Spector at Camden Assembly Live Review

R.I.P. to the beloved Barfly in Camden, and hello to Camden Assembly. Camden Assembly’s reopening consists of two weeks of great gigs in a venue which has seen the likes of The Killers and Oasis; and Spector are just one of many great bands to perform over the two weeks.

R.I.P. to the beloved Barfly in Camden, and hello to Camden Assembly. Camden Assembly’s reopening consists of two weeks of great gigs in a venue which has seen the likes of The Killers and Oasis; and Spector are just one of many great bands to perform over the two weeks.

Spector and Barfly/ Camden Assembly’s love affair has been a long standing one – front man Fred Macpherson pointed out that the band (and his previous bands) have played there every year since their formation, and plan to continue this until they die. I am all for yearly Camden Assembly shows, as the gig was nothing short of phenomenal.

 

Despite the venue being quite small and numbers being limited, the amount of energy present from both the band and crowd could have filled an arena. From jumping, to screaming, to moshing, to bassist Tom Shickle walking on the crowd, it was anything but boring. I’d previously seen the band play Reading Festival 2015, but Camden Assembly was a huge step up. Spector were more energetic, and the crowd seemed to respond well.

Right from the opening chord of the first song ‘Bad Boyfriend’, the crowd were singing along to every word – Fred could have stayed silent for most of their hour-long set, consisting of  fan favourite after fan favourite. Songs like ‘True Love (For Now)’ and ‘Grey Shirt and Tie’ made a welcome comeback to the set list, and ‘Tenner’ was a welcomed addition, getting everyone excited for the sounds of a third album.

A highlight of the gig would have to be Freddie Cowan of The Vaccines joining Spector on stage for ‘Reeperbahn’ – as a Vaccines fan, seeing two bands I love on the same stage really was an experience. Other highlights include ‘All The Sad Young Men’, ‘Chevy Thunder’, and ‘Never Fade Away’.

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I have no complaints about that night (aside from the bruise on my arm from being knocked into the barrier), Spector really know how to put on a show.

Chandni Sembhi

September 28, 2016

I'm Chandni, I review albums and gigs, and in my spare time design t-shirts on Redbubble, and play guitar. My life goal is to be a music journalist, so I guess I'm living the dream. My music taste varies from indie to metal to pop-punk.

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