Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

The world as Damien Power experiences it is essentially a bleak, hostile place that should be tackled with steely cynicism – or accepted through a drug-induced fug. And brutal reality requires brutal comedy.

The comedian senses a desperation among his audiences for jokes to distract them from their depressing daily grind. Power will provide those much-needed laughs, but by confronting modern dystopia head-on, not glossing over it.

If there’s a mental health crisis, he steers past familiar maladies such as ADHD in favour of violent schizophrenia. And why smoke dope for release when there’s DMT or ketamine in the world? There’s certainly a good chunk of drug material in this show, including a coke-based theory about why Australian TV is so dire compared to its American counterpart. 

Although grimness often underpins his topics, it means the jokes are funnier, as there’s a greater release. And Power is a strong gag writer, expressing original thoughts, sometimes where few dare to tread. At the very least, he’ll find new ways to address more widely observed truths.

Power is suspicious of softness, at least for the purposes of his jaundiced comic standpoint. He sees Darth Vader as a role model. And those delicate young male comics who proclaim themselves unluckily in love? He’s sure they are only projecting vulnerability to lower the defences of the next conquest they can target in the crowd.

As a single dad negotiating dating in his 40s, Power is worried about his 16-year-old son growing up in this toxic world, though the lad seems to be doing just fine, shrugging off bullies and not getting dragged too deeply into social media’s hell. The comic makes a convincing case for why Mark Zuckerberg is worse than Kim Jong Un.

Other topics include his surprise at the overlap between sex-positivity and progressiveness, a hilarious theory about why ghosts hang around, and an excellent theoretical counterpoint to all those rich white women who appropriate Indian culture in the name of spirituality. 

Unnerved offers no message, no theme, no story beyond a collection of loosely linked stand-up routines. Power – who has thrice been nominated for the main award at this festival – is easily a good enough comic not to need any such obvious structure to prop up his material. His jokes most definitely speak for themselves.

• Damien Power: Unnerved is on at the Swiss Club at 6pm (5pm Sundays; no show Mondays) until April 19.

Review date: 8 Apr 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival