Jake Roche, former lead vocalist of chart-topping band Rixton, is making his Edinburgh Fringe debut with Neporrhoids!, an autobiographical sort-of-musical that promises to squeeze out every last drop of celeb juice. The show, playing at Pleasance Courtyard from July 31st to August 26th, explores Roche’s meteoric rise to fame and his subsequent quest for relevance and identity.
Roche’s journey from pop stardom to Fringe performer has been a transformative one. “I felt like a complete fraud and a failure for years after the disbanding of Rixton,” he admits. “I was denying myself those honest vulnerable thoughts and emotions by hiding behind humour and irony. What better place to come and hide some more than the Edinburgh Fringe 2024!”
The show’s title, Neporrhoids!, is a clever play on words that encapsulates two major themes: nepotism and, well, hemorrhoids. Roche, the son of actor Shane Richie and singer Coleen Nolan, doesn’t shy away from addressing his showbiz background. “It very much talks about and plays into the idea of nepotism. And what that is for me, what nepotism feels like for me and why it’s there and how it’s there,” he explains.
But Neporrhoids! is more than just a commentary on celebrity lineage. It’s a deeply personal story that traces Roche’s journey from the heights of pop stardom to the lows of post-fame life. “It’s about my journey and my experience of fame, and what it’s like to be a celebrity in your 20s,” Roche shares. “From being engaged to a popstar to having all of it and then none of it.”
Working with renowned theatre maker Laurence Cook and Fringe winner Jordan Brookes, Roche has crafted a show that promises to be honest, raw, and real. “Jordan loves pulling the rug and turning on the audience,” Roche reveals. “It’s very much got his input and you can hear his voice.”
The process of creating Neporrhoids! has been both challenging and therapeutic for Roche. “I didn’t really have a choice,” he says of bringing his personal story to the stage. “I felt like this was the next step for me in terms of my creative output.” The show has also led to some tough conversations, particularly with his father. “There’s some tough conversations that I’ve been having around the show,” Roche admits. “I’ve really felt a bond with my dad throughout this whole thing.”
As for what audiences can expect, Roche promises a unique theatrical experience. “It very much plays with the idea of what musicals are,” he explains. “There are just musical elements where I go into the musical and I break out of it, and I tell people where I’m at, and then I come back.”
With Neporrhoids!, Jake Roche is ready to bare all and confront his desire to be famous in a show that promises, at the very least, to entertain audiences. As he puts it, “I’m leaning into how naive I am about it all. And we’ll see that when I’m up there.”
Jake Roche Neporrhoids! is at Pleasance Courtyard 31st July to 25th August (not 13th)
