Camden Crawl 2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Roundhouse

There’s a lot of bands playing the Camden Crawl, but few, if any, are as anticipated as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Even the buzztastic cool kids chasing new bands like dogs after fast moving vehicles have to accept that post ‘It’s Blitz!’ there’s no hotter ticket (or extra queue forming wristband) than this tonight in NW1.

So, while Madness try to distract a few souls with an open top bus set here, there and everywhere (or Inverness Street, if you need to be specific), The Roundhouse surely still keeps a grip on it’s fair share of eyeballs, including the massive one suspended above the stage. If there’s one thing you can never level at Karen O it’s a lack of showmanship.

Of course festivals like this make cut down sets, but a distilled Yeah Yeah Yeahs is possibly more potent than ever. In under 45 minutes we’re treated to a thumping ‘Gold Lion’, hair raising ‘Maps’ and down right rawkus ‘Date With The Night’; all proving there’s enough material in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs back catalogue to stand any test of the fair weather observer. The feeling that this is a band on an all together new level still holds firm, though - within the first 10 seconds of ‘Heads Will Roll’ there’s a genuine feeling of something special afoot. That and the pulsing synths of ‘Zero’ show a band not only on the top of their game, but gathering an audience that truly crosses slap bang into the mainstream. The VIPs (or at least best blaggers in London - Ed) on the balconies are jumping around, front and centre is positively heaving, and as usual Karen O is skipping around like a little girl unaware of her other worldly powers.

If ever one scene was needed to prove this festival can produce magic moments, this is it. On the way out posters say The Enemy have pulled out; the official line may be throat problems, but we wouldn’t blame them for just being a little bit scared of following what will probably go down as the defining moment of 2009’s Camden Crawl.

Photo: Andy Sheppard