Jason Henderson runs out of complimentary adjectives to describe the Fringe production.
When it comes to the current spoken word scene in the United Kingdom, Scroobius Pip certainly doesn't need an introduction. The Essex lyricist has managed to build up a large following over the years, both in terms of his poetry and his hip-hop collaborations with DJ dan le sac. By the time Words (*****) reached the Edinburgh Fringe this year, it had already enjoyed a crowd of 4,000 for its debut show at Latitude Festival in 2012, followed by a sell-out December tour.
And so, as the Ace Dome within the Pleasance venue begin to fill up to the brim, and Scroobius Pip stood on stage staring out at the audience members filtering in, there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation at what the poet had in store. And those present were not disappointed. This hour long show was superb, tremendous, fantastic... Given one of the tasks when reviewing a show is to find the correct adjectives to use, this could genuinely go on for some time. But you get the idea.
This was a man at the top of his game, armed with an arsenal of some of the finest examples of original, modern spoken word around. This was a man who was perfectly comfortable on stage - both as a humble poet thankful for the large audiences throughout his Fringe run and as a seasoned and well-oiled performer. This was a man who managed to combine his poetry, much of which is incredibly dark and deals with issues such as suicide and self-harm, with hilarious material in between pieces, which was worthy of any comedian appearing in Edinburgh that night.
The result was a captivating hour during which passionate fans and relative newcomers alike were blown away by the lyrical skill, complex content and outstanding delivery of Pip's poetry, as well as his undoubted ability to entertain as a whole. If you enjoy the spoken word and can stomach some of the more upsetting aspects of Scroobius Pip's poetic analysis of the human condition then there is no reason why you shouldn't be checking him out the next time he's on a stage near you (or at least putting his name into YouTube – I recommended “Letter From God To Man” for starters).
Scroobius Pip - Words at the Pleasance Dome. Run complete.
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