Everyone’s favourite nerd-rock comedy trio are back with ‘instalment number a million’ of ‘Pod August Nights’ – the annual run of gigs in which the guys get to test out bits and pieces of new material amongst a bevy of older favourites. There was crowd participation, debates about song writing, as well as three additions from the yet to be heard, Dungeons and Dragons: The Opera (working title) – all of which made for a great night of laughs.

It was all about the guitar ‘licks’ and big harmonies as Tripod opened with a track about how, despite having been around so long, they’re still going. “We’re like the Police without Sting,” they sang as they immediately convinced the Trades Hall crowd their song about still having it, did, in fact, still have it. Self deprecation is still as funny as ever.

Whilst the show supplied both new and old, the older numbers certainly shone, like Hot Girl in the Comic Shop, which doesn’t seem to get old. Of course, things had to go wrong and the epilogue to the tale was cut off by a call from the jewellery auction next door. Good old Trades Hall and its thin walls.

Favourites like Lingering Dad, The Theme From MASH Guy, Autistic and Thursday (how appropriate) all appeared in the set; however, they promised to mix the set list up for each of the remaining seven shows. Scod’s self-help tune about being “beautiful” caused some typical, yet very amusing Tripod bickering on stage, as you’d come to expect. Further verbals took Yon as target in a song about mental geniuses (Amy Winehouse, Prince, Thom Yorke) versus just plain mentals (Yon). There was advice on how to save the world by just drinking salt water instead of desalinating it and there was defence for Queen, who according to Yon are only 2.5% more gay than the average band.

Tripod are preparing a new musical, announcing the working title to be Dungeons and Dragons: The Opera and were keen to test its material. Gatesy took lead vocals for the lament of a character that had killed an orc (“Taking the life of a fellow living creature”) and Yon stepped up as a dog with a small man’s body to sing about the gods being people too. The material, especially in the case of the former track, drew a lot of its humour from the dramatics of whoever was singing (Gatesy’s crybaby face), but was enjoyable all round. Tripod can pull off the “show tune” format and the idea looked positive.

It seems kind of ironic for a comedy trio, but the standout performances of the night weren’t even comedy songs. Opening the second half of the set, the three delivered their impressive (an almost a capella) rendition of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android, which was the stand out of the night. Then later, in keeping their promise from the press release for a Michael Jackson tribute, they performed, as a little bit of a copout really, Doctor My Eyes – a Jackson Browne song covered by the Jackson 5 back in the day. A good copout, nonetheless.

For the first of eight shows in this instalment of Pod August Nights, Tripod delivered. The set list provided the audience with a good selection from the back catalogue (opting to finally exclude a couple of oldies that have been a little over done) and the new “Opera” was certainly sold as an interesting experience yet to come from the act. It looks like the geek charm still works and this run of shows is certainly worth a look in.