At a DLS vs SP gig you get it all. Showmanship, social commentary, witty banter, beats that your heart skips, and a compare named Polar Bear to fill in the gaps between songs by dishing out spoken word about a dream-scenario first kiss.
To follow Gideon Conn successfully is testament to the pair’s ability to set their own benchmarks. For Manchester local Conn’s goofy persona, best exemplified by ‘Trademark’ and two short accappellos, charms enough to cement a lofty expectation level for the headliners. After DLS breaks into an Antiques Roadshow remix, though, the double-act are soon well into their stride.
Pip takes on a slice of solo poetry (or “open-heart flow-etry”) with an anti-capitalist rant, before ensuring that punters knew that the irony of the well-stocked merch-stall in Biko’s Café wasn’t lost on them. Props including hats and glasses for painfully orated story ‘Angles’, a periodic table for ‘Development’, and a pulpit to relay ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ do much to illustrate that the duo seek to display their messages in as colourful a way as possible.
Tough to judge between live and recorded.
8/10
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