I’ve lived in London over 8 years and in that time I’ve managed to miss Kid Koala’s live appearances every time – that’s about 5 or 6. So I was looking forward to finally catching the diminutive and unassuming Eric San perform at Cargo, on the only UK date of the tour that celebrated the release of his third solo album, ‘Your Mum’s Favourite DJ’.

Having shed the formation of his last tour, which included DJ P-Love and Jester as well as a singer and a bingo session, for a straight forward 3 turntables and mixer set up, the Koala man did a 1h30 set on the night to a club packed from wall to wall – and if you’ve been in Cargo before you know this isn’t exactly comfortable.

Luckily a camera was set up above him and broadcasting on big screens across the venue. I sat down more comfortably than usual for a gig like this and watched Kid Koala proceed to just mash up the place with a DJ set that was refreshing if a bit hectic at times. With no headphones (which some might find as a sign of skill, I know I do) he played a nice selection of hip hop, Ninja Tune classics, rock, folk music and everything in between.

Amidst the set he performed some of his most famous routines including the excellent, and always surreal, ‘Moon River’ remake where he recomposes the classic across three turntables. He also performed a couple of tracks from his second album, no mean feat considering they normally require at least 3 DJs, and he also showcased tracks from his new LP, including the Mosquito serenade, complete with Mosquito scratch performed on a QFO at the side of the stage.

By the end the public were loving every minute of it, with a hectic, head banging and mosh pit inducing rock finale. His wife was left to turn over pages on a big writing board where Eric had written his thanks, as well as telling us that she was kindly letting him perform during their honeymoon, before the public shouted for and got an encore. Zero dB then took to the decks to finish the night off with some electronic madness.

It was a good night, even if part of me wished we’d witnessed a fuller line up with P-Love and Jester, as this was supposedly one of the best series of live shows the man ever performed. Still he showed his unique ability for crowd rocking, and that his music really does work in a club environment. After all the man is a DJ, as well as a composer, puppet master, illustrator, book writer and a few other things. He’s also one of the most interesting artists to use the turntable today – whether or not you like his style, he’s proven time and again that he can compose on turntables in a unique way.

The Koala left to go back to his Canadian winterlands, surely the only marsupial to have survived the cold lands of North America. And before you know it he’ll be back with more – the album is out now in shops, and incoming are a puppet show, a new book and a new live band project. Whatever you may think of the Koala, one thing is certain: he keeps moving things forward in his own way. And that’s one of the reasons why he’s one of the most interesting turntable artists today.

Oh and I’ll leave you with a bit of gossip (shock!): I hooked up with Kentaro on the night and was told that his album, also to be released on Ninja Tune in 07, is nearly finished and will be something to watch out for. We’ll have more on that in the near future.

For more information on Kid Koala and his new album, check the Ninja Tune website. You can also see a review of the LP here and buy it in shops near you or on the interweb. Thanks to the guys at NT for sorting out the gig.