Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip + iTCH + Sarah Williams White, The Institute, Birmingham 25/01/14
From the moment Scroobius Pip leapt onto the stage to the tune of ‘Stunner’ with the beats having been firmly laid down by the talented Dan Le Sac, the entirety of the crowd at The Institute were hooked.
Even through the less energetic numbers such as ‘Terminal’ from the new album Repent Replenish Repeat, the crowd were at full attention. After announcing to the crowd: “It’s story time,” Scroob’s took a seat on a couch on stage and poured his heart out over a short love story which is so heartwarming and delivered with such intensity it’s hard to believe it’s anything but autobiographical.
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip During ‘Angels’, Scroobius went through a costume change to signify the multiple personalities covered in this track. Not to be confused as pantomime, the costumes/props consisted of a pair of glasses, a tie, and hat etc. and provided visual confirmation of the character “speaking” to us in their assigned part of this thought provoking performance. Both Le Sac and Pip’s audience interaction is hilarious and endearing in equal measures between tracks. Their cheeky banter knows no bounds, at one stage they persuaded a guy in the top tier to “get his shirt off” rewarding him later by sending a replacement up to the higher echelons. The crowd were all ready hyped up ready for big numbers like ‘Get Better’, so persuading them to clap all the way through the track was easy fodder for the experienced duo. Other hits like ‘Sick Tonight’ and ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ had everyone bouncing around the room.
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip This is one of very few gigs where you find yourself laughing and dancing in one moment and close to (or maybe actually – I will not confess to which) tears. This is without a doubt the best gig I have seen at the Institute and possibly one of the top performances I have ever been to. If you appreciate the art-form they deliver, seeing them live is another level and should be on your gigging to do list.
Sarah Williams White Their show was further enhanced by the impressive support the pair brought with them. Sarah Williams White is a unique solo performer that I would liken to Tricky or Nicollette. The crowd were neither taken a back or non plussed with her short performance but she added the perfect relaxed atmosphere the start of a gig needs and made a great addition to the headliners’ tune ‘Cauliflower’ later on.
iTCH iTCH however was the other end of the spectrum. The former King Blues frontman blended rap with hard dubstep beats and owned the excitable crowd from his first steps on stage; at points during his explosive set you would have been forgiven for thinking this was his gig you had come to see. Accompanied by a somewhat terrifying crying baby masked DJ, Itch can be easily thanked for warming the crowd up to the right level ready for Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. A top quality night all round. Photographs by Paul Reynolds
