Who are Nonetreehill? They’re Auckland’s favourite newest mid-tempo, radio ready rock band. No surprise that you’ve never heard of them; this is their first gig. 

Front-man, Jacob (Nic Sampson), has aspirations that the band is going to make it big and is playing this show for his Dad’s accountancy firm’s annual wine and cheese mixer. He’s trying to prove that he has what it takes to be a musician, before his father sends him to accounting college. His ex-girlfriend and sometime bassist, Lily (Edith Poor), has a bit of a chip on her shoulder about their relationship and has just been to South America, and she wants everyone to know about it.

DARREN! (Rhys Matthewson) is the self-obsessed stoner drummer, who thinks he’s in a metal band. His brother, Bruno (Joseph Moore), plays guitar and is the paranoid, off-the-map, hipster of the group. 

One of the accountants joins the band on-stage for the evening, forcing Lily to play tambourine for the whole gig and causing ructions within the band. Before long the situation turns fully pear-shaped and the band reaches breaking-point right in front of a room full of blood-thirsty accountants, with no means of escape. 

The script here is a well written farce and is paced just right. This cast of young talented comedians carry the load equally, wringing every last laugh out of the ridiculous situation.

At times it does feel like this may have been intended as a short film, as there are moments when spatial constraints and believability are a little strained – stepping away from the mic indicates that the ‘audience’ can’t hear what’s going on, and steps us out of the moment of the gig itself. The Wine Cellar, while lending nicely to the rock ‘n’ roll vibe, isn’t quite believable as a venue for a white-collar work mixer. 

The music shows some talent in the writing and execution too.  Great rich sound is created in the small space to carry the snide comical lyrics. 

Played as fast and loose as you’d expect a band gig at the Fringe to go, this is a great fun piece that works well and should go down favourably with a broad, younger audience looking for something fun in their Fringe diet. The opening night crowd had a rocking good time.