Famed for the shopping
and general visual experience, Camden Market is one of London's most famous
attractions. However, the experience far beyond the eyes.
My first visit to the
Camden markets was a busy one by far. The minute I stepped off the tube, I was
hit with an array of sights and smells, everything catching my eye as I made my
way through it all. It's a place that has seemed to harness all the energy of
other places in London like Oxford Street, yet none of the urgency. And it is
an exciting place to be, but it's not just the visual aura of the market that
gives it it's charm.
Over the thousands of
voices and cries of shop owners and consumers alike is possibly the most
musically diverse place I have visited. The shops and stalls alone mostly play
their own music, and given the large variety the music was varied, too. In the
Stables Market alone I heard enough to satisfy everyone's tastes - from rock,
to house music, even some that sounded like it belonged in the Middle East. The
whole place is a mirage of musics of all genres from lots of different parts of
the world. Even leaving the underground world of the Stables I was immediately
greeted by the thumping beat coming from Cyborg (a shop which, to say the
least, is the most bizarre and one of a kind place I have come across). The
sound in the shop itself is deafening, yet not at all out of place in a sea of
the weird, the wonderful, and the neon.
Though there's a lot of
music being played, audio tracks from studios isn't all the markets have to
offer. As far as live music goes, Camden is home to a few famous venues
including the Roundhouse and KOKO. However, walking around introduced me another
popular venue: the street. Camden Market is rich with buskers of all types -
whilst there I saw a three piece band doing some pretty old school covers, a
duo with acoustic guitars, and so much more. There is no shortage to the
variety this place has to offer. And not only the streets, but some shops
(mostly cafés
and the like, though) also have live musicians, adding to the hive of activity
and offering an alternative audio experience that's visual, too. Saying this, I
think you could easily walk around Camden Market with your eyes closed and
experience just as much as you could with them open.
So my visit to Camden
didn't just provide me with a lot to look at, but also so much to listen to.
Walking from place to place was like changing channels on a radio, but with
none of the bad signal. My opinion? You certainly don't need to shop to enjoy
what Camden has to offer, and if you're looking for musical variety you've
certainly found the right place. Definitely high on my list of recommendations
for anyone visiting London.
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