Stephen Dalton
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Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt crowned their decade-long journey from cult comedy oddballs to admired TV stars by audaciously headlining their own outdoor festival on Saturday. With room for 30,000 people, the country-park setting was pleasant, if inconvenient for public transport. Dozens of audience members came dressed as characters from the Boosh pantheon.
Oddly, considering this was essentially a comedy festival, the main stage was reserved for bands and DJs, while well-known stand-up comics were relegated to a smaller tent at the edge of the site. This meant minor rock acts including The Kills and Har Mar Superstar playing to thin crowds, while Andrew Lawrence and Frankie Boyle packed an overflowing comedy tent with their spectacularly tasteless routines about anal sex, paedophilia and Josef Fritzl.
Steeped in psychedelic whimsy and a very English surrealism, the Boosh belong to a much gentler tradition of homegrown comedy stretching back through Reeves and Mortimer to Monty Python and the Goons. They arrived for their main-stage headline show in grand style, dressed as space-age pirates for a glam-rock parody tune entitled Future Sailors.
Straddling a galleon in glittery silver jumpsuit, the ever-effusive Fielding assumed sex-symbol frontman duties from the off. The more lugubrious Barratt trailed behind in a blow-up dinghy. A deep-seated affection for pop music and its attendant youth tribes have always been woven into the Boosh's comedy. Their festival set allowed them to foreground this interest, especially Barratt's pretensions to being a sophisticated jazz aficionado.
Jazz was just one of the styles subjected to affectionate pastiche in a show that also embraced electro pop, punk rock, funk and heavy metal. Backed by a professional rhythm section, Barratt proved a very competent guitarist. Characters from the TV show including Naboo, Bollo and the seaweed-haired undersea hermaphrodite Old Greg all made appearances.
While the music was competent, the comedy was thinly spread. Aside from a few brief skits there was scant scripted dialogue or interplay between the characters. Instead, the Boosh preferred to indulge their pop-star fantasies to the hilt. During a cluster of indifferent funk-rock numbers a wearying sense of repetition set in.
They recovered in time for the inspired finale, which featured an army of punk pensioners and a Sweeney Todd-style number about eels. Fireworks, flamethrowers and confetti streamers cemented the sense of grand rock spectacle. There were flashes of genius in this event, but the experiment was only partially successful.
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I loved it! You could tell a lot of planning and production went into the Boosh's set with the animations/videos in the background, the giant props, and the re-writing/lengthening of the songs. The whole festival was amazing and the Boosh really do put on a great live show.
Shannon, Orlando, FL, USA
Brilliant day out! Anyone who left at 10:15 missed the highlight of the show. Noel, Julian and the rest of the gang were there all day. They were seen dancing in the wings to Robots In Disguise and Gary Numan early on in the day.
Nick Shelley, Winchester, England
I was reviewing the show for Disposable Media and I thought the organisation was awful - from the tiny comedy tent to the fact the festival finished about 10 minutes too late for people to catch the last train back to london...but the Boosh themselves were fantastic. Every fans dream set, I'm sure.
Andrew Revell, London, UK
I thought it was brilliant! The weather was great and there was such a positive atmosphere.
I didn't like the fact that the comedians were squished into a small circus tent round the side but i still think it was deffinately worth £50.
Seeing the Boosh perform at the end just made my day :)
Alice, London, UK
The songs aren't indifferent for fans. Each has a different story that we know & love making them unique For non-fans I can understand YOUR indifference, but as it's aimed at fans what do you expect. As for "ego trip"(part of the show maybe) after 10 years good on them. I personally didn't sense it
Terri, Cambridge, UK
I thought it was possibly the worst festival i have ever been to. Jarvis Cocker was no more the DJ that a bloke sitting in his living room playing records with scratches and Har Mar was Karaoke in pants. It was a laugh but, in terms of quality entertainment, it was pants.
Martin, Norwich, Norfolk
I went with my sister who is the biggest boosh fan ever and even she agreed with me that, while the festival was a cracking day out, the boosh act was very self indulgent with the boys acting out their rock god fantasies and missing out on some comedy gold which is what we really wanted from them!!
tracey , london, UK
I went alomg with 4 friends for my birthday and we all had a fantastic time, the live show was great and so were all the people that had made the effort to dress up, fantastic atmosphere just a shame camping was not available at the site and that it was only for 1 day.
Sonia, Alcester, Warks
sonia sowden, Alcester, UK
I thought it was a brilliant achievement for the guys and they pulled it off. The only downside was not playing the very popular 'Love Games'. I hung around at the end for 10 mins after the encore, believing that surely, they wouldn't miss it out. But they did and I felt it was a great shame.
Claire, Surrey,
Absolutely fantastic day and for 50 pounds line-up couldn't be beaten. As someone approaching middle age, not too sure who some of bands were but enjoyed everything especially a blinding set from The Charlatans and the OTT power electro of Gary, Gary, Gary, Gary Numan as he seems to be known!
Mark, Eastbourne,
A huge disappointment, with apparently very little planning towards the public's enjoyment. One music stage with a poor sound system. Basically a total cash in, trying to cram as many people as possible into the Hop Farm Festival space. Left feeling like it was a waste of a day.
D- Must Try Harder
Josh, London, UK
I think these fellows were frightfully entertaining and rounded off a rather spendid sunkissed day in the garden of Kent with an extraordinary repetoire of delightful tunes and ditties from the deservedly successful television series. Mr Numan also did a tremendous turn on stage. Positively electro!
Richard, London, UK
I love the Boosh and their psychedelic wit and madness. I had high expectations for the event. However, I felt short-changed. The comedy tent was very small, the music line up was thin on the main stage (The Kills a highlight). The Boosh rocked, but where was the Julian v Noel banter? NIce giant eel
Nigel, Solihu,
atmosphere good, lots of fans made the effort to dress up as their fave character. didnt see any comedians, tent too small. felt a bit robbed. loved Har Mar Superstar best! Boosh Band a bit of a let down..overeall slightly indulgent Noel..
Andrea Antcliff, Diss, England
I'm a huge Boosh fan and really enjoyed the whole day due to the relaxed, spacious atmosphere. The bands throughout the day were great and the stall were great to look around too.
There was something for everybody and the Boosh played an incrediable show. I think it was worth every penny.
Katherine Morgan, Kent, UK
well i think you'd actually have to know the show to do a review of any competency.
Sarah Harman, london, United Kingdom
I love the Mighty Boosh, but where were they all day? They didn't arrive till 10pm & we had to leave for last train at 10.15pm What did all our money go to? There were 2 stages & nothing but shops & food between. For £50 it should've been spectacular, weird, visual & funny. Ultimately disappointing!
Heather, London, UK
I'm a long-time Boosh fan and thought their set was the most self-indulgent ego-trip I've ever seen. I spent the day in the comedy tent - which was great, if badly planned - then watched the Boosh play out their rock star fantasies to a sycophantic/drunken crowd. I left early. Fielding is no Jagger.
Daniel, Sheffield, S. Yorks
I think that as a fan it was far more enjoyable, as much of the little dialogue there was linked back to jokes from the three serieses. Plus some of the songs were new or up dated and some of their crimps were woven into the songs including the mighty "soup song".
I loved it!
Emma, Purley,