If you like your swing music served with a side order of political incorrectness and a heavy pour of dark satire, Frank Sanazi is the man for you. Back at the Fringe with his full entourage of dubious dignitaries and crooning comrades, he’s once again proving that nothing is sacred when there’s a gag to be had.
The conceit is as daft as it is inspired, take the Rat Pack, swap Vegas for the Reichstag, sprinkle in a few dictators, despots, and dubious dinner guests, then belt out swing standards with new, far too on the nose lyrics. The results range from groan worthy puns to moments of comedy gold. This year’s line up of chums includes Sadami Davis Jr., a gloriously deadpan presence with a twinkle in his eye, Dino Stalin (think Dean Martin but with more gulags), and Osama Bing Crosby, a beaming, bomb dropping crooner who somehow makes “White Christmas” sound like a security briefing.
One of the night’s biggest laughs came from “Halal, It’s Meat You’re Looking For”, a reimagining of Lionel Richie’s sentimental classic into something utterly ridiculous and wonderfully wrong. The Iraq Pack routines tie it all together, slick patter, mock camaraderie, and a sense that you’re watching a dangerously unfiltered cabaret in some alternate universe where political correctness never happened.
Sanazi himself is an accomplished singer, with enough of that Sinatra warmth and swagger to make the parody land. But it’s the interplay with his chums that really sells it, Dino Stalin leaning in for conspiratorial harmonies, Sadami popping in with a perfectly timed wisecrack, Osama Bing Crosby crooning like a man who knows the FBI are outside. The musical arrangements are tight enough to show there’s real craft here beneath the chaos.
And yet, here’s the thing, this isn’t comedy for everyone. The show gleefully treads the line between sharp satire and outright bad taste. It pokes fun at terrorism, war crimes, and dictatorships with the same breezy irreverence as it does celebrity culture. At times you might laugh and wince in the same breath, not because the joke’s poorly told, but because it’s making light of people being blown up, or of horrors that, for some, are still painfully real. That tension is part of the act’s DNA, and Sanazi clearly knows it. He leans into the discomfort, daring the audience to decide for themselves whether they’re in on the satire or complicit in something less noble.
Having said that, the show feels like it’s moved on a little from pure shock value. There’s still plenty of edge, but the framing now feels more consciously satirical, skewering the absurdity of power, the vanity of leaders, and the ridiculousness of propaganda. Whether that makes it more palatable or more dangerous is up for debate, but one thing’s certain, you’ll remember it.
So, if you’re looking for a night of swing tunes with a sting in the tail, part Vegas show, part political roast, part fever dream, Frank Sanazi and his Iraq Pack will deliver. Just don’t bring anyone who’s easily offended. Or, frankly, anyone named in the UN Charter.
20:15 Daily (except 11th, 12th, 13, 18th, 19th, 20th) Till 23rd August
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/frank-sanazi-songs-for-swinging-leaders
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 9th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Running time – 1hr