Stag and Dagger is a Camden Crawl for the East End. With more galleries. Sort of.

OK, OK, I admit it. I didn't actually see much of it. I could make excuses, but it largely boiled down to being lazy. So out of the 15 odd venues covering all sorts of genres of music and the arts, how many did I visit? Erm... two. And one of them only briefly. But I was scarred last year by the Camden Crawl. Yes, it was in Camden. And we crawled from one venue to the other trying to get in. We couldn't. And it was crap. So, I tried a whole new methodology with Stag and Dagger. I looked at the venue list and I pretty much didn't know any bands on the list apart from two. So, trying to sound knowledgeable, I picked one of the venues with a band that I recognised, and off me and a friend toddled.

We ended up in the Macbeth. From the moment we walked in it was inevitable we weren't leaving. Bar? Check. Music? Check. Sofa? There was a sofa. It was unoccupied. Not for long. Drinks bought, we settled down to listen to the music. And you know what? I don't regret for one moment not moving much from that sofa.

First up (for us at least) were Dead Kids. I'm not sure if I've seen a band so hardcore as this, stuffed into such a tiny stage in a packed pub. The front man, was a nutter. Demonic but intelligent, with the intensity of Henry Rollins. There was a great point in the set when he jumped on the stage and cajoled the crowd. Then tried to pour himself a drink as if the barman was distracted by the mayhem. He wasn't. A tug of war started over a frothy pint of stella. The barman relented, and the singer smiled. I'm going to check this band out again.

A word on the venue. It was a pub. With lots of people in. The toilets were at the opposite end of the pub by the stage. There were lots of people between the sofa and the toilet. Most were lovely. One wasn't. I don't often come across someone I'd describe as pompous, sanctimonious and jumped up in the middle of a crowd at a gig. But there I was being lectured about how I should get through an over full venue by someone who's day job is obviously a housing officer in a South London council. I thanked him for his advice. It was the least I could do.

Next up were Example. Hip hop. Sort of. To tell the truth, I'm not that much of a fan. But the crowd seemed to dig them. Best I can say is check their myspace page. Anyway, I was pleased when the next band came on. Operator Please changed the pace from Example. In such a small venue, with such an excitable crowd, they seemed to know what to do. They had fun. The crowd had fun. But there's not much more to say about them that I haven't already said about this band in previous entries.

Last up were The Mike Strutter Group. By the time they'd started, then I have to say that sofa had become just too comfortable. I was having a good time, just not really paying much attention to the music. It started, then it stopped. I don't remember it being bad. But I don't have a clear recollection of it either. I blame the lager. Mind you, I always blame the lager.

So there it was. 15 venues. I saw two. It was all good though. I'd heard stories similar to the Camden Crawl about the crowds. I think I got the right idea though. Stick in one venue. Go along with some great company. Make sure there's a sofa. And then stay there. I know it defeats the whole object of these type of events, but maybe, just maybe, they don't actually work too well.

Still, I had a good time. Topped off by a fantastic Brick Lane salt beef bagel. Yum yum

http://www.myspace.com/youaredeadkids
http://www.myspace.com/leadingbyexample
http://www.myspace.com/operatorplease
http://www.myspace.com/mikestrutter

There are times when I really truly wonder why I bother buying tickets to see gigs. This was one of them. When I booked these tickets I'd read something nice about Lightspeed Champion, probably in an NME. They were raving about him. And what with him being involved with the now defunct Test Icicles, how could I resist?

Quite apart from the fact I'd never heard the Test Icicles, and therefore had absolutely no idea what I was letting myself in for, I'd completely forgotten to check the diary and missed that it was immediately after a bank holiday weekend. Now, that's not so bad, all things considered. I'd spent the previous day on a nice walk in the sunshine. I was so enthused about the sunshine I called my mate to enjoy it with me. So we had a beer to celebrate. Thing is, it was really sunny, so we really celebrated long into the night.

I wasn't much for celebrating the next day. I looked at the tickets at work, not enthusiastic. I struck on a good idea. I'm sure I mentioned these tickets to my pal. I emailed him and asked him if he wanted them. "Sure", he replied, "what time shall we meet?".

Bugger. Wasn't getting out of this was I? So, reluctantly, off I headed to Camden. It wasn't so bad, the sun was still shining and I enjoyed my walk through the park. In Camden, I nearly crashed into a strange looking fellow with a tremendous looking hat. Quite out of the ordinary, even for Camden. The oddest thing was I was sure I recognised the chap. Couldn't quite put my finger on it though.

After a quick pint in the tup, we headed off to the venue. I like Koko. It's improved a lot since the old Palace days. At least your feet don't stick to the carpet anymore. Well, to be fair, they wisely took the carpet up and replaced it with shiny wooden floors. But it's a great venue.

It was also loud. Or more to the point, the first band were. Bloody, gratingly, annoyingly loud. And quite honestly awful. And I'm glad I saw them as a support act, because I nearly bought a ticket to see them top of the bill once to see what the fuss was about. Ox. Eagle. Lion. Man. are not my cup of tea. My mate pointed out that their words were probably quite poetic and meaningful. It's just that you can't bear to listen to them because the music really doesn't encourage you to try.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the next band get on stage. It was Operator Please. I'd seen them earlier in the year in Wimbledon. And they played pretty much the same set tonight. I thought that they're beginning to find their feet in the UK, as they sounded tighter, more focussed and, well, way more fun than they did in Wimbledon. I really think they're going to peak during the festivals, so if you get a chance, go see them.

As Operator Please left the stage, I could honestly say that I could have gone home happy, but the main event was to come. After a short while, an old friend came on. No, hang on, it was that bloke I'd bumped into on the high street. Lightspeed Champion. Man of the people. In a hat.

It's at this point I struggle with a review. I'm hopeless at describing music. How can I describe it? Don't know. Er... Acoustic.. ish.. Pop... ish... Indie... ish.. I liked it though. I liked it a lot to say I want to see him again. The band was superb, which greatly adds to the Dev's voice which is outstanding. Talking of outstanding voices, he was joined on stage by Emmy the Great, who added vocals and strings. I wasn't expecting that, and it only added to my enjoyment of some fabulous songs, played by a great band.

Not a lot more to say really - I loved the gig. Apparently there was a big celebrity following there as well. I've never heard of Alexa Cheung. Perhaps you have. She's famous apparently. She was there. So was Kelly Osbourne. Whoever they are, they've got great taste in music, obviously. Great gig. Great night. It only goes to show, sometimes all the signs of it being a really crap evening count for nothing.

http://www.myspace.com/oxeaglelionman
http://www.myspace.com/operatorplease
http://www.myspace.com/lightspeedchampion