Phil Kay [2008]
Note: This review is from 2008
Review by Steve Bennett
Phil Kay is manic and slightly jumpy, kissing the front row and blagging beer from late arrivals within minutes of taking to the stage. This is evidently going to be another of Kay’s freestyle gigs, an ill-fated attempt to squeeze an hour of entertainment out of last night’s drinking shenanigans.This is all very well, but simply recalling a night on the piss very, very quickly and with no pause for effect does not make that night funny. It’s more of an excuse for being crap.
Duly informed that there are some nights when Kay is not naturally funny, the audience bate their collective breath and hope that he has some material. When it turns out that he doesn’t, really, they’re still keen to give him the benefit of the doubt. It is gratefully received.
Here and there he picks up a guitar, but never hits the sweet spot. The substance of the show revolves around a day spent not buying a car in the Highlands, and the terrible consequences to the car he borrows instead. It’s a long story which probably went down well in the pub last night, but tonight it’s just not enough; he’s lost his mojo or whatever it is. We all have bad days and gods forbid that they should be held against us and written up forevermore on a website.
At the end of it he recommends that we come back another night, give him another chance, and the audience can be overheard blaming themselves for being somehow unsupportive. The truth is that sometimes Phil Kay is just wide of the mark.
Reviewed by: Chloe Smith
Review date: 1 Jan 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
