Review by Steve Bennett

At the top of the show country singer Wilson Dixon tells us that he's from a sleepy lil ole place called Cripple Creek, Colorado. Though, in fact, from New Zealand, the man behind the character Jesse Griffin has certainly captured the insouciance of country living in small town America.

Before he starts the show Dixon gives a nod to his less than ideal venue in the Baby Belly caves where condensation drips on you from the arched ceiling. Dixon dryly (unlike the cave) observes that the venue is from a time before they realised you

Dressed in a cowboy hat, ratty dreadlocks and with odd lenses in his coloured shades he slips into his opening song with the laconic air he keeps up throughout the show. His gags are delivered wryly and subtlety; he introduces his first album as Wilson Dixon's Greatest Hits and the second as Introducing Wilson Dixon.

Dixon parodies those country songs we've all heard before with obvious insight. When a man with no name comes to town, well it's confusing isn't it? Even worse when two show up.

Though there's humour to be found in his lazy descriptions ­ 'baby, your legs are long bendy straight things' - the show is almost too laidback in places as there are areas where he misses the opportunity for a gag. Many lines of songs go by without a joke and sometimes he favours a rhyme over something funny; elsewhere the gag is sometimes cheap.

Dixon would also benefit from a little more character depth, perhaps he should consider dropping a song to enlighten us further on Cripple Creek and his life there with his pain-in-the ass dog.

Nevertheless what Griffin has got at this stage is a thoroughly enjoyable show that can only get better. The audience on the night Chortle was in positively lapped it up.

Marissa Burgess

Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett