Dead Cat Bounce review

The Fringe is not the Fringe unless you've seen Dead Cat Bounce. I could effectively end this review right here, as the above sentence is all you need to know.

For those wishing a further explanation, Irish darlings DCB are a rock band - and don't try to tell them otherwise. Mick Cullinan, Demian Fox, Shane O'Brien and James Walmsley might sing about firemen and their missing hose, and running over children during driving lessons, but they really do rock.

The set-up is pretty much perfect; they parody the swagger, ego and show-off-ability... the bottom line is they make an excellent band. The fact the songs are relentlessly funny simply puts them at the top in my eyes. In fact, the experience is almost poetic if you squint, and, if you've had only three hours sleep the night before, virtually religious.

For me, the best thing about them is how they've each crafted their own persona and how they bounce (no pun intended) off each other; lead singer Jim full of his own self-importance, for example, and drummer Damien constantly having to fight off bullying.

There are some excellent comedy musicians out there; it can only be a matter of time before DCB are destined to rise from cult status to super stardom over here in England. Oh, and bassist Shane's hair is glossier than Girls Aloud collectively. That's worth the ticket price alone.

Reviewers don't give out five stars easily. We're a bit like teachers - remember how hard it was to achieve your times tables? Yeah, exactly. We all know it takes that extra bit of effort. What I mean is this: a Dead Cat Bounce gig is a lesson to us all in what a jaw-achingly brilliant mix music and comedy can be.

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Dead Cat Bounce: Caged Heat listing