Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip at Vicar Street | Review

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip at Vicar Street, Dublin on February 15^th 2014

Recently returned from a three year hiatus, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip appear to be making up for lost time with Saturday night’s appearance in Vicar Street their third sell out show in Dublin in less than 6 months. Not disappointing either, the hip hop duo delivered a set that showed that the band’s sabbatical hasn’t affected their ability to deliver on the live stage.

Having released their third album, ‘Repent Replenish Repeat’, last October it comes as little surprise that much of tonight’s material is drawn from it. It’s a testament to its strength too that the songs are so well received. Set opener Stunner, the first song on the new album, goes down a storm. The band’s heaviest song to date, the industrial beat it is built around sounds even more visceral in a live setting. Of the newer material, Porter and Terminal stand out the most. Both are darker and more introspective than the duo’s earlier material but despite their sombre message they are met with great enthusiasm by the crowd.

While the newer material impresses, it’s still the older cuts that really stand out. The Beat That My Heart Skips is one of the picks of the night. On it Scroobius Pip steals the limelight delivering a blistering rap with impeccable timing and flow. Le Sac has his moments too, the DJ serving up massive beat after massive beat. Unsurprisingly the bands one hit wonder Thou Shall Always Kill is another highpoint, the chorus of which has the crowd in full voice. It’s a cover that gets the biggest reaction of the night though, Le Sac displaying his DJing skills with a fantastic remix of Poison by The Prodigy.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip are certainly not without their detractors with Pips perceivably pretentious lyrics the main bone of contention for critics. And while there’s certainly an argument to be had about the merits of some of their studio work, as a live act this duo are quite a different beast. Saturday night’s performance was one of brilliance and one that completely dispelled the myth that hip-hop doesn’t work in a live setting. Judging by the atmosphere after the gig you can guarantee it’ll be four sold out shows in a row the next time they return too.