Last night, I attended a show at the Lock Tavern in Camden Town, London. When I first walked into the venue, I thought I was in the wrong place due to the fact that the place is a restaurant. After about a half hour of not even knowing if I was at the right place, I realized there was an upstairs bar (the large “upstairs bar” signs should have given it away).

The lineup for the show included two performers I had previously seen, as well as two new acts. Giovanna Marshall (keyboard player and vocalist for King Charles) started things off with a great set that got the crowd going. Her vicious musical skills were apparent as she brilliantly pounded away on the keyboard without missing a note. Giovanna’s voice was also on display, failing to be overshadowed by her dynamic instrumentals.

Next up was Paperplain, a young girl whose whimsical voice reminded me a lot of The Weepies. I was hugely impressed by the quality of her voice, and her gentle touch on the guitar. Here’s a link to her myspace page where you can listen to some of her music, and buy her album.

The final opening act was a duo called Aspen Sails from right here in the UK. Remarkably talented performers, the two alternated lead vocals, and were able to get the entire crowd completely immersed into their performance. I can’t help but to compare them to indie folk band, The Antlers. They share many of the same musical qualities that make both bands highly entertaining and emotionally moving.

This last artist needs no introduction. This will be my third post mentioning King Charles, and I doubt it will be the last. A folk rocker whose raps are reminiscent of Jamie T, King Charles is making a strong push to get his music exposed by currently touring the UK. The way this dude plays guitar is just unbelievable. It’s almost as if the guitar is just an extension of his body as he plays. Here’s a video of a song he played last night that got the crowd very excited (my favorite is the part about the 20 virgins).