Felix and the Scootermen @ Underbelly Bristo Sq

For anyone who didn't know, the Felix and The Scootermen double act are members of noughties pop band The Hoosiers. The pair make no bones about it, basing Self-Help Yourself Famous largely around this fact. At face value, the show wants to deconstruct the personas of such a band but in reality, its approach is a mish-mash of throwaway ideas and material.

Opening with a video montage of The Hoosiers, any illusion that Felix and The Scootermen actually exist within the context of the show is broken. Promising an access all areas pass to the A-list pop-band Felix and The Scootermen, the audience are welcomed into a motivational lecture; whether you know they are in The Hoosiers or not would make little difference to the fictional world the show takes place in. It's a strange choice for a show that is so focused on the dismantling of pop stardom and the effects it has on a person, and another act may have dealt with this in a way not so disposable. 

The format is lacking strong direction when it sorely needs it. It's not without jokes or potential but there are too many threads and half-baked ideas. Songs come off as poor Flight Of The Conchords parodies, and the pair’s onstage banter like bad Mighty Boosh bits. It’s played out. They are both good performers with a flair for comedy but Felix and The Scootermen feels like a self-indulgent vanity project.

There didn't need to be a show about the pitfalls of noughties fame, but promising one and not delivering is baffling. Perhaps a different direction and a more focused approach would make for a much better show. At best, it is a throwaway hour of mild laughs.

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Felix and the Scootermen: Self-Help Yourself Famous, Underbelly Bristo Square (Friesian), until 26 Aug, 4.40pm, £10-12