FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

Flight of the Conchords by Matt Grace

For anyone not yet exposed to the disturbed brilliance of New Zealand’s Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, better known as the Flight of the Conchords, their dearly departed HBO series of the same name is enduring evidence of their comedy folk. The understated dry delivery of a “Conchords” punchline, punctuated by an awkward silence, is part of the duo’s appeal: They bumble through life clumsily, but in their minds, they are guitar heroes, sexual dynamos and hip-hop royalty. Those fantasies of grandeur manifest themselves in suave synth-pop parodies of the Pet Shop Boys (“Inner City Pressure”), in Barry White mode (“Business Time”) and in Prince-indebted R&B ballads (“The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)”). Take, for example, the season one rap barnstormer “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros,” in which the bumbling pair shrug off a couple of muggers with expertly spit lyrical flow: “They call me the Hiphopopotamus/I’m not a water-dwelling mammal/Where did you get that preposterous hypothesis?/Did Steve tell you that, perchance?/Ugh, Steve.”

But after that semi-improvised cult series wrapped up its run of two seasons, the Grammy Award-winning Conchords laid low but the mockumentarians themselves stayed busy in the interim: Clement directed and starred in the 2014 film “What We Do in the Shadows” and has a forthcoming role in the Steven Spielberg-directed “The BFG” (also “Men in Black 3” and two “Rio” films), while McKenzie is busy carving up the soundtrack to Disney’s upcoming film “Bob the Musical.” Last year, fall rumors of a possible reunion of the beloved duo arrived with reports of both film and musical adaptations of the cable series.   

Now the rumors are true: For their new “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour,” which kicked off in June, the folk pair is prepping new standup and musical material. Dispatches from early tour stops reveal a lengthy set list from Clement and McKenzie, peppered with between-song banter and ambitious new numbers. It’s the third season of “Flight of the Conchords” the world never had.   

Flight of the Conchords perform 8pm, July 16 at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton. Doors 6:30pm, California comedian Arj Barker will kick off the night. FlightoftheConchords.co.nz.
~ Phillip Valys