At the GI festival

Glasgow, April 2010

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Phil Kay burst on to the comedy circuit in 1989, when he won the new act contest So You Think You're Funny in only its second year.

His unpredictable, freestyle approach won him a Perrier nomination in 1993 and the award for best stand-up at the 1994 British Comedy Awards, and he was given his own Channel 4 show, Phil Kay Feels..., in 1997, which was recorded in front of a live audience to try to capture his manic energy

However, the showcase failed to make him a star and, aside from the occasional panel game appearance, his career is now limited mainly to shows at Edinburgh and other festivals.

He has recently started hosting kids’ shows on the festival scene, where his silly style has proved popular with the younger audience.

Here for The Crack
Live Review
Udderbelly South Bank

The Crack is the more chilled-out cousin of cabaret sensation La Clique, trading some of its stablemate’s elegant, vibrant sleaze for a more artful, if sometimes less thrilling, line-up.

PVC-clad sword-swallower Miss Behave hosts this six-night run in the South Bank’s Udderbelly, with the help of frequent inserts from Doctor Stewart’s staccato dance vignettes, perfectly lip-synched to mashed-up club tracks.

All live shows involve some level of conspiracy between audience and performer, but it’s crucial to a decadent underground cabaret such as this, requiring both sides to believe they are part of an almost illicit happening.

Some acts are better at building this relationship than others, but following the opening routine by Kalki Hula Girl, Phil Kay created a lovely rapport, thanks to his improvised ten-minute song about people who catch his eye in the audience. As someone who regularly talks for hours at a time – not always advisedly – this slot was barely enough to let him hit his stride, but his benign playfulness worked as an impeccable icebreaker.

A more mellow musical offering came from Earl Okin, who might not look the part as a self-proclaimed sex symbol with his squat frame, distinctively outdated dress sense, and scouring-pad hair. But close your eyes and you could almost be listening to a vintage scratched 78, with his sultry lisp and mellifluous voice. The way he rolls his consonants sounds like creaking wood – and the audience (which tonight included one Eddie Izzard, incidentally) was suitably appreciative when he produced the brass section to his bluesy numbers My Room and Bessie using his mouth alone.

Dutch clown Mr Jones was something of a disappointment. In baggy checked suit and carrying an outsized suitcase full of props he proceeded to go through every staple of the street performer’s act, pulling out juggling clubs, a lasso, a whip and diablo in a deliberately desperate attempt to win our attention. His shtick is that he’s a bit of a rubbish entertainer, far too willing to please – but there’s a fine line between faking that and coming across as the real thing; and in his overlong set, Mr Jones fell the wrong side of it. You’d be better off in Covent Garden.

Jon Hicks initially appeared to be another slow-burning act; coming on in paint-splattered decorator’s suit, and attending to some silent comedy business at a snail’s pace. But when the soundtrack kicked in, his true talent emerged as he started chucking paint at the 6ft canvas behind him. He’s a speed artist, and created a mighty impressive portrait in just a few minutes, with a sort of ‘can you guess what it is yet’ tease as the image gradually formed. Eat your heart out, Rolf Harris.

Nina Conti was a crowd favourite with her polished post-postmodern ventriloquism, cleverly deconstructing the deconstructions and with an ambitious, funny and very impressive finale – as seen in her last Edinburgh show – more than excusing any of the obvious-but-effective ‘hand up the backside’ jokes. She is a consummate entertainer, with some brains behind the banter, almost guaranteed to go down well in any room.

She was followed by Andrew Lawrence, who quickly divided the room. He began with a rather odd description of a lump of snot that had lodged up his nostril, delivered without his usual fierce intensity. The site of a strange, whiney man discussing his mucus unsurprisingly failed to catch the attention – so when a heckler interjected, it was hard to predict on whose side the audience would fall.

But by the pure force of his diatribe, Lawrence won at least a narrow majority of the crowd, to enable him to continue with his planned routine: a savagely aggressive rant he imagines giving to the petty traffic cop who once pulled him over on the outskirts of Leicester.

What you can say of his act is that it brought a genuine frisson to the marquee, creating an atmosphere that could so easily have turned nasty. But as he demanded a standing ovation, the cheers outnumbered the jeers. Just about.

The best was saved to last, however, with the brilliantly ridiculous anarchy of Woody Bop Muddy; a barnstorming act who probably hasn’t been seen in the comedy clubs for a decade or more, although he does make occasional appearances on the outdoor festival circuit.

His bonkers Record Graveyard act is easy to describe, but hard to explain. He chucks around great handfuls of rice, then produces an Oxfam shop’s worth of cheesy, ancient LPs whose fate is decided by mob rule. Will these vinyl atrocities be destroyed by his golden hammer, or allowed to ascend into record heaven?

It’s a superbly daft act combining inspired madness, irrefutable high energy and liberating audience participation, sold with 100 per cent conviction. It’s a genuine joy to see him back.

To say he’s worth the £17 to £21 ticket price alone might be overstating the case, but he does provide a barnstorming finale to this eclectic variety line-up.

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I went to see him last night at the Brook Green Hotel, Shepherds Bush. Anyone who finds watching an aggressive pissed tramp rambling nonsense before pulling down their pants in the desperate hope of getting a laugh should definitely go and see him. He was taken off early. Those that didn't leave only stayed out of fear inspired by the aggression of his mental institution persona. Calling him a comedian is the height of irony.

Sloth, May 2010

I went to see him last night at the Brook Green Hotel, Shepherds Bush. Anyone who finds watching an aggressive pissed tramp rambling nonsense before pulling down their pants in the desperate hope of getting a laugh should definitely go and see him. He was taken off early. Those that didn't leave only stayed out of fear inspired by the aggression of his mental institution persona. Calling him a comedian is the height of irony.

Sloth, May 2010

Saw Phil last night in Sevenoaks.What planet does he live on, most of the audience walked out, pathetic. Even when he was offered a life line to come off, just carried on & more people left. Sadly this isn't comedy for me

David, April 2010

I like unusual and thoughtful comedy. I can also go with "safe and simple" comedy. Perhaps my link between the two is the word "comedy". A man standing on the stage rambling and chucking crockery at people, is not the best comedy I have seen, though Circus Clowns and slapstick never did it for me. If you like car crash comedy, and manipulative confrontation then Phil is your man.

Sean Brickell, January 2010

Brilliant, exhilarating, original, face-hurting comedy. A real one-off. Recommended to fans of Sean Lock, Bill Bailey, Rich Hall, etc., but not to people who like it safe and simple.

Alfred Bettle, January 2010

Saw Phil on Saturday and it was the funniest 40 minutes of stand-up I have ever been witness to. Phil is a genius.

Debbie, November 2009

Saw Phil Kay on 14 November. His Ryanair stuff was very amusing - but that was all he had I am afraid. However the rest of the show was truly awful. He attempts an ambitious form of stream of consciousness ravings - some scripted and some new comments picked up from his surroundings - however the material is just not very funny - and while the style was innovative, the delivery is extremely poor. The words were rattled off so fast - the concepts were not understood - there was no ebb and flow to give time to the audience to catch up with his mind wanderings - he simply lost the bulk of the audience who tried hard to keep up with him - but had trouble with his impenetrable delivery. Then as his act moved on he moved from just poor humour into disaster. When he tried the archetypal comedy club engagement with audience members, his style was simply insulting - again with little actual humour - the laughter as he put people down was for the shock- jock of the gibe rather than at the actual humour that the jibe contained. When the audience then reacted to his delivery and jibes - he became even more insulting and aggressive - diving into the audience and confronting even minor heckles with personal face to face confrontation - it seemed to be part of his act. Not to be recommended for any audience - except the far reaches of avant garde shock-jock humour events - he may have talent - but he does a super job of hiding it

Phil Withers, November 2009

I saw Phil Kay in Weybridge November 6th 2009. It had moments of brilliance, and long dull sections of mediocrity. What passes for "off the wall" with Phil Kay, merely trades on peoples politeness, curiosity and car crash shock, to ensure that they remain in their seats. Brilliant observations on Ryanair, followed by tired slapstick by throwing crockery around the room, which engenders as much mirth as a student with a traffic cone on his head. Once it got down to insulting other comedians for their work, it became very tiresome and self indulgent. Phil Kay could well be a comic genius, but if he is, he is doing his best to only show glimpses of his skill, almost like there is a finite amount of "funny" and one day it will run out for him. Maybe some people want to be challenged in an unsettling way, but if you want that why not a decent documentary of world poverty or animal cruelty. Maybe you have to see him a few times to "pan" for the comic gems which eluded quite a few people on the night that we saw him. On the upside he is certainly not a corporate Mc Comedian delivering safe humour.

Chris, November 2009

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