be happy to return to in future.

My rubbish pictures were taken on my phone this time - I didn't bother taking my camera as I knew someone with far better photography skills and equipment would be there doing a far better job than I could ever manage - if you want to see the proof go to Trudi Knight's website for a load of top quality pictures from this gig.

A top night out with Ginger & Co at an excellent venue - now back to the pub for another pint or two before jumping on the tube home.....

East Barnet Festival 2016

I don't seem to have many pictures from this year's East Barnet Festival although I was there on the Saturday and Sunday. The weather wasn't bad - mostly dry which made a nice change. There were one of two showers on the Saturday though.

There were loads of bands on over the weekend - covering a wide variety of musical styles, so there really was something for everybody. There was the usual funfair, and loads of other attractions like food and craft stalls, a dog show, and a car show. On the Saturday I was a bit busy and missed some of the acts, although I did manage to check out the beer tent. Quite thoroughly. And also the pub after the festival had finished for the day...

To be honest I can't remember all the bands over the weekend. The Faith Stealers were good as usual but I was otherwise engaged and couldn't get any pictures of them. I missed The Fraudsters somehow as well.

I'm afraid I can't remember who these guys were.

 Or these. All the bands I saw were good though.

One of the weekend's better acts was a young and female fronted band called Front Rumours. Young but good musicians playing quite commercial pop music and a singer who could have a bright future ahead of her.

There was also Barnet's 'most infamous band' Binge Drinking making their third appearance at the festival. They cranked out some good old rock 'n' roll - and that always goes down well.

Well known local acts like Tim Leffman appeared again, and singer Kerrie Masters added to the flavour and variety of the event. Sunday's headline act were The Trembling Wilburys - a very professional tribute act - appearing to have George Best replacing George Harrison! There were popular with the crowd though.

Overall it was a great weekend and I think it's fair to say a good time was had by all. Even the weather was OK! Same time next year then?

To the pub....

25/6/2016 Duncan Reid & The Big Heads @ Nambucca

Several years ago I used to be at this venue regularly. There used to be plenty of the sort of rock 'n' roll and punk bands I like playing there. Then the ale prices started going up and trade going down - along with less of the sort of bands I like and more bad metal bands. Then it shut. Again. There seems to be a bit of a repeating pattern here - Barfly and 12 Bar Clubs anyone? Anyway, Nambucca re-opened a couple of years or so ago after yet another massive and expensive refurb. The stage area at the back is much bigger and better - more like a proper music venue than the back room of a pub. However, they have inexplicably demolished the old bar and rebuild it on the other side of the room. I can't see any point in doing that at all and it's seems a huge waste of money - what were they thinking? Oh yes, and there is no more real ale, the beer quality has gone down as the prices have gone up even further - and the music seems to be mostly indie band instead of rock 'n' roll. So I have hardly been to Nambucca in the couple of years since it reopened. I stopped going to the Barfly regularly a few years ago for similar reasons. However, in a rare turn of events tonight they have actually booked a band I like.

It's Duncan Reid and the Big Heads. Guesting on guitar is Mauro Venegas - lately of Johnny Cola & The A-Grades and currently in The Godfathers.

Regular guitarist Sophie prowls the other side of the stage and keeps the energy level very high with a dynamic performance.

If you are wondering why there appears to be a Welsh flag draped over the mic stand; It's to do with football, the World Cup, and the fact that the two girls in the band (Karen the drummer being the other one) are from Wales.

This band are terrific live. Frontman Duncan has a strong punk rock background as he used to play bass in The Boys - known back in the day as 'The Beatles of punk' due to their knack of writing songs with catchy pop hooks. Duncan has retained his pop influence along with keeping a punk edge - he writes songs which get stuck in your head and are as good as any pop song you'll hear on the radio. But when he gets on stage with The Big Heads what you get is a really good rock 'n' roll band.

Duncan Reid and the Big Heads now have two albums under their belts and many more quality pop/punk songs than they can possibly fit into tonight's all too short set. However, they still manage to squeeze in a couple of classics from Duncan's old band The Boys: the brilliantly catchy 'First Time' and 'Sick On You' - which was originally by London's infamous Hollywood Brats - a punk band before anyone had even invented punk. Tonight's short but sweet set from The Big Heads was great fun - let's hope it's not too long before they are playing in London again...

Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2016

I appear to have blagged tickets for the Mental Hamster Awards again, although I don't seem to remember how. Maybe I thought it was the Classic Rock Awards or something. Anyway, free stuff is always good - don't look a gift horse in the mouth - it probably has foul breath anyway.

It's Monday the 13th instead of Friday, but you can't have everything. Tickets were on sale for £6.66. Of course. Bloody good value if you had to buy a ticket - which is probably why it's sold out.

So I make my way down to Hammersmiff Odious - not one of my favourite venues these days, but a very appropriate one for a 'Metal' event all the same. Fortunately there is a Witheredprunes pub a couple of minutes walk from the venue, so I manage to get a few liveners down me before heading into the show - there's no way I'm going to buy a pint of the vastly overpriced piss they serve in the venue. More by luck than judgement (actually probably not for once) we arrive in the venue a couple of minutes before the first band start.

As this is an awards show rather than a conventional gig the bands only get to play around four songs each. This doesn't seem to stop the opening act Amon Amarth pulling out all the stops and bringing a full stage production!

I guess Amon Amarth are described as 'Viking Metal', and I have to admit they put on a very impressive show. The music? Heavy. Riffs. Shouting. Not much in the way of memorable songs, but I can see their appeal. It's an entertaining show, with more than a little of Spinal Tap about it. I'm not sure there is even any irony here - I think these guys are actually serious! Their performance is certainly committed and they really throw everything into it.

Amon Amarth leave me impressed, but I go home tonight without really remembering any of the actual music.

Various awards are presented and speeches given between the bands - some better or more interesting than others. Ex-Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison picked up the 'Golden God' award then gives a long and emotional speech revealing the real reasons for his exit from Slipknot and why he has been away for so long.

I am somewhat bemused when Halestorm's Lzzy (deliberate miss-spelling not a typo - that's how she chooses to spell her name) Hale get's the 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award'. 'Shredder'? He's a singer who plays rhythm guitar only. She's very good at fronting a band and is deserving of an award for that, but she's no more a 'shredder' than Izzy Stradlin - someone else plays the solos in her band. Speaking of Halestorm - they are the next band to play tonight.

I have never seen Halestorm before - or any of tonight's other bands come to that - apart from Saxon, but I have been looking forward to checking this lot out. They are pretty good. The band play classic rock with a modern twist and without being cliched.

Lzzy Hale has good stage presence as well as being an excellent singer - when she's not screaming. She has star quality and is a performer I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more of in future years. The whole band are good - a tight well drilled and tour-hardened unit who have put a lot of hard work in to get to where they are now.

Halestorm are a band I certainly wouldn't mind seeing again - they perform well, and unlike the previous act they have catchy and memorable songs. Which is why they are regularly on the radio unlike other acts on tonight's bill who have been around longer.

More awards and speeches follow - some more predictable than others - for a full list of all the winners go here. The next band are French metallers  Gojira.

Some sections of the metal press have been raving about this lot for years. I don't get it at all. Yes, they are very heavy. Yes, they have riffs. They can play fast, they are intense. But that's it. Sorry, but I want more. I want better riffs - I want songs that actually sound like songs rather than a bunch of not particularly good riffs strung together. Sure, they can play well. Sure, they can play fast - but so can a million other metal bands, and this just sounds like a generic modern metal band to me. Just being really heavy is not enough.

Things get a bit more interesting with the last act of the night. It's billed as a 'Tribute to Lemmy'. Well we are all up for that.

Things kicked off with Saxon (who supported Motörhead on tour a few times) playing three of Lemmy's favourite Saxon songs, then the two surviving members of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee joined them to finish the night with three Motörhead classics: 'Ace Of Spades', 'Born To Raise Hell', and the inevitable 'Overkill'.

It was certainly a great end to the night. Mr Kilmister we salute you - we will never see your like again.

And it all finishes in time to get back to the pub for another pint or two before last orders and the tube home. Cheers!

Camden Rocks Festival 2016

So it finally arrived - one of the events of the year as far as I'm concerned. Around 200 bands spread over 20 venues - all within a few minutes walk of each other. Does the picture give you a clue to the first band I saw?

As usual there are a few time clashes, but my opening band was always going to be JoanOvArc at The Black Heart.

I was a bit worried that the band might be playing to a nearly empty room as they were the first band on at this venue and it was only 12.00. How many people would have got to Camden, picked up their tickets, and found the venue by midday? I needn't have worried - by the time JoanOvArc finished their first song the place was full! Needless to say, the band were on fine form - I have never seen them be anything less than great. They were also very loud! First band of the day and my ears were already knackered!

The girls rocked pretty hard - they always do. The setlist was a good mix of old and new. Their song 'Live Rock 'N' Roll' has been in their set for quite a few years now and is one of their best numbers. I am amazed that this band still haven't got more media coverage after all this time when newer bands like the Amorettes (more of whom later) and Tequila Mockingbird (who have a new song that sounds very similar to JoA's 'Live Rock 'N' Roll') seem to get regular press and airplay. I'm not saying those other girl bands don't deserve it, but JoA are at least as good as them and have worked longer and harder to be recognised.

I recognise some of JoA's hardcore fans as this gig, but there are a lot of new faces as well - including some London rock gig regulars who I have not seen and this band's shows before. I think JoanOvArc have won over quite a few new fans today - and it's barely lunchtime! This band are worthy successors to earlier all girl hard rockers like Girlschool (still gigging/recording) and Rock Goddess (recently reformed) but while heavily influenced by classic rock of the past they put a modern twist on things. They also have a strong catalogue of catchy and commercial sounding songs. JoanOvArc can and have veered in a more 'pop' direction on occasion, but their deep and passionate love of rock music always draws them back to what they do best. Although they concentrate on their own original material, they do throw in the odd cover, and I have never seen any band do a better and harder rocking version of 'Freebird'.They don't play it today though -  the girls only get to play for 30 minutes today so they are concentrating on promoting their own stuff. I was wondering if they might throw in 'Ace Of Spades' as a tribute to Lemmy like they did when they played at the Barfly earlier this year, but instead they surprise us with a tribute to another recently deceased musical legend - a spectacularly good version of 'Purple Rain'. All too soon JoanOvArc's lively set is over and I have to rush off down Camden High Street...

I arrive at my next port of call with my ears ringing from JoanOvArc's fearsomely loud performance. I find myself at the southern end of Camden at The Crowndale - the venue formerly known as the Purple Turtle. It seemed this excellent and much loved venue had closed for good thanks to Camden Council, but it seems to have a new lease of life under new owners of the lease - for now at least... Squatters had trashed the venue after the Purple Turtle closed, and now after a refurb and change of decor it looks very different inside, although the general layout of the place is unchanged.. The band I am here to see is The DeRellas, and like the venue things are not as they were....

The band have a new frontman. But, the good news is - like the venue it's business as usual. If you liked the DeRellas before then you'll probably still like them now - their brand of glammy trashy punk fuelled rock 'n' roll is pretty much unchanged and they still play the songs you liked before. If you didn't like the band before then you probably still won't like them, and they probably won't give a shit.

I didn't have time to catch more than a couple of songs before I had to leg it back up the High Street - unfortunately this is the farthest venue out from all the others in Camden and time was short. I can say however, that the DeRellas are still a lot of fun!

Meanwhile, at the Electric Ballroom evil things are afoot... To be a little more precise - Evil Scarecrow are afoot. Or aclaw. Or something. Be afraid - be very afraid. More afrayed than a hippie's pants. But you won't find any hippies here - it's toooo heavy maaan. So how heavy are Evil Scarecrow? They are very heavy indeed. They are also very funny. Ironic? Yes. And then again no. Because they are excellent musicians and take the music very seriously indeed. But if you take anything else seriously then you need to seriously consider getting a life. Evil Scarecrow make The Darkness seen very serious - which of course they aren't at all, but this band take their sense of the ridiculous to a whole new level. Even the irony is ironic. Maybe.

We are treated to the usual crowd pleasers like the brilliant 'Crabulon' with it's special audience participation and dance - if you go to an Evil Scarecrow show then you need to be prepared to 'Scuttle left' - and then 'Scuttle right' on command. There is also more audience participation required when we are asked to perform a 'War Dance' - which isn't like the conga at all. No - definitely not. At all. This band have always been enormous fun, but could only be found in smaller venues on their occasional visits to London. However, with some big festival performances under their studded belts they have raised their game and are now taking things onto another level - they are now playing much bigger venues in London like the Electric Ballroom. Since I last saw them the band have acquired a new and rather fantastic stage prop - a giant robot!

The band's song 'Robototron' (also with it's own special dance) now takes on a new lease of life and the band's other main stage prop the 'Crabulon' now looks rather feeble by comparison. I was too busy enjoying the spectacle to take any decent pictures of the new robot, but it is brilliant and rather cleverly designed with some interesting features. You really need to see it for yourself.

Emerging blinking into the daylight we head off up the road to Cuban to catch Ginger performing a solo acoustic set. The place is rammed (as Ginger's shows at Camden Rocks always are) so we get a bit crafty and sneak in round the back. The atmosphere is terrific in there as Ginger runs out a crowd pleasing setlist of material from his solo career as well as the odd WiLDHEARTS song to get even more people singing along very loudly.

My memory is starting to fail me a bit by this stage - possibly due to the contents of the two hip flasks I have about my person to avoid being ripped off at the bar at certain venues - well virtually all venues actually. And I think visits to BrewDog were also made at various points between bands as well. By this point I have already missed about five acts that I was hoping to catch, but this is due to time clashes rather than being disorganised or pissed - amazingly things are actually going to plan as far as is possible. However, at four o'clock there are four bands I want to see all playing at the same time in four different venues! The next band I actually manage to catch is The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing at Proud.

Last year at Camden Rocks this band were playing at Cuban - it was packed solid. This year they are playing at the rather larger Proud Galleries but this venue is packed as well. This mob are highly entertaining - even if you aren't into the Steampunk scene they are well worth checking out. Excellent musicians with imaginative, fiercely intelligent, and funny songs - laced with some very heavy riffing. This band are in a class of their own with their catchy and tuneful songs about great Victorian engineers, gin, sea monsters, death and the class system - and much more.

Next I'm hoping to catch Ginger's second set (of 3) of the day - this time at The Forge. On arrival at the venue it's immediately clear that there is no chance of getting in - the venue is already full and there is a queue outside. They are operating a 'One-in-one-out' system on the door and like Ginger's show at the Jazz Cafe at last year's festival it's quite obvious there is no chance of getting in unless you had already been queuing up outside for an hour or so beforehand. I am not prepared to miss possibly several other acts just to see one artist - and still risk possibly not even getting in anyway....

My next option was going to see Hands Off Gretel at The Barfly, but I calculated that as their set finish time was the same as the start time next act (which I was determined to see) it wasn't worth the risk - so we headed straight to The Monarch almost next door to see The Amorettes instead. This turned out to be my best decision of the day.  
We got into The Monarch with about ten minutes to spare before the band were due on stage - which was just as well as soon after that the management decided the place was full and they were turning people away at the door.

Like JoanOvArc who I saw earlier in the day the Amorettes are an all girl band featuring two sisters - on bass and drums instead of bass and guitar.. JoanOvArc were also originally a power trio like this lot but have expanded their lineup in more recent times. There is definitely no need for the Amorettes to add any extra members - as they are now they really put the POWER in 'power trio'. Of course, all girl hard rocking power trios aren't a new thing as Rock Goddess (recently reformed) were doing this back in the 80's while the four piece Girlschool (still going) were out supporting Motörhead on tour even before that.

They have drums, guitars, plus a lot of hair, and even more volume!

This is the third time I've seen this band. The first time was a year ago also at Camden Rocks festival. On that occasion I was impressed by their stage presence and musical proficiency, but they struck me as being rather generic and like a female version of Airbourne. My impression changed completely when I saw them earlier this year at the Pure Rawk Awards. They blew me away with the sheer power of their performance.The band seemed to have moved things onto a new level since I saw them last year with a fresher more original sound, but still rooted in classic rock. That Pure Rawk Awards show performance won me over totally and this is a band I was particularly looking forward to seeing at Camden Rocks. Like the time I saw them a few months ago I was once again very close to the stage and experiencing the band in full effect at maximum volume - and if anything they were even better at this gig!

As you might expect from Scots - they will hit you hard. The Amorettes will hit you very hard indeed - full in the face. These girls don't mess around. They play their hard rock music exactly how I like it - dirty, raw, and full on in-you-face. Just like at the Pure Rawk Awards I am near the front and getting the full effect of a guitar through a 4x12 Marshall speaker cabinet blasting right at me - and I love it! Although it has to be said that the guitar was plugged into a Blackstar amp and not a Marshall one. It sounded fucking great! I think a large part of the reason the guitar tone was so big and fat was because the guitar was going straight into the amp with no effects at all - which is exactly why the early classic AC/DC albums sound so great because they did that too. Oh, and it obviously helps a lot when you have somebody shit-hot playing the guitar - Angus Young is in a class of his own, but the Amorettes Gill Montgomery is pretty good in her own right.

This band are terrific performers and keep the energy level high throughout their set. Although Gill being the singer tends to be the focal point the sisters Heather and Hannah McKay are a powerhouse on bass and drums. Heather seems amused by the people she can see on the pavement just outside the pub window - some of them disappointed rock fans who couldn't get in, and some of them bemused passers-by wondering what the hell is going on! So she spends some time performing to those outside the window - which seems to be appreciated by those outside!

Most the bands I see at Camden Rocks this year are bigger and better known than The Amorettes but there is something primal and feral about this band that grabbed me more than any other act - dirty raw hard rock doesn't get much better than this!

BTW: I didn't make any special effort or use a different or better camera to get pictures of the Amorettes show - the only reason the pictures are so much better at this venue is that it was the only place at the whole festival where lighting conditions suited my cheapo pocket sized digicam - I probably could have got better pictures on my phone at the other venues than the ones I got from my 'proper' camera, but the phone camera is much less easy to use (often one handed) in crowded gig conditions and I have dropped my phone (or had it knocked from my hand) more than once at gigs - my £50 camera is far more expendable than my phone and I have broken several camera at gigs. Breaking a phone is far more expensive as well more inconvenient.

Still reeling from the Amorettes performance I find myself in a blur of band/stage time clashes again. I manage to catch a very short part of Deadcuts set before or after (maybe both) a quick livener in BrewDog which leaves me with a bit of a Johnny Thunders vibe before finding myself back at Proud yet again to catch Ginger for the second time of the day after failing to get into his show earlier at The Forge. Different songs from earlier of course, but plenty of crowd pleasers and sing-a-long standards from his solo albums along with the odd Wildhearts classic. Needless to say the place is packed and the atmosphere is terrific! I didn't bother trying to get any decent pictures from this set as I knew that others would be doing a better job than me - so I just enjoyed the show...

The next band I see also has a Wildhearts connection..It's The Main Grains - also playing in the dreaded Proud venue. Actually, it's only the bar and it's prices that I hate and avoid - to be fair it's evolved into quite a decent venue in some respects - I just refuse to drink in there. Kind of ironic as many of the songs and maybe even the band name of this next act are booze inspired. The Main Grains are the latest band to feature ex-Wildhearts and Yo-Yo's bassist Danny McCormack. If you are familiar with Danny's previous two bands the Yo-Yo's and The Chasers then you'll know exactly what to expect. It's raw punk 'n' roll in a formula unchanged since the earliest days of the Yo-Yo's, but with a completely new band backing Danny up and all new songs. Although you won't recognise any of the songs (apart from a cover) if you liked the Yo-Yo's then you'll almost certainly like the Main Grains too. And Danny is still playing that old badly painted yellow Precision Bass.

The large room at Proud is pretty full to see Danny's new band, and I don't think the crowd are disappointed. To be honest I feel it's like the Yo-Yo's, but not as good. These guys are competent musicians and Danny is on good form but that vital spark that the original Yo-Yo's lineup had is missing. There are some catchy new songs, but in places one or two of them sound like Yo-Yo's re-treads, I don't think letting the drummer sing a cover version (Teenage Kicks) mid-set is a good idea either - I think it de-values the band and reduces them to 'pub band' level while also making you think they can't write enough songs of their own. I know they are better than that. This is definitely a band worth keeping an eye open for.

Timing clashes continue as the evening draws on. I would have liked to see The Godfathers at Cuban but I only managed to catch the first song - they opened with the title track from their 'Birth, School, Work, Death' album and it sounded great!

Unfortunately I had to rush off almost as soon as the Godfathers started. I would have also liked to see the Black Spiders at Proud, but as I saw them at Camden Rocks last year it wasn't so bad missing them - I knew I had to get back to The Black Heart in plenty of time to get in as I was sure it would be packed by the time Warrior Soul hit the stage. It was!

This was the hottest, most rammed, and most intense show I saw all day/night at Camden Rocks 2016. The songs were a mixture of old and new(ish) and the energy  level was amazing! The band were on fire and Kory Clarke gave 100% as always as he unleashed his lion-like trademark roar on the crowd.

Hearing Warrior Soul perform an off-the-hook version of 'Wasteland' in a tiny, rammed, and very hot venue was a terrific way to end my 2016 Camden Rocks festival, but it wasn't quite over yet...

There was still more beer to be drunk, and one final but very different act to enjoy. Just a few yards away from The Black Heart is BrewDog - where I find myself yet again. The downstairs bar at this boozer is a bit on the small size for anything but solo or acoustic acts. However, trio The Lounge Kittens have been shoehorned in along with a crowd of existing fans and the merely curious. It's actually their second Camden Rocks show of the day, but due to the inevitable timing clashes I couldn't get to their earlier show at 55 Bar. These three girls are great fun! With only keyboard accompaniment they perform lounge/easy listening versions of songs well known to rock fans. You often have to listen to a song for a minute or so before the penny drops and you realise you are listening to an Iron Maiden song! The girls also have a very knowing and cheeky sense of humour - they appear to be having enormous fun but are also excellent singers and performers. They do some well known pop songs as well, but it's the rock stuff which is the most entertaining - they do seem like they are genuine rock chicks at heart and it's not just an act - they really do love rock music, but put a very different twist on it.They also do a fun pop/punk medley. Quite a few well known rock classics get the Lounge Kittens treatment - not just the ones you might expect, but also Metallica and even Slipknot! It's gone midnight by the time the Lounge Kittens finish, and I am finally starting to flag - I really need to sit down. I think I must be getting old, but then I realise that I have been on my feet constantly without sitting down even for a moment in well over twelve hours! And I have have quite a lot of drinks in that time and no food whatsoever. I think it's time to go home - fortunately I haven't missed the last tube.

 Well once again Camden Rocks was a great day out. It was excellent value for money at around £30 for 200 bands, although I have noticed the price of a ticket has been going up far quicker than inflation over the past few years. I am guessing that this is because the festival is paying out more money to bigger headliners than in it's earlier days. I'm not really interested in the bigger headline acts and don't go to see them anyway - I'm far more interested in all the smaller more underground bands many of whom I've not had a chance to see before. Personally I'd rather they did without the more expensive headline acts and kept the ticket price down while booking more up-and-coming bands - but maybe that's just me?

I made a list beforehand of 28 acts I wanted to see, but knowing I'd have to miss many of them due to the inevitable timing clashes. Eventually I managed to catch 11 of them, although some of them only in part. I'm sorry to have missed London SS, Death Koolaid, the Anita Chellamah Band, Penetration, Ginger (2nd set of 3), Black Casino & The Ghost, Gun, Peckham Cowboys,  the Role Models, Hands Off Gretel, the Lounge Kittens (1st set), The Graveltones, Virginmarys, Jim Jones, Queen Kwong, and the Black Spiders - although I saw some of those acts at Camden Rocks last year - and maybe I'll catch some of the others next year....

So - same time next year then?