Frisky and Mannish at The Bloomsbury Theatre

I had a peek at Frisky and Mannish at Latitude Festival earlier this year; I couldn’t get more than a snatched look because their tent was overflowing with fans. I decided I would try and see them properly on the next F & M tour, and this I did. The final date of their tour took place in London at the Bloomsbury Theatre, a popular venue for established comedy acts. Frisky and Mannish presented The College Years, a sequel to their critically acclaimed debut ‘The School of Pop’.

The eccentric duo stormed the stage and immediately commanded the attention of the Bloomsbury audience. It was soon clear that many of my fellow audience members were seasoned F&M supporters, accustomed to the pair’s favourite tricks and jokes.

I would describe the act as a collage of songs with an injection of attitude and comedy. The College Years focuses on lessons about collision theory and grammatical errors in pop music, as well as some hilarious poptastic pairings, including Lily Allen with Noel Coward and Florence and the Machine with Peter Andre – Frisky belting out Florence (uncannily accurate) and Mannish taking on the role of ‘the machine’. The performance was polished and great fun to watch. There was some audience participation, but none so brutal that it was embarrassing, thank goodness!

Frisky and Mannish are brilliant comedians, but more than that they are very talented musicians, and this aspect makes their act unbearably addictive.