Returning to Edinburgh for the fourth year in a row this Australian comedy rock trio are continuing on their meteoric rise to fame. As they themselves say in the show, they started off in the basement of Teviot buliding and now they are performing at the top in the Debating Hall.
This upward trajectory through the floors of the Guilded Balloon can be largely attributed to the resounding success of their YouTube hit the "4 Chords", which lampoons modern pop music by demonstrating how nearly every major song over the past 40 years uses the exact same chord progression. To date the song has over 17 million views on YouTube.
Fans of this song will not be disappointed by Axis of Awesome's new show. Seamlessly bringing together brilliant musicianship with delightfully silly humour, this show combines poking fun at famous hip-hop producer Timbaland with songs about KFC and merciless mocking of keyboardist Benny's diminutive size, with very little filler.
Those who have seen them before will recognise their classics, such as "Birdplane" and "What would Jesus Do?". Fortunately they do not linger too long in the past, giving the show a good injection of new material as well, though perhaps not as much as older fans may want.
The three performers all have brilliant timing, both in terms of jokes and songs, and the show is very well scripted, though what it has in polish, it lacks a little in spontaneity. There is very little audience interaction, but the pace rarely drops enough for anyone to miss it.
All the songs are instantly memorable, well composed and full of a cheeky ironic wit. Inevitable comparisons to Tenacious D may leave Jack Black wondering if he's got the right stuff. Overall a very tight, well performed and enjoyable show, and even though not all the jokes are hits, you'll leave with a grin on your face, humming the songs to yourself as you go.
Show Times: Till the 29th Aug, except 25th, 21:30,
Ticket Prices: £12.00 (£10.00)