After several sell-out Fringe shows and a run of worldwide appearances that have seen them tour almost continuously for the last four years, Dead Cat Bounce have honed their dysfunctional band into a polished comedy act. In their new show, Howl of the She-Leopard, the band take their caricature of rock to the next level.
Playing to a sold-out Pleasance One, the band opened their set with the excellent Border Control, then followed up with the double-whammy of Christians in Love and Kayaking. As a comedy rock band their songwriting and technical abilities are unmatched and their stage persona is spot on.
From the lyrca pants and sex pouts to the copious amounts of dry ice happily poured onto stage, Dead Cat have the metal spoof nailed. For fans of rock music the parody is pitch-perfect, though the act will also entertain those unfamiliar with the tropes and archetypes of metal. The laughs are complemented by the fact that each of the three members of Dead Cat Bounce are clearly excellent musicians in their own right, evidence of which can be found in the gratuitous drum solos and face-melting guitar riffs that beef out their tracks.
Since they directly lampoon rock music, comparisons with other prominent ‘mock’ bands are pertinent – Dead Cat lack the juvenile humour of Tenacious D and sway further towards the ironic poseur stance of Spinal Tap.
Highlights of the set included the Bowie pastiche Outfits, Down on the Farm and the March of the Penguins-inspired Leroy the Homophobic Penguin, but the show was not entirely about the music – gladly, the band manage to bring witty humour to the sections of audience banter, a duty often neglected by other musical comedy acts. Additionally, the band were surprisingly able to showcase the talents of each member, perhaps the one element that distinguished them from real rock bands.
With a slick, professional stage production, Dead Cat Bounce brilliantly mimic the deliciously indulgent antics of rock music. Whilst the idea of a comedy rock group may not be completely original, Dead Cat have carved out their place within the mock band canon by crafting songs that are as rock n’ roll in their own right as anything produced by Aerosmith.
