Scroobius Pip couldn’t have picked a better character to name himself after than Edward Lear’s The Scroobious Pip – a creature who doesn’t fit into any category of being, and simply is. Part rapper, part poet, part folk storyteller and part hyperactive showman; the lustrously bearded, baseball cap-wearing man from Essex defies categorisation, using his every instinct to put his message across. When combined with the heroically wide-ranging sonic vision of DJ, producer, beatsmith and wingman Dan le Sac, the resulting sound quickly saw them carve out a niche as one of the oddest acts to scale the pop charts. Now three albums in – having unleashed their latest, ‘Repent, Replenish, Repeat’, last October – their down-to-earth, independent spirit and constant evolution continues to win them a very diverse fanbase.

The ultimate in faded seaside glamour, with its muted, mucky pastel frontage giving way to a grand interior – two chandeliers hanging at either end of a domed hall above the elegant, sweeping arc of the stage – the Eastbourne Winter Garden may not be your average hip hop venue; but then, all things considered, it also seems strangely fitting in its oddness.

The mellifluous voice of Sarah Williams White greets us as we enter; the first of two support acts, both of whom provided guest spots on ‘Repent…’. White plays to a very scattered crowd in the early slot, but her off-kilter R’n’B inflected pop tunes hit the spot.

Main support Itch is a rapper who is clearly set for big things, despite (or more likely because of) the fact his set is a frustrating, glossily grotty mash of Radio 1-friendly grinding bass with predictable breakdowns and heavily vocoded sung choruses (care of his masked sidekick, whose freaky, oversized baby’s head disguise is my favourite thing about it all). Although his quick-fire delivery is watertight, it lacks nuance and soon grates as he fails to back it up with any real sense of personality. Patter-wise it’s endlessly repeated yells of “Party people make some noise!” and “Come on Eastbourne who’s fucking having it?”, and lyrically almost every song hangs on a mind-numbing cliché. That said, there is the occasional chink of light, and when he swaps the Skrillex-y stuff for some more varied beats it is easier to see the le Sac & Pip connection; there is also a hardcore section of the crowd – mainly the 14 to 16-year-old contingent – who definitely are “fucking having it”.

Scroobius Pip’s personality, conversely, manages to arrive on stage before him, the scene having been set with a smile-inducing montage of a velvet winged armchair and a bottle of rosé on a side table. Loping into view, to a thunderous level of noise from le Sac and the crowd combined, he launches into latest album opener ‘Stunner’, and even with the hard-edged beats and his trademark forceful delivery, the connection is instant and friendly. Dan le Sac, sporting an oversized fluffy panda bear hat, is more than just a sidekick, too; this is very much a double-act, and that rare chemistry that bubbles up through their records is magnified live.

Just two tracks in, serious sound issues give rise to a rapturously received impromptu spoken word performance of ‘Rat Race’ and what feels like a free stand-up show into the bargain as they fire a volley of witticisms back and forth. It seems an odd compliment to say that a period of technical difficulties was a highlight of a performer’s set, but they manage to make it so, and very much in a good way.

When all is right once more in the world of cables, the classic, feel-good ‘The Beat That My Heart Skipped’ taps into an elated mood, followed by an amusing interlude in which Pip pops over to his armchair, accompanied by a soundtrack of filthy bass, for a swig of his pink wine.

Another chance to hear Sarah Williams White comes with a brilliant cameo on breezy, urban Summer pop song ‘Cauliflower’, before a section of immersive storytelling ensues, while the dark and atmospheric ‘Porter’ brings Pip’s first prop of the night, a big set of keys, which enhance the folkloric drama of this transporting tale. ‘Night Bus Sleepers’ inspires another vivid mental journey, over a backdrop of danceable beats, before Pip dons a series of costume pieces – glasses, a tie, a guard’s hat, baseball cap – to inhabit a range of characters in ‘Angles’; a vivid modern fable with an edge of black humour that begs comparisons with another fascinating wordsmith and performer, his sometime label-mate Kate Tempest.

With a rapt crowd in the palm of their hands, they ingeniously flip it once again, bringing on Itch for ‘Stiff Upper Lip’, the two rappers’ distinct flows combining in a visceral verbal attack, over jagged grimy bass stabs, for a powerful dose of high energy hip hop.

A couple of the biggest hits are saved for the last portion of the show, with the unabashedly playful beats and laconic lyrics of their iconic first ever single ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ still adding up to a huge crowd-pleaser; and ‘Letter From God To Man’ being brought out for the ultimate encore, neatly demonstrating that while their output is a masterclass in tantalising unpredictability, Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip still know how to give their fans exactly what they want when they want it.