Dear Rubberbandits I reviewed ye on this site not 4 months ago, and now ye’ve returned to these shores and a sold out audience. Coincidence? You be the judge lads, you be the judge.
But seriously, the Rubberbandits are continuing a rich stream of Irish absurdist comedy the stretches back through ‘Father Ted’ all the way to Spike Milligan and beyond. The fact that they can weld it to Rap beats and ‘Shit Rave’ only adds to the sauce. Comprised of BlindBoy Boat Club, Mr. Chrome, and their ever degenerate DJ: Willie O’Dea’Jay “He’s not our father, he’s out mother’s boyfriend”. The Rubberbandits launch into their set, to an audience of what seems to be largely London Irish and posh students. ‘Fight your Father’, ‘Bags of Glue’ ‘Spastic Hawk’ ‘Danny Dyer’are all well known songs at this stage, but newer songs like ‘Spoiling Ivan’ ‘Black man’ and ‘Shift Girls’ keep things fresh.
Willie O’Dea interrupts proceedings to disgrace himself by dropping his trousers in front of the crowd, the Bandits explain he’s indulging in his habit of dropping acid orally and taking MDMA up his arse, and then betting on which one will kick in first.
‘Up the Ra’ continues to grow their list people who are members of the I.R.A. in their wonderfully skewed take on Irish history; Boris Johnson, Anneka Rice, R2 D2, you’re in the ‘Ra.
Pre encore of course goes to their breakthrough Irish hit ‘Horse outside’ which the entire audience seems to know the words to. Which is followed by ‘Double Dropping yokes with Eamon DeValera’ as a closer.
They’ve had Channel 4 comedy Blaps, whatever that is, they’ve been on MTV, their album ‘Serious about Men’ is out now, and they’re touring like Hoo-ers. If you like your comedy irreverent, bouncy but with a warm surrealist’s heart, then catch them next time they’re coming through.
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