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Dystopia The Rock Opera

Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Four stars

 

Election fever may feel somewhat tepid just now in these parts, but with populism on the rise from all sides and out and out crazy people in power, in terms of the future, the bigger picture continues to look increasingly scary. It is not, thank goodness, beyond satire, as Justin Skelton’s DIY construction proves in tuneful fashion with a full six-piece band delivering his song cycle.

 

Skelton is Beldon Haigh, a former spin-doctor thrown into the industrial prison complex somewhere in Midlothian at the behest of one President Blame. This suspiciously familiar looking demagogue may only want to Make Dystopia Great Again, but his one actual redeeming feature is that he probably plays saxophone better than Bill Clinton.

 

Like some fantasy latter day San Quentin concert, Beldon hooks up with some of his fellow inmates to form a supergroup of felons that includes a rhythm section of a chicken dancing Donald Trump on bass and a meaty, beaty, big and bouncy Vladimir Putin on drums. Not to mention Kim Jong Elvis on wicka-wacka guitar, with Blame on keyboards, sax and flute and a fire raising vigilante bad girl called Helen Raiser accompanying Haigh on vocals.

 

Over what the Falkirk sired combo also called Beldon Haigh describes as ‘a two act dystopian InRockTrination’, this not entirely far fetched yarn is told through sixteen soft rock and power pop numbers in Skelton’s own production. These are illustrated by a series of what looks like AI generated Soviet style propaganda posters and animations by Skelton and Willie Logan, which are projected either side of the stage in what is more loose-knit song cycle than full on theatrical extravaganza. 

 

With Skelton leading the charge, his vocal inflections at times sound not unlike Lightning Seeds driving force Ian Broudie. A set of feelgood songs to match includes the funky triumphalism of Election and the Latin-tinged infectiousness of Hermano. Beldon’s fellow political prisoners are played by Duggy Coulter as Trump Chicken, Logan as Kim Jong Elvis and Andrew Scott as Polonium Putin, with Helen Raiser given mighty voice by Fiona Lynch. Dru Baker doubles up as Blame and his successor Moon in garrulous fashion, while a Ninja Assassin played by Lucas Skelton also makes a fleeting assault on the stage.

 

As the votes are counted and Moon’s alternative to Blame looks like more of the same with a more touchy-feely agenda, as the company warm up for a London run following last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe success, the brave new world conjured up makes for an entertaining and incisive fantasia.


The Herald, April 13th 2026

 

ends

 

 

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