Saturday night at Cafe INDIE in Scunthorpe saw the first Rap & Hip Hop night. It showcased local young talent alongside The Scribes Boombox crew.
The gig is part of an initiative to support local artists that struggle to get a platform, with local venues disappearing fast, Cafe INDIE is the only remaining grassroots venue in Scunthorpe for promoting, showcasing and giving that much needed opportunity to upcoming local talent as well as bringing original bands from around the UK.
Growing Hip Hop and Rap this year is one of Cafe INDIE’s main priorities, for many years this scene hasn’t really been at the forefront of the local scene, we’ve had rap battles and events in the past but quite a few years ago. So it’s great to see another genre being supported.
I really don’t claim to know a lot about the genre but what I do know is the people that like it, love it and perform it are very passionate about it. And it takes skill to remember all those lyrics and spit them at speed and in time to the produced back beat.
First up on stage was local lad Finn with stage name “Nicho”, it was quite obvious to see he had a lot of backing and support from friends and family. Flow was good and breathing skills were on point for getting his lyrics out fast when the tempo increased. It was also nice to see a local rap artist supporting his hometown and being proud of the streets that raised him rather than bringing it down. He gave various nods to Scunthorpe in his lyrics. I don’t think it will be the last you hear of Nicho on the local gig scene and if he keeps working on the hooks in the track production who knows where he could go. He’s already got a pretty confident stage presence and swagger and he’s hungry with passion for his art.
Next up was another local lad, “DNM”. It takes a lot of bravery to get up on stage and have everyone looking at you to get your lyrics out. He’s got some good lyrical ability and I think as his confidence grows and he gets some more public performance experience he will flourish. DNM also had good backing and support from the crowd and I must say the crowd were great for these young lads, making lots of noise and cheering them on, so it was great to see.
Both Nicho and DNM are former North Lindsey College music students so they are just starting out their journey, but they are getting out there and getting the experience and honing their craft.
Could we have another local entry into the BBC Rap Game UK?
To finish the night, we had our headliners, The Scribes Boombox. Now, this wasn’t a set from “The Scribes” this was a sort of branch out project. So it was like a musical showcase of hip hop, rap, beat boxing and a masterclass on how to keep the crowd engaged. I mean we couldn’t take our eyes off Shaun (yellow t-shirt in the pic) his energy and movement on the stage and his overall speaking and rap tone was quite mesmerising to watch and keep up with.
There was one rap and lyrical master, Shaun and then there were two skilled beat boxers on stage both with their own unique styles and pitch range. Milky’s bass was pretty impressive, so low even the camera mic couldn’t pick it up at times. The only way I can describe this show from The Scribes Boombox is like an eclectic mash up of different talents all rolled into one to create a show you have to be interactive with. They keep the crowd involved and speak to their audience. It was quite impressive when Shaun told everyone in the crowd to hold up an object from their pockets in the air and come to the front. The crowd pushed forward to the barrier clutching their items as Shaun spit out a freestyle including every single thing into a free flowing rap. From Passports to pocket mirrors, phones, chargers and Guinness cans.
The Scribes Boombox also brought back up Nicho to the stage to do a little freestyle over their beat box and beats.
Whilst generally Rap and Hip Hop probably isn’t my usual music taste although I do seem to listen to it a lot with a partner that loves it, I can appreciate the passion, talent and effort. And I understand the importance of being a face and a voice in a crowd to support a small gig at grassroots venue for those artists just starting out. So if you see a little gig pop up, cheap tickets and never heard of the acts, give it a chance!
You can expect to see more events in this genre so if you’re interested in getting involved or performing, get in touch with Tom at Cafe INDIE.
Thanks to Cafe INDIE for supporting local talent and Thanks to The Scribes Boombox for putting local talent at the forefront. Also promoting the importance of grassroots venues.
Some videos can be found via Scunthorpe Nights YouTube
Scunthorpe Nights 