I was first introduced to Scroobious Pip by a friend of mine last year who told me that he, along with his fellow knob twiddler Dan le Sac, were one of the most 
original acts of 2007. Granted Scoobious’s lyrics are funny, witty and though provoking and their unique combination of hip hop beats and laid back poetic lyrics have won them their fair share of celebrity fans. In February they supported Mark Ronson at his London shows (which I sadly missed) however the month later I saw them support Billy Bragg at a packed Roundhouse. Their performance impressed Mr. Bragg who said how much he enjoyed them during his show.
Tonight’s gig at Koko sees them kick off a 30 date tour which takes them across the UK and Europe. Their new single”Look for the Woman” is released at the end of the month and their debut album comes out a couple of weeks later. I think that the album will do really well as there is very little for it to compete with, I also expect that over the next couple of months the press will start to pick to pick up on them which up until now has been sadly lacking. Although normally I’m not wild about bands like this I have to say that I was impressed and enjoyed their passionate performance.
Written by John Rahim
April 16th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Damn those caps!
Cool shots though. Well done!
Your friend is indeed right - these guys are worth following. Surely destined for big things!
April 16th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Thanks lighting was pretty poor as per usual however managed to get a couple of usable pics. I do like Dan le Sac….. however I am concerned by their name (a) difficult to remember and (b) I think they fall in between 2 camps, they are to rap for the indie crowd and I doubt the rap audience would “get” them. Remember the Disciples of Hip Hop/Young Black Teenagers back in 1992? Great artists yet too different to fall into any camp. Think of the last 3 hip hop acts who shaped the industry, 1. Del la Soul, 2. Public Enemy, 3. Grandmaster Flash …. do you think Dan ….. could join this list?
April 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
‘Dan Le Sac’ - clever & cheeky! (Check your French dictionary) ; )
‘Scroobius Pip’ - character name taken from an Edward Lear poem. Any bright young kid would eventually figure it out… (A quick peek at his MySpace reveals all).
And… I’m not sure Scroob needs to be grouped with the former great hip hop acts you mentioned? I don’t remember the Disciples or YBT - I’m too young. But I do see SP breathing something new, fresh and meaningful into the music industry - and perhaps not every musician has to fit neatly into a particular genre? We should give thanks that he’s at least providing a welcome relief from whiney, floppy haired Indie boys and young wannabe divas currently draining all life and emotion out of soul music.
Mr SP describes himself as an artist of the ‘Spoken Word’ - clever really, when as a kid he suffered from a bad stammer. So watch this and reconsider your thoughts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L7rojTZ-Tk
Stick with your friend’s advice…it makes a lot of sense.
And keep taking great pics - for those of us who aren’t always so lucky to get along to the gigs. We appreciate your photos and reviews! Keep up the good work.
April 18th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Thanks for your comments, so Scroobious Pip is names after a character in an Edward Lear poem? Well in 1985 I was in a band that was named after a James Joyce novel! Maybe I should have been a rapper instead? Dan Le Sac et Scroob…. Are talented and doing something different to the other rappers in the UK. It’s great to hear an intelligent rapper who is in the same vein as YBT and YDoHH who also in their time tried and failed to break the rap mould. Not sure if I agree about floppy haired indie kids draining all life and emotion out of music. Black Kids, Blood Red Shoes and Foals are doing something different and injecting new blood and ideas into the music scene. Thanks for your comments.