Abandoman: Pic 'n' Mixtape

After hearing good things from friends and colleagues, I took my seat with high expectations about this rapping duo. I have to say I was not that impressed. Perhaps I am being overly harsh, but this was nothing extraordinary. Relying on the audience to provide a great deal of the material, Rob Broderick is funny and charming, but he tries a little too hard. The self-proclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber of rap, and seventh best rapper in Ireland, Broderick is refreshingly self-deprecating. But he almost has to be; the lyrics aren’t particularly witty or complex, albeit fast-paced with decent rhyming. 

Drawing from the life experiences and personality traits from members of the audience, Broderick quickly improvises a series of rap ballads with the aid of Hancox, who provides the music on guitar, keyboard and a bit of beat boxing. At times it is very stifled but the duo perform with aplomb and their charm is infectious. Towards the end of the performance, Broderick asks three audience members to describe the strangest jobs they’ve ever had and then incorporates the stories into a rap whilst impersonating the styles of Jay-Z, Snoop Dog and Kanye West. More light-hearted comedy rather than musical genius, the improvised hip hop was adequately engaging but occasionally rather boring.

I’d say check it out if you’ve got nothing better to do but, with the variety the Fringe has to offer, that’s probably not the case.

Reviewed by Tali Deeb 18/08/2010

Abandoman: Pic ‘n’ Mixtape Pleasance Courtyard
21:45 August 4th-29th