Review: JAZZ EMU: KNIGHT FEVER, Soho Theatre

“Do you trust me? You shouldn’t. I’m an absolute rascal”

When entering Soho Theatre Downstairs for Jazz Emu: Knight Fever, you are greeted by a band jamming out, decked up in Sergeant Pepper-like jackets, performing while waiting for Jazz Emu himself to arrive. Screens on the stage are playing slides informing the audience that we are at the “Royal Albert Hall Open Rehearsal,” with slides giving us important notices. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and a tall man wearing a knight helmet emerges, revealing himself to be the man of the hour.

Knight Fever sees the return of the narcissistic pop star character, Jazz Emu, this time vying for a Knighthood at the Royal Variety Show. The character, created and played by Archie Henderson, has done several shows in the past and has gone viral on social media for his hilarious and catchy songs. Now, after gaining a fan base, Emu is taking on his rival, Kelly Clarkson, who is, for some unknown reason, also trying to be knighted by the king. 

The Cosmique Perfectión, Jazz Emu’s “Contractually-Less-Talented-Than-Him band,” is made up of  Sofia Grant (vocals and keyboard), Nicky Green (synth), Joel Phillips (drums) and Angie Prasanti (bass), the same musicians who accompanied Jazz Emu in his Pleasure Garden. More lore about the band is given in this show, including the fact that Sofia is Jazz Emu’s cousin, which does complicate things a bit given a section of Jazz Emu’s Pleasure Garden in which he appears to fall in love with her during her solo. 

As one would expect from Jazz Emu, there are plenty of songs during Knight Fever, with each song having the lyrics on screens behind Jazz Emu and the band. Some of the more popular songs, like “Eggerson Keaveny” and “Still Waiting,” have music videos shown instead, giving the audience more of a taste of Jazz Emu’s general vibe.  There are a few new songs in this show as well, including one about the good old days that Jazz Emu sings in order to try to win the King’s favour. 

There are some fantastic jokes throughout, particularly bits that go on for longer than one might expect. I particularly loved the section on “guilt-free recipes” and another in which Jazz Emu gives the audience a list of profound philosophical things that end up being silly sayings like “Timothée Chalamet reading feminist literature,” with a seriously dramatic segment at the end that ends in a hilarious way. 

Henderson also does a great job with some crowdwork throughout the show, charming his way through the audience as Jazz Emu. At one point, in order to verify his device for Siri, he has to tap the knees of everyone he has had sexual encounters with, leading to him going through the first few rows of the audience (and the entire band). There was a drunk audience member, clearly a fan of Jazz Emu’s work, who kept making comments throughout the show, which Henderson handled well, including a moment that took away a bit from the impact of the ending. 

Unfortunately, while the show has an interesting concept that could be quite compelling for Jazz Emu’s character, it ends up not really being the “solid knight material” that it claims to be. It is never truly made clear as to why Kelly Clarkson is so evil in Jazz Emus universe, though it is quite amusing to imagine her singing “A Moment Like This” over a dying soldier’s body (it does make a bit more sense in context, I promise!). There is also a robot that rolls onto the stage in between every few songs as Jazz Emu’s Siri, trying to give him advice on how to ensure he receives the Knighthood that night. 

If you had been to Jazz Emu’s previous shows, especially Pleasure Garden, and come to Knight Fever expecting something entirely new, you are going to be a bit disappointed. I definitely remember some jokes from previous shows, including a few about the band members. There are a lot of songs that are repeated in both shows including “Tiny Snake,” “Eggerson Keaveny,” “Still Waiting” and “My Brothe,” which are all great songs (I, for one, will never tire of shouting “Fuck you, tiny snake!”), but I would have loved to hear more from his most recent album, Technically, Probably More Of The Same, I Suppose, In Theory, especially songs that could have had a spot in a story of Jazz Emu’s quest for fame like “Everlight” and “This Is How I Go Down.”

Ultimately, Jazz Emu: Knight Fever is fun as a concert but struggles a bit in finding itself within the story of Jazz Emu trying to become a knight. It allows Henderson to perform some of his most iconic songs but could have done a bit more in developing the story of Jazz Emu and his journey to the Royal Variety Show, especially when looking at some of his other shows like You Shouldn’t Have.

Jazz Emu: Knight Fever runs until 22 June at Soho Theatre.

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