Shticking it to them

“The pretence of amateurism was always underpinned by [The Flight of the Conchords’] consummate musicianship, and the range of styles they ape is breathtaking, from rap to my favourite new song, a madrigal called ‘To Woo a Lady’, which had me crying with laughter,” writes Observer reviewer Stephanie Merritt after the Conchords’ show at the Manchester Apollo. “Over the years the Conchords’ shtick in their live shows has barely changed, wisely, since the formula is so near perfect: the low-key dialogue, the seamless ad-libbing and, of course, the songs themselves, highly skilled parodies that offer poignant little stories, celebrate failure or veer away into the surreal.”