A QUEEN gig this is not. For anyone expecting a Wembley or Madison Square Garden type tribute to one of the most iconic bands in British history at The Alhambra this week, prepare to be disappointed.

But if you like your humour more Shooting Stars than Sarah Millican, then We Will Rock You is the show for you.

Ben Elton's script is set on the iPlanet, a dystopian, futuristic version of Earth, rock and roll is dead. The population cannot play their own music or think about or know of the music of years gone by.

Any free thought among iPlanet’s inhabitants is drummed out of them at the Gaga University, where the Ga Ga Kids that attend are almost human robots. Echoes of George Orwell’s 1984 anyone?

But underpinning the whole show are odd couple, Galileo (Ian McIntosh), who dreams of lyrics and an unfulfilled musical destiny, and Scaramouche (Elena Skye), who has a spiky attitude and a dress sense and mind of her own to match.

They are enrolled at the university but are determined to break free from their oppression, eventually seeking refuge with other rebels at the Heartbreak Hotel.

The pair, along with their allies like rebel leader Buddy (Holly and the Crickets), Brit(ney Spears) and Oz(zy Osbourne), go on a quest to save rock and roll, with the end goal to find a lost, sacred, musical instrument buried deep within a famous venue.

Galileo and Scaramouche’s awkward friendship/relationship underpins the whole show and not only do they play the part of two lost/different souls well, but their powerful voices do justice to the Queen numbers that are loosely based on the increasingly-crackers storyline.

They are particularly strong during rare duets, like “Under Pressure” and “Who Wants To Live Forever” but no-one lets you down on the singing front, including Brit (Ed Leigh) and Oz (Kate Leiper), both fantastic understudies on the night.

On the dark side are Killer Queen (Jenny O’Leary) and Khashoggi (Adam Strong), for whom the words “a love-hate relationship” were invented for.

The former lords it over the obedient planet, while the super-sassy latter carries out her dirty work.

And dirty is what this riot of a show descends into regularly. Subtle sexual references in part one snowball into laugh out loud smut in part two, especially in the hands of the hilariously dopey Buddy (Michael McKell).

Let’s hope it went over the heads of the many youngsters in the audience.

References are the order of the day though. Now long-forgotten song titles on iPlanet are cleverly worked into conversations, while Elvis, David Bowie, Taylor Swift, Lizzo and more all get a mention.

One hilarious scene even sees the iPlanet rebels try to get to grips with ancient inventions such as the vid-ayo tap-ay (video tape) and a Harl-ay Davidson-e (Harley Davidson).

To call this a Queen tribute, other than the set list, might be a stretch, but as long as you like your humour wacky and nonsensical, and a good surprise to round off your night, you won’t be disappointed.

And do you know what? I bet Freddie Mercury would have loved it.

Runs until Saturday, February 22.