Scottish hip-hoppers Stanley Odd have an outside chance of bothering the mainstream with their full-length debut Oddio – an album endowed with an infectious set of hooks and some top drawer wordsmithery from frontman Solareye – witty, insightful lyricism delivered with unashamedly accented panache. The success of the likes of Scroobius Pip has proved there’s a market for Stanley’s brand of cerebral, somewhat geeky rap.
Sandwiched appropriately between an eclectic array of rock and hip-hop acts tonight at the Hope and Anchor, Solareye and co take the stage and immediately start winning over the reasonable (for a Thursday night) turnout. The rapper’s enthusiasm is plain to see as he bounds around the stage and body pops between lines, and it’s catching; the crowd starts to move too and receives each song with diminishing reserve. The full-band set-up keeps things interesting too, and the sound rich and varied (unfortunately though some of the frontman’s best lines are lost between the instruments and the poor acoustics of the venue). The best part of Oddio gets an airing, and the set serves as an excellent demonstration of the strength in depth of the album, from the lively romps like previous single ‘the numbness’ to the sombre, laid back euphoria of ‘sun dance’. The impressive applause Stanley leave the stage to – punctuated by shouts for an encore – is convincing and well-earned.
