Princess Slayer / Oh So Quiet / Lily Oakes [Live Review – The Stillery, Camden, 8/4/2015]
I love Camden’s diversity. Step out of Camden Town tube station and you’re a minute away from the Jazz Cafe, punk and hardcore institution the Underworld, and the Stillery – an intimate hole in the wall torn apart last week by Mancunian post-hardcore up and comers, the Hyena Kill. This time around, the Stillery hosted a set of very different musicians.
Lily Oakes is an interesting one. A series of trip-hop-oriented tracks performed in the most Read more…

The first thing that needs to be said is this: Takedown Festival 2015 was really well-run. Organising an event that takes in over 40 bands across five stages, runs to schedule, and delivers a smooth, hassle-free and fun experience for punters is a serious ask – but the Takedown crew rose to the challenge and did an awesome job. Even the security were nice guys. Or maybe paid actors.
Last week, I expressed
This show may have been a hard sell for a Sunday, but a sizeable portion of local music fans still made it down to the Boileroom for this show. Earlycomers were treated to Tusks (aka Emily Underhill), a recent discovery who is fast becoming
As a music venue embedded into Stamford Bridge (the stadium called home by Chelsea F.C.), Under the Bridge was an appropriately unique venue for this unique show. An industry showcase set up by trade paper Music Week, networking hub MusicConnex, promoters ILUVLIVE, and south coast music school BIMM, it goes without saying that the high-profile nature of this show inevitably brought its own special set of performance pressures. A quality showcase set has the potential to push an act to the next level, while a duff performance can see a band crossed off “Ones To Watch” lists in the blink of an eye.
Bands capable of speaking out intelligently about political issues are few and far between these days. Most seem set on insisting that it’s all about the music and having a good time, rather than encouraging their audiences to educate themselves and act on issues that mean so much to so many, but are often ignored in the age of cheap flatscreens and Xbox Live.
Things have been pretty heavy on TMMP of late, and the weekend’s just around the corner. Enter Australian exports Sticky Fingers and their soaring, gritty party-rock anthem, Just For You. Sod winter’s freezing creep – close your eyes and be transported straight back to your favourite sun-drenched festival field.
It’s weird to think this gig would never have happened had the Boileroom’s licence been suspended – but the former did happen, because the latter wasn’t. The peacefully dubstep-loving crowds were out in droves last night to check out: