Rap: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Moonrock Boombox. Its continuing mission to explore strange new beats; to seek out speedy rhymes and baffled audience members; and to boldly go where no band has gone before.
In this show, we're off to the moon. With infectious energy and wild eyes, the Irish foursome burst on stage and immediately start riffing off the audience, frontman Rob Broderick picking out a choice few who will act as central characters in the narrative that follows. It's nigh-on impossible to tell which parts are prepared beforehand and which are completely off the cuff; Broderick delivers both with the same incredible speed and wonderful sense of rhythm, timing his rapped punchlines perfectly.
Behind him are three fantastically talented musicians who appear to be in the midst of a vulcan mind-meld. Joining in with a few choice lines of rap, they are utterly synchronised with one another and provide both mood music and exceptionally tight, recognisable tunes that send the show soaring into the stratosphere. Perhaps most important is their continued involvement in the drama - they are constantly switched on and tuned in, reacting to the audience with theatrical expression and the odd sound effect, meaning that they are more than just a platform for Broderick's rhymes.
So this isn't really 'where no band has gone before', but few have gone there with such style. This ship is powered entirely by the audience's imagination, and whenever this falters it is Broderick's quick wit which picks up the slack. Any suggestion deemed too risqué is passed by, and anything not interesting enough is beefed up and spun into a new meaning.
In an hour, we fly to the moon and back, elect a king and fight for our lives in a galactic war told entirely through the medium of glam-rock rap and keyboard solos. It's a pleasure to be taken along for the ride.
