Sam Smith & Robbie Ellis – Review
Meet Augmented Fourth. After world tours, deportations, stints on children’s TV, Eurovision contests and ten years, one of New Zealand’s greatest two man musical comedy troupes has reunited. The pair run through their greatest hits, slowly revealing just why they broke up in the first place.
Part comedy show, part music lesson, Smith and Ellis bounce back and forth between a vast array of instruments and musical genres. From an amusingly childish rewriting of the national anthem to European psych to dumbed-down ad jingles, the two display truly impressive musical talent.
Between songs, the pair banters and bickers, explaining the reasoning behind their band name and exploring their rich and varied past. Smith and Ellis have an enjoyable chemistry, even if they rely too much on deliberately stale puns. Amusing, but rarely laugh out loud funny in comparison to the frequently hilarious songs.
The pair’s strongest stand-up moments actually come from improvisation. A ringing cell phone alarm allowed Smith to show off some quick-fire wit (“Was that for this show? Because it’s very late”), whilst dust in Smith’s eyes let Ellis display fast-thinking of his own, picking up the rest of his speech before jumping behind the keyboard to play a couple bars. A little more flexibility would help show off just funny these comedians can really be.
See Augmented Fourth at The Fringe Bar, Wellington from 13 – 17May 7pm
Reviewed by Liam Golds
