Duo hope fans will go Bizerk for Scottish hip-hop

Now it's hip-hop's turn to be given a Glasgow beat – with local duo Hector Bizerk leading the charge.

The twosome headline King Tut's tonight to launch their debut album Drums. Rap. Yes.

They've already supported several massive American acts as well as playing T in the Park last weekend, and they reckon it's only a matter of time before Scottish hip-hop starts to become more common.

"We've often discussed if there will ever be Scottish hip-hop in the mainstream and on the radio," admits Audrey Tait, the drumming half of the duo.

"It's hard to imagine it, but there are bands like Biffy Clyro or Twin Atlantic who are massive while singing with Scottish accents, and there are local bands like Fatherson getting on the radio.

Even though people might think they're a million miles away from hip-hop, the accent is there in the music and people are adjusting to it when they're hearing it."

Audrey and her partner in crime MC Louie look well placed to break through. Their stripped-down rap relies on Audrey whipping up a rhythm while Louie fires out words in a striking, powerful style that's won over tough crowds expecting a more American style. And the twosome's own shows are known for getting a bit rowdy.

"Supporting the GZA, who's in the Wu-Tang Clan, at the Arches was really good," recalls Audrey, who's from Rutherglen.

"The MC Doom (American rapper) one was really busy as well. The favourite gig I've done though was back at Tut's in January as everyone was jumping about like crazy through it, and Tut's have been so great at pushing local music too."

It's been a lot of hard work for the duo. Audrey, who also drums in several other bands, and Louie first began working together out of another group, and really pushed themselves to develop a distinct, unique sound. They've certainly managed that, putting a distinctive Scottish twist in there, thanks in part to Louie's clever, cutting wordplay.

While the album title might suggest nothing more than drums and vocals, the two-piece have expanded that, adding a few other instruments and going up to a quartet for live gigs, giving a beefed-up sound.

"Drums and rap are the core of the sound, but there's some synths and guitar in there too," explains Audrey.

"When we were doing our EP's it was me that played everything on them, but for the album Jen (Muir, on keyboards) and Fraser (Sneddon, on bass) played some parts, so while a couple of tracks are stripped back to just the drums, there's others that have more going on.

"To listen to a whole album of just drums and rapping wouldn't have been as interesting as the more filled-out sound."

Still, the band's creative ideas still come from Audrey and Louie, and inspiration often strikes in the most unlikely ways.

"The first song we wrote – Burst Love – started with a wee drum idea that I recorded on my phone," she laughs.

"Louie came up with the rhythm as we wanted to be really in sync with each other and then he put the words in.

"Sometimes Louie will come up with the idea first, like on the song Rabbit Punch, where he'd written the lyrics and I then wrote the drums and music around it.

"So sometimes it'll start with a beat, but Louie's a great storyteller so it can come from that too."

After two EPs released last year, the duo recorded Drums. Rap. Yes in Paulshalls recording studios, in Cumbernauld, and they're delighted to officially release it tonight at King Tut's, as part of the Summer Nights run of shows.

But she admits that while she grew up with a diverse range of music, it took her time before she realised there was a hip-hop scene taking place in Scotland.

"I've got three older brothers and an older sister, so there was an eclectic CD collection in my house," she says.

"Two of my brothers were into it so I listened to it a lot, but it was only recently that I got more into the UK underground scene.

"I didn't really know Scottish hip-hop existed when I met Louie.

"There's almost a novelty factor when you hear Scottish hip-hop with the accent, but then you go back to it and realise there's actually a point they're making."

And Audrey now hopes that more and more people will realise the point of what Hector are doing.

"The support slots have been big, even if you just get a few more people at each gig to get interested and sign up to our mailing list," she explains.

"We're hoping to try and get a tour sorted, but we wanted to get the album finished first, so we've been working hard on that, although we were in Perth the other night, so we have got out and about a bit.

"We just want more people to come to our gigs and see and hear what we do."