Otto & Astrid @ Assembly Roxy
Musical comedy duo Otto & Astrid return to the Fringe with instruments in tow, but it's everything outside of their music that makes them such dynamic viewing
Otto & Astrid have a clear presence from the moment the music hits the amps. The German musician duo don’t mask their influences, nor do they try to. Billing the show as their Stages Tour in which they run through music encompassing the different stages of their career in homage to Taylor Swift, they open with their 2012 track Rock ‘n Roll Monster.
Both donning black and red attire in a nod to the White Stripes, playing straightforward punk tracks signalling the Ramones and referencing Tenacious D with their inter-song dynamic, it’s clear which artists have shaped this brother and sister powerhouse.
The show’s music fulfills its role of sustaining the illusion of a rock concert as the competent musicians cycle through their more established tracks, garnering an amorous reaction from the crowd. But between the repetitive lyrics and faltering sound tech, the show makes for better viewing when the songs are seen less as the focus and more a backdrop for the performers.
It's everything outside the music that makes the twosome such dynamic viewing. Otto’s campy Sad Clown facade, paired with his shy, repressed yearning to be in Depeche Mode butts heads repeatedly with Astrid’s wonderfully flirty and overbearing confidence. It's a well-oiled rapport; if it isn’t Astrid being bossy or vulgar, it’ll be Otto being too feminine for punk. The jokes might be old hat and arguably outdated, but it’s harmless fun. Their routines can feel recycled and repetitive, but when the show is packed with sure-fire gags, why deviate?
With loud songs, loud characters and a loud audience, this pastiche of punk feels like it could tour indefinitely. Sure, Steel Panther is in bad taste, but that’s what you subscribe to when you walk through Otto & Astrid’s doors. Although they don’t hit those highs musically or comedically, the energy radiating off the two performers still makes for an engaging hour. Hits like The Situation are fantastic, but it’s all the asides that really showcase why this cheeky musical pair have stuck to their guns for so long.
Otto & Astrid: The Stages Tour, Assembly Roxy (Upstairs), until 30 Aug (not 19, 26), 9.20pm, £14.50-£18