one4review | On 23, Aug 2025

Returning again to the Fringe, Jazz Emu – the debonair musical maestro alter-ego of comedian Archie Henderson – has a new show that is designed to do one thing, make his entire audience fully gruntled.

A social media sensation, Jazz Emu is an act that has been blipping up on the UK comedy scene’s radar for a good while now and everyone is expecting great things and I’m pleased to report that this show more than delivers.

A mix of music and comedy, ably assisted by a pair of projectors, Jazz Emu uses his time to try and improve the lives and souls of his audience, sharing with them his rules for life, which mostly revolve around how to be more like him because he is, as he so modestly states, on such a higher level than anyone else. Jazz Emu is a wonderful comedy character, a mix of narcissism and neuroticism who moves like a shop mannequin and sounds like an AI voice of a 70s cigarette advertisement. The comedy and songs are silly and often highly specific but with an unreasonable amount of work and talent put into their production. The show even has things to say, particularly about the Fringe theme evergreen toxic masculinity.

The show has scaled back from 2024’s Knight Fever and it’s a massive improvement. A more intimate show, in a smoky room with coloured lights that makes it feel a lot more like an actual jazz bar, you can really tell that Henderson has focused on honing his craft for a live audience and is ready for the big time. Almost certainly one of this year’s must see shows.

*****
Tom M
Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome
21:50
Until 24th