“Their hometown following is such that old favourites are enthusiastically demanded. They are not, nor have they ever been, wearers of natural wool vests, crocheted berets or macramé guitar straps. Need I add the Conchords are very ‘now’ in a retro-fashion kind of way. Reviewing High on Folk, John Smythe of the NBR wrote that “their superb musicality, vocal agility, sound-fx skills and comic timing generate a subterranean shimmer, sparkles of wit and flashes of brilliance. In 2003, the Conchords were nominated for the auspicious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the following year were voted Best Newcomer(s) at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.īriefly home in October 2003 – between seasons in Edinburgh and London – the duo fulfilled a promise to “folk it up” with their High on Folk show at Wellington’s Downstage theatre. One comedian was heard to enviously utter, “Those f****** songs!” Catching the wave of Lord of the Rings fever, with its insider Wellington jokes, was the dramatic ‘Frodo, Don’t Wear the Ring’. Other songs to appear on later recordings were ‘Petrov, Yeylena and Me’, ‘K.I.S.S.I.N.G’ (later known as ‘A Kiss is Not a Contract’) and ‘Something Special for the Ladies’ (retitled ‘Ladies of the World’). Folk the World Tour was recorded at Wellington’s Bats Theatre and Auckland’s The Classic comedy venue, and contained an early versions of ‘Bowie’, a fan homage humorously confusing the singer with the song as Bret ponders how “you freaky old bastard Bowie” enjoyed space travel. The Conchords self-released their 14-song debut album in 2002. (On their return to the capital from an overseas trip, when a comedy night line-up at the San Francisco Bath House was hastily rearranged to accommodate McKenzie and Clement, one bumped comedian was heard to enviously utter, “Those f****** songs!”)
The duo built their song catalogue and honed their stage lethargy to perfection over a couple of years in front of Wellington audiences and at international fringe and arts festivals.
McKenzie, the musician, would spend time away from the Conchords with The Black Seeds, release an album as The Video Kid, and play with the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra.
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