Frisky and Mannish return to the Fringe with the tried and tested if it isn’t broke don’t fix it mentality, presenting a high energy hour of cabaret entertainment as they poke a big stick at the fickle world of fame.
Having educated us in their school of pop last year (I was a Razorlight… and gutted about it) they invite us round for a procrastination party, as we channel flick through modern culture while they showcase some of their best hits and a few new concoctions of reconditioned chord progressions.
As the audience enter, Frisky and Mannish appear to be dominating BBC News 24, both as the stories and as the newsreaders (keep an eye out for the flash headlines at the bottom of the screen... they’re funny). After a bit of audience participation, Spice Girls style, the dynamic double act let the audience’s enthusiasm do most of the work, with the majority having been in the past and familiar with classics such as Carpenters Grime (Top of the World) and Kate Bash which are still enjoyable, as is Rihanna’s Rude Boy in the style of the Bee Gees, which I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing.
They juxtapose these classics with fresh probes at the melancholic talents of Gotye and Lana Del Rey… warning - you may never say “video games” the same way again. And, being someone who refuses point blank to watch Made in Chelsea, this pair pretty much summed up the vacuous nature of it quite succinctly in a winning sketch.
Laura Corcoran and Matthew Jones delight because they have tapped into what we all do naturally; we rip celebrity – their opinions, their song lyrics, their outfits, their television programmes and all F&M have to do is point out the gibberish and wrap it up in karaoke-cabaret, showcasing well-orchestrated harmonies, impressive vocal varieties and plenty of laughs.
Frisky and Mannish is on at Assembly Halls, tonight, 7.30pm then 23-26 Aug, 7.30pm
Price: £16 (£14.50)