David Eagle - Norwich Theatre Stage 2
A superb one-man show from the accordion-wielding member of the magnificent Young'uns
Sixteen years after folk trio The Young'uns first embarked on their unique journey, from the pubs of Stockton On Tees to a headlining tour of Australia, accordion player David Eagle has been cut loose and is allowed a stand-up music and comedy tour of his own. Saturday saw Eagle perform his one-man show at Norwich Theatre's Stage Two, to a packed audience that included many familiar faces from Folk East, the festival where The Young'uns are now official patrons.
Eagle's razor-sharp wit, lightning-quick mind, and endearing warmth combine to create an engaging stand-up routine. He won Best New Comedian at Nottingham Comedy Festival, Bath Comedy Festival, and at Leicester Theatre. His Teesside sense of sarcasm and self-deprecation, combined in recounting hilarious stories from real-life, have made these shows an instant favourite. Saturday night in Norwich was no exception.
The before-show announcement regarding timings and interval were eagerly seized upon, and referred to by Eagle throughout - “Don't worry, let me just check the time. I know I need to have you out by 9.40”, he quipped. Yet, in the packed first half, he still fitted in four songs, and embarked on discourses on everything from Google searches to admitting to his parents that he liked folk music.
He began with a version of Eric Bogle's 'Sound of Singing', a catchy song with a chorus that we could all join in with, even if it did mean competing with the sound of the air conditioning firing up to accompany us. 'Dead Dog Song' is Eagle's own hilarious death-metal folk parody, which then led into a routine about Somerset Folk Clubs, Christian Festivals, and Bring-Your-Own-Baby gigs. 'Show Us The Length' is a politely abbreviated version of Bob Bossin's beauty pageant protest song, playing right into the hands of Eagle's obvious love of a good knob joke. And the first half concluded with a version of The Young'uns original, 'The Biscuits of Bull Lane', a modern folk ballad about rejecting fascism and embracing multi-culturality.
After the break we enjoy a trinity of anecdotes from the Australian tour, before being treated to 'When I'm Using Windows', Eagle's computer-inspired comic tribute to George Formby', and routines about Hartlepool FC, and about being caught short at 3am whilst still wearing an accordion. The concert ends, appropriately enough, with 'Bad Boy', Eagle's own song about a late-night taxi journey home.
Despite the hour, an encore is demanded, and arrives in the form of another Young'uns classic, inspired by the true story of the thwarting of a German Neo-Nazi Rock Festival by local villagers, 'The Day We Drank The Nazis Out Of Town'.
A superb one-man show from the accordion-wielding member of the magnificent Young'uns.
And I didn't even mention that he is blind.
