Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip @ KOKO, April 14, 2008

Why?
Let’s begin with a short, sad story. XFM used to be good, now it is rubbish. The end.

But, such is the sorry state of (non-digital) music radio, I will inevitably listen to it in my car from time to time, and inevitably be vexed by it. But something funny happened the other week. I was driving on a Saturday night and found myself listening to Jon Hillcock’s show. It was really very good. In fact, his playlist that night has already directed me to a gig (before I started this blog), where Lykke Li sung like a sweet, ethereal Scandinavian whilst dancing like a hussy at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen. But back to that night in the car. Hillcock also played “Letter to God from Man” (see link at foot of blog) by Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, which was excellent. A few days later I watched “Thou Shalt Always Kill” on YouTube- which is superb. Thank you Mr Hillcock, your show is a musical diamond on an increasingly rough station.

The Venue
KOKO is one of the best music venues in London. But before it became KOKO, this Grade II listed building was being gloriously wasted as the Camden Palace, hosting wannabe rudeboy fests such as the regular Cookies and Cream night and “balls” where 15-year olds would notch up as many snogs as possible before midnight doors. Admittedly, I plead guilty on both counts. Beyond the Classical stone facade, the interior remains sculpted as a grand old theatre, with boxes lining the flanks and maritime ornamentation centred above the stage. KOKO’s makeover is simple but startling; with almost every surface painted in a deep, blood red, with fringes coated in gilded copper. Thus it still feels like a grand old theatre, but a slightly evil grand old theatre glowing in dim, bawdy rouge. A succession of tiers stretch up to the rafters, sheltering a number of half-covered bars as they rise. And tonight, as this is British hip hop, they are teeming with middle class white boys.

What they look like
Before messrs Pip and Le Sac arrive, the support band’s stuff is whisked away, and replaced with a small, compact theatrical set. An old TV, a couple of wooden cabinets, a coat stand, Constable painting and transistor are distributed to resemble a standard British living room. The intended effect, I suppose, is to symbolise everything that Scroobius Pip’s lyrics rail against- relentless mediocrity, dull and ordinary British homogeny, the rat race etc. And, of course, when Pip enters, he looks everything but ordinary. The guy must be about 6’8”, with a long, skinny frame, a black suit, New Era cap, and his trademark huge beard. Imagine a hipster version of a Hasidic Jew. In fact, imagine Matisyahu, but tailored better. I feared annoying rudeboy skipping and imaginary gun waving as he rapped, but there was none. Occasionally his legs jerked awkwardly during emotional peaks, at times he sat cross-legged in the on-stage armchair, but mostly he stood in front of the mic and barked. Part of me would have preferred the rudeboy act.

What they sound like
Scroobius Pip’s raps like an angry, snarky middle class white boy. Like many before him (cf. Mike Skinner, Lilly Allen et al) he cashes in on the popularity of vernacular in British music- singing and rapping in regional accents, rather than American ones. The lyrics, however, make him stand out. His themes range from people’s obsession with music , religion, self-harm, growing up and even the Periodic Table. There is a very clear, perhaps overly hammered emphasis on intellectualism. I often find the ‘life is rubbish and commercial and capitalist and soulless’ school of lyricism a tad tiring, but Pip’s lyrics are clever enough to stop just short of this.
Le Sac lubricates the proceedings with squelchy synths, occasionally Radiohead-esque ambient electronica, and big beat hip hop that make things sound like a less club-focussed version of the Audio Bullys. But the music rarely takes over: Pip’s lyrics are the intended focus. If I may, the audience might have been thinking... “Whoa, that tall bloke is saying some clever shit yo! Can we start dancing yet?”

Conclusion
I think I am destined to be permanently disappointed by British hip hop. When you watch a Scroobius Pip video, or listen to a track, it can be fantastic. When delivered live by nothing but a live PA and a DJ, it doesn’t quite match up. This is the umpteenth time I have gotten excited about seeing a live Brit hip hop, only to be disappointed with the live show- the same happened back in the day with Task Force, Jeh5t, Skinnyman, and even Roots Manuva.

British rappers all think they are philosophers- and Scroobius Pip has got more right to think this than most- but methinks lyric-based rap is better watched on video, or heard when fully produced. When the music takes the lead, the live effect works: the two best hip hop gigs I have seen were The Roots and Arrested Develpoment, where the music is as important as the lyrics, however brilliant the latter are. If the lyrics are the thing, as is the case with British hip hop, there is little point throwing them into the corners of large theatres. All in all, this is probably the best way to hear Scroobius Pip.

pics: me, KOKO, get weird

tags:xfm jon hillcock lykke li dan le sac scroobius pip koko camden palace matisyahu mike skinner lilly allen audio bullys task force jeh5t skinnyman roots manuva