Flight of the Conchords
A stadium rock band trapped inside two guys playing acoustic guitars.
3 specials · 2000–2018
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Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement walk out, sit on two stools, and spend what feels like five minutes tuning their acoustic guitars. Instead of looking at the audience, they bicker over the setlist, muttering quiet complaints into the microphones. When they finally start a song, the hesitation vanishes. They lock in on tight harmonies and exact musical arrangements, staring blankly ahead while singing a mock-synthpop ballad or a French pop duet.
Specials
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HBO · 86 min
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A quiet half-hour of acoustic musical parody and awkward stage banter.
HBO Max · 29 min
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Pulp Comedy: Series 5, Episode 2 (Flight of the Conchords) with Mike King
Early television performances of the songs that built an HBO comedy franchise.
TV3 (New Zealand)
On stage
Other musical comics use the guitar as a mere prop. Flight of the Conchords play full, structured songs where the melody gets as much attention as the joke. Their HBO series turned them into an arena act in the late 2000s, and they still sell out large venues. Because they work together so infrequently, buying a ticket feels like catching a rare reunion of a cult indie band.
The bit relies on the distance between the grandiosity of the music and the petty reality of their characters. They will perform a soaring rock epic, but the lyrics are just an argument about who left the heater on. Clement provides the deep bass vocals and acts as the arrogant frontman, while McKenzie hits the high notes and looks constantly defensive. They strip stadium-sized genres down to two guys aggressively strumming nylon strings.
Both found major acting and scoring success after their television run. When they reconvene for occasional tours or their 2018 London special, they slip right back into the same rhythm. Their New Zealand accents do heavy lifting for the deadpan tone, softening their insults until a bitter fight sounds like a polite misunderstanding.
Turning points
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Formation in Wellington and So You're a Man
Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement met at Victoria University of Wellington and performed in the troupe So You're a Man before forming Flight of the Conchords in 1998.
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2004–2005
Breakthrough via BBC Radio and HBO One Night Stand
The duo developed a bronze Sony Radio Academy Award-winning series for BBC Radio 2 and a half-hour HBO One Night Stand special, leading to their full HBO sitcom offer.
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Grammy Award Win for The Distant Future
Their 2007 Sub Pop EP The Distant Future won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, validating their transatlantic crossover.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Rhys DarbyDarby collaborated extensively with the duo across their BBC radio series and HBO television show as their manager Murray, sharing an offbeat New Zealand comedic style.
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Arj BarkerBarker was a regular cast member on their HBO series playing Dave, pairing his deadpan standup persona directly with their musical comedic world.
Also on screen
- 2007–2009
- Flight of the Conchords
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
- The Simpsons
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- The Drinky Crow Show
A clip to start with
Jenny - Flight Of The Conchords