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I feel a bit sorry for Dave Spikey.
He is the poor man's Peter Kay. A lot of their material overlaps in style and content and those I was with seemed to presume this was Spikey being influenced by/stealing from Kay. I would argue that they share a sense of humour... considering that neither of them say anything that controversial it is hardly surprising there is some overlap. Of course Dave Spikey is going to make some similar jokes - aren't weddings funny? Aren't teenagers grumpy? Haven't we all had similar holiday experiences?
I'll be honest, I've heard it all before from a million comics. And I wasn't surprised. Going to see Dave Spikey I had a feeling I would be in for some trite observations. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this kind of comedy. I'm just not a massive fan. It lacks originality and I sort of sit there thinking "well, I could probably do that" whereas I prefer to be in awe. The problem is I do find Peter Kay quite funny... but as Peter Kay. It's his manner (i.e. accent) that makes me crack a smile and I don't think Dave Spikey has this innately funny persona. So when similarly inane gags are made it doesn't engage me in the same way.
Having said that, I do feel for Spikey who will forever live in Kay's shadow - especially as Kay has only released a limited amount of material (time and time and time again but that is another money grabbing issue entirely *ahem*) which means people can reference it fairly quickly. I think Spikey is destined to be Kay's bitch.
The only thing I would say is the end of Spikey's routine in which he attacks nonsensical song lyrics at least showed a bit of effort. And as he played them you couldn't help but laugh at some - especially the really famous song which you have heard a thousand times and probably never noticed the crap rhymes. Well, you probably have. But it was still better than the usual stuff!!
They both regurgitate equally hackneyed and overdone routines so let's not lay blame on either one of them. To be honest, neither of them invented any of it so, in the words of Kay, "shut up and have a solero".
Yes. Let's all have a solero.
Unlike a lot of gigs I approached this one in the wrong spirit. I was expecting it to be crass and thoughtless and gratuitous and just dull.
It was fantastic to perhaps see why Frank Skinner has been so successful. I have been left in a quandary the last few years trying to decide if my taste in comedy has evolved or if Frank Skinner was just not very funny anymore because I used to love him and then I found his television shows... crap, to be honest.
My rule though - got to see them live before I have an opinion as the medium of television often translates a distorted view of talent. And I loved it.
It may be low expectations were easily confounded but I didn't find a lot of the material genius or original and some of it was unnecessarily filthy or graphic but it was told with such innocence. Such an affable character. He shines on stage and you want to listen. Even to the stuff I didn't want to listen to, I wanted to listen. He was especially good when he avoided the obvious topics of 'the anals' but I understand that this is what people have come to expect from him so he has to deliver. At least a bit. I'm sure many were there solely for an account of 'the anals'. But I could live without it. Much like Jimmy Carr his mischievous schoolboy presence affords him my admiration and love.
His song at the end was also good. And had a lot of depth despite the seemingly controversial material - it had a relevant social commentary. I am sure he intended that - I am sure I am not 'over egging the pudding'. Definitely.
Did I laugh? Yes. Would I go and see him again? Yes. Would I recommend him? Yes. Is he better onstage than television? Yes.
I like Frank Skinner.
I made quite the trip for this gig.
The support Mr Gee, who works well on the radio, was... dire. I mean, really quite painful for me. I can usually summon the energy for a polite laugh but I didn't even really know where to do even that. He barely had any material and what he did have was not explored in even an unoriginal way. I felt, at times, he was literally saying things like "Isn't Christmas expensive?" and then moving straight on to the classic "When Russell comes out you should take your tops off and he'll be like 'Oh shit'". That was genuinely the entirety of the sentence.
His poems were good and I was relieved that they were embraced by the otherwise obnoxious audience. I have never known so many people to be as late, to talk through so much of an act (in a theatre! not a comedy night in a pub!) and generally go in and out of the auditorium. To be fair, he didn't let the constant noise throw him but, as lovely and a nice a guy as he seemed, he was one of the worst I have seen. Ever.
This 25 minutes of comedy gold was proceeded by what can only be described as a 35 minute interval - in that it lasted 35 minutes. This made the evening totally unbalanced. I am not a fan of 25 minutes support-interval-main show at the best of times because it feels just as you have settled in it's back into the bar, but if you present an audience with a 35 minute interval it completely undermines the point of a warm up. Even a good warm up would have lost the audience during a 35 minute break.
Russell came to save the day to a rapturous applause and suddenly the atmosphere sparked. He did some fun banter and his signature 'walk around the theatre' which is a cheap tactic but nevertheless effective. It gets the crowd baying. Then he decided it was apt to ring Noel Gallagher. Fair enough, it was Manchester. But the phone call was irrelevant and lacked any particular jokes and it felt like just another cheap tactic. I was surprised, however, that the audience generally didn't buy into this one and didn't lap it up as anticipated. It was, in no way, met with silence but it didn't quite hit the spot.
He tried his hardest to milk some comedy out of the local paper which, again, didn't quite work but it was a fair effort. Probably best to have a quick scan beforehand though, just in case, rather than come to the comedy cul-de-sac realisation onstage. I have respect for spontaneity but there's nothing wrong with a smidge of prep!
As happened the last time I saw him, I enjoyed the informality of the chat and his eloquence in ad libbing which works on the radio but once he launches into his prepared show I was left cold and confused. His previous show relied on the shock of sexual content and this one seemed to survive solely on two stories regarding celebrity. That weren't even funny. Told well, granted, but they were lazy and lacking substance.
I don't dislike Russell Brand. In fact, I like his stage presence and he commands my attention - the show flew by! - but he seems to be articulately gifted for impro while his planned routines, much like Ross Noble (for me) lack originality and... funniness. (Although Ross Noble's don't lack originality, quite the opposite, I just don't think they are as funny. So, in hindsight, a poorly thought out simile.)
Exiting the theatre, feeling like a miserable and critical old git, I was heartened to hear a number of people discussing their disappointment in the show and in him. Huzzah! I am not alone! I am not being a snob! It just wasn't that good! I can sleep easy in the knowledge that I am not quite a comedy curmudgeon.
Good news for me! Less so for Russell Brand.
I'm sure he'll live. Just.
Jimmy Carr was playing Leeds Grand Theatre twice in a night so I decided, if he's willing to put in the effort then so am I. I decided it would be a little experiment as he is clearly a scripted comedian but I wanted to see if there were any differences.
Yes, I am a geek
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Generally speaking I don't think my taste in comedy is terribly controversial but it occurred to me as I watched Bill Bailey perform in the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle that there are some things I just don't get.
Billy Bailey is so popular. People revere him as one of the best of the time and even comics seem to frequently list him as one of their favourites but I just don't get it
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Basically, I sort of don't want to like him. But I do. End of. (Oh except more new material)
I'm not a massive fan of The Friday Night Poject which I don't think is that contoversial despite it's disconceting success. However, I just find something innately likeable about Alan Carr. He just has a funny demeanor and it's not simply "oh, look at him, he's so funny, he's so camp
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Comedy is a bit like music for me. I like to have it on the background while I do things.
For example, yesterday I made soup to Harry Hill and today I write with Father Ted
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