The 8th of September saw Camden High Street buzzing as, arguably, two of Englands most influential bands of music were inducted into the Music Walk of Fame. Buzzcocks and The Kinks will now be joining the likes of David Bowie, Janis Joplin and the Who in Camden’s newest musical attraction.

Founder Lee Bennet, starts our day off with his first speech gearing up to welcome the Buzzcocks up onto the stage, “no one area in the world has the history that Camden does…being the rite of passage for so many artists.”

Our first induction of the day was to be hosted by Carl Barât of The Libertines, and BBC Radio London presenter Gary Crowley, Barât stating that Buzzcocks are among the “first of their kind, and it is only fitting that they should embody a part of Camden tangible as well as culturally”

Buzzcocks were showered with heart felt anecdotes and hailed with praise not only by the two hosts of the morning but also by testemonials coming from fellow Mancunian and former Oasis front man Liam Gallagher; “Congratulations Steve Diggle…love the Buzzcocks, second greatest band to come out of Manchester!” And former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook; “The Buzzcocks booked the Sex Pistols first show in Manchester telling us we would be hearing about their band very soon and it wasn’t long before the world was bombarded with hit after hit of unique pure punk power pop energy. So a big thanks to Steve and the boys for putting a smile on our faces. A well deserved star on the Camden Walk of Fame”

Steve Diggle (the remaining original band member) then graced the stage with the rest of the band (Chris Remington, Danny Tarrant and Mani Perazzoli) to accept their induction into the walk of fame , Diggle stating “its a great honour to be inducted into the Camden Walk Of Fame. Camden has always been a magical musical inspiration – like Buzzcocks’ music, the two have walked the path of greatness”  Diggle payed tribute to the much missed, late Pete Shelley before the grand unveiling of their plaque.

The sunny afternoon in Camden Town saw The Kinks join the star studded line up in the Camden Walk Of Fame, again hosted by its founder Lee Bennet who swiftly introduced George Maguire and John Dagleish onto the stage; the two cast members of The Kinks’ musical, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ read out messages from the Davies brothers who could not be there in person. George, speaking on behalf of Dave Davies said “I am over the moon that the Kinks are to be enrolled in the Walk of Fame. This is the area that Ray and I grew up in, we ran those streets, and it holds a very happy place in my heart.”

Followed by John speaking on behalf of Ray Davies read “Those streets are where Dave and I grew up. They and the people made such an impact in inspiring many songs – memories I carry with me. I remember too often waiting for the last 102 bus to take me home. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” The two cast members then picked up their guitars and serenaded the streets of Camden with glorious selection of The Kinks hits including Sunny Afternoon, All Day And All of The Bight, You Really Got Me and of course, Waterloo Sunset.

This fabulous performance was followed by the fantastic Mick Avory, dummer of The Kinks making his way onto the stage to do the honours of unveiling their plaque. “It’s an Honour to be here.” Avory started “Ray and Dave are local boys and it’s so fitting for the Kinks to be on this walk. It’s a wonderful idea and very deserving to Camden, because even way back in the 50s, it was the music hub of London. There are lots of venues here still and it’s got a great buzz about it.” Avory then made his way down to the covered blue plaque for The Kinks unveiling.

The day was full of a buzz you can only really get in Camden, a fitting place to hold these stones of musical history. With two trailblazers of bands inducted today joining this living museum , we cannot wait to see what else the Camden Walk of Fame brings us , with stones to Shalamar and Billy Bragg unveiled on Saturday morning ahead of a free Camden Music Festival, as Lee Bennet said, this cultural attraction celebrates “originators, rebels and trailblazers”.  And moreAnd we couldn’t agree more!

“Where Legends Leave Their Mark in Sound: Camden’s Music Walk of Fame”

Saturday morning saw Camden flooded with music fans awaiting the start of a fantastic free music festival! With two stages to choose from, the High Street Stage brought to Camden by Mi-Soul radio gave us a wave of brilliant DJs, and kicking things off on the Hawley Crescent stage at midday was Zkeletonz, getting the ever growing crowd nice and warmed up for what was to come.

Come 2 o’clock it was time for newly inducted Billy Bragg to take the stage after receiving his own stone on the Walk of Fame that morning. The crowd held their fists in the air, united with Bragg as he sang through a string of hits such as Sexuality and There Is Power in a Union. To finish his set he brought his good friend and apparent ‘retired punk’ – a nervous looking wildlife expert Chris Packham – on to the stage to join him and the growing Camden crowd in a rousing rendition of A New England. 

Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B  kept the beats going until Buzzcocks took to the stage to a rousing welcome.

The crowd had swelled and now included a bunch of “Camden Punks”, who’d come down from the Bridge to see one of the original Punk bands. Starting with 1978’s ‘What Do I Get’, the hits – old and new – kept coming. Steve Diggle is a force of nature, weilding his Telecaster and throwing rock star shapes while keeping everything together. His voice is still strong and is perfectly complimented by ‘new’ members Danny Farrant on drums, bassist Chris Remington and guitarist Mani Perazzoli. By the time they got to favourites Orgasm Addict and Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) the Punk rockers had formed a little mosh pit and the crowd were in fine voice. Buzzcocks show no signs of stopping and are doing a fine job in keeping the memory of Pete Shelly alive while staying relevant and vital.

After a DJ set from former Rich Kid Rusty Egan, R&B Legends Shalamar closed the festival and ended a brilliant eclectic weekend of live music and celebration.

We can’t wait for next year…..

Camden Music Walk of Fame: Honoring Icons Like Buzzcocks and The Kinks @ RockNews

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