The title of this show is not nearly the best thing about it, but it alone should be enough to send you scurrying straight to the box office.
The songs are genuinely impressive, but the most enjoyable aspect of the show is the easy rapport which the three band members have with each other
The Axis of Awesome are the comedy band behind the viral internet video Four Chord Song, and no doubt they sell many tickets off the back of it. “We know what you are here to hear”, they tell the audience at the start of the show. But those who come along in search of four or five minutes worth of familiar tunes will find themselves getting far more than that for their money.
From the moment that the house lights go down and the band bound onto the stage to the blaring sound of Katy Perry’s Roar, punching the air and high-fiving the audience, it is clear that this is going to be an infectiously energetic show. The Axis of Awesome launch straight into their opening number: the Coldplay/Ricky Martin/Elvis mashup which gives the show its name. The parody is sharply comedic, musically impressive and hilariously physically accurate. This sets the tone for the rest of the performance.
Some songs are stronger than others, but when they hit the mark, they really shine. Dubstep, Boybands and Game of Thrones fans are just a few of the disparate targets that come under fire. The lyrics are witty and the musical parodies are disconcertingly well done.
The songs are genuinely impressive, but the most enjoyable aspect of the show is the easy rapport which the three band members have with each other and with their audience.
It isn’t the most groundbreaking comedy show ever to grace this city, but in terms of sheer unadulterated fun, you probably won’t witness much better than The Axis of Awesome this Fringe. Only the most curmudgeonly of audiences could fail to be moved by the band’s infectious energy. Come for the four chord song, stay for pretty much everything else.
