Topping and Butch: Twisted

Music-based comedies can either concoct new sonic worlds or rely on the familiarity of old ones. Topping and Butch spin their decadent yarns around instantly-recognisable pop standards for their brand of lowbrow innuendo. Mixing sprightly showtunes with parodies of Lily Allen tracks, the songs bristle with double-entendres and casual malice.

The best moments spring from the duo’s quicksilver observations on topical ephemera, from Edinburgh’s tram débacle to the skewed celebrity of Susan Boyle. The latter is the centrepiece of a filthy, show-stopping parody of Boyle’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent, the twist being that Butch has forgotten the words, so Topping provides his own supercharged sexual narrative. Babybird’s hit 'You're Gorgeous' is also given an arresting lyrical makeover in a twisted eulogy to an ex-lover, whilst “ha ha” Harriet Harman gets the more forgiving music hall treatment.

This isn’t so much suggestive humour as pre-digested humour, each song pulled straight from a stock of smutty one-liners and burlesque quips. It’s old-school camp delivered with a pout, a wink and a knowing nod. And yet this predictability is also part of the fun. The audience knows the punchlines before they arrive and is flattered into filling the gaps. What else, after all, is going to rhyme with “Hock” in a song about gay ex-lovers? Cerebral comedy for urban sophisticates it ain’t. In fact, it’s unadulterated tat in the grand tradition of gay cabaret. But like a decent car boot sale, even amongst the trash there’s the odd gem worth keeping.