Five-dates into his UK tour Andrew Cathy, known as Mr Scruff steps up behind his decks at Southampton’s Engine Rooms, to play five hour set In front of a backdrop of his own illustrations of potato cartoon visuals to a crowed of excited individuals.

Mr Scruff, famous for his lengthy DJ sets, plays back-to-back tunes from 10pm until 3 am which did not disappoint. Mixing for such a long period of time, you would expect there to be moments of repetition and boredom. However, with the set being so diverse Scruff plays a mixture of musical styles, the crowed is constantly absorbed, taking everything in. From the visuals to the cross between genre to genre playing reggae into hip hop and disco into Jazz, you were under no illusion to what was going to happen next.

Scruff’s groovy bass-lines make it easy for the crowed to move and dance together. Undoubtedly, what stuck out the most is when ‘Get A Move On’ started to play. This being one of his most famous songs, everybody in the room had an unspoken appreciation as the brass melody was about to drop and the lights dim and a huge gold disco ball appears illuminating the room.

Throughout, the night he plays a mix of his own tracks released over the twenty years of his career including ‘Music Takes Me Up’, ‘Jazz Potato’ and ‘Be The Music’. Which blended in nicely with a collection of remixes. The last song he plays is a crowed pleaser of the classic football anthem ‘Papas Got a Brand New Pig Bag’, which sends the crowd into a wild frenzy, leaving everybody in a state of intoxicated joy about what they had just witnessed.

Mr Scruff’s well- received set is down to his musical and artistic prowess. His combination of both his art and his musical skills and high regard for his fans makes seeing his sets a remarkable and intimate experience, not only because of his artistry but because of the closeness you feel to everybody else within the room. Everyone that witnessed his set on March 18th at Engine rooms shared something special- a unique experience.

Words by: Emily Bedward