What have the award-winning improv rap duo got in store for their debut Fringe show? Emma McAlpine is intrigued to find out...
Having won both this year’s Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Award and the Musical Comedy Awards 2010 with short but impressive sets, it’s good to see that Abandoman have managed to keep the fire burning up for an hour-long show at the Edinburgh Fringe.
An improv rap duo made up of ‘Ireland’s seventh best hip-hop artist’ Rob Broderick and instrumentalist James Hancox, the pair's shtick involves ad-libbing songs based on information they get from the audience. A hell of a lot more impressive in the flesh than it could ever sound on paper, the speed at which frontman Broderick produces his rhymes is astounding. Making it look effortless, he can conjure up a laugh-out-loud-funny rap within seconds. In between the songs, he breaks the music up with some amusing anecdotes about teaching kids how to rap, along with a bit of textbook audience banter.
You’d think a show based mainly on audience interaction could prove a recipe for disaster, if say, the audience are unwilling to join in or their lives turn out to be too boring, but Broderick never misses a beat and can effortlessly craft comedy gold out of seemingly fruitless information. My row seems to be mostly made up of 50-somethings who initially don’t look too keen to join in, but such is the energy and enthusiasm that Abandoman can build in a room; they are wilfully clapping and practically volunteering bank details by the end.
The pair have made a successful breakthrough from club set to stage show. Although the techniques behind the songs are essentially the same, they employ new concepts and musical instruments to keep them fresh, drawing inspiration from Daft Punk to Kanye West along the way. A well-structured and galvanising debut.
Abandoman: Pic 'n' Mixtape is at the Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) from 8-29th August at 9:45pm.
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