Camden Rocks, a festival that caters to over 200 bands at 20 venues for everyone to check out in one day, it’s a matter of choosing which venue and what bands to see and this festival spoils its fans for choice. Sold out , especially with the fact that Bullet for my valentine as headliners, it was bound to be something special, not for the big names but also for the smaller bands.
Camden, on a Saturday is usually busy, but in this case, the streets were filled to the brim with excited fans from one side of Camden to the other side where venues like Barfly hosted bands.
After much consideration of what venues to go to , Electric Ballroom and Black Heart were the main venues to stick with for evening and other venues scattered in the day.  The first band , Pink Cigar opened up the festival at Belushi’s , a pub that fitted the chaos of the band’s set , giving a lasting impression with harsh and distinct vocals, and a preview for what the rest of the day would be. Next up, were Cypher16 at Underworld who are back with their previous bassist, Carl Dawkins. Displaying great energy on the stage, the band showed the fans at a packed up venue, their powerful performance.
Over at Electric Ballroom, Black Spiders impressed a crowd with funny jokes who repeatedly asked them to say “Fuck you, Black Spiders!” and to request for “middle fingers in the air” which led to playing songs like Stick it to the man. A purely rock and roll band that entertained the fans with fun and great stage presence especially some of the members. It was from this moment, the festival was really forming enjoyment rather just being worried about whenever it would be too busy to get in a venue or not.  It’s a good thing that in some cases that some bands didn’t clash but after checking out And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, who were different and unpredictable(and yet, their music made you feel like you were lost in their appreciation for being there) of what Camden Rocks caters to, we quickly rushed to Black Heart for LTNT. LTNT are a band that are quickly building up with a fan base, it is impressive to see where they have grown. The band played familiar songs such as In the back of your mind that led the crowd in to a frenzy, the room built up with body heat , and mosh pits in this small venue. They ended the set with Body Bag, and for the first time in such a long, witnessing the whole room headbanging was something great to look at and be a part of.
While She Sleeps played straight after at Electric Ballroom, you could feel the buzz around the room and the energy from the fans and the band. They opened with New World Torture that immediately caused a ripple in the crowd with mosh and circle pits. This band are currently at the best in their career and they know this , as this was evident with their reactions towards the fans, and moments of chaos on stage like guitarist, Mat Welsh standing on top of the high speakers. Highlights were Our Courage, Our Cancer and Trophies of Violence.
Nostalgia was high on the agenda at the Ballroom, especially with the headliners, Bullet For My Valentine who opened with new single, No Way Out which was a taster of their upcoming album. Fanatic fans were all over the place and showed that this band still has relevance and a place in the metal world. New band member, Chris Matthias worked well within the set, showing his excitement as part of the band.  After checking out about 20 minutes of the set, we went straight to the Black Heart to see Black Moth, a band that has recently caught our attention. Despite the small stage, the band had a lot of energy, the fans had a lot to give especially after a long day of shows. Vocalist, Harriet Bevan oozed coolness with her vocals that flowed along with the music. The whole band showed how well they worked together, showing fun and interacting with the fans. Songs like Tumbleweave and Looner were highlights of their set. As Camden Rocks drew to a close, it was a constant reminder that everyone should always support the smaller bands and that is the reason for the success of Camden Rocks.