Kid Koala

It was clear from the start that this was to be no ordinary gig. Of course, anyone au fait with scratching turntablist extraordinaire Kid Koala *will have at least some idea of his eccentric *Scruff-like character, but when you’re handed a bingo card and crayon upon entering the venue this evening you just know you’re in for a fun night.

But preceding Mr Koala was the sugar-sweet, wide-eyed synth-pop of Lederhosen Lucil, another eccentric Canadian whose attempt to incorporate her obsession with German Lieder music with the fun-pop beats of *Atom & His Package *comes off charmingly irresistible. And with her similar child-like lyricism and oh-so-cute naivety Lederhosen Lucil’s keyboard-led pop is a wonderfully catchy precursor to Kid Koala’s jazzy hip-hop strum.

With tables and chairs laid out for tonight’s intriguing cabaret performance (although being sold out most people stand) the atmosphere is already bristling with inquisitive chitter-chatter from people all too used to absorbing the beats of similar DJs in packed, sweaty clubs or bars, as opposed to Camden’s dingy Dingwalls - sorry, Lock 17 as it’s now called.

As he bounds onto the stage amid deafening cheers, screams and BBC cameras Kid Koala is joined on the decks by New York’s *DJ P-Love *and DJ Jester **as they fire up tonight’s eclectic fumble through hip-hop, jazz and funk. And with the addition of these DJs Kid Koala’s hybrid of sounds are brilliantly augmented, tracks from both his albums suddenly being brought to life through some admirable scratching and head-thumping beats. So while I didn’t exactly rate him on record it's certainly apparent that a live setting such as this is where Kid Koala makes the most sense.