Published on Arts Hub, 11 April 2007
How do you celebrate ten years of friendship? A married couple might spend their ten-year anniversary enjoying an expensive dinner, or throwing crockery at each other’s heads. Ten years of service at work might get you a couple of months of long service leave, and possibly a shiny new badge. But there are no such traditions where friendship is concerned, so what to do?
Dave and Ern, also known as comedy duo ElbowSkin, have found one way to mark a decade of mateship – through their show, Sparring Partners, at this year’s Comedy Festival (their fifth). While the title might conjure images of the aforementioned married couple, Sparring Partners is all about the things Dave and Ern do to entertain themselves between (and sometime during) shifts at the local restaurant. Through stand up, videos and musical numbers, the boys give us an insight into the life of pranks, lost bets and failed relationships they’ve been through together since they first met at Eltham High in 1997.
Where comedy was once dominated by stoners and angry, shouty people, the last few years have seen a rise of a new breed of performer – the affable young man. The likes of local comics such as Lawrence Leung, Fox K, Adam Hills and Alan Brough all have a gentle, take-home-to-meet-your-Mum type of quality that provides a welcome antidote to today’s world rage. ElbowSkin belong squarely in this category – cheeky and cheerful and full of mischief, they’re the kind of performers you just want to be friends with. But they have a naughty streak as well, and aren’t afraid to take a taboo topic and run with it.
Along with ivory-tinkler Sammy J, ElbowSkin also form part of the new guard of musical comedy in Australia. Songs like I Love You, But Something’s Wrong show they have comic timing to burn. Slightly Left of Centre Girl, is the story of a high school romance trying to survive the rigours of university life. Mum’s My Dad takes an interesting angle on transvestism, while Bacon and Eggs is just good, old fashioned, silly fun. If Tripod ever hang up their guitars (read: if they can be prised from their cold, dead hands), ElbowSkin are poised and ready to take on the responsibility of providing our nation with its staple diet of musical punchlines.
To give themselves a break from belting out tunes all night, the boys also have a bunch of video treats lined up. Their favourite button appears to be the one labelled ‘fast-motion’, and despite decades of nauseating Benny Hill reruns the sight of a grinning loon running down the street at an unnatural speed is still enough to make my face hurt from laughing. Their exploration of why the chicken crossed the road is another hit, while a homage to Bob Dylan/Guns’n’Roses – Knock and then Run Away – is pure Aussie larrikin glee.
ElbowSkin – two sparring partners who bring their guitars to the ring and walk away with the title of ‘Next Big Thing’. There are a lot of reasons to come to this show. If you’re easily amused, you’ll love it, because so are Dave and Ern. Come if you want to see the future of musical comedy. But the best reason is that ElbowSkin is great, fall-off-your-seat-laughing fun. They won’t be up-and-coming for long, so get in now.