By Colin Flaherty
Originally hailing from Perth, stand up comedian Matt Kilpa has been edging himself into the musical comedy game. In Songs In The Key of Awesomesauce he presents a show that’s hilariously quirky, geeky and a whole lot of silly musical fun. Where else would you hear tunes about Captain Planet, randy scientific researchers, bestiality and the drug Phenobarbital?
Kilpa may not have the strongest singing voice out there but he certainly has the personality and chutzpah to carry a show. While he’s unlikely to attract groupies in the way musical acts with the voices of angels do, he’ll appeal to those people who like their music silly and with an edge. You’ll possibly say to yourself “Hey! Maybe even I can pull of this musical comedy malarkey!”
Not so fast bucko! Where Kilpa shines is in his amazing talent in writing amusing songs. They are full of brilliantly wacky ideas that surprise you with each and every line, regularly pulling the bait and switch tactic to keep everyone on their toes. The songs are so jam packed with amusing material that if you laugh too hard and long at one line, you may miss several jokes. When he does give us a one joke parody it’s mercifully short and to the point. He ventures into some political and off colour material which he gives a light hearted sheen, apart from his “Hit Single” which comically pushes the filth to the extreme.
The between song banter is witty, charming and daffy to match the silly ditties. He comically over explains his material after the fact to the already on board audience and analyses his performance to the point of distraction. He really leans on being the underdog and in this case it works a treat. He nudges the crowd to sing along to ridiculous and difficult parts of his songs which makes us feel a little silly all the while clearly painting himself as the clown.
Kilpa stands out as a unique voice in the musical comedy landscape. While he may never reach the musical comedy heights of your DAASs or Tripods, he presents delightfully wacky songs performed by an everyman guitar strummer with an eccentric world view.
Songs In The Key of Awesomesauce is on at 1000 ÂŁ Bend until April 23
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2017/shows/songs-in-the-key-of-awesomesauce