Male Bonding/Pens/Veronica Falls @ The CAMP basement, 27/05/2010

The CAMP, or rather the City Arts and Music Project (or summink), and more specifically, its basement, its firstly and foremostly on of the sickest venues I've been to in London. This is something I say without a hint of irony, which is lucky as there was much on display.

Being massively skilled in London geography as I am, I have no real idea of which universities or art colleges are in the locality of the CAMP, near Old Street, but I think I can safely say there are some pretty close by. The "vintage" clothes, male tote bags and thick rimmed glasses on display alongside the floppiest fringes this side of Brighton. I saw a particular gentlemen with the full on "La Roux" and a completely unironic smile on his face. At least I think it was unironic.

Apart from slagging of the clientele, whose style I secretly wish I could pull off, the venue itself is the perfect grimey indie hole. No awkwardness with seating like a pub gig, small enough to remain intimate and fill out. Brilliant.

First band up are VERONICA FALLS. An evenly weighted boy-girl foursome who extend the art student vintage chic into their music, driven by an insane sound filling rhythm section who round off things nicely, veering them far away from possible "twee-ness".

Next for this art-fest love-in are lo-fi noise-wrangers PENS. And they were amazing for reasons I still cannot put my finger on. Swapping instruments (and occasionally taking their sweet time about it) left right and centre, this all girl trio made simplistic, drum driven noise that is so unironic and endearing that it must be some kind of in-joke. Right? Riiight?

Either way, amazing.

Finally MALE BONDING, joking that this is already a "Don't Look Back" show for their recently released album, tear to the stage like something out of DC in '82. Simple hard hitting riffs played fucking loud. The crowd erupts with movement, with bodies surfing through a curious mix of camera flash and sweat, the most amusing moment of which when one "surfer", attempting to grip to the ceiling is let go by his support and promptly drops back into the melee below, barely to be seen again.

All of these bands, overall, have more balls than any other 3 british bands you would care to name right now, and are definately worth having a look at as the tour continues.

Male Bonding myspace
Pens myspace
Veronica Falls myspace