Last year's from-nowhere smash, this Kiwi duo has accrued a cult following that seems to include every other comedian on the fringe. You can see why: their show, High on Folk, is a late-night gem. Armed with two acoustic guitars and a choice line in muttering deadpan, Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are reinventing folk music. You want gangsta folk? You've got their rap odyssey The HipHopapotamus Versus the Rhymenoceros. You want soul folk? Here's Jermaine's ballad I'm Not Crying (It's Just Been Raining on My Face).
They know they're supposed to banter between songs, but about what? For parodists, the pair take themselves unflinchingly seriously. Their songs range freely over unlikely subjects: man-flower love, Lord of the Rings, a robot takeover of Earth.
But it all boils down to the tunes. You can't do Proclaimers meets Kraftwerk without musical skill. Clement and McKenzie have that in abundance. And the lyrics are a joy. "How come we've reached a fork in the road, and yet it cuts like a knife?" sings Clement. And "Why can't a heterosexual guy tell a heterosexual guy that his booty is fly?" It's a delicious combination and the perfect way to see in midnight on the fringe.
· Until August 25. Box office: 0131-226 2151.
