So we spent most of last year expressing our undying, unconditional love for Alex Cameron and his weirdly-wonderful group of ‘Associates’. Now the geezer has hit the big time. His new film, a short-film, is less a Blockbuster more small side-project to pass the time, but it shares an important social message nonetheless. In collaboration with Jemima Kirke, ‘Marlon Brando’ is a dark satire about white male privilege and entitlement, and it’s absurdly brilliant. Alex Cameron is one of the good things on this god forsaken planet right now, particularly in music. And like any good thing in music, word tends to spread – the Alex Cameron brand is now a worldwide operation. Those who’ve discovered Alex Cameron over the past year or so have probably got The Killers to thank, but for those who’ve known him for a little bit longer, fan account @AlCamGifs for example, the discovery of Alex Cameron came as a result of those pesky streaming sites.
“I can’t remember what I was listening to at
the time, but I’d been using Deezer, and Al Cam kept appearing as a suggested
artist I might like. It was Jumping The Shark and when I saw the cover I
kept thinking “What the fuck has that guy done to his face?”. Anyway,
this went on for a few weeks but I just kept listening to the stuff I had on my
phone. One day, without paying attention, whatever I’d been listening to
finished, and Jumping The Shark started playing automatically. Straight away
I thought “Who’s that?!”. I checked my phone and it was the Wrinkly
Face Guy.”
Leonard Cohen’s been dubbed ‘The Laughing Man’ by Nick Cave, so ‘that Wrinkly Faced Guy’ seems apt for Alex Cameron, who’s songwriting seems inspired by Cohen at times.Yet despite his reputation for ruthless and dark lyricism, Cameron’s wide array of sonic experimentation across his first two albums is an underrated part of his act. Forced Witness, his latest long-play, sees him merge sounds made famous by Bruce Springsteen and The Killers, that upbeat alternative indie pop, but his debut had a more electronic feel, it was more suited to the times when Cameron’s only associate was his ‘good friend and business partner’, Roy Molloy. But if you think this guy is a genius on record, wait until you see the bastard live, it’s stupendously, absurdly, obscenely good. He’s a “a real artist and
entertainer.” There’s few around doing what he’s doing today, and his fans concur.
“I couldn’t
remember the last time someone had captured my interest so much. I’d sit
smashed on whiskey and just chuckle at how entertained I was by this guy. Great
music, fantastic moves that nobody else would dare to pull off, and just very
very clever and funny. I didn’t think I’d ever see another artist like this. I’d pretty much
given up on new music and here was somebody completely restoring my faith. A
complete breath of fresh air”.
And there’s a real cult following developing around Cameron and his crew. A real gang mentality. If you’re in, you’re ‘in’. You go and see him whenever he’s in your town, you don’t miss him for anything. When he puts something new out, you all consume it until you’ve worn out every inch of it. And you always bring money to his shows, as well as an abundance of good vibes. When you’re going to an Alex Cameron show, you better be ready for the reddest and hottest show of you’re life.
that this was something that everyone, like me, had been looking forward to all
year. Alex had to make his way through the crowd to get to the stage, and a
girl screamed as she threw herself at him! Fever pitch. He’s
the typical front man. Hard to ignore. Then there’s the huge cheer every time
Roy stands up and puts the sax to his lips. It’s nuts. I’ve honestly never seen
anything like it. And the chat between songs was pure comedy. I don’t even need
to expand on the stool review. A solid 3.5 if I remember correctly.”
And that’s that. Once you’re in the Alex Cameron cult, you never leave, you don’t think about leaving, because why would you do something as stupid as that? There isn’t a live show like his out there at the minute, and that’s a cold-hard fact. So, if we haven’t convinced you over the last year, let this be your chance, taking advice from the team who brings you comedic Cameron content everyday in the modern form of the ‘Gif’. Join in on the fun, and don’t get left behind for another year. Then, once you’ve been converted, go tell your friends, buy your ticket to the show, and bring lots of cold hard cash. This boy is going places, just as soon as we spread the word.
Click here to follow AlCamGifs on Twitter for some stellar content…
