Ugly Duckling continued their UK tour with a hugely positively received performance at the Scala, bringing a welcome ray of their Californian hip-hop sunshine to a wet and grey London night.

The Long Beach trio’s upbeat set was big on audience participation, their laid-back Jurassic 5-style cuts and infectious enthusiasm duly energising the crowd for pretty much every cut. Within minutes of the start, the whole room was rapping along to the out-turned mic, even to the tracks they didn’t know.

Operating a divide and conquer policy, MCs Dizzy and Andy C marshalled the room with ease, inspiring a collective celebration of ‘Einstein Do It’. Then, swaying between Dizzy’s rap and Andy’s vocal, DJ Young Einstein took centre stage to showcase his world-class scratching skills.

The inevitable encore ensured witth more hands in the air and amusing crowd control, even freestyling about the post-gig options. After a final lullaby, we left smiling and satisfied, to spend the night spelling U-G-L-Y in our sleep.

Oli Tuhey