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this Thursday - wooo!

AGP presents THE MOUSE THAT ATE THE CAT The Virtues Copper Lungs (rescheduled show) ***original tickets from 1 December at Cafe Drummonds remian valid*** Thursday 12 April 2012 TUNNELS ABERDEEN (note venue change) 7.30pm 14 plus show Tickets £5.00 adv from One Up, Belmont St www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com www.ticketweb.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------- http://www.facebook.com/TMTATC The Mouse That Ate The Cat are made up of Brian Henderson (The Dykeenies) and Colin Kennan (Drive By Argument/Atlas Skye/Oliver Stays) This show is the resheduled event after Decembers gig was postponed.

Description AGP presents THE FIRE & I + The Wetflex + Underclass + The Kurbs Sat 17 March 2012 Tunnels Aberdeen 7.30pm £6.00 14+ show Tickets on sale at One Up, Belmont Street - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk ------------------ With debut album "Stampede Finale" out now, its a pleasure to welcome back Gordon and Hooligan to Aberdeen. The Fire And I are an energetic 2 piece band using only Bass and Drums, with occasional synth. Gordon and Hooligan have molded a very distinctive and powerful sound, often difficult to comprehend from their two members. "The Fire And I are one of the best bands in Scotland right now." Resound Scotland "44 minutes of mind-bending, jaw-dropping musical addiction that's arguably the most sensational thing you've heard come out of the UK indie scene in years" Dead Earnest "This record is a sheer delight from beginning to end, combining the very best of unashamedly catchy punks and the depth of post-hardcore into one tidy package. A record not to be missed. (9/10)" Soundshock.co.uk "Evoking Biffy Clyro at their most experimental, Blood Red Shoes at their heaviest, and DFA9179 at their most genius, there’s certainly a bright future for these guys." Pushtofire.com

AGP presents IAIN McLAUGHLIN & THE OUTSIDERS VELVET AUDIO BELLOC'S BAR plus support Thu 8 March 2012 Tunnels Aberdeen 7.30pm 14+ show £5 from One Up, Belmont Street - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk - on sale Fri 13th Jan 9am --------------- Way up North there’s something special going on. Something to shake preconceptions and set out a glorious statement of intent from Inverness come the aptly named The Outsiders spearheading a burgeoning musical scene in the UK’s most northerly city, Inverness. In recent times some of the most exciting music in Scotland has been coming from the peripheries, like Fife’s Fence Collective or the scruffy pop scene in Dundee that’s grown up around The View. Now it’s the turn of Inverness to start rewriting some rule books. Despite being the fastest growing city in Europe, with a rock heritage that includes being the location for The Beatles’ first gig under that name, it’s only recently that the scene has truly burst into life. While Rockness might have rapidly established itself as one of the finest festivals around, it’s in the plethora of venues around town that the real revolution is taking place, aided, uniquely, by a largely free-gig culture and an enforced geographical isolation that’s helped to create a solid creative bedrock. And now it’s time to start telling the rest of the world what they’re missing. Iain McLaughlin has lived in Inverness most of his life and established himself as an integral and dynamic part of the city’s musical environment. Having been in bands since school a music course in Edinburgh served to prove to him that his instincts about what makes great music were right. Originally inspired, like so many of his generation, by Nirvana he decided that the songs he wanted to make could combine layers of sound and catchy melodies with something darker, something dirtier. It’s a sound that also draws on the big skies and wide horizons of the North of Scotland, music that could only come from where it was made. The Outsiders feature a distinctive guitar sound that sweeps through proceedings with some panache, bringing to mind a 21st century take on the likes of House Of Love and Spiritualised. Glacial and then some. The first two songs to be released are “Don’t Look Behind You” and “Remedy”, showing twin facets of the band’s verve, the former driven by cascades of sound, the latter armed with a raise-the-rafters chorus. They’re produced by Andy Miller, best known for work with Mogwai and Arab Strap and you can sense a similarly expansive sonic impulse running through what The Outsiders do. In the last year the band has played all over Scotland (including stand-out performances at Rockness, Belladrum and Go North) as well as sharing the bill with Reverend and The Makers and Turin Brakes among others. First steps. And not scared of tilting at the stratosphere. Very, very special indeed

AGP presents LIGHTS OUT DRESDEN FOREST FIRES WE WERE POSEIDON BEAR ARMS Tunnels Aberdeen Mon 5 March 2012 8pm 14+ show Tickets £5.00 On sale Friday 13th January from 91m at One Up, Belmont Street, www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk -------------------

AGP Aberdeen & Select Booking Agency presents THE BIRTHDAY SUIT (Rod Jones - Idlewild - solo project) with support from THE DEPORTEES THE WINTER TRADITION Sat 18 Feb 2011 Tunnels Aberdeen 7.30pm 14+ show ***rescheduled date - original tickets from Oct 28th remain valid*** ON SALE NOW AT - One Up, Belmont Street - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com - www.ticketweb.co.uk --------------- http://www.facebook.com/rodjonesandthebirthdaysuit Rod is best known as a songwriter/guitarist in the Scottish group Idlewild. Alongside Roddy Woomble and Colin Newton he formed the band in 1995. Over a period spanning 15 years the band have toured the world as headliners and also in support of Pearl Jam, R.E.M., U2, The Rolling Stones and many more. Their album “100 Broken Windows” was recently voted Scottish album of the last decade by fans in the Skinny magazine and continues to have a fanatical following. Their follow up album “The Remote Part” debuted at number 3 in the UK charts with the single “You held the world in your arms” reaching number 9. The band have released seven studio albums to critical acclaim and continue to sell out concerts across the globe. Aside from his work with Idlewild, Rod is also a singer songwriter under his own name, releasing a debut solo album “A sentimental education” in 2010. He has also collaborated on several other projects including the currently unreleased “George is Jones” album with American singer Inara George. More recently Rod alongside Emma Pollock has been curating and organsing music events for The Scottish Mental health Arts and Film festival every September / October. Born out of this “The fruit tree foundation” was set up by Rod and Emma to bring together various artists to collaborate, write and record an album in aid of promoting awareness of mental health wellbeing. The project has been a huge success and the first album “First Edition” features members of Frightened Rabbit, Sparrow and the workshop and Twilight Sad with James Yorkston, Jenny Reeve and Alasdair Roberts working alongside Emma and Rod. The album is released worldwide in mid June 2011. Given the busy schedule Rod has kept up for the last 15 years you might think he would want to take a break whilst Idlewild were on down time but no… Over the early part of 2011, Rod has been working in the studio on this latest record. Sounding more akin to early Idlewild, the record is a noisy yet poppy return to Rod’s roots and that combined with involving a collection of local musicians and friends, he felt that that it should be presented as a new band. The first single “Do you ever?” will be released as a free download on August 30th 2011, with a follow up and the album to be released in late October. Audio tasters of a few songs are available on Rod’s solo page on facebook.

AGP presents ARCHES Forest Fires Cherri Fosphate The Virtues Tunnels Aberdeen Wed 15 February 2012 7.30pm Tickets £6 from One Up, Belmont Street - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com (no booking fees) and www.ticketweb.co.uk 14 + show ------------- http://www.facebook.com/ArchesUK http://twitter.com/archesUK http://www.youtube.com/archesTV ------------- ARCHES are an anthemic rock band from Glasgow featuring the astounding vocalist Michael Rice (ex Yashin), guitarist Barry Morrell (ex Young States), drummer Niall McGarvie (Jocasta Sleeps), guitarist David Johnston and bassist Andrew Johnston. The band have already had support from Radio One and Kerrang and have featured as Artist of The Week twice in as many weeks. The success of the bands early material saw the video for 'Like Fireworks' reach more than 10,000 views and the rise was topped off by a sold out show at Stereo in Glasgow. Latest video 'Turn It Up' will be featured throughout December on Kerrang TV and they have already confirmed live sessions for Radio One and Kerrang for 2012. Massive things are expected from Arches as their debut album is ready to hit the UK in Spring.

AGP presents JAMES MACKENZIE THE 1930s Cara Mitchell Will Leatherbarrow Tunnels Aberdeen Friday 10 February 2012 7.30pm £5 advance from One Up, Belmont St www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com (no booking fees) www.ticketweb.co.uk 14 plus show --------------------------- JAMES MACKENZIE Scottish singer-songwriter James Mackenzie is to team up with Belfast duo The 1930s for a co-headline UK tour. The seven date outing will support his forthcoming acoustic mini-album Curtain Road, which is scheduled for release on February 7, and was produced by Grammy Award winner Steve Orchard (Travis, Chris Cornell, Bela Fleck). Mackenzie launches into 2012 on the back of another strong year which saw him deliver a memorable main stage appearance at RockNess, along with stand-out performances at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Loopallu and a host of dates further afield. Mackenzie has also enjoyed significant media support this year, including Jim Gellatly via Bauer Radio, BBC Introducing in Scotland, STV and BBC 3. THE 1930s The 1930s have taken the Belfast scene by storm with folky hooks, infectious melodies and captivating live shows. Comprising Andrew Cameron and Jonny Solari, the duo were recently invited by MTV to perform at the EMA’s, and with a single and album scheduled for next year along with a string of high profile fans including Carl Barât and Mumford and Sons, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for the young band.

AGP presents JAMES MACKENZIE THE 1930s Cara Mitchell Will Leatherbarrow Tunnels Aberdeen Friday 10 February 2012 7.30pm £5 advance from One Up, Belmont St www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com (no booking fees) www.ticketweb.co.uk 14 plus show --------------------------- JAMES MACKENZIE Scottish singer-songwriter James Mackenzie is to team up with Belfast duo The 1930s for a co-headline UK tour. The seven date outing will support his forthcoming acoustic mini-album Curtain Road, which is scheduled for release on February 7, and was produced by Grammy Award winner Steve Orchard (Travis, Chris Cornell, Bela Fleck). Mackenzie launches into 2012 on the back of another strong year which saw him deliver a memorable main stage appearance at RockNess, along with stand-out performances at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Loopallu and a host of dates further afield. Mackenzie has also enjoyed significant media support this year, including Jim Gellatly via Bauer Radio, BBC Introducing in Scotland, STV and BBC 3. THE 1930s The 1930s have taken the Belfast scene by storm with folky hooks, infectious melodies and captivating live shows. Comprising Andrew Cameron and Jonny Solari, the duo were recently invited by MTV to perform at the EMA’s, and with a single and album scheduled for next year along with a string of high profile fans including Carl Barât and Mumford and Sons, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for the young band.

AGP presents AERIALS UP Stanley Brown Bear & The Bandits Margaret Finlayson Tunnels Aberdeen Thursday 9th February 2012 7.30pm 14 plus show £6.00 from One Up, Belmont St - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com (no booking fees) www.ticketweb.co.uk --------------------------- http://www.facebook.com/Aerialsup?sk=wall www.aerialsup.com www.soundcloud.com/aerialsup www.twitter.com/aerialsup --------------------------- AERIALS UP Multipart harmonies, lush orchestral string arrangements and a powerful folk-rock wall of sound.” - The Scotsman “Class stamped all over a powerful performance. If there’s any justice, bigger things surely await this generation’s newest favourite pop band.” - The Herald “Seriously infectious...a future big hitter.” - Vic Galloway “Kemy is one of Scotland’s finest young song writers and has a way with a chorus that I’m covetous of.” - Gary Lightbody, Snow Patrol “they make sweet music and leave people smiling along the way.” - Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2 Since winning the 2010 Tartan Clef Scottish Music Award for Best Emerging Talent at the end of a hectic first summer in action, Aerials Up have been restlessly driving forward with Glasgow born frontman Alan Kemlo at the helm and a rapidly-snowballing fanbase in tow. Kemlo’s edgy, poignant and deeply personal lyrics soar above a wall of beautifully played, often unusually rhythmical strings provided by Cat Calton (violin) and Ruth Campbell (Cello), and are lifted higher again by the perfectly matched vocal harmonies of Dublin songstress Debbie Morton. These beautifully crafted melodic compositions are driven by a solid rock backbone, provided by Neil Mulholland (guitars), David Murphy (bass) and Chris Grant (drums). The band’s debut EP, ‘Superglue’, was released to critical acclaim in April 2011, and saw the band pick up airplay and live sessions with the likes of Vic Galloway (BBC Radio Scotland), Jim Gellatly (Amazing Radio, Radio Magnetic), Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6) and Ally McCrae (BBC Radio 1). As much a credit to the band’s studio performance as this is, it is on the live stage that they are truly in their element. Their electric performances have converted audiences up and down the country supporting (amongst others) The Futureheads, Snow Patrol, Paolo Nutini, The Airborne Toxic Event, Ash, and Howling Bells. They have also set festival stages alight, performing at Wickerman Festival, Focus Wales, GoNorth!, Belladrum and most notably two consecutive T In The Park appearances - first headlining the BBC Introducing Stage in 2010 and a triumphant return on the T-Break Stage in 2011. Outwith festival season the band have racked up a great many successful headline shows in Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Inverness, Edinburgh and London. Aerials Up are currently putting the final touches to two forthcoming singles with producer Chris Gordon (Union of Knives, Song of Return) With much more new material in the pipeline and a faster than ever increasing following of fans and industry alike, Aerials Up are heading into 2012 with seemingly unstoppable momentum. BROWN BEAR AND THE BANDITS Brown Bear & The Bandits are a three piece from Largs in Scotland. Combining folk guitar, celtic airs and pop hooks with meaningful lyrics, they creates a unique "must hear' sound. Since July 2011, they have played almost 50 dates all round Scotland including Supporting Pete Doherty at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh and are quickly picking up a reputation as a Live Act! Their debut E.P "Truth or Dare" is set to be released early 2012!

AGP presents TUBELORD Cameo Colours Olympians You And What We Are Mon 23 Jan 2012 Tunnels ***note change of venue - original tickets still valid*** Aberdeen 8pm 14 plus show Tickets £5 advance/£6 door On sale at One Up, Belmont Street, www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk (from Mon 14th Nov) ------------------------ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tubelord/7743117306 Tubelord is an Alternative Rock band from Kingston upon Thames, England, formed in 2006. The band consists of Lead Singer and Guitarist Joseph Prendergast, Backing vocalist and Drummer David Catmur, Bassist Tom Coulson-Smith and Keyboardist and Sampler James Elliot Field. The band formed in 2005 while attending Kingston College. They soon played small basement and club gigs and developed a small following which has grown rapidly. After releasing an EP and three singles and garnering a following through the release of the video for “Feed Me A Box Of Words” and relentless touring with bands such as This Town Needs Guns and Tellison, they signed a record deal with Hassle records and on 12 October 2009 they released their debut album Our First American Friends, which was met with critical praise from Rock Sound, ThisisfakeDIY.com, the BBC, and was supported by the single “Propeller”, which was released with a video on 28 September 2009. Tubelord more recently released 2011 album entitled "Romance" on the Pink Mist label.

AGP presents THE MOUSE THAT ATE THE CAT Farewell Singapore We Were Poseidon Thu 1 December 2011 Cafe Drummond Aberdeen NOTE DOORS 8.30PM 14+ show £5 from One Up, Belmont Street, www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk ***those attending The Dykeenies show at Tunnels on Oct 21st can buy these at the door there for only £3 - we're nice like that*** ---------------------------- http://www.facebook.com/TMTATC http://www.facebook.com/wewereposeidon If you missed it last time, here's another chance to see the new(ish) project featuring Brian Henderson (The Dykeenies) and Colin Keenan (Drive By Argument/Atlas Skye/Oliver Stays)

AGP presents THE WINTER TRADITION THE BRONZE MEDAL You And What We Are Forest Fires Thu 24 Nov 2011 **note date change from 23rd** Cafe Drummond Belmont Street Aberdeen 8pm 14+ show £5 from One Up, Belmont Street - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk/£6 on the door ------- THE WINTER TRADITION and THE BRONZE MEDAL hit Aberdeen as part of their November UK tour. Check them out here - THE WINTER TRADITION - http://www.facebook.com/thewintertradition http://www.thewintertradition.com/ THE BRONZE MEDAL - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bronze-Medal/158874500798217

AGP presents PEARL & THE PUPPETS plus support from CARA MITCHELL and RAMBLER *solo show Tue 22 Nov 2011 - 7.30pm Tunnels Aberdeen £7 advance from One Uo, Belmont Street, www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com (No booking fees etc) www.ticketweb.co.uk and from One Up, Belmont Street from Wed 12th Oct £8 door 14+ show ------------------- www.pearlandthepuppets.com www.facebook.com/pearlandthepuppets

Less than a week until this now Full line up DIE SO FLUID ATTICA RAGE ESTRELLA GUTTERGODZ MOVED TO TUNNELS**************** STILL 8PM - Original tickets still valid***

Coming very soon now Full line up HTRK Standish/Carlyon Seas, Starry []wall[]

last remaining tix still available - Ticketweb - SOLD OUT - One Up - new allocation on sale from Mon at midday - www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com - last 16 tix available now

Not long until this one TICKETWEB - sold out ONE UP - new allocation now on sale (limited availability) www.agpaberdeen.bigcartel.com - last remaining 20 tickets on sale now. £9 advance save money getting in advance £12 on the door subject to availability

really enjoyed Good Police with Stu on board - sounding good. Thought the Douglas Firs were really bad to be honest - kind of in a "have we ever met before or practised" sort of way. Maybe just me. Didnt manage to catch most of Copy Haho unfortunetly. Good to see a decent turn out though.

This is on Friday - full line up Juffage Esperi Sandoval (acoustic project with members of Headlight) Will Leatherbarrow Ashley Park Doors 7.30pm £5

So this is on Tuesday One Up ticket allocation is now SOLD OUT You can get for 7 from AGP ABERDEEN — Home until 3pm on Tue or there will be available on the door for 8 on the night This is shaping up to be a nice busy one! Dont miss it!

bump! Deportees and The Winter Tradition are support for those who dont know.

AGP presents DIE SO FLUID plus support Cafe Drummond, Aberdeen Tue 8 November 2011 14+ show 8pm doors 8 from One Up, Belmont St - AGP ABERDEEN — Home and Welcome to TicketWeb! - on sale Mon 22nd Aug 9am ------------- Die So Fluid | Facebook Info from their website:- Die So Fluid are the modern incarnation of a power trio. Their sonic identity possesses the muscle of metal, the angular cheekbones of post-punk and the bittersweet heart of grunge. They are part of a new generation of rock bands who chose to turn down signing a traditional record deal and embrace the changes the internet has made to the industry by stripping record companies of their distribution and promotion monopolies. Die So Fluid therefore retain ownership of all their recordings and copyright of all compositions. History: Die So Fluid first surfaced in 2001, touring the country in the wake of their debut e.p. Operation hypocrite, released on Sanctuary. They released a further single, suck me dry with Sanctuary before forming their own label, Cartesian, and releasing their third single Disconnected. In 2004 Cartesian released the bands debut album, Spawn of Dysfunction in the UK. The album was universally well received and is still selling through the major chains of the UK and itunes worldwide. Promotion of Spawn of Dysfunction almost solely relied on the band touring the UK which they did tirelessly, turning up for over 300 shows between 2003 and 2006. Apart from pursuing a campaign of playing their own shows off the beaten track Die So Fluid supported bands like Drowning Pool, Vex Red, Clawfinger, Boy Hits Car, Feeder, Girlschool, Antiproduct and The Wildhearts. Further promotion of the album came from a single release of the title track licensed to Retinue records which was supported with a video featuring the babes and the fighters of a metal wrestling event. Recording for Not everybody gets a happy ending started in 2005 with the albums opening track Gang of one. The finished recording was so good it actually caused a crisis within the band as they mutually agreed the song was the pinnacle of what they had been trying to achieve musically on Spawn of Dysfunction. But in the end it was this realization that freed them to explore a wider range of influences and styles. So songs like Existential Baby and Test Confessional draw on Als ska background and Throw you away features an Egyptian string arrangement thanks to one of Drews colleagues in, Gypsy troupe, The Death Orchestra. The finished record is the product of multiple sessions scattered over a two year period. This ungainly recording schedule was adopted because the record was being financed by royalties from spawn - as they trickled in. For Not everybody gets a happy ending Mark Williams was back in the producers chair at his new premises in the legendary Battery studios building in north west London The title track was partly fueled by the long drawn out recording process and, at the time, no prospect of a release. That changed in 2007 when the band found a new backer in Finland and finally Not everybody gets a happy ending was made flesh. First single Happy Halloween was released worldwide on iTunes on November 2nd 2007 and coincided with a Halloween festival appearance in Helsinki and Die So Fluids portrait by Paul Harries appearing on Finnish postal stamps. The esteemed rock photographer, and long time associate of the band, also directed the video for second single Existential baby. 'Not everybody gets a happy ending' was released in the UK in February 2008 to a great response and immediately entered the retail sales charts. The band then diligently followed the cascade of international releases touring Finland, the USA (twice), Germany and the rest of Europe, appearing in nearly 20 different countries in 2009. As well as headlining festivals in Portugal, Germany and Switzerland Die So Fluid supported Eisbrecher, Mindless Self Indulgence, My Ruin, Ill Nino, Maj Karma, and Prong. See more

AGP presents HTRK plus support Tunnels Aberdeen Thu 27 October 2011 7.30pm 14+ show ----------- Originating in Melbourne and based in London since 2007, HTRK (pronounced Hate Rock) started playing in 2003 when guitarist Nigel Yang and bassist Sean Stewart invited vocalist Jonnine Standish to create music inspired by Lynchian imagery, protopunk and post industrial ideas. Using a very slow drum machine, minimal bass grooves and highly textured noise, their attitude clashed with the rock 'n roll status quo in Australia. HTRKs first release was the Nostalgia EP in 2004, originally intended as a demo but later self-released in a limited 500 disc run. Their live shows soon caught the attention of underground icon Rowland S. Howard and popular Australian producer Lindsay Gravina, who invited them to record their debut album at Gravina's Birdland Studios. Entitled Marry Me Tonight and considered something of a pop effort by the band, the album was held in limbo for several years due to a protracted rights dispute. In 2006, a few months after recording Marry Me Tonight, the trio relocated to Berlin, toured with fellow expatriates Devastations and played their first UK gig at the 20jazzfunkgreats club in Brighton. Upon witnessing a show at the Brixton Windmill, UK label Fire Records signed HTRK to give the Nostalgia record a wider international release. A 27-date European tour supporting Liars, and a performance at Glasgow's Optimo followed in 2007. In 2008, they began to be managed by Paul Smith, who organised London shows with Lydia Lunch and Alan Vega. Stewart and Standish spent part of the year in Melbourne recording on Rowland S. Howard's final album "Pop Crimes". Marry Me Tonight finally saw a release in 2009 on Smith's independent label Blast First Petite and found critical favor from the UK press, scoring 8/10 in NME, making Artrocker's best of 2009 list and an office ambience listing in The Wire. Artist and porn actress Sasha Grey also named the album in her top three albums in a Stereogum end of year poll. That year, HTRK were invited by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Horrors and Fuck Buttons to embark on various European tours. Their increased profile led to a headline show at Cargo in London in January 2010, which coincided with the release of the first of a series of free mixtapes and appearances in US magazines Alternative Press and Nylon. Tragedy struck on 18 March 2010 when Stewart was found dead in his London home from suspected suicide. Speculation on the Australian music website Mess+Noise was later confirmed in a statement sent to the media. Standish and Yang have continued to remain active with a comeback show at the ICA in London on 29 November 2010 and a new album entitled "Work (work, work)" released on 12 September 2011

AGP presents Scroobius Pip plus support ... Wed 26 Oct 2011 - Tunnels Aberdeen 7.30pm 14+ show 9.00 advance from One Up, Belmont Street, AGP ABERDEEN — Home and Welcome to TicketWeb! - ON SALE FRIDAY 19TH AUG - 9AM ---------------------- Scroobius Pip | Facebook Distinctively attired in trucker cap, charity shop suit and THAT beard, Scroobius Pip is a leading light and unmistakable face of the UK's spoken word scene. Having jacked in the role of punk-bass-player for a marginally more stable career in poetry, Scroobius Pip has been proffering his everyman polemics since the mid-2000s. Performing on street corners or spoken word stages, for queueing gig goers or reverential Jazz audiences, Pip became synonymous with a burgeoning post-millennial scene. In a scene revived by cultural unease, political disaffection and a desire for lyrical content, Pip brought an unfailing wit and disarming stage persona to the uncomfortable truths of the day; such crowd-pleasing themes as self harm, domestic violence, and whether watching Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks is a worthwhile use of our precious, readily commodified time. Now best known as one half of unlikely chart bothering duo dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, it was the need to get 'a proper job' and pay for his homespun solo debut No Commercial Breaks - now an eBay collectors item - that brought the two together. Despite growing up in the same Essex village Stanford Le Hope, the pairs paths had barely crossed before they shared a Christmas season working at the Lakeside branch of HMV. After a brief creative courtship sharing Myspace links and remixes their very first collaboration struck gold. Hot off the CDR burner, their first songThou Shalt Always Kill was sent to XFMs John Kennedy in demo form and within 24 hours Kennedy had played the track on his show. Pip swiftly set up a Myspace page with their solitary track Suddenly it went crazy - everyone was emailing the track to other people, so the only thing to do was borrow 200 and make a video. That video has now chalked up 3.5million views on YouTube and the singles hastily arranged release on Lex cracked the Top 40. Shunning the inevitable major label overtures, Messrs le sac and Pip opted to sign to Rob da Banks Sunday Best label, ensuring that their critically acclaimed debut album became one of the leading independent releases of 2008. Released in May 08, Angles arrived just 12 months after the first fruits of their partnership had hit the airwaves. The duos welcome but unexpected rise, saw them working on tracks for their debut in the back of Pips Toyota Space Wagon, in between the growing list of festival, TV and radio engagements. That this ad-hoc germination should produce such a cohesive and thought-provoking work, is testament to dan le sacs production work and the enduring appeal of Pips word play. Angles entered the Top 40 and in the subsequent 18 months, the duo toured Europe and the US to an expanding live following. Visually and musically dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip defy any prefab industry model, their towering structures of Casio enthused electro-hip-pop often cutting against the conventions of Radio programming. And yet they have become airwave and chart regulars, their first album providing the singles Beat That My Heart Skipped, Look For The Woman and the Radiohead sampling A Letter From God To Man. Their 2010 follow-up, the beat heavy lit-pop tour de force, The Logic Of Chance followed its predecessor into the Top 40 with a raft of critical acclaim and a bewildering amount of radio play for a pair whose sound stubbornly refused to 'fit in'. With the free-flowing opener Sick Tonight, old school dancefloor hip-hop of The Beat and the euphoric Italo-disco of Get Better, le sac Vs Pip continued to conduct a great leap forward in alternative conscious pop. With a microscope on violent crime stats (Great Britain), a declaration on the individuals role in a Democracy (Stake A Claim) and the perils of late night rail travel (Last Train Home); Scroobius Pip delivered direct and true on the state of the nation, while dan le sac delivers his most advanced and eclectic soundtrack yet. So, 4 years on from that first unexpected radio play, with a collected cast of eyebrow-raising collaborators Scroobius Pip's alternative pop persona re-unites with that jilted teenage Punk. Scroobius Pip'sDistraction Pieces is released this September 19th on his own Speech Development label.See more