PiP (A Poem in between People) - 'Very Little Fish EP' (unsigned review)
PiP are a group of four poets (self-described as “four skinny black geeks and a ma’am”) who have performed with live musicians and DJs at a variety of London venues including the Tate Modern and 93 Feet East, and have already earned five-star reviews for their show, “PoeJazzi”, at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They are unsigned, but have received airplay on Xfm, BBC6 Music and Radio One.
Their self-styled concoction of “compelling poetry, spelling errors [and] lyrical dexterity” is difficult to review on musical merit alone, as, despite the obviously natural talents for wordplay and delivery on display here, this EP is a highly unusual (and that’s a good thing in this case) hybrid of rap and straightforward poetry recitals, often with only the bare minimum of musical accompaniment.
‘This Is London’’s observational rap (with jazz band backing) describes a dreary series of commutes rife with “rush hours and train delays / as rats race down elevators”, and “no one talks to no one ‘cos our lips are frozen”. As the track evolves to be more bittersweet than bitter, there are more hopeful descriptions of London as the opposite of “people trodden underfoot” - rather celebrating “the will of Londoners to thrive and strive against the grain”. The track’s effect is one of a sprawling, observational satire, which goes on to examine politics and racial stereotypes in London.
There is more satirizing of inner-city stereotypes on the funkier rap ‘Boogieman’, the eponymous villain of which “sometimes wears white, mostly black or brown skin […] he’s that ghost, that puff of smoke, that lump of fear that chokes your throat”. Meanwhile, ‘The Flight’ is a spoken word monologue masterfully delivered with minimal background instrumentation, describing a forty-year-old man on his deathbed dying from a tumour, surrounded by family and friends, and ruminating on past mistakes and successes – before seemingly dying by the track’s conclusion. The poignant track doubles as an ode to immigration: “I’ve been arrested, beaten, seized by police for no reason, always fleeing by my teeth’s skin / before leaving, coming to Heathrow, finding work, peace and love.” The track is a bold, stirring one, and I would recommend a visit to PiP’s MySpace page to give this highly original outfit a listen.
By Ryan Daff
Release Date: Out Now
Label: Unsigned
www.myspace.com/apoeminbetweenpeople
