The Undercover Hippy

Alberts Shed welcomes drum and bass MC turned singer-songwriter Billy Rowan, aka The Undercover Hippy, is definitely not your average singer-songwriter. Described by Tom Robinson (BBC6Music) as being “like the love-child of Steel Pulse, Kate Tempest and The Sleaford Mods”, his music brings together powerful messages, infectious reggae rhythms and the lyrical delivery of a skilled mc. Combining intelligent, provocative lyrics with dangerously catchy hooks and a feel-good groove, this is music for the thinking man to shake his arse to. Think Natty meets Eminem…on a protest march…at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Renowned for the electric atmosphere of their live music gigs, Billy and his band have performed at some of the UK’s best festivals, including Glastonbury, Boomtown Fair, Shambala, Green Man, The Secret Garden Party, Ireland’s Electric Picnic, and many more.

As the music clocks up over 6 million streams on Spotify, the band have been clocking up motorway miles, touring relentlessly, with over 80 shows and festival appearances across the UK and Europe each year.

Highlights have included headlining alongside The Cat Empire, Grandmaster Flash and The Skints at Eden Festival in Scotland, playing to 1000’s of festival-goers at Buskers Bern in Austria, and making a much-anticipated debut appearance to a 2000 strong crowd at Boomtown Fair near Winchester.

“Delivers big, weighty messages with an optimistic and entertaining light-heartedness” – On The Beat (review of album launch)

“The band lit up the venue with their tongue-in-cheek yet poignant music” – ClunkMag Review

“Insanely infectious” **** – Liverpool Sound & Vision

“This is about as real as music gets!” – Andrew Marston – BBC Introducing