Comedy Review: Archie Henderson: Jazz Emu, Gilded Balloon at Old Tollbooth Market, Edinburgh

Archie Henderson is on the nose but sells himself short with his opening track about being able to do lots of things “to an adequate level”.

Jazz Emu makes for a goofy, fun debut.

Archie Henderson: Jazz Emu, Gilded Balloon at Old Tollbooth Market, Edinburgh * * *

Looping samples, prostrating himself before the God of Funk, the gangly former teacher with the quiff is an awkwardly self-aware, white, middle-class beta male who permits himself brief flights of fancy into cool and synth pop stardom.

Eschewing naffness with the diversity, eccentricity and parodic skill of his compositions and excitable set-pieces, fans of Flight of the Conchords might recognise his alternately inventive and deliberately tortured lyricism atop catchy melodies, especially on a track about making love and being beset by existential angst. Adam Buxton’s followers may appreciate his appropriation of vicious online comments, though he imbues these with both a personal and operatic flavour. And those familiar with Simon Munnery can see flickers of his gnomic one-liners in the pretentiousness of Henderson’s fireside musings.

To be a composite shadow of such established acts is far from a disgrace. And there are plenty of distinctive delights and surprises in Henderson’s multimedia box of tricks, making for a daftly fun debut with potentially more to come.

Until 25 August

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