Romes
Electronic Rock at The Black Heart, Camden (28th Feb 2026)
An instagram short flashed up on my feed
It was a for a duo playing electro with instruments. One on drums, so the other was doing a LOT of work to create their sound. As a lover of the electro sound of the mid 2000s, I was excited by the prospect of a live band performing something similar - and conveniently they were playing in Camden soon.
Unfortunately for them, despite their skill and recognition, they weren’t even the landmark Canadian drummer and instrumentalist duo of the month for me, but that is a different story……!
I had the same dilemma as last time - leaving Chelsea after 8pm. I had the option of public or car, and I knew parking would be better in Camden, but I opted for the choice that allowed me to enjoy a couple of beers.
I feel venues/bands/promoters should be obliged to put set-times on social media once sorted. The event was on until 11pm, but began at 7:30. I couldn’t get there until 9ish, but knowing stagetimes would’ve informed my urgency. I eventually got the message via another attendee who’d been asking the same in insta comments.
I would’ve made perfect timing, but for a sliding doors moment. As I changed platforms, I reached the Northern Line just as the doors closed. SIX minutes until the next one, but annoyingly, the one behind it was just a minute later.
Venue
The venue, Black Heart, is one of the resilient pubs that has managed to stay true to its metal roots as Camden became increasingly gentrified and generic. Prior to reaching the age of participation, Camden to me was infamous for being the epicentre of the punk, metal, rock, indie and other related scenes. I wasn’t really into these in my early days, so I frequented Camden only occasionally, before I became a fully signed up member of the rock community, by which time it hard largely disappeared. That was over 20 years ago, so you can only imagine how few fragments survived. Black Heart is one of few, and I’m grateful conditions allow for it to weather the storm that closed many of their peers.
Black Heart’s other claim to fame is the kitchen. Fully vegan, and quite renowned in the community. I had been meaning to indulge, but had not quite got round to it. This was the perfect opportunity. My diet officially started on 1st March, hours after the end of the gig. I did have healthy food with me in the office fridge, but a busy day meant I’d not quite sat down to it. All the pieces were falling into place - the kitchen was open until 10, and I’d happily skip a track or two of the gig to scoff a treat. Annoyingly, upon arriving (about 6 minutes late thanks to the missed connection), I was advised that food was for bookings only. Despite a bit of pleading (my puppy eyes will melt any but the blackest of hearts) and sharing my meat-free status and excitement, I was unable to place an order. I was later told that they’d had an unexpectedly large party come earlier in the day, which is fair. I will try another time, but it would require me to defy my commitment to healthy eating.
Gig
The band itself was great - what I expected based on the reel that reeled me in. I was at the back of the room, which meant my view was limited. Beyond the sea of heads, there was no visibility. Lots of lights coming from the stage, and loud music, but no hint of the musicians, not even a silhouette. Atmospheric? I’m not sure. I was there for the music, but I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t see the sound come to life. I was most curious about how one person makes so much sound - guitar, vocals, keyboards - and I felt I was only getting half the performance.
Fortunately, every time I nipped downstairs to grab another pint, better space opened up and by the end I shuffled close enough to the front to actually see something. The view still wasn’t ideal, but I could at least make out the main guy at times.
Some people in the crowd knew some of their tracks, but I was there for the vibes. Their sound was impressive and enjoyable, energetic, and a lesser-heard nostalgic sound that was once central to my life. They’ve hit quite a sizeable fan base - almost 100k insta followers - but still playing tiny venues. The last band I saw play somewhere similar only had a following in the thousands (undeservedly so) so I’m guessing their instagram friendly clips have captured eyes around the world, but they’re still to translate that to ticket sales.
Vinyl
After my last gig, the band were selling their latest release on vinyl for £20. Very cheap by vinyl standards, so I grabbed one as a memento. This time I was first in the queue to cop the LP, but I balked at the £50 price label. It was a limited, self-released double vinyl, but I wasn’t willing to pay more than my entire annual spotify subscription for one album that’ll probably mostly sit on my shelves. It was the same price on their website, just without the extortionate postage cost from Canada, but I’m finding record releases are being priced too excessively these days for comfort, and my 30 year passion has waned massively during the era of vinyl revival predominantly for this reason.
Food
That just left the unresolved issue of my rumbling belly. Fortunately an old favourite, Temple of Seitan was just down the road. It slowly becomes more convenient. From starting off in Hackney, to moving to Kings Cross but a 15 minute walk from the station, to a conveniently located Camden store, but closing at 9:30, I was often thwarted. They now closed at 11pm, so perfectly timed for a visit. I gleefully grabbed a new item (garlic parm wrap) and an old classic. Forgive the poor quality pic - but it was delicious. Vegan fast food can be eye-wateringly priced, but I luckily had £5 of rewards in a dormant account, which eased the burden. It also proved my theory that hungry drunks are less price-sensitive than savvy consumers. Was a decent runner-up option, but still gutted to have missed out at Black Heart.
