+ Jane Bostock, June 2009 (Jane Bostock)
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Jane Bostock - Live Review
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Jane Bostock offers an audaciously dry set; full of deliberately over-long pauses and needless repetition of out-of-context phrases such as ‘Neutering helps prevent the spread of Aids among cats’ intending to reveal an inherent absurdity. The influence of Stewart Lee is obvious – though this is a difficult style to master and Bostock hasn’t yet the experience to nail it. But there are some enjoyable lines here, and her boldness of delivery certainly holds the attention. |
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Date of live review: Thursday 25th Jun, '09 |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
+ Don Biswas, June 2009 (Don Biswas)
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Don Biswas - Live Review
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Don Biswas looks nervy and uncomfortable in the spotlight, and so as not to put too much of himself on the line, delivers a list of detached one-liners. There are a couple of fine gags in there, but the strike rate is inconsistent. He has a couple of self-deprecating quips about his Asperger’s, but generally wordplay is the order of the day, substantially aided by the fun delivery device he uses, and subverts, in which he solicits requests for random numbers from his list of jokes. |
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Date of live review: Thursday 25th Jun, '09 |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
+ Mark Restuccia, June 2009 (Mark Restuccia)
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Mark Restuccia - Live Review
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The well-spoken Mark Restuccia has the verve and confidence of a seasoned pro, despite having been on the circuit for not much more than a year. It comes as no surprise to learn that he’s a voiceover artist by day – as he knows how to deliver material. But he’s less assured at dealing with the audience; when gags flailed, he complained that they were ‘usually bankers’ and didn’t quite understand the muted reaction he was getting. But in truth his often punny material is patchy and sometimes very predictable – though a good smattering stand out, too. He’s surely got the pizzazz to sell his wares to a pliant crowd, but in the absence of such support, the material wavers. |
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Date of live review: Thursday 25th Jun, '09 |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
+ Adam Tempest, June 2009 (Adam Tempest)
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Adam Tempest - Live Review
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Mild-mannered Adam Tempest has an amiable, chatty style that makes him good company, but the tales of his flatmates (a ‘rapey’ bloke and a South African woman with a fatally unsexy accent) are too often come across like entertaining party conversation that anything with extra comedy ‘oomph’. But then he will surprise with a cheeky gag to elicit a chuckle, rather than the smile that meets most of his routine. The tattoo parlour prank and condom gag, especially stand out. |
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Date of live review: Thursday 25th Jun, '09 |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
+ Sajeela Kershi, June 2009 (Sajeela Kershi)
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Sajeela Kershi - Live Review
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Fast-talking Sajeela Kershi babbles away effusively and engagingly, although there’s a lack of focus in the writing and the subject matter. The set feels like a random download of all that’s on her mind, and while there are certainly jokes in there, they would benefit from better rhythm and more considered timing. Some segments offer a tantalising suggestion that she has something interesting to say – on the rise of the BNP, for instance – whereas others, such as tattooing her backside, are a lot less less edifying. |
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Date of live review: Thursday 25th Jun, '09 |
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Review by Steve Bennett |
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