For The Record: September

September has been a weird month in that a lot of very credible and interesting albums have been released but not one has shone brighter than anything else. So basically what we have here is a list of albums set to feature in the end of year lists but none that will get anywhere near the top spot. The best thing I've heard this month though has to be Summer Camp's debut EP 'Young'. Showing that there is more to the boy/ girl duo than the previous tales of anonymity and Swedish holiday pursuits - Young takes nostalgia as a launch pad and crafts a host of pop gems around it. Just as soon as you get one nagging chorus removed from your brain another will come along and replace it, resistance is futile.

September's Recommended Releases:

Summer Camp - Young (Album of the Month)
Twin Sister - Vampires With Dreaming Kids / Color Your Life
Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 2
Interpol - Interpol
Les Savy Fav -Root For Ruin
Weezer - Hurley
Grinderman 2
Abe Vigoda - Crush
Glasser - Ring
No Age - Everything Inbetween
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Also worth a listen: How To Dress Well, Edwyn Collins, El Guincho, Chromeo, Of Montreal, Teengirl Fantasy, Salem, Egyptian Hip-Hop, Mark Ronson, Lil' Wayne, Magic Kids.

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Summer Camp - Jake Ryan

September is packed full of big new releases (Deerhunter, Interpol, Les Savy Fav) but one of the most exciting is the first EP from Summer Camp. Following on from the success of the single 'Ghost Train' comes 'Young' a more-upbeat, danceable set of tracks from the London based duo. Last week you saw an acoustic version of 'Was It Worth It?' from the back of a cab and here is another track from the EP. 'Jake Ryan' is typical of 'Young' being that it's drenched in nostalgia but with a keen eye on future romance.

*Note to self: Don't plan a blog three days in advance of posting. The internet will make you look stupid. Here is what I should have posted - Summer Camp's brand new video.

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Summer Camp Black Cab Session

Nice Ray-Bans guys.

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Camden Crawl: Saturday

The success of a festival that operates on fans skipping from venue to venue hinges on the weather so the tropical storms across North London does not get the Camden Crawl off to a great start. With the venues smelling more like wet dog than old beer the search for the Next Big Thing can begin.

First up on the Saturday is Best Coast. Like so many lo-fi slacker pop bands from the USA you half suspect that Beth Cosentino might be too stoned too deliver a killer performance but any doubts are cast away halfway through a rousing, and appropriate, Sun Was High (So Was I). Playing to a packed out crowd, seemingly more interested in the dry warmth of The Jazz Café than shimmering grunge anthems Best Coast plow through a series of tracks lined up to appear on their debut album. Where many bands tend to hide dark and morose lyrics in amongst happy melodies Best Coast switch it up and sing about love and romance in a downbeat way. The results are utterly charming with Cosentino coming off like Dolly Parton going surfing on the wondrous ‘Our Deal’. ‘When I’m With You’ is Best Coasts finest moment however and earns the rapturous applause it so dearly deserves.



Queuing at the Camden Crawl is as inevitable as eating McDonalds on the street and seeing Pete Doherty (who was spotted on the Sunday). Easily the biggest queue we see all weekend is for The Drums who continue to impress and confuse in equal measures. Playing to a packed out Blues Kitchen they whip up the crowd into a frenzy unseen across many of the other bands playing who are all too keen to be coy. Understated is not in The Drums vocabulary though and as Jonathan Pierce struts across the stage it’s hard to deny that this band of starry eyes could become huge. With songs as good as ‘Best Friend’ and Forever and Ever Amen’ the indie kids of Camden are rubbing their hands almost as much as Morrissey and The Cure's royalty collectors.

Poor scheduling means an hours wait for a final band on Saturday however when the clock strikes twelve and Summer Camp take to the Jazz Café stage all worries are forgotten. With ‘Ghost Train’ a permanent fixture on 6Music there are plenty of well wishers here to see one of the bands very early performances and they don’t leave disappointed. Far chirpier than their demos suggest, Summer Camp own the stage painting the crowd in sepia tones with their wistful pop beauty. Like a motivational speaker for the young at heart, lead singer Elizabeth provides pretty vocals whilst her band mates Jeremy Warmsley directs the music admirably. If Camden Crawl is for anything then it is seeing the best new bands first. With Summer Camp we might just have spotted something great indeed.

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First & Last #11 - Summer Camp

When Summer Camp first reared their heads in late 2009 they were one of the most mysterious 'mystery' bands around. Unlike some others who have become slightly less inchanting as they revealed their identity Summer Camp still seem like one of the most exciting new bands around. I caught up with the pair, Jeremy and Elizabeth, shortly after they released their debut single 'Ghost Train' through the flawless Moshi Moshi.

First band you ever saw live?
Elizabeth: The first band I saw live was Rage Against The Machine at Wembley, where I stood at the back and watched this girl with dreadlocks and the biggest jeans I’ve ever seen skanking for 2 hours. I tell everyone it’s Blur though, who were the first band I loved growing up. I saw them on their singles tour after my sister bought me tickets for my birthday. They looked a bit paunchy and tired, but it was still amazing.

Jeremy: An absolutely shocking post-rock band called Monsoon Bassoon. They had a clarinet.

What was the first instrument you played as a child?
Elizabeth: I remember playing a recorder at School. I think everyone did that, which seems very odd as unless you’re proficient it’s pretty much the worst sound in the world. Then I played clarinet really badly I think I practised about 3 times in 4 years.

Jeremy: Yeah, recorder times. Whoo. I graduated to the flute, but also never practised. We should form a wind duo when this pop music fad runs out of steam.

Elizabeth: Yeah great. A wind duo where neither of us ever practise. Sounds AMAZING.

First track you wrote as Summer Camp?
The first track we wrote is ‘Why Don’t You Stay’.

Where was the last show you played? How did it go?
The last show we played was at the Lexington. It was our first headline show, which was all terribly exciting The high point was probably our warm-up routine: singing ‘Eye of The Tiger’ in the dressing room with the band, keyboard riffs and all.

First album you ever bought?
Elizabeth: The first album I bought was UB40 – Promises and Lies on cassette when I was about 10. I remember dancing to it with my Gran in my bedroom. Rock and fucking Roll.
Jeremy: I'm going to lie and say Gracelands by Paul Simon.



Last time you were drunk was...
Elizabeth: About 4 years ago. I’m T-Total but the night I found out I’d got into Drama School I celebrated by getting very drunk with my housemate. I think I went to bed about 10pm, after ringing all my friends to enjoy the novelty of leaving drunk voicemail messages.

Jeremy: I'm not really into getting drunk, but I did have some very nice organic cider the other day.

First crush on a famous person...
Elizabeth: Damon Albarn. I didn’t really fancy him though, it was almost a perfunctory thing because I felt like I should since he was the lead singer of my favourite band.

Jeremy: Never really had a crush on a famous person. Too busy being a massive geek. People at school would be like "phwoar, so-and-so is really fit" and I'd be like "Sorry, not in a computer game, not interested".

The last band you saw live recently?
Elizabeth: Spectrals, who supported us at our Lexington show. I keep banging on about them but I just think that guy is amazing. I can’t believe he’s so young and so accomplished. Really exciting stuff.

Jeremy: Owen Pallet. Dude is the Hendrix of the violin. Or maybe the Brian May. Actually such comparisons are facetious. He's unique, one of the few performers to use loop pedals and not be boring, and writes incredible songs.

Tell me about the first ever Summer Camp live performance
Elizabeth: I would if I could remember it. It was a secret show and I think I spent the entire day quivering with anxiety. It was good fun though.

Jeremy: We also did do a couple of tracks acoustically at my last solo show at the Union Chapel which was really nice.

Elizabeth: Oh yeah! Our acoustic gig. God that was scary. I walked onto the stage paranoid I'd trip over, then went up to the mic and said "Hiya" in a Northern accent (why?!) and decided it was a good idea to tell everyone about how paranoid I'd been about said tripping over. No one laughed.

No one ever laughs.

Last time you swore...
Elizabeth: See first album question.

Jeremy: I'm a big believer in swearing after I stub my toe. Why do bad things always happen to good people!?!??!?

Last film you saw...
Elizabeth: ‘Cemetery Junction’. It wasn't great. So disappointing because I used to love The Office, but now it’s paled in comparison to the American version. Dwight Schrute is my hero.

Jeremy: I'm currently watching my way through redlettermedia's pretty hilarious The Phantom Menace commentary. (Wow, I really am a massive geek).

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VIDEO: Summer Camp - Ghost Train

Debut single from the London duo who remain mysterious but go by the real names of Jeremy and Elizabeth. One of 2009's greatest hidden gems, this might just become 2010's most charming breakthrough.

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Summer Camp

Mystery bands are big news in 2010. First Monarchy revealed themselves to be the artists formerly known as Milke, leading most people to ask who Milke are nevermind Monarchy.

Still to be unveiled are Silver Columns and the enigmatic Summer Camp. The latter of these two are building quite the buzz having sucked the corners of the world hype is created in with their sugary sweet harmonies and classic pop hooks. Nobody really knows who they are and the people who do are keeping schtum so for now all we have is the tunes.

With songs this good though who needs names and faces? Like many of their songs 'Ghost Train' begins by sampling an 80's movie before melting into a medley of charm and delight. Check the band on Myspace as no two songs sound the same, a rare treat in a new band.

MP3: Summer Camp - 'Ghost Train'

12/02/2010 - Summer Camp have been unveiled as Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey.

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