Christmas came early to Camden this year, as Clash’s Sunday Sessions rolled into town for the final event of the year.
Our infamous free party drew a heaving crowd braving the winter weather, who witnessed one of the best parties of the year.
Up first was London boys THE METROS. The hotly tipped five-piece were on hand to blow away the cobwebs of a lazy Sunday afternoon and make it clear to all present that today was all about F-U-N. Crammed onto the Lock Tavern’s upstairs stage, their half-hour set was a high energy rampage of sheer delight. Their mentor and label manager James Endeacott from 1965 Records looked on proudly, telling Clash, “These guys are gonna be huge next year”. Who are we to argue?
With the congregation moving downstairs, it was then time for THE PAN I AM. Fronted by Ed Larrikin, ex of Larrikin Love, the stripped down band (including Drew Babyshambles on upright bass) was a delightfully folky foray and an eagerly awaited appearance from the much loved singer. The strings and brass were the perfect accompaniment to Ed’s considered new direction, and made for an unquestionably enjoyable evening’s experience.
Following stints on the decks from the quite barmy James from 1965, Kyle and Pete from THE VIEW took the stage in front of a capacity filled room upstairs. Their acoustic takes on View favourites – ‘Wasted Little DJs’, ‘Wastelands’, ‘Same Jeans’ and ‘Superstar Tradesman’ – were deftly mixed with choice covers – The Beatles’ ‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’ and Squeeze’s ‘Up The Junction’. With the crowd singing along with every word it was evident that the party had hit top gear – few could believe we still had one more chart topping band to present!
It was back downstairs again for THE MAGIC NUMBERS. Playing as a trio – Romeo, Michelle and Angela – the evening’s headliners stunned those who’d been waiting all day with a set that defied outside’s freezing temperatures by spreading a little sunshine throughout proceedings. Their sunny dispositions made ‘Take A Chance’, ‘Long Legs’, ‘Love Me Like You’ and even a brief snippet of The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ seem like the good people of Camden had the old climate control firmly in hand. The Numbers gratefully supplied the music for Clash’s Pass The Parcel – dishing out exclusive presents around the lucky punters to gleeful reactions.
Finishing things off on decks upstairs was Raf from 1965, filling the dancefloor with choice cuts and cool tunes, and downstairs the Clash DJs were spreading some festive cheer with Christmas tunes and sending everyone home happy. After 6 hours of amazing music and all for free, how else would they go?
The whole event was filmed and recorded – stay tuned to ClashMusic.com for exclusive footage and podcasts!
