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PHILL JUPITUS They have an incredibly effortless energy. I think the idea of that kind of shruggy lo-i reluctance will be very funny in a room like the Hydro unless they’ve gone full-scale rock show now. I was briel y in a band with Rowland Rivron, Neil Innes and Ade Edmondson called the Idiot Bastard Band and we used to do a cover of their ‘Carol Brown’. I think much like Rubberbandits, the focus for them is on making really good music before the gags. The production on both their LPs is absolutely perfect. They’re more like The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band than anything else. ■ Phill Jupitus: Juplicity, Òran Mór, Fri 16 Mar.
RACHEL PARRIS I’m a sucker for a sexy love song, so ‘The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)’ ticks all my boxes. ‘You’re so beautiful / You could be a part-time model’. It tells most of the story from i rst glance to i rst fumble, between Jemaine and the gorgeous Sally and his overly rational / badly improvised compliments to her: ‘You’re so beautiful / Like a . . . tree?’ And for all his l attery falling l at, this soulful number ends on a genuinely sweet lyric, asking: ‘Spend part of your time modelling and part of your time / Next to me’. Irresistible. ■ Rachel Parris: Work in Progress, Veneer Gallery, Fri 16 Mar.
MC HAMMERSMITH
is I’m a freestyle rap comedian and a huge fan of hip hop. As such, my the Conchords favourite Flight of moment undoubtedly ‘Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymnoceros’. The contrast between the gangsta rap lyrics and their uncomfortably awkward delivery is a delight to behold. And rapping about wanting more constructive feedback is just inherently wonderful. Plus, Jemaine’s freestyle section is a personal highlight for me: the journey from initial visible panic to completely failing to rhyme, ending with openly admitting his loss of coni dence is coincidentally a perfect replica of my own i rst dozen freestyle rap performances. So it resonates with me on several levels. ■ MC Hammersmith’s Magical Freestyle Factory, Liberté, Sat 24 Mar.
CHRIS ISKANDER
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from The most underrated thing about Flight of the Conchords is just how good they are as musicians. They have a knack for perfectly capturing any genre they pay homage French acoustic stylings of ‘Foux du Fafa’ to their multi-layered ‘Bowie’. My favourite moment from the duo, though, is a live performance of ‘The Bus Driver Song’. The folk story follows a man called Tony as he gives a tour of a New Zealand town, eventually revealing that he regrets his life and wishes his bus could go back in time so that he can be with a different woman. It’s funnier than I describe it. ■ Chris Iskander: Hardly Any Fish, McPhabbs, Sun 25 Mar.
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Flight of the Conchords, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Mon 26 Mar. 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018 THE LIST 37
TAKE OF F return to the live work that fi rst secured based acts at the Glasgow Comedy Festival of the Conchords moment