A hundred bands in one evening: it’s either Steve Lamacq’s average night out or the Stag And Dagger festival, which takes over London’s fashionable East End on a Thursday in mid-May. Camden used to be the capital’s trendy area and founded its own festival to prove it, the Camden Crawl. Now Shoreditch and Hoxton are the hot places to hang out, and they’ve done likewise, with their own event, supposedly named by Arctic Monkey Alex Turner and his squeeze Alexa Chung.
It isn’t actually a hundred bands, as there are DJs and artists involved too. Clash’s favourite hang-out, 93 Feet East, features an enormous, eclectic selection, from Kid Harpoon to Semifinalists. The rap/soul-heavy Cargo includes Bumblebeez and Karen P, while the atmospheric Zombie Zombie play at Shoreditch Church.
Elsewhere there are performances from Operator Please, Filthy Dukes and The Strange Death Of Liberal England. A party by fine French dance label Ed Banger at the Electricity Showrooms should also be a big draw, but perhaps the most sought-after spot will be at the T Bar, where there’s a Warp Records bash with Mira Callix and Jimmy Edgar.
Stag And Dagger takes place in various fashionable East London locations on May 15th.
If you and a mate/fuckbuddy fancy a free trip round it, enter our competition by clicking here.
