Jake Roche: Neporrhoids at Pleasance Courtyard – review

The term “nepo baby” has surged in popularity in recent years, leading to all manner of wonderful moments in both cultural discourse and celebrity angst.

Jake Roche, a former one-hit wonder with band Rixton and child of two British legends (Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie) is therefore quite uniquely positioned to give his own account of the experience, running alongside his fleeting moment in the spotlight after topping the charts with “Me and My Broken Heart”.

Already spoilt for choice as to what to pack into a 55-minute performance, the best compliment I can give Roche is that his show doesn’t need to be as good as it is – armed with a rocking singing voice, a humorously dry exposition-laden backing track and some cracking one-liners, particularly when discussing his parents (“I can do anything they put their money towards!”).

Armed with a magnificent sense of comic timing and channelling some kind of angst-ridden millennial Hugh Grant, Roche straddles the line between self-deprecation and self-aggrandisement – his plight is swaddled in entitlement, but it rises above the vapid entertainment industry he has grown up within, particularly as he discusses his mental health. With its relentless pacing, there’s easily scope to add an extra five or ten minutes’ worth of comedy, which would heighten the impact of pivotal moments in Roche’s life. Part stand-up, part subversive confessional, Roche may well have delivered a surprise hit of the Fringe – well worth a punt.

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