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Flight of the Conchords

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For other uses, see Flight of the Conchords (disambiguation).

Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of the self-titled BBC radio series (2005) and, subsequently, the HBO American television series (2007–2009). Most recently, they released the HBO comedy special Live in London in 2018. The special was concurrently released by Sub Pop as their fifth album.

Flight of the Conchords
Jemaine Clement (left) and Bret McKenzie (right) performing in London in 2018
Jemaine Clement (left) and Bret McKenzie (right) performing in London in 2018
Background information
OriginWellington, New Zealand
Genres
Years active1998–present
Labels
  • Sub Pop
  • Flight of the Conchords Music
  • BBC Audiobooks
Members
Websiteflightoftheconchords.co.nz

The duo's live performances have gained them a worldwide cult following,[1] and they continue to tour periodically. They were named Best Alternative Comedy Act at the 2005 US Comedy Arts Festival and Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and received a nomination for the Perrier Comedy Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They have been twice-nominated for a Grammy Award—winning Best Comedy Album in 2008—and have received seven nominations for Emmy Awards.

Previously, they referred to themselves as "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"; as of 2014, however, they refer to themselves as "the almost award-winning fourth-most-popular folk duo in New Zealand".[2]

Career history

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1998–2006: early years

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McKenzie and Clement were flatmates at Victoria University of Wellington, where they studied film and theatre before forming Flight of the Conchords in 1998. They first performed as part of a five-man group called So You're a Man, which included Taika Waititi and debuted at Wellington's BATS Theatre, garnering a small but loyal following in New Zealand and Australia.[3]

The band first performed on television on Newtown Salad, a show on Wellington's short-lived local TV station "Channel 7" (later renamed "WTV"). They played two songs on the premiere episode in 1999[4] and then later appeared over four nights in 2000 (3–6 May); the songs, in order, were "Bowie", "Ladies of the World", "Petrov, Yelyena and Me", and "Hotties".[5]

They performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2002, 2003—when they were nominated for the Perrier Award—and 2004.[6] They also performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where they won the Best Newcomer Award. They were later featured in a 2004 campaign for British mobile phone retailer Phones 4U[7] and in the show Stand Up! on Australia's ABC TV.[8]

In 2005, HBO gave the group a special on their Friday night half-hour comedy series One Night Stand. They then headlined at the opening weekend at Comix comedy club, where they recorded two tracks included on 2007's The Distant Future.

During this period, they had television development deals with Channel 4 in the UK, NBC in the United States, and TVNZ in New Zealand but, ultimately, shows were not produced.[9] In 2006, they performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. While in Texas, they recorded a documentary titled Flight of the Conchords: A Texan Odyssey, which aired on New Zealand's TV3 in late 2006.[10]

BBC radio series

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Main article: Flight of the Conchords (radio series)

In 2004, the band created a six-part radio series for BBC Radio 2.[11] Largely improvised, the series was broadcast in September 2005 and based on the band's search for commercial success in London. It featured Rob Brydon as their narrator,[11] Rhys Darby as their manager and Jimmy Carr as a devoted fan called Kipper.[9] The radio series is clearly a progenitor of the television series: the plot is similar—the band arriving in a foreign country to make their fortune, Rhys Darby playing their manager and calling band meetings—and many of the songs were later used in the television series.[12]

The BBC Radio 2 series won the duo the Bronze Sony Radio Academy Award for comedy.[13]

2007–2010: HBO television sitcom and further acclaim

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TV sitcom

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Main article: Flight of the Conchords (TV series)

The duo starred in a television sitcom for HBO, titled Flight of the Conchords, which premiered in the United States in June 2007. The series simultaneously premiered in Canada on The Movie Network and Movie Central, and was also shown on The Comedy Network.

The series revolves around a fictional version of the pair as they try to achieve success as a band in New York City and try to develop an American fan base. The regular cast includes fellow comedians Rhys Darby as Murray, Arj Barker as Dave, and Kristen Schaal as their obsessed fan Mel. This show also features many other comedians in guest-starring roles. Their songs are woven into the plot of each episode. The show received an Emmy nomination for Best Comedy.[14] The show was shot primarily in the Two Bridges neighbourhood of Manhattan.

The first season consisted of 12 episodes. The second season started on HBO on 18 January 2009 and consisted of 10 episodes. On 10 December 2009, the duo and co-creator/director James Bobin announced via their website that the show would not return for a third season.[15]

Albums

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The band's first studio release was the 2007 EP The Distant Future which included three studio recordings and three live tracks; on 10 February 2008, they were awarded the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the record.[16] In 2008, they signed with the label Sub Pop and released their self-titled debut full-length album. Following the second season of the show in 2009, the band released their second album, I Told You I Was Freaky.

Appearances

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Flight of the Conchords performing at Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2010.

In June 2007, the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman[17] and were interviewed by Terry Gross on the NPR radio show Fresh Air. They appeared at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.[18] On 19 June 2007, they appeared as the musical guests on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[19]

Their EP The Distant Future, produced by Mickey Petralia and recorded in Los Angeles and New York by Petralia and engineer Matt Shane, was released on 7 August 2007; the live portions were taken from concerts at Comix comedy club in New York City. In January 2008, the band spoke and performed as part of Comcast's presentation at CES 2008.[20]

On 13 February 2008, Flight of the Conchords had their first post-Grammy concert, a freebie show, at a small Wellington video store called Aro Video.[21] On 5 March 2008, they performed at a private show at 'The Depot' in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the 2008 Omniture web analytics conference, and the following day in Cahn Auditorium at Northwestern University. On 24 April 2008, they gave a free show at Amoeba Music in Hollywood, California. On 28 May 2008, they performed at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. They performed on the Main Stage of the Sasquatch! Music Festival on Monday, 26 May 2008 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington State. On 12 July 2008, they performed at Sub Pop's 20th Anniversary Music Festival.

The duo made a special guest appearance as the aliens in two episodes of The Drinky Crow Show on Cartoon Network's late-night television programming block Adult Swim. On 31 March 2009, the duo performed in Masterton, New Zealand, to 2000 locals as a benefit for Jemaine's old college Makoura College raising around NZ$80,000 prior to setting off on a 50 date tour of the US. They also appeared on the season four finale of the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, briefly replacing Tim and Eric during a high-stakes game of tennis. The duo guest-starred as a pair of camp counselors in "Elementary School Musical", the season premiere of the 22nd season of The Simpsons, which aired 26 September 2010.[22]

2011–present: reunion, tours, and film

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In an interview with Vulture, Bret said that plans were in the works for a reunion tour in 2012 and that he and Jemaine were discussing a Flight of the Conchords movie.[23] On 28 November 2011, he stated that efforts were being made to bring the comedy folk duo to the big screen: "We're going to try and do a movie. We just need a story."[24] However, HBO has stated they themselves do not have plans for such a film.[25] In an interview published in Indiewire in August 2015, Clement said that a Flight of the Conchords movie was being written, although he indicated that it is still in the early phases.[26]

It was confirmed in March 2012, that a full 10-show tour of larger New Zealand venues was in place for June 2012. Tickets went on sale on 23 March, with the premium seats at each venue available only in person at the box office, to prevent scalping. All original shows sold out within 10 minutes once they were released on general sale.

For Red Nose Day 2012, the duo recorded a charity single composed of lyrics volunteered by Auckland and Wellington school children, titled "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)".[27][28] The song features performances from other New Zealand celebrities, including Dave Dobbyn, Brooke Fraser, Boh Runga, Samuel Flynn Scott, Luke Buda, Savage, Young Sid, Tyree, Deach, PNC, Zowie, Ruby Frost, Kids of 88, Rikki Morris, Moana Maniapoto, Nathan King, Maitereya, Victoria Girling-Butcher, Elizabeth Marvelly, Peter Urlich and Cherie Mathieson.[29][30] The song entered at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming their first number one and was certified Platinum, selling over 15,000 copies in its first week.[31]

On 23 August 2013, Flight of the Conchords co-headlined the Oddball & Curiosity Festival with Dave Chappelle, kicking off the tour in Austin, Texas. In 2016, the duo performed new songs alongside old favourites on a North American tour; they also appeared at the 2016 Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 2018, Flight of the Conchords reunited for Flight of the Conchords: Live in London, a one-hour TV special on HBO.[32][33]

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Both McKenzie and Clement appeared alongside Rhys Darby in a horror comedy titled Diagnosis: Death, though not as Flight of the Conchords. The film was released on 3 August 2009.[citation needed]

The song "I'm Not Crying" appears in the film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!. In 2014, both Clement and Rhys Darby starred in the horror comedy mockumentary titled What We Do in the Shadows, directed by Clement and Taika Waititi.[citation needed]

Style

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Instrumentation

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Traditionally, the duo both play acoustic guitar in live performances, with McKenzie almost always playing a standard grand concert-style acoustic guitar and Clement playing a parlor guitar and occasionally a classical or acoustic bass guitar.

They commonly employ 1980s-era novelty instruments like the Casio DG-20 guitar synthesizer and Omnichord, in addition to glockenspiel, bongos, and autoharp, among others. In the past decade, they have expanded their instrumentation; more recent performances, like those during their 2018 tour of United Kingdom and Ireland, saw both playing electric bass guitar (with Clement playing a Höfner 500/1) and using effect pedals. Since 2008, they have collaborated with musician Nigel Collins, who plays cello, keyboards, and percussion, for both studio and live performances.[34]

Discography

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Main article: Flight of the Conchords discography

Albums

Radio

Filmography

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Tours

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Tours, excluding one-off performances and mini tours, from 2008 on:[35]

  • North America (March–July 2008)
  • North America (March–May 2009)
  • Europe (March–May 2010)
  • New Zealand & Australia (June–July 2012)
  • United States (August–September 2013)
  • North America (June–July 2016)
  • United Kingdom & Ireland (March, June–July 2018)

Awards

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Selected accolades

Year Ceremony Award Work Result
2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Perrier Comedy Award Folk the World Nominated[9]
2004 Melbourne Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Flight of the Conchords Won[9]
2005 Aspen Comedy Festival Best Alternative Act Won[9]
2006 Sony Radio Academy Awards Comedy Award Flight of the Conchords (radio) Bronze[36]
2007 Welly Awards Arts Jemaine Clement & Bret McKenzie Won[37]
Wellingtonian of the Year Won[37]
12th Satellite Awards Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical Flight of the Conchords (TV) Nominated
2008 50th Annual Grammy Awards Best Comedy Album The Distant Future Won[38]
New Zealand Music Awards Album of the Year Flight of the Conchords (album) Won[39]
Best Group Flight of the Conchords Won[39]
Breakthrough Artist of the Year Won[39]
International Achievement Award Won[39]
60th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series James Bobin, Jemaine Clement & Bret McKenzie (Episode: "Yoko") Nominated[40]
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)" Nominated[40]
"Inner City Pressure" Nominated[40]
2009 51st Grammy Awards Best Comedy Album Flight of the Conchords (album) Nominated
61st Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Flight of the Conchords (TV) Nominated[41]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Jemaine Clement (Episode: "Unnatural Love") Nominated[41]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series James Bobin, Jemaine Clement & Bret McKenzie (Episode: "Prime Minister") Nominated[41]
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics "Carol Brown" Nominated[41]
14th Satellite Awards Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical Flight of the Conchords (TV) Nominated
Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Jemaine Clement Nominated
2011 53rd Grammy Awards Best Comedy Album I Told You I Was Freaky Nominated
2013 New Zealand Music Awards Highest Selling New Zealand Single "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)" Won[42]
2019 71st Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics "Father & Son" (from Live in London) Nominated[41]

References

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  1. ^ "Conchords Take Flight on Prime". Prime TV. 16 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  2. ^ "What the Folk!". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  3. ^ Itzkoff, Dave. New in Town, Talking Funny Archived 16 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. 10 June 2007.
  4. ^ Flight of the Conchords on Newtown Salad (1999) (video). YouTube. 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Youtube video:"Newtown Salad" Channel 7, Wellington". YouTube. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  6. ^ "if.comedy – Past winners". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  7. ^ "What the Folk! – Vision". What the Folk!. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  8. ^ "Stand Up!" (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 June 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
  9. ^ a b c d e "BBC - Radio 2 Comedy". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Flight of the Conchords: A Texan Odyssey". What the Folk!. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  11. ^ a b "The Flight of the Conchords". BBC – Radio 2 Comedy. 29 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  12. ^ Flight of the Conchords: best new sitcom in years? Archived 16 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Radioawards.org". Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2007.
  14. ^ Flight of the Conchords makes Emmys shortlist (+photos) Archived 16 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. The New Zealand Herald. 27 June 2008.
  15. ^ "December 10". Flight of the Conchords. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  16. ^ "GRAMMY.com". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 4 April 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  17. ^ McIntee, Michael Z. "Monday, 11 June 2007: Show #2768". CBS. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  18. ^ "Bonnaroo.com – Flight of the Conchords". Bonnaroo.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
  19. ^ "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". IMDb. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  20. ^ "YouTube – Comcast / Flight of the Conchords at CES 2008". 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2010 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Secret Conchords show packs tiny store (+photos, video) – New Zealand's source for entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on". Stuff.co.nz. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  22. ^ Strachan, Alex (2 August 2010). "Gleeful over Glee: Cory Monteith to appear on The Simpsons". Canada.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  23. ^ "Bret McKenzie on Songwriting for The Muppets, Jason Segel's Power Ballad, and Teaching Chris Cooper to Rap". 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Flight of the Conchords announce plans for a movie | Film & TV News". NME. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  25. ^ "Flight of the Conchords movie rumours dismissed – Story – Entertainment". 3 News. 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  26. ^ Erbland, Kate (14 August 2015). "Why Jemaine Clement, Unlikely Romantic Hero of 'People Places Things,' Wasn't Sure What Kind of Film They Were Making". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement Cure Kids with New Flight of the Conchords Song". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Flight of the Conchords Return With New Song 'Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Red Nose Day Comedy For Cure Kids – Shows". TV3. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  30. ^ "Flight of the Conchords Aid Kids". TimeWastesTooFast.com. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  31. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Flight of the Conchords live in London remind us they're not just funny, they're seriously good". 7 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  33. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (5 October 2018). "Laughter, and Time, Heal All Wounds". The New York Times. New York. p. C11. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  34. ^ "On the road with Flight of the Conchords". sonicscoop.com. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Flight of the Conchords Gigography, Tour History & Past Concerts – Songkick". www.songkick.com. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  36. ^ "Flight of the Conchords Win Bronze at Sony Awards". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  37. ^ a b "Conchords soar over all". The Dominion Post. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Flight of the Conchords win Grammy". The New Zealand Herald. NZMA. 19 February 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  39. ^ a b c d "2008 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  40. ^ a b c "Flight of the Conchords miss out on Emmys". The New Zealand Herald. NZMA. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  41. ^ a b c d e "Conchords come up empty at Emmys". The New Zealand Herald. NMZE. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  42. ^ "End of Year NZ Music Charts Released". The Corner. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
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