Following the release of their latest album last month, Remixes, the Manchester-based nine-piece The Mouse Outfit dropped by The Haunt on Friday night slap bang in the middle of their tour and, without much prior knowledge of the band, I was eager to check out this funky hip-hop super group.
The band was set up in 2008 by Chini (Paul Hooley) and James Defty in Manchester and, after working on their sound and being joined by a number of local artists, the group dropped their debut album, Escape Music, in 2013.
The album won numerous awards in their field, including Wordplay Magazine’s hip-hop album of the year and, with Defty and Chini still at the helm, the group have been performing with Dr Syntax, Sparkz, Truthos Mufasa, Fox, Dubbul O, Black Josh and more on their current tour to promote Remixes.
After a quick beer and a catch up with an old friend we headed down to The Haunt, battling the blustering winds outside, arriving with half an hour to spare before the main act was due to take to the stage.
Making our way from the Old Stein down to Poole Valley we were welcomed by an abandoned smoking cage, strewn with cigarette butts but void of the expected chitter chatter of excited punters.
The deserted air outside made us wonder if we’d come on the wrong night but, after getting our passes and heading upstairs, our fears were put to rest by the big beats booming through the double doors ahead.
After grabbing a quick beer and a little chat with on-lookers it became apparent The Mouse Outfit had been without the warm-up acts promised beforehand so, to ensure the restlessness didn’t grow, they had taken to the stage early.
By now, the group were in full swing, with Dr. Syntax and Sparkz at the front of the stage spitting their furious bars on socio-personal problems over funk-driven hip-hop beats.
Once we’d found a spot to comfortably fit in with the tireless head bouncing throughout the crowd I was able to enjoy the provocative lyrics from the tune ‘Subcultures’. Tackling the sociology of cultures throughout the UK and the attraction for different individuals, Syntax attempted to unveil the motivation to be a part of each division.
“I went to a party full of arty farty wanna be Dahlis / All dreamin' of the day they paint their masterpiece / Charming freaks, dressed alarmingly / So you can't perceive the possibility / That artistry's not in their arteries.”
The show continued at full-steam with further numbers ‘No Stoppin This’, ‘Escape Music’ and ‘Blaze It Up’ interluded with lyrical breaks, allowing the band’s saxophonist, drummer and other lead members their solo spot in the limelight.
Sparkz kept the rhythm flowing with his super-fast lyrical explosion in ‘Shak Out’ before the band treated the Brighton crowd to their latest single, ‘Who’s Up Next’, officially released moments before hitting the stage.
Taking on all comers, Truthos Mufasa’s astonishing, somersaulting lyrical verse had the crowd transfixed as he fluidly spit his take on the society that he perceived as attempts to mould and control him.
“Truthos Mufasa king of the gibbons / Never give back to the society within / All it did was deliver the virus to the system / Now I’m trippin’, sweat slippin’ trying to hide from the vision / Mr premonition left my eyes wide drippin’ / Like tie-die kaleidoscope of life’s mission / Mashin’, collaging on a mission of destruction of self / The human organism on a wholly sicker than wealth / So I hit ‘em with the savagest of mavericks / Like anarchistic analysts with cavities of aniseed shit / Isn’t that just a pretty little funny thought / Funny thoughts can be troublesome if a little bud of them thorns / Androgynous, misogynistic molecules will follow this.”
I turned around during the verse to spot a crowd member, jaw dropped, in clear awe of Mufasa’s break-neck lyrical deconstruction. And, while we’re on the subject, I was pleasantly surprised to observe amongst the crowd an age range from the late teens pushing up to the late 50s, all bouncing by this time to the smooth funky sounds.
The gig finished up with the Manchester group’s ‘Sit Back’ but, with the crowd restless for more, a clearly red-eyed Syntax downed a pint to the delight of the inebriated crowd as a send off.
Despite missing the first few numbers of the night, with a show that lasted over two hours, I was able to enjoy the full scope of the group’s back-catalogue and left eager for more. On a cold, windy night in Brighton, The Mouse Outfit’s smooth grooves and horn-heavy tunes were the perfect remedy to the day’s climate and in a time of political and social unrest, offered refreshing views of the challenges facing us. I urge you to try the remedy for yourself.
Daniel White
Website: http://www.themouseoutfit.com/
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