Thursday 21/05/09 Stag and Dagger @ Various Venues, Shoreditch, London

With a gig crawl across some 22 venues the Stag and Dagger takes hold of Shoreditch for its second annual live-music marathon. Some may refer to it as the East End’s version of the Camden Crawl and the ample queues at venues would confirm that, but this shindig’s spread is over in only half the time, before heading up north for stints in Leeds and Glasgow.

All-girl trio Pens provide a humble beginning for The Old Blue Last’s stretch of this night with their twee-blend of lo-fi pop tunes. Their simply structured songs means there’s little variation apart from the switching of instruments on stage as the girls share drum duties and play the tiniest of keyboards. Though subtly attractive their set seems like it could have been a contender for the soundtrack to Juno.  

Just up and along Curtain Road a group of onlookers accumulate at Bar Music Hall as locals Animal Kingdom play Signs and Numbers and other offerings from their forthcoming debut. Singer Richard Sauberlich’s sweet and sorrowful tones pull the quartet’s melodically driven songs away from formulaic indie to  a more colourful state in a set that’s hard to ignore, though some might try.

A small trek away at the Vibe Bar in Brick Lane, another all-girl band beckons, An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump. Presumably named after the oil painting with the same name by Joseph Wright of Derby, the members in this trio all answer to the different labels of bird, and tonight their bleak-rock is potent, garish, intimidating yet captivating all the same. Downstairs however, a different picture is being painted courtesy of melodicas, moogs and the laid-back tones of The Phantom Band (pictured). With a mature sound that could have taken root in the baking US desert, this sextet hail from Glasgow and have carried with them a critical acclaim since their debut, Checkmate Savage surfaced earlier this year. With a set that gradually entrances the crowd into one unified swaying motion, particularly during Crocodile, it’s not hard to work out why they play amid much recommendation.

By contrast, the room is transformed into a heaving dancefloor during local trio We Have Band’s set. Singing like an inquisitive child, Dede leads the vocals for You Came Out an early 90s evoking synthy number, before the boys take over for Oh! and the crowd join in too. Outside John Power is winding down the Vibe Bar’s acoustic sets but elsewhere queues are forming. White Denim and Cold War Kids, are two of the most sought after bands for those attending tonight’s Stag and Dagger. With a queue of hopefuls snaking around the Hoxton Bar and Grill for White Denim and an overflowing crowd spilling out into the bar area of Cargo, rendering Cold War Kids’ set viewable to many by projection screen only, those who managed to catch either sets from a close distance are deemed lucky. As people trawl from venue to venue in search of bands, so the queues of bodies at each entrance continue to mount.

The harmonies of Sheffield’s boy-girl duo Slow Club’s wholesome songs means an uplifting end to the Spread Eagles’ offerings of the night. Playing beneath a large glowing heart-shaped light seems apt as the pair enthuse their way through songs such as When I Go, before springing a surprise on those packed wall-to-wall inside the pub, by taking their show out on to the streets. Christmas TV though out of season provides an indulgent finale as the band play outside with all those gathered eagerly around them singing along, “Just come on home” while those in Catch’s queue watch from across the road. As the action disbands, some assess the queues into venues that still remain open, while others understandably head elsewhere. While the crowds may have spoiled the fun for some people, for others it meant they discovered the sounds of acts they might have otherwise ignored - exactly what these urban festivals are all about.

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