Camden Crawl 2010: Day Two

Gold Panda is the ultimate bedroom producer. Even up on stage at the Barfly he may as well be at home; isolated, his only companion his laptop, mixer and pedals. His tunes reek of lofi’s hiss, crackle and pop and reference the oriental sounds of Japan. The hooded artist hunches over his machinery moves back and forth, left to right with great agility and with a look of deep concentration. With his out-stretched hands his nimble fingers play hyperactively over the relevant peripherals; turning knobs here, pushing buttons there. Gold Panda’s moves are calculated and tight. Halfway through his hoody is exchanged for a Panda hat; a seamless exchange which does little to ruin the rhythmic yet jerky flow he has created both musically and physically. After each song he briefly looks up from his vehicle raises his hands and thanks the crowd before resuming his trademark position. He seems completely self-conscious and feels most at ease playing as if to an empty room. He may just remind you of IDM artists Square Pusher and Chris Clark.

The Underworld really is all its name suggests. Once in the door its dark, dank interior complete with low ceilings eventually leads us to the packed pit where beer-wielding punters stand shoulder-to-shoulder awaiting the arrival of Florida rockers Surfer Blood. Not ones for tardiness the boys don’t keep the fans waiting as they jump on stage getting straight into their debut album ‘Astro Coast’. Aside from their rocker affliction Surfer Blood are not at all moody as their songs display a sunny jingle jangle sense about them. Like The Drums and pioneer Phil Spector they indulge in surfer rock yet have nothing to do with the sport itself. In fact they loathe those affiliated with the water activity and prefer to associate themselves with mid-60s pop combined with a pseudo high school garage band feel; a loud raucous dynamic of the Pixies et al. The buzz band certainly do not disappoint with a stage persona which almost competes with their live music. Music which is loud and messy yet orchestrated so tightly with great melodic harmonies and classic rock vibes. Lead singer John Paul Pitts ends the session by crowd surfing to the back of the pit and pulling out a black marker before tweaking a sign that reads “GAYMERS’ CAMDEN CRAWL”. It’s not hard to imagine the extent of the singer’s message.