Paco Erhard
Paddy Lennox
Paddy McGuinness
Padraig Ryan
Pam Ford
Papa CJ
Parrot
Pat Burtscher
Pat Cahill
Pat Condell
Patrick Kielty
Patrick Lappin
Patrick McDonnell
Patrick Monahan
Patrick Morris
Patrick Turpin
Paul B Edwards
Paul Betney
Paul Byrne
Paul Chowdhry
Paul F Taylor
Paul Foot
Paul Harry Allen
Paul Kerensa
Paul Laight
Paul Langton
Paul McCaffrey
Paul Merton
Paul Mooney
Paul Myerhaug
Paul Pirie
Paul Provenza
Paul Revill
Paul Ricketts
Paul Savage
Paul Sinha
Paul Sweeney
Paul T Eyres
Paul Thorne
Paul Tonkinson
Paul Zenon
Paul Zerdin
Pearse James
Persephone Lewin
Pete Beckley
Pete Cain
Pete Dobbing
Pete Firman
Pete Gold
Pete Johansson
Pete Jonas
Pete Otway
Pete Smith
Peter Brush
Peter Buckley Hill
Peter Cook
Peter Kay
Peter McCole
Peter Searles
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter von Natzmer
Phil Buckley
Phil Butler
Phil Cool
Phil Davey
Phil Differ
Phil Ellis
Phil Hammond
Phil James
Phil Kay
Phil Klein
Phil Nichol
Phil O'Shea
Phil Walker
Phil Wang
Phil Zimmerman
Philip Wilson
Phill Jupitus
Pierre Hollins
Pierre Novellie
Piff The Magic Dragon
Pippa Evans
PJ Gallagher
Pommy Johnson
Prince Abdi
Priorite A Gauche
Pierre Hollins
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Pierre Hollins: White Man Blues |
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![]() Pierre Hollins has all the bases covered – sex, religion, drugs – and the sort of admirable commitment to the punchline demanded by the New Mainstream circuit on which he’s a stalwart. Rejecting, or mocking, religion is the backbone of his set, and while it’s a staple of a lot of stand-up, he has the gags to back it up – including a neat set piece that makes easy but effective fun of the Bible. One gag about crucifixes around the neck is a little close to one of Bill Hicks’s better-known offerings, but that’s by-the-by. Material about sex involves gags about how its frequency decreases with familiarity, which the audience enjoy acknowledging as a truth of their own lives, while sections about dope-smoking are, he tells us, entirely historic, since he’s sworn off it now. Nestling amid this wll-honed, tried-and-tested club material, Hollins tries to explore something that’s more interesting to him... an idea which – even if he no longer indulges in the weed – sounds very much like a stoner’s late-night conversation. Evoking quantum fields, biophotons, the theories of Werner Heisenberg and the principles of holography, he suggests human consciousness is some sort of electromagnetic projection that could endure past death. The science is not entirely convincing, and it does seem as if he’s simply replaced a God to explain of the unknown with something requiring a similar leap of faith, but that might be because this section is rushed through. He doesn’t have the confidence that the audience will stick with the explanation, and admits he hasn’t yet found the funny path through it – today being the first outing of this material. But interest is infectious, and we bear with him since he’s clearly fascinated by this odd topic, which he has spent three years researching for a planned book. Hollins is an old pro, and guides the gig back to solid jokes, bookending the hour with proven hits. There’s a strong rhythm to his delivery, and he even ends in the traditional way, with a couple of songs, including a particularly funny take on the blues, as if sung by a British misery. But if a job’s worth doing, he’s ultimately going to have to bite the bullet and fully commit to exploring his esoteric theories. It’s surely too early to say in which direction this material will go and whether he can find the funny to match the fascination, but with command of comedy techniques, the affable Hollins certainly has the tools with which to do it. |
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| Date of live review: Tuesday 19th Feb, '13 | |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
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Monday 15th Jun, '09- Headliners | |
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Tuesday 1st May, '01- | |
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I think he's a great act. matt price, June 2009 |
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Genuinely blew me away. Worth another look I think, Mr. Chortle. He's inventive, clever and got some of the best lines I've heard in ages. Andrew O'Neill, March 2007 |
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Yes, a proper good laugh, natural and warm - not textbook gags at all, just solid comedy Sheila, September 2006 |
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Great, the highlight of the night! Very relaxed and confident, good material and took the audience with him all the time. Pete, August 2006 |
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It may not be 'comedic rocket science' but Hollins can still react to the audience with great speed. The audience liked him so much last night that one person gave him a spliff (albeit containing just tobacco) which he managed to get several gags out of. Very relaxed, cool style. James Holdcroft, December 2005 |
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Excellent blues-inspired rants and great timing. Highly recommended. Tom, January 2005 |
Where can I see Pierre Hollins next?
| 20:00 - Thursday 23rd May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Comedy Store |
| Prices: | £18 (13 concs) |
| Comics: | Philberto, Pierre Hollins, Roger Monkhouse, John Fothergill (MC) |
| 23:00 - Friday 24th May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Comedy Store |
| Prices: | £15 (£10 concs) |
| Comics: | Philberto, Pierre Hollins, Roger Monkhouse, John Fothergill (MC) |
| 19:30 - Friday 24th May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Comedy Store |
| Prices: | £20 |
| Comics: | Philberto, Pierre Hollins, Roger Monkhouse, John Fothergill (MC) |
| 23:00 - Saturday 25th May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Comedy Store |
| Prices: | £18 (13 concs) |
| Comics: | Philberto, Pierre Hollins, Roger Monkhouse, John Fothergill (MC) |
| 19:30 - Saturday 25th May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Comedy Store |
| Prices: | £22.50 |
| Comics: | Philberto, Pierre Hollins, Roger Monkhouse, John Fothergill (MC) |
| 20:00 - Thursday 30th May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Cardiff Glee Club |
| Prices: | Adult - £9.50, Student - £6.00 |
| Comics: | |
| 20:30 - Friday 31st May, '13 | |
| Venue: | Cardiff Glee Club |
| Prices: | Adult - £15.00, Student - £6.50 |
| Comics: | |
| 20:30 - Saturday 1st Jun, '13 | |
| Venue: | Cardiff Glee Club |
| Prices: | Adult - £17.50 |
| Comics: | |
| 20:30 - Saturday 8th Jun, '13 | |
| Venue: | Bath Komedia |
| Prices: | £10 to £18 |
| Comics: | Barry Castagnola, Jen Brister, Pierre Hollins, Imran Yusuf (MC) |
| 20:00 - Friday 14th Jun, '13 | |
| Venue: | Preston Frog & Bucket |
| Prices: | Call for prices |
| Comics: | Des Sharples, Pierre Hollins, Phil Ellis (MC) |
| Info: | Plus: Wayne Deakin |
| 20:00 - Saturday 15th Jun, '13 | |
| Venue: | Preston Frog & Bucket |
| Prices: | Call for prices |
| Comics: | Des Sharples, Pierre Hollins, Phil Ellis (MC) |
| Info: | Plus: Wayne Deakin |
| 19:45 - Friday 5th Jul, '13 | |
| Venue: | Leeds Highlight |
| Prices: | From £17 |
| Comics: | Barry Dodds, David Hadingham, Otiz Cannelloni, Pierre Hollins |
| 19:45 - Saturday 6th Jul, '13 | |
| Venue: | Leeds Highlight |
| Prices: | From £17 |
| Comics: | Barry Dodds, David Hadingham, Otiz Cannelloni, Pierre Hollins |
| 21:45 - Saturday 6th Jul, '13 | |
| Venue: | Leeds Highlight |
| Prices: | From £17 |
| Comics: | Barry Dodds, David Hadingham, Otiz Cannelloni, Pierre Hollins |
Recommended| 21:00 - Saturday 13th Jul, '13 | |
| Venue: | The Bedford |
| Prices: | £10 to £16 |
| Comics: | Ian Stone, Lee Mack, Phil Nichol, Pierre Hollins, John Moloney (MC) |
| Info: | The Best of Banana Cabaret. Part of the Balham Comedy Festival |

