Tripod

Source: The List (Issue 583)
Date: 16 August 2007
Written by: Allan Radcliffe

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Catchy tunes and perfect parody

Australian musical comedy act Tripod could wring a few immediate laughs simply by virtue of their unlikely physical make-up. There’s the spindly, bespectacled guitarist who’s a dead- ringer for a young Maurice Gibb; the tall, excitable mop-top; and the diminutive dome-headed one. They shuffle onto the stage, gently bickering with each other and bantering with the audience. The last thing you expect to emerge from this motley triumvirate is a beautifully blended vocal harmony that recalls the gelled voices of Crosby, Stills and Nash in their heyday.

Without this lovely vocal sound, and the trio’s evident affection for the genres they’re lampooning, the subsequent parody would bear nothing like the same comedy fruit. The self-confessed geeks effortlessly switch from the jangly narrative pop of ‘The Hotdog Man’ to the brief, rockin’ ‘Fear of Shorts’. Just when you think they’re about to lapse into sincerity they unleash something sinister (watch out for the Hotdog Man’s weekend activities). There’s even a jaunty number from their self-penned musical Tosswinkle the Pirate to send us off with a catchy tune or two in our heads. (Allan Radcliffe)

Spiegel Garden, 667 8940, until 26 Aug (not 20), 9pm, £10 (£8).

More: Musical comedy, Tripod, Reviews (Comedy), Stand-up (Comedy), Edinburgh Festivals