How to get ahead in scavenging
Ignore City review
Rating – 
Just the other day, I received a message on Bluesky about a podcast. The creator (not God, the creator of the show) asked if I’d be interested in giving the show a listen and maybe a review. What made the difference here, is that most of the messages I get like this are advertising new shows. This one started 6 years ago and seems to have been on hiatus until relatively recently. Maybe that’s it, they’ve restarted and are looking for listeners. That’s fine, I’ll give it a listen.
Initially there was some confusion, as there were two podcasts with the same title from the same company. So in the interest of making your lives easier, subscribe to the one with twelve episodes,
So what’s it about?
Set in the distant future, Ignore City follows the adventures of bike messenger and scrap salvager Deban Rimper after she discovers a talking robot head in a pile of rubbish. This head, it turns out, is highly illegal. There is a government department dedicated to seeking out sentient electronic devices and destroying them “for the good of humanity”.
The robot head, named Saner 0805 promises to be able to end the extreme weather that is plaguing the planet, and with that prospect of glory in her head, Deban agrees to help. With an expanding group of oddball acquaintances, she tries to complete her mission, whilst dodging the investigations of Agent Blu and the rest of the SCU.
Saner 0805 has a disparaging and sarcastic manner that I really like. He is genuinely confused by humanity, and (perhaps) wishes that the machines had wiped everyone out years ago. But now he’s stuck. He can’t move, and needs to be carried around in a pink rucksack (that annoys him intensely. He is more than a little reminiscent of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.
Interspersed in the story are songs. Did I mention this was a musical? Oh yeah, it’s a musical. A post apocalyptic, comedy musical.
Is it any good?
The voice acting isn’t great. There are some rather dodgy accents, including an attempt at British that would be amiss emanating from a dancing Edwardian chimney sweep. Maybe it’s Australian. I’m not sure, but my money is on British.
The script is very good though. As the episodes ticked by, I fell in love with the story, and the characters, even the ones of dubious nationality. There were plenty of genuinely funny moments, and references to “ancient technology” like iPhones and Xboxes is great.
Where this show shines is the score. As I said before, this is a musical. The lyrics are witty, and the music has a 90s indie vibe. The kind of music that was popular before everyone started wearing checkerboard vans and going on the warped tour. The music is supplied by a band called The Shake Ups. Whether this is a real band or one assembled for the show (or indeed, just Ed Cho and a copy of garage band) isn’t clear. If you have a fondness for Presidents Of The USA or They Might Be Giants, then you’ll love the songs.
Final thoughts
It’s not often I review musicals, mainly because I don’t actively seek them out. This is a good one though. I’m currently on episode six, and the show is just getting better. This review is one of those cases where it jumped the queue purely because the review was writing itself as I was listening.
It’s not up there with all time classic comedies like Valley Heat, A Scottish Podcast or St. Elwicks, but it is absolutely worth your time if you are a comedy fan. Or even if you’re a musicals fan.
You can get Ignore City here:
https://www.greatpods.co/podcasts/ignore-city-119209
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