A capella group All the King’s Men return to the Fringe for their fourth consecutive year with Knight Fever! It is a professional, well presented and well executed performance, the only fault it’s brevity.
The afternoon kicked off with a brief selection of contemporary pop music - ‘Skyfall’, ‘Call Me Maybe’, ‘Payphone’, etc – all of which were unsurprising crowd pleasers. Next was an impressive solo rendition of Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ followed by Chris Brown’s ‘Forever’; abound with open harmonies and a broad pitch array, the quality of each performer showed through brightly.
Perhaps the liveliest and best song visually of the afternoon was ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’. The showmanship of Eunseog Lee was on display and, moreover, there were even a few intermittent bits of choreographed humour. The group’s chemistry, however, is best seen in their slower, more harmonious songs. The voice of bass singer Jonny Stewart was impressive throughout, and meshed tightly with the rest of the ensemble on songs such as ‘Slow Dancing In a Burning Room’ and Cold Play’s ‘Yellow’. The group closed with a strong mash-up performance of Lady Gaga’s ‘Born this Way’ and ‘The Edge of Glory’, the combination of which left the theatre vibrant and full of life with the audience on their feet.
With great music, dance and even some tap dancing reminiscent of American vaudeville, Knight Fever! offers a little bit of everything. Without a doubt, All the King’s Men have established themselves as Edinburgh Fringe’s preeminent collegiate a cappella group.
