On teenagers

Glasgow Comedy Festival 2012

More Tiffany Stevenson videos

Contestant in ITV1's 2011 reality/talent series Show Me The Funny.

Glasgow Comedy Festival 2013 Launch Show
Live Review
Leicester Square Theatre

The traditions of Burns Night are well-established: haggis, poetry, enough single-malt to float a battleship, and then, O what a glorious sight, the London launch of the Glasgow Comedy Festival.

Vying with Leicester for the title of Europe’s biggest event of its type, the packed programme boasts more than 400 shows – and this taster is designed to woo tourists north of the border this March... although there’s a notable reluctance to commit to that trip from the audience tonight.

Still, this line-up – hosted by self-confessed ‘needy poof’ Bruce Devlin –  offers a perfectly succulent taster. Devlin’s fast-talking patter blends smut, catty audience insults and honest if unedifying personal titbits that, in a full set, might become draining. But in the compere’s role he shovels the night along, getting himself – and by extension the rest of the room – energised by his near-the-knuckle banter with the front rows.

The festival is proud to be a natural product of Glasgow, rather than simply being located there, but it took two outsiders to offer the best take on Scottishness, going beyond the stereotypes of battering both food and people. The first came courtesy of Henning Wehn, who found little appetite for Scottish independence in the room (though a later comic suggesting England be submersed got a big cheer).

The football-loving German cheekily suggested that sectarian chanting was the only thing that made the Scottish game worth following; though proceeded to dissect the lyrics of one Loyalist anthem with the usual ruthless Teutonic efficiency. (What was that I was saying about stereotypes?) Wehn sometimes needs a little time to set out his theories, but there are plenty of wry lines and astute insight in his set.

Tiffany Stevenson appears to have ambitions to be a Middlesex Sarah Silverman with her bad-taste one-liners... although she doesn’t quite commit to the nastiness, de-clawing each punchline with a deliberate smile to let the audience know it’s only a joke. Some of these lines pack a punch, but when she moves on to topics of middle age, middle class ‘yummy mummies’ and what she considers the real seven signs of aging, the sneer is a little safer.

Richard Herring delivered the opening few minutes of his ‘male answer to the Vagina Monologues’, Talking Cock, which can’t really fail. The legion of Profanisaurus-type euphemisms for the ‘Kojak piggy-bank’ might not be sophisticated, but they are funny - especially when Herring revels so much in their childishness. The responses to his survey about where men put their ‘porridge guns’ for pleasure is as eye-watering as it is eye-opening, and proves that embarrassing comedy about penises is timeless indeed.

A change of style for Jen Brister, who returned to the theme of entering middle age (she’s a youthful 38) yet still wanting the lifestyle of a twentysomething – from Top Shop chic to pill-popping nights out. The subject is bread-and-butter for stand-up, but Brister makes it her own through expertly-performed set pieces: hilariously evocative character sketches that display a flair for cartoonish exaggeration and a mastery of both physical comedy and timing. She’s long-overdue a more high-profile vehicle for these talents.

Mitch Benn’s place in the comedy universe is more well-established, with his quick-turnaround topical-inspired songs, accurately capturing a musical genre. After a fair bit of set-up to evoke the Olympics, his feelgood bounce-along number inspired by the opening ceremony’s inflatable Stonehenge is properly catchy. And the cod rock opera, inspired by children’s literature is nicely done. I could do without the hack Yoda and wookie impressions, though, however good he is at them.

The second half of the showcase rounded up some London-based Scottish comics as a reminder of the festival’s origins. First among them was Dougie Dunlop, a no-frills stand-up who lets his material as a downtrodden everyman speak for itself. It’s something of a mixed bag, with a few pedestrian moments mixed with some great lines and unexpected switcheroos... but there’s a warmth to his dour observations, and an efficiency of delivery that keeps the punchlines coming.

Robert Mugabe-obsessed Matt Winning is a man who forever looks as if he’s just that moment regretted opening his mouth. Whether it’s his tortured puns about the Zimbabwean dictator, or tortured puns about something else, it’s his embarrassment in his own ‘dad gags’ that carries the set. To be fair, some of the wordplay is quite inspired. But some is ‘fucking awful’, to use his own words. Either way, with his odd fixations and deliberate phrasing in his delivery, this Scot is certainly memorable.

A quick transatlantic trip, next, for sassy Yank David Mills, whose sharp comments likening devolution to divorce really hit the spot – and made him the second outsider to successfully nail the Scottish psyche.

Mills is arch and mean, which can be refreshing but sometimes seems misplaced: I don’t think you have to be a super-leftie liberal to think his attacks on the homeless are aimlessly cruel more than ironic, while he sometimes seems to enjoy the sound of his own voice a bit too much, and talks fuzzily around the subject. That said, he cuts a distinctive and stylish figure, with an enjoyably elevated persona and some tart, acerbic putdowns.

Wendy Wason also can’t help but get caught up in digressions ‘I was going to tell you something, but I’m chatting here...’ she chirpily confesses at one point – and it’s futile to hope that this engaging gossip will fully focus. For the first half of her set you wonder if she’s going to get anywhere, but eventually reveals some delightfully catty comments aimed at her own offspring – she’s an ultra-competitive mum in that respect – while her story about saying the wrong thing to a friend heading out to Thailand is a brilliant anecdote.

A real treat of a headliner came in the form of Mark Thomas who, inspired by his bilious contempt for the romantic novel One Day, revealed his new favourite pastime: heckling books. You’ll all be doing it soon.

You might think that a rather trivial topic for a political comedian, but his whole ethos is to encourage direct acts of rebellion – executed with a disarming wit that always makes his targets look silly. He’s currently reviving his Manifesto show, which encourages audiences to make suggestions for policies that would make Britain better – and it’s testament to the humour, imagination and sense of justice among his fans that he’s collected such a hilarious set of pronouncements, every one of which should probably be enacted straight away.

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3

I saw Tiffany Stevenson for the first time at the Frog and Bucket, her performance was faultless, i enjoyed every minute of it and at one point i thought i had actually wet my pants. (I hadnt) The one thing i left sure of, was the fact that Tiffany will go far, she was a pleasure to watch and i hope to see her again soon.

Lisa, February 2009

Anyone who has anything negative to say about Tiffany Stevenson quite simply just doesn't get it... I've seen her several times, most recently at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester, and have not once been disappointed. Her 'detached style' is hilarious, and her air couldn't be further away from unapproachable and bored. Her stage presence is confident and charming, making her as incredibly charismatic as the comedians you see on TV selling out the Apollo and bringing tours out on DVD. I have no doubt that she will be doing the same in a few years and petty inaccurate reviews such as the one on this page will be irrelevant and laughed at as much as Tiffany is by an entire room of people at every gig I have seen her do. Which for the record, is a LOT.

Nicola, February 2009

I think the reviewer is spot on. I first saw Tiffany last year at one of her Old Rope gigs in London, where she was a capable if unmemorable hostess. I saw her again last week in Lady & the Tramp in Edinburgh where her laissez faire and overly self-aware delivery made for an awkward 20 minutes, her material came across as ill-prepared despite much of it being recognisable from the previous year's offering. Her Scottish comments fell flat, and all the chav/teenage mother jokes have been heard a hundred times before, albeit with far cleverer observations and better delivery. All in all an unpolished performance that would just about make the grade at a first-timers, open mic type event. Lady Carol, on the other hand, was an absolute breath of fresh air. Understated, hugely talented and captivating from start to finish. This juxtaposition only served to emphasise Stevenson's shortcomings.

Richard, August 2008

Strong set, no messin'. Good rapport, easy delivery, original take on less-than-original topics. Not earth-shattering, but worthwhile.

Michael Monkhouse, June 2008

I saw Tiffany at Headliners on 3 May. Her performance was superb and very entertaining. She is very talented with high energy. It's very refreshing to have a female comic who can hold an audience incredibly well. Can't wait to watch her again!

Gayle, May 2008

I agree with most of the above comment, I think the review was harsh to the extreme. I think she's incredibly joyous to watch with real stage presence. I don't think being intelligent and likeable is a rare combination and can think of many performers pull it off. But yes I enjoy her set and I enjoyed how much she seemed to enjoy herself and would be very happy to see her on a bill.

Caitlin, February 2008

I have seen Tiffany Stevenson on several occasions both at the fantastic Old Rope and also at various gigs on the circuit. I think she is a accomplished MC and stand up who is both likeable and intelligent which is a hard combination to achieve that combined with her good looks make her entirely watchable and someone to keep an eye on as she progresses (which I have no doubt she will) in the comedy world. I don't agree with the review at all.

Davey, January 2008

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3