As Camden Rocks festival grows with each passing year, it can be difficult to keep track of who you should see and where you should be. Luckily, we’ve assembled a crack team of expert guides to take you through the festival’s must-see bands.
So, here we hand over to Orange Goblin’s Ben Ward, Turbowolf’s Chris Georgiadis, Pulled Apart By Horses’ James Brown and The Membranes’ John Robb, because who better to guide you through proceedings than the people who will actually be there?
The Damned
Ben: “The Damned are one of my favourite bands of all time and never fail to put a massive smile on my face. I’ve seen them countless times before but you just cannot dispute that their catalogue of punk hits is as influential, important and relevant now as it has ever been.”
John: “One of the true originals in every sense of the word, The Damned helped to define punk with their classic early releases and are ina purple patch of their career with their multifaceted melodramatic genius selling out the Albert Hall proving that willful eccentricity and brilliance pays off.”
Chris: “A new up-and-coming UK punk band with some pretty good songs. Ones to watch.”
Turbowolf
Ben: “Turbowolf always put on a great show and I think it’s been a while since they last played in London so I’m sure they will be champing at the bit and ready to explode. They are one of the bands that you can’t really define or pigeon hole as they have so many influences and facets to their style. Great band.”
James: “Easily one my favourite bands and never fail to knock ten bells of shit out of it live. Eager to hear some new material which I’m hoping they’ll debut at the festival!”
Desert Storm
Ben: “These guys are very good friends of ours and we have played together many times over the years, from small pubs in their hometown of Oxford through to venues like the Electric Ballroom where they supported us in 2015. They always deliver a great set of fuzzed-up, Clutch-meets-Sabbath styled rock and roll.”
The Blinders
John: “Punk was once about the youth, but we all grow old disgracefully. The Blinders, though, are a teenage band whose thrilling and confrontational music is a powerful and caustic political wakeup call, allied to dislocated blues riffs and feral noise rush like Holy Bible Manics jousting with second album Birthday Party.”
Asylums
James: “Hot to trot grunge with some added pop sensibilities make Asylums a pretty spicy live act. Not seen them before but I reckon they’ll be well worth catching!”
HCBP
Ben: “This is a new band featuring Matt Reynolds from Heck, and I’ve been in touch with Matt for a while and keeping tabs on this project. I’m looking forward to checking it out live and I’m sure they won’t disappoint. For a two-piece they deliver so much power!”
Pulled Apart By Horses
Chris: “The best dudes in the world playing the best riffs in the world in the best worst way. Perfect! Also, there may be a special appearance by a certain Horse dude at our show, so look out for that…”
Weirds
James: “These boys are a great big melting pot of rock, indie, post-punk and post-rock. So much going on with Weirds, and they can pull it all off live ‘n’all.”
Ruts DC
John: “The reformed Ruts D.C. are breathtaking in their synthesis of dub and reggae and their new album further explores this, seeing the band tackle many styles with a stunning musical ability but also a powerful edge, making them one of the great live bands on the festival circuit.”
Losers
James: “These appeared on my radar a few years back and their new material is amazing. Dark and pounding beats with hypnotic vocals. Seen them a few times before and they’re always top notch.”
Anti-Nowhere League
Ben: Like The Damned, the guys are legends within the punk scene and still deliver the goods to this day. I used to watch them rehearse in the back room of The Eagle pub in Ramsgate when I lived down there and my mate Danny was playing drums for them. Worth the admission fee alone just to sing along to So What!
White Trash
Chris: “Our very own bass player, dog lover and all round badass, Lianna Davies, brings her new band to the Black Heart. Add Aidan Sinclair (The Computers) on drums and prepare to expect the unexpected. But mainly expect punks playing punk rock.”
Fizzy Blood
James: “Riff-ready and armed to the teeth with hooks, Fizzy Blood are nothing but a treat live. Well worth hunting them down on the day if you can.”
Camden Rocks will host 250 bands over 25 music venues through Camden Town on 3rd June. For tickets, head to www.camdenrocksfestival.com/tickets.
