A triple header with The Priscillas, Love Parade, and Explode The TV to raise funds for organ donation charities and concussion research
Tonight, the Camden Club plays host to a charity gig in aid of the Tom Wilson Memorial Fund. Tom Wilson was a young man who tragically died from an accidental blow to his head during a hockey training session, and was found to have previously volunteered to donate his organs – enabling him to unknowingly save or vastly improve the lives of several people. His mother Lisa is in attendance tonight, and she quite rightly encourages us to consider doing the same; check out https://tomwilsonmemorialfund.co.uk for more details.
Explode The TV frontman Bentley’s silver jacket pairs well with his band’s shimmering post-punk guitars. He cuts a highly watchable Jarvis/Morrissey-esque figure, and boasts a decent set of pipes to boot. A cover of Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ is a smart, inclusive move, but such is the calibre (and groove) of the likes of ‘Revolution Baby’ and ‘London Prayer’, that a couple more of their own tunes would have been equally welcome. Check out their ‘Unbreakable’ album as soon as possible.
We spend most of The Priscillas’ set in awe of the stamina of drummer Jola, particularly as she performs ridiculously long and intense drum rolls on the penultimate ‘Plastic’. Are her band glam punk? Garage punk? Power pop? Who cares when the songs are this good? They’re veterans of this gigging lark, and – as ever – they don’t waste a minute, ripping through the adrenaline-infused ‘The Dream’ and the stomp-tastic ‘Oh Keiko’ with plenty of youthful energy and no little panache. Their set seems to fly by in a blur of glorious melodies, and as all great live bands do, they leave us wanting more.
Unfortunately, we have to leave halfway through Love Parade’s headline set (damn early last trains!), but their synth-laden tunes certainly hit the spot. Overall, this evening has shown the power of music to unite people for a worthy cause, and kudos are most certainly due to everyone involved.
Main Photo Credit: ALEX GOSMAN
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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