Sitting within a stone’s throw of Camden Town tube station as it does the Jazz Café is the ideal venue for a work night gig so, despite a high frequency of office hangovers in the last couple of weeks, the chance to see '90s hip hop legends Blackalicious gets me happily out of the house on a cold February night and on the train to North London with a beer in my hand. We got there well in time for openers Dizraeli and DJ Downlow, who bring some South West hype with a set of energetic and innovative UK hip hop to get the crowd moving from the start. A packed crowd it is too; and one happy to get involved as the duo meld styles and switch up tempos with seemingly boundless enthusiasm. These guys have been on people’s lips for a couple of years now and I can see why, definitely ones to watch…

The energy is kept going by some well-chosen sounds from the Lifesavas’ Jumbo, with him and bandmate Vursatyl clearly playing an essential part of the Blackalicious live experience. After a short set from Vursatyl they are joined on stage by the headliners and the four feed off the crowd’s and each other’s energy to tear the fucking roof off! Taking cuts from their previous three records as well as their long awaited new release, they don’t let the crowd shy away from participation and to be honest the sold out room wouldn’t have it any other way, shouting their heads off whenever the opportunity is offered. Gift of Gab is a consummate frontman with a mastery of high speed flow and a unique deliverance that comes across even more strongly in person than on record, while Chief Xcel’s turntabling takes a subtle approach that is nevertheless a vital part of the whole.

Laid back, jazzy beats perfect for a view of the night heavily infused with dank are peppered with rapid fire freestyles, in a set heavy on classics such as ‘Deception’, ‘Blazing Arrow’, ‘First in Flight’ and ‘Chemical Calisthenics’. Their vibe is infectious and if you aren’t moving in some way you’re probably clinically dead, with the intimate setting of the Jazz Café the perfect platform for a set like this. We might be stuck in a grey London February, but for a night we are transported to a California idyll of sun and sensi. After the final encore has come and gone and the cheers have died down, I head out into the winter’s night with PMA fully set up for the week ahead.

With four month's to go until Camden Town is overrun once more, the first wave of acts for this year’s Camden Rocks festival have been announced.
 
Taking over various venues in Camden Town on Saturday May 30, Camden Rocks welcomes Welsh post-hardcore legends Funeral For A Friend, Austin alt. rockers ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and Heavens Basement as three massive names for this year's event.

As a festival exclusive, Funeral For A Friend are planning something very special for fans. Frontman Matthew Davies says: “We’re thrilled to have been invited to play Camden Rocks. We’re looking forward to banging out three in your face sets across Camden during the day so make sure you’re in attendance as we’ll probably be mixing it up a fair bit!”

Renowned New York proto-punks The Dictators are joining the line-up alongside some of Britain's finest acts from the current crop of stellar rock, punk and metal acts, including Black Spiders, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Turbowolf, Feed The Rhino and God Damn.
 
Only 40 incredible acts have been announced and Camden Rocks still have over 200 more on the line-up for this year’s festivities. Now in its fourth year, Camden Rocks takes over the legendary venues, pubs and bars (Electric Ballroom, Underworld, Proud Camden, Barfly, Jazz Cafe, Dingwalls and more) in Camden Town and this year is set to be the biggest festival yet. 

Tickets are priced at £30 (plus booking fee) and are available now from the festival website.

The full list of bands announced so far: Funeral For A Friend, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Heavens Basement,  The Dictators, Black Spiders,Turbowolf, Lawnmower Deth, Dinosaur Pile Up, Feed The Rhino, Eureka Machines, Black Moth, Max Raptor, Martyr Defiled, God Damn, Rob Lynch,Cypher 16, Freeze The Atlantic, Attention Thieves, The One Hundred, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Samoans, LTNT, Lucie Barat & The Au Revoirs, The St Pierre Snake Invasion, Beasts, Kyshera, Hunter & The Bear, The Scaramanga Six, Protafield, Dead, Buffalo Summer, Monument, High Hopes,Death Remains, Oxygen Thief, The Wild Lies, The Amorettes, Buck & Evans, State Of Play, Reverted, Dirt, Stellify, The Fourfits and The Assist.