I’ve known Mr Scruff for quite a while now, I’d say we were friends. He was the first person I’ve ever interviewed, and it is suprising that he didn’t think I was a total cock when I first met him, maybe he did actually, but I think I redeemed myself.

Ok, lets tell that story briefly… Scruff was booked to play the Arcadia Spider at Glastonbury, I was working for Arcadia at the time. I hoped I might bump into him, and after a triumphant set on The Bug (which, incidentally was the only music at Glastonbury for a couple of hours due to a massive thunderstorm) finishing with the Hot 8 Brass and their version of Sexual Healing, I did indeed see him wandering down the backstage area.

It might be worth mentioning that I had just taken a ittle MDMA for the first time (late to the party at about 41) and was having quite the day. I seized my hazy opportunity and approached saying Hi and saying how much of a fan I was, then I asked him to record a mix for the podcast I was doing at the time. he was generous, but cleary not interested, but I had a CD of my podcast in my pocket (that even seems weird typing it) and gave it to him.

Fast forward a few days and truly back on earth and I felt like a bit of dick, so I messaged him on socials and apologised for asking a little too much, but he was cool and said he and his mates had listened to the CD on the way home and really enjoyed it, he mentioned one of the tracks on it, so he must have checked it out. Phew.

A while later he was playing in Brighton and I’d had an idea for a (another) podcast called The Current State of Music and how I’d love to interview him, again, being the generous, lovely guy he is, he obliged and I spent a couple of hours with him at Concorde 2 talking about his journey in music.

You can hear the podcast in the archive on my Substack.

Fast forward quite a few years and I was chatting to him at We Out Here, we talked about when he was next playing Brighton and it turned out to be near to my 50th and I asked him if he wanted someone to warm up. He did and invited me to open for him, and what an honour…

So here is that warm up set, nearly a year later, I tried to cover a lot of bases, without being too obvious, without going too hard, just some headnodding to get in the mood for the man and a 5 hour set (which, btw, was awesome)

Enjoy x

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