Phil Buckley starts strong, but his set peters out as it progresses– winding up in that unlikely but undeniably hack territory of the advice that you should fend off shark attacks by punching their noses. One of the lines Buckley uses is so unoriginal it even shows up on the latest Joe Pasquale DVD, and he’s hardly the most scrupulous comic when it comes to material’s sources.
But before this serious transgression, Buckley does show some promise. Although attacking such populist targets as reality TV and speed cameras, he does so with a genuine wit and passion, illustrated with a couple of possibly fictional – but certainly enjoyable – anecdotes.
He has a natural likeable charm to him and a stylish delivery; if only he made more of his personal material and less of the second-hand stuff, this newcomer could have something decent to offer.
