Flight of the Conchords @ Manchester Apollo – 8th May 2010

You may remember me complaining about being unable to get tickets for Flight of the Conchords a couple of months ago (and if you can’t, click here).  I was gutted.  But, since I’m about to write a review about their gig, I think you’ll probably be able to work out that I managed to get some.  Many thanks to JLS’s friends for letting me have their spares.  You were literally lifesavers.  Not literally, but I was chuffed to be able to go.

Despite really wanting to go, I was a bit unsure how the gig would actually go.  The problem with a comedy band is that you’ve heard most of the songs before and so the jokes aren’t going to make you laugh as much as when you first heard them.  I’ve listened to their first album so much that I know many of the songs word-for-word.  Would it just be like hearing them repeat ‘garlic bread?’ over and over again?

Anyway, after some automotive problems, Dr. Angel and myself decamped to Manchester; both of us were mightily relieved that we were going to see New Zealand’s fourth most popular comedy folk duo – even though we were on the back row of the rear circle.

The show was opened by US comic Eugene Mirman, who, after a bit of a slow start, delivered some really funny material; his pointless billboards material was particularly funny.  As with many support acts, much of the audience was uninterested, regardless of the quality.  I’d definitely like to see Mirman again, but next time in a more intimate venue with a willing audience.

Then we got the Conchords themselves and any fears that I had were almost immediately allayed.  Whatever was lost through familiarity was more than made up for in musicianship and performance.  The Conchords secret weapon is that, unlike most musical-based comedy, their songs are actually really good.  A particular highlight for me was the introduction of a new bit in Robots.  I won’t say what it was because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it made me literally guffaw.  Apart from the songs, we also got lots of deadpan banter between Bret and Jermaine, and this provided enough new material in itself.  We also got to hear a few new songs and it was pleasing to see that they had maintained their high standards.

There were a few downsides to the gig that were totally unrelated to the band.  Firstly there was a particularly crackly speaker in our section that made some of the talking sections nearly inaudible.  Then there were the large number of insaniacs that populated the rear circle.  There was a constant stream of people getting up from their seats for much of the show, to the extent that the Doc and I were speechless in our contempt of them.  To make this distraction worse was the two guys who decided to have a really loud conversation, which somehow managed to drown out the show.  We were baffled.  People were acting as if there just happened to be a covers band on in the corner of the pub, rather than them actually being at a highly sought out gig.  Absolute idiots.

There was also a bit of a lull around halfway through the gig, and the duo seemed to get a bit frustrated with some sections of the crowd.  It was difficult to tell from where we were, as it was impossible to gauge the atmosphere of the stalls, so maybe this just came across as worse than it actually was.  Luckily, the boys provided a barnstorming finish and everybody went home happy.

It’s a rare act that can combine comedy with songs that you’ll actually want to listen to.  If you ever get chance to see the Flight of the Conchords then I highly recommend that you do.  Just try and avoid the rear circle.