Ugly Duckling at the Deaf Institute

Ugly Duckling, Long Beach’s funnest hip-hop crew, return to Manchester this week. Fiercely independent and 21 years into their career, UD never leave punters with anything but a big grin on their faces. Most well known for A Little Samba and Eye on the Goldchain as well as their meatshake-advocating ‘concept’ food album Taste the Secret (plus a fine selection of songs featured on the Salford-set series Ideal), whether or not you’re familiar with their five albums is irrelevant – the vibe at these gigs is infectious. The mighty trio consists of rappers Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin, backed up by the naturally fancy-dressed Young Einstein on the ones and twos. Expect sample-led funk, spiffing crowd interaction and hilarious lyricism. The crew are back in June too, providing support for pals Jurassic 5 at the Academy. Support tonight comes from one of UK hip hop’s finest, Dr Syntax.

Wed 19 Mar, The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HE. Tel 0161 276 9350, 7pm, £15, seetickets.com