The Strokes performed a secret gig at Dingwalls, Camden under the name of Venison and Same Teens were there! Read on for their review of the night…
On Tuesday evening at around 11pm I found out that The Strokes were playing a secret gig at Dingwalls, a 500 capacity venue in Camden. Shortly after this I found out I was two hours late to buy tickets and it was already sold out. Not one to be defeated, especially in seeing one of my favourite bands play their first set in four years at a venue they would never usually play, I trotted down to Camden after work with my friend Helen to check out the score.
After watching 500 very gleeful people go inside the venue, including the likes of Ryan Jarman from The Cribs, Zane Lowe, Edith Bowman, Carl Barat, Chris Martin, Luke Pritchard of The Kooks and Georgia May Jagger, we realized we were not getting in through the front door. Witnessing two boys who barely scraped the age of 16 start a bidding war between two city cats earning themselves £350 in cold hard cash for two tickets, I knew I was going to have to be super naughty if I wanted to get into this once in a lifetime gig.
After a few ‘tip offs’, chatting up some venue staff and gossiping we decided to try and catch the band before they went into the venue. And we did. I have never felt like such a fan girl in my life but just seeing those 5 men walk past me, and Julian shake the hand of my friend with a brief “Hows it going?” would have been enough for me that evening. However after returning to the entrance of Dingalls and hearing The Strokes take the stage, opening their set with the classic “New York City Cops” our desperation grew.
I don’t really think it right to tell you how we got in, apart from that we snuck in while bouncers weren’t looking and that I have never run so fast in my life. The adrenaline rush of getting in was unreal; I really can’t put into words just how amazing their set was. Not just to see The Strokes live for the first time, but to see them at a type of venue they haven’t played since they started nor will they ever again. It was truly one of those music moments you HAD to be there for to understand to hype. I don’t think I will ever get over that gig or experience something like it again, especially not thinking I would get in and then miraculously doing so and enjoying it as much, if not more so than anybody else there because of it.
The Strokes played:
New York City Cops
The Modern Age
Hard to Explain
Reptilia
Whatever Happened?
You Only Live Once
Soma
Vision of Division
Can’t Win
Is This It?
Someday
Red Light
Last Night
Under Control
12:51
Juicebox
Heart in a Cage
Take It or Leave It
Watch The Strokes perform Is This It? on the night…
The favourite track of the set, typically, was Last Night, and after seeing and hearing it played live I think I can probably just go on ahead and die now. I have never danced so hard as I did to that song, or smiled so much throughout.
Being an uber geek I also got a Venison (The Strokes secret name) t-shirt which has the venue name and date printed on it which I have worn almost every day since the gig and will probably wear almost every day forever more.
Click here to view The Stokes CDs at zavvi.com
Words by Robyn Lynch, Same Teens