Rob Delaney: Meat, On tour
A few years back, Rob Delaney used to sell out gigs in Britain purely on the basis of his enormously popular Twitter account. Loads of comics use Twitter, but Delaney was arguably the first to fully realise its potential as a medium for broadcasting 140-character bursts of gloriously funny profanity – and it made his name. These days, though, he’s even better known for his role alongside Sharon Horgan in their acclaimed Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe. Expectations may therefore be higher for this latest stand-up outing, but Delaney is unlikely to disappoint anyone who enjoys their comedy garnished with a fair amount of filth. He’s one of those comedians who regards no subject matter as off limits, and is happy to lay bare the most intimate details of his private life if it’s going to get him a laugh. But there’s a playful side to all of this: you get the feeling that rather than a misanthrope howling into the void, here is a guy who takes a schoolboyish delight in shocking others, and making them laugh at the same time.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Glasgow’s comedy festival may have an “always-the-bridesmaid” feel compared to its Edinburgh counterpart, but 13 successful years show that it’s managed to carve a niche. It offers more prominence to the kind of quality homegrown talent that can get overlooked come August, and among the excellent Scottish comics at the festival are Daniel Sloss (The Garage, 19 Mar) – already seeking to break into US TV like his countryman Craig Ferguson – and the appealingly acidic Fern Brady (Blackfriars Basement, 24 Mar), whose no-bullshit dispatches make her worth keeping tabs on. Other celebrated Scots in the programme include spectacularly offensive magician Jerry Sadowitz (Cottiers Theatre, 23 Mar) and spectacularly offensive non-magician Frankie Boyle (Clyde Auditorium, 21 & 23 Mar), while a highlight of this first week comes in the wonderfully dour shape of Scotsman-turned-Yorkshireman Alun Cochrane (The Stand, Thu).
John Kearns, Manchester
You’d think that winning the best newcomer award at the 2013 fringe would be an immediate do-not-pass-Go ticket to fame. Considering he followed that up by winning the main Edinburgh comedy award (a feat that no other comic has pulled off), by rights John Kearns should be heading for the comedy stratosphere. But while he’s made some impressive TV appearances – notably alongside Harry Hill on ITV’s shortlived revival of Stars In Their Eyes, and in the acclaimed BBC3 sitcom Top Coppers – television has yet to showcase the full John Kearns experience. That’s possibly because it’s deeply peculiar: he typically appears on stage in a thick black wig and false teeth, speaking in a high nasal voice. The idea is to present himself as the comedy world’s most pathetic misfit, a man who has no idea what’s funny and what isn’t. Then, as he draws you into his world of perpetual embarrassment and disappointment, you realise you’re in the hands of a master.
