Discover The Camden Songwriting Circle: A grassroots hub of creativity nurturing a diverse community of songwriters in North London
Event Review: The Camden Songwriting Circle at The Rose & Crown (Kentish Town)
For people who like…singer-songwriter, folk, acoustic.
Inspired by the songwriting circles of Nashville, Camden Songwriting Circle are fulfilling the crucial (but often unglamorous) role of supporting up and coming songwriters early in their careers and musical journeys in London – read to the end to find out where else they hold events. But what they foster more than anything else is a shared celebration and fundamental appreciation for the art of songwriting.
It’s not hard to see recognition of mainstream music in most towns and cities across the globe, but small community driven events supporting grassroots artists are becoming more and more of a rarity in our increasingly homogeneous digitally driven world. That’s why event organisers like The Camden Songwriting Circle are so important.
As I walk down to the dimly lit and dusty basement of the Rose & Crown – a small independent watering hole nestled on a leafy residential street in Kentish Town north London – I’m met by two smiling door staff who ask if I’ve reserved a ticket. I haven’t, which doesn’t actually matter as the tickets are free anyway. I’m told by Melanie, co-founder and organiser, that their ticketing system is more a way to measure attendance than generate revenue, obviously.
I’m then asked if I’d like to donate any amount that goes straight towards compensating the songwriters performing that night. Of course I happily oblige. I sit down and the vibe is warm and friendly as they are quietly setting up and about to kick things off.
Speaking straight away to the lady next to me on the sofa, I learn that she is a local resident that often frequents the events to check out the abundance of grassroots songwriting talent in her local area of north London. She tells me she’s not a musical artist, but does dabble in poetry from time to time.
Overall the event is very small, perhaps less than 70 people attending that night – but this just adds to the intimacy and somewhat personal nature of the whole thing. Although quite appropriate for this type of event, Melanie tells me they are looking to expand, which is quite exciting I have to say. Then comes the music…
All four performers on the night came with talent, humour, and cleverly written songs telling their own unique stories. They varied slightly in terms of where they were at in their careers, as well as their backgrounds – most fairly early on, but Anna Pancaldi being a bit of an industry veteran with placements in Grey’s Anatomy (among other films and TV shows) and an upcoming headline show at The Lexington this October. Her intro and running commentary, as well as the songs themselves were shining light on her eventful industry journey through laughter instead of dismay.
The same can be said for 19 year old Hetta Falzon from Somerset, now based in Manchester. Although instead of the music industry, her songs were about the pitfalls (and some quite hilarious aspects) of her love-life, being a young woman not far out from university. She was the only musician behind a piano (instead of a guitar) that night, and that coupled with her brilliantly wry attitude towards the misfortune or heartbreak she was speaking of is something that I can only admire.
The other two performers were Russo-Ukrainian Katya, who was full of visceral passion singing songs with raw emotion and beauty straight from the heart; and Kaypo from Brisbane Australia, a dynamic fluid guitarist with over 6 million streams across various platforms…clearly on an upward trajectory in his career.
Their songs were authentic and engrossing, while at times being humorously entertaining. But another (really quite beautiful) thing all the original songs have in common is that they are all based upon, inspired by, and written from the personal experiences of the songwriters – certainly adding an air of legitimacy to the music that night. For an hour or two I’m transported into the artists’ lives, feeling their stories of misfortune, heartbreak, and joy in brilliantly comedic, entertaining and creative ways. This was a great display of the diverse songwriting talent in London right now.
We were only able to gain deeper insights into the stories and lives of these artists through the setup and format of the event itself though. They weren’t simply brought up onstage to perform their music and go home, full-bodied intros were rounded off at the beginning leading to moments in which they were allowed to explain their art and how it was written in-depth – which I’m sure led everyone in the room to a truer understanding and appreciation of the artform itself. There were even mini interviews conducted with each of the artists towards the end, giving rise to an audience Q&A which was really the cherry on top transforming this from a passive concert experience, to an immersive, intimate and personal musical encounter.
It really feels like The Camden Songwriting Circle are at the frontline of musical creativity in London at a time when uniqueness in music is fading, and homogeneity is fast becoming the norm. They bring live music back to its divine essence…cherishing the art of songwriting at the simplest and most fundamental level – something I think is much needed today. It’s definitely not an easy job, but someone’s gotta do it if we want music as an art form to flourish in the 21st century.
If you’re in or around North London on the bi-weekly Tuesdays they hold the events (view their event calendar here), and even the tiniest bit interested or curious about songwriting, The Camden Songwriting Circle is definitely worth checking out! Oh and they also have a sister event The Dublin Songwriting Circle if you’re over on the Emerald Isle.
