Initially making his name as an acoustic singer-songwriter, Lupen Crook (real name Matthew Pritchard) has gone on to create an eclectic music style incorporating garage rock, "broken folk",[2] "skiffle, hip-hop and gypsy punk",[3] "off-kilter ska" and "gothic folk music".

[4] He has been described, variously, as "a solo singer/songwriter of a particularly unique ilk",[3] "insidious, vile, an enigma"[5] "a larger-than-life personality that sometimes wilfully seems to court the reputation of idiot savant and awkward bastard"[6] and "Kent's finest neo-gothic psychedelic folk troubadour".

[4] As influences, Crook has cited Syd Barrett,[2] Carter USM, early Walt Disney and Bon Scott of AC/DC as well as "the spirit that is punk rock, the smell of sex and the sound of stray sods singing out from the Medway Towns.

[14] Lupen Crook and The Murderbirds embarked on a UK tour in 2007 in advance of the release of Iscariot the Ladder, their first album as a group.

It didn't do us any favours in the long term, we made a bad reputation for ourselves along the way but for those few weeks we were untouchable punk rockers, who with little in the way of resources, mostly frozen to the bone and filthy right through, built the foundations of a brotherhood that stand stronger than ever today.

"[7] At the end of the tour, Crook and the Murderbirds briefly relocated to America, spending two weeks living as illegal immigrants in New York City.

Having been embroiled in legal disputes with Tap 'n' Tin, Crook went on to set up the Beast Reality label, dedicated to releasing his own material.

When recovered, the experience inspired him to release another Murderbirds EP called 'The Curse of the Mirror Wicked' in association with the mental health charity YoungMinds (to whom Crook suggested fans made donations in lieu of paying for the download.

Internal pressures within the band following the release of "The Pros and Cons of Eating Out" saw Crook permanently return to his solo roots at the close of 2010.

Based out of 'The Unawarehouse', a disused warehouse on Chatham's 'dirty mile', it was predominantly occupied by Crook and artist Matthew Stephens-Scott, although became a hot-bed for collaborations with various individuals.