High-energy hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks are putting an urban spin on the Olympic Torch Relay by performing two free gigs in the county. Chris Price tried to get a word in.

For two months Britain has been inspired by scenes of a nation coming together as the Olympic torch has made its way around the country.

If Rizzle Kicks got the chance to run the torch relay, one half of the hip hop duo reckons he would do part of it walking a tight rope.

“I did it once and I was good at it, so why not?” said Jordan “Rizzle” Stephens, ahead of the pair’s two free Olympic Torch Celebration Evening concerts in Kent.

It is a typical statement from the energetic nu-school rappers, who stormed the charts last year with tracks like Down With the Trumpets and Mama Do the Hump with Fatboy Slim.

They resemble a comedy double-act at times rather than ex-Brit School prodigies who have had a No1 single with Olly Murs on Heart Skips A Beat, which they performed with the singer at the Brit Awards this year. Just do not say they are anything like Jedward.

“I don’t like that comparison,” said Jordan. “They are annoying. I don’t really understand it. We are compared just because we move around. They move around because they lack talent. I can understand the similarity in being energetic but they are energetic to the point of being a nuisance.”

Jordan and his bandmate Harley “Sylvester” Alexander-Sule are ideal candidates for the Olympic-themed concerts, which close with a concert at London’s Hyde Park featuring Mark Ronson and Katy B, Eliza Doolittle and You Me At Six.

Both born in London, the pair are quite sporty and used to play together at Jordan’s aunt’s house in 1996 before rekindling their friendship in Brighton in 2004, when they met again at a Sunday league football match.

“We don’t really keep that fit but we try to,” said Jordan.

“People always say after seeing us live that our shows must keep us fit so after the tour we feel pretty fit but before we are pretty bad.

“We are like the Ricky Hatton of music,” chipped in Harley to all round laughter, before it is revealed he was part of about five football teams as a youngster, all at once.

The pair are quite tight-lipped about what they will do in their 20-minute sets at the torch celebrations at Dover and Leeds Castle.

Jordan said: “I think the situation itself is quite an exceptional one. Mix that with our enthusiasm and energy levels and Bob’s your uncle, you have a nice show.

“Playing Dover and Maidstone will be cool. We don’t know Kent really but what we find is that when we go to places which don’t get that many big shows, the crowd seem to be a lot more mad. They are nuts.”

The two are both keen to watch as much of the Olympic Games as possible.

“Yeah the diving and the long jump,” said Jordan. “I liked Jonathan Edwards before he became this geezer on TV. We follow many events, I like the pole vault.”

Harley said: “Horse riding is cool. Those horses put a lot of work in man. And table tennis is awesome too. Watching them at that level of play is ridiculous.”

Star-studded dates

Rizzle Kicks return to Kent in less than a fortnight to support Olly Murs at the Sound Island festival at Quex Park in Birchington, near Margate.

The line up on Sunday, July 29 also includes Cover Drive, Diana Vickers and A*M*E.

On Saturday, July 28, Manchester indie band James headline the event, with support from Echo and The Bunnymen, Cast and Inspiral Carpets.

Jordan said: “We love Olly. He is a good dude. What you see is what he is actually like.”

The Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebrations take place at Marine Parade, Dover, on Wednesday, July 18 and at Leeds Castle on Thursday, July 19. Both concerts are free but you must have a ticket. Details at www.london2012.com/torch-relay/about/