Lennon Gallagher and Patsy Kensit brought indie sleaze to a legendary Camden boozer

If the venues of North London could talk, you’d find none with the charm nor beer-soaked history of The Dublin Castle. A favoured haunt of Amy Winehouse in the heady days of the noughties’ Camden Crawl – and practically every major British band birthed in the last few decades – it proved a perfectly vibey venue for Napapijri​’s latest, full-capacity bash, held in celebration of the label’s AW24 ​‘Future Heritage’ collection.

Reimagining iconic silhouettes and styles from across the brand’s extensive archive with a contemporary flavour, the offering marks a key moment in the journey of the Italian heritage label. ​“By looking back at our archive, we can fully appreciate the distance travelled and fully appreciate the distinctive elements that make us who we are,” explained brand president Silvia Onofri in a release.

Napa’s foray into indie sleaze’s grittier second coming was most certainly at the behest of the night’s headliners: rising alt-outfit Automotion. The band’s bleach-blonde frontman, Lennon Gallagher, fronts the collection’s campaign alongside his mother, Patsy Kensit, donning the baggy anoraks and bright zip fleeces sported by many of the night’s guests, from Buck Betty to Sheerah. Think of it as a confection of 90s rave staples – shoulders dropped, silhouettes loose and palettes bright.

As we made our way through the Castle’s tight corridors, lined with posters for local gigs and a fetching Blur mural, we found the band fiddling with their guitars and pedals, ready to dazzle a crowd of awestruck gig-goers and the city’s fashion glitterati. Patsy, clad in a logo-printed knit sweater, bookended a sea of patchwork sweaters and cosy, zip fleeces, standing beside Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and Theo Ellis. Together, they watched on as Automotion launched into a swirl of cheers and mesmeric reverb.

“Doing it with my mum was such wholesome vibes. She’s done it since the 90s. And me, since I was 17. It was professional – really good,” Lennon told us of the Davit Giorgadze lensed campaign as his band delivered a chorus of coos. How was their night, you ask? ​“Out of 10? It would be one million,” they beamed in a glow of post-show mania. ​“A five would be The Windmill on a Monday,” grimaced drummer Finton Hurst.

Talk soon turned to the fact that they may be walking their upcoming European tour after a tour-driver dropout, but it was still all smiles as there were plenty of shots to be slammed. In fact, you’d have been hard-tasked to find a reveller in the venue not partaking in the free bar (cheers Napa!), many of them juggling double-parked pints and slow-burning cigarettes in the smoking area out front.

Back inside, the electroclash and blog house-inspired selections of b3b outfit, Very Hot Sounds, provided the soundtrack for the rest of the night. Friends and strangers came together, twirling, hugging and giggling under the low lights of the Castle’s back room, dressed in the collection’s party staples. It was a vision of boozy joy and Italian eclecticism. And what a picture it made.