Comedy Bank II @ Open
Not so good.
After spending my entire day worrying about the EU referendum and the impending doom that the country would potentially be facing, it’s safe to say I was in great need of some megaLOLZ that night. The first ever Comedy Bank aired a couple of months ago and I was doubled over in hysterics for the vast majority of the night; unfortunately round two did not quite pack such a punch.
MC Karen Bayley warmed the audience up with a fabulous mixture of self-deprecation, piss-taking and pure filth. I really liked her style, energy and confidence, especially when she proceeded to “seduce” one of the barmen, “Aww, look at his little face” proudly claiming cougar status.
The first act, James Cook didn’t really impact in a positive way with his rip off ‘Brent-esque’ pauses and false dismal attitude. There was one very clever moment in which he explained why “multiculturalism didn’t really steal Christmas in Birmingham" with quite an amusing convoluted story. However, there was also a point where by he attempted a Polish accent and made reference to Auschwitz which went down like a lead balloon. Really bad taste in my opinion. Thankfully we had the lovely Karen to lift our spirts once more after the interval.
Jeremy O’Donnell was next up and I am sad to say that he too failed to match the standards of the previous Comedy Bank. It was boring to hear the same Norfolk mickey taking, don’t get me wrong, we can take the odd dig about no electricity or all of us driving around on tractors but after a while it gets kind of old! Got to keep us country folk on our toes! O’Donnell’s bio states that he delivers “sparkling off the cuff wit” which wasn’t the case whatsoever. Speaking firsthand as someone who answered his question:
“Who here has lived abroad”
“I have.”
“Oh brilliant, where did you live?”
“Spain, in Barcelona.”
“Do you speak Spanish?”
“Yes”
“Oh……”
Dust ball rolls by…….
What was the point in asking?! This happened several times throughout his set which was pretty uncomfortable to watch. It seemed that he was not prepared with any kind of banter or back chat.
Thankfully the night was rescued by Mr Paul Thorne who revived the monotone atmosphere. He interacted with the audience far more successfully which meant that the show was more spontaneous and personal. It was clear that he had some rehearsed elements to the show but they were delivered in such a way that it flowed with the other aspects of the show.
Much like the contrasting sides of the EU Referendum, one half of the show was a bit senseless, unconvincing and a little bit xenophobic in places; whereas the other half was positive, passionate and instilled a sense of hope. Fingers crossed the next Comedy Bank returns to its former glory!
5/10
