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

I'm tired. For all the right reasons, but I'm tired. In actual fact, I should really be in bed right now but for writing this article. But it's a tough life being a blogger. Especially when you wonder if anyone will be reading it, or more importantly, if they do, they actually find it interesting.

Anyway, I digress. I'm tired because I've had such a good weekend. And that's not bad seeing as I'm writing this on Wednesday night. It all started on the Friday evening with a game of football. A few of us have been getting together recently to have a game on a Friday. It's been really good to have an opportunity to play 11-a side for a change. We're clearly not very good as we've lost every game we've played. So, obviously a full tactical debrief is required in the boozer afterwards.

It was a thorough debrief. I'd talked so much my mouth was dry in the morning. What was also strange was that my head was thumping and I didn't appear to remember much of the tactical dissection of our game. So I stayed in bed a little longer to see if I could remember it. I didn't, but I blame that on the headache that wouldn't go away all day.

It wasn't so bad that I couldn't go to dinner in the evening on the Saturday. The food was very good, but the service was woeful. But all that waiting for the food and drinks to arrive gave me loads of time to catch up with some old friends I hadn't seen for a while. While we waited (and waited) for the bill, another friend arrived at the restaurant. He'd come over from Islington on a night on the beers and looked a bit disappointed that he'd left his beer, his mates and spent 20 quid on a taxi only to find we were all going home. Obviously we couldn't disappoint him, so I stayed out for a few more beers.

I was disappointed to find I'd missed the last tube. By two hours. So, a night bus was required, which actually wasn't that bad (thanks to Ken - sorry I didn't vote for you). But it was another night that I'd stayed out late, and another one that I'd had a few more beers than I'd wanted to. Unlike the Sunday, where I knew I'd be having some beers.

It was the last game of the season, so the plan was to go to the match, have a few drinks and go for a curry. And that's precisely what we did. But what made it special was that I was able to catch up with another old friend at the ground and at the pub afterwards. We talked a bit about football, but spent most of the time reflecting on how his life has changed now he's a dad. He didn't stay out too long, as he had to go home to bath his son. I hope I don't leave it so long till I see him next time.

Monday was supposed to be quiet. The plan was to go somewhere, sit in the sun and eat and relax. I could manage that. I seriously think I couldn't manage anything else. There was no danger that this could get out of hand. The friends I was meeting were not such big drinkers. So obviously we met in a pub. For drinks. The pub was so busy that they weren't serving food. So, we went to find some food in Kensington. The food and the company were superb. As were the drinks. We were so pleased, that we met up with some other friends at the pub for more drinks.

It was at this stage, I protested that I couldn't take it anymore. I had to go home. "Nonsense!", I was told. Come to the cinema. What could I do? I've been meaning to go to see what the place was like for sometime and it was absolutely fantastic. Where else can you settle down in leather seats each with a foot rest as you sip on a cold pint of Guinness. Oops. So much for the quiet Monday. Although that really wasn't on my mind as I tumbled on to the last tube of the evening.

I'd clearly not anticipated that I'd have such a busy weekend when I'd bought the tickets for the gig on Tuesday. I held them in my hands at work and my head swam. I really didn't fancy going. But what a waste of the tickets. So I phoned a mate to see if he wanted them. "Cool", he said, "What time shall I meet you?". That didn't go well at all. He really wasn't the bloke to go to a gig with if I fancied a quiet night. More beers. More late night tube journeys.

It was all fantastic. I shouldn't really have drunk so much. I really needed to eat a bit better. But it was all worth it. I have at times in my life forgotten just how important my friends are to me. I've sometimes neglected them. It's something that we're all a bit guilty of from time to time. But that's no reason not to keep making an effort. Everyone I caught up with over the weekend had their stories to tell. Some happy and some sad. Some of my friends I didn't see, but they weren't far from my mind. It's our friends and family who get us through it all as we make our way through our lives.

It's a part of my life that I identified in my recipe. With such good friends, and such a good weekend, it was a really great way to underline how important my friends are to me. I hope I never forget it.