The annual curtain-raiser for Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival gives fans a flavour of what they can expect when the festival kicks off in February. Not necessarily the biggest acts, but it is a chance for some of the smaller and medium sized acts to get a taste of a big venue and attract some new fans.
This year’s show was hosted by Lee Nelson, whose profile has risen massively since he showered Sepp Blatter in bank notes. But despite becoming a bit of a hero Nelson’s live tour last year was panned by critics who felt that his ironic sexism and racism lacked sufficient irony.
Yet tonight he seemed to be on such good form he was in danger of upstaging the guests. His audience banter was quick and sharp and his pre-scripted gags were good too. He also had something city-specific to saying about Richard III’s bones being found in a local car park. “He died dogging.” Even when he introduced the wrong comic he dug himself out of a very deep hole. More about that in a moment. But in some ways Nelson was the biggest victor of the night.
First up was genial lad Kai Humphries, who is 32 but seems about a decade younger. He’s a good, fun comic if not exactly breathtaking. Gags about being ginger and pasty-faced are hardly going to win you awards but he did prompt a big laugh when he explained that he moved from his native north-east to Edinburgh, where, by comparison to the locals he looks Mexican. He also got some giggles out of an old school photo of himself. A talented comedian who could have wide appeal without actually being anyone’s favourite.
Next up was Jen Brister, who has seemed on the cusp of a big breakthrough for a couple of years now and on tonight’s form certainly deserves that break. She started tentatively, but soon gathered pace as she talked about turning 40 and still buying her clothes in Top Shop where she could probably breast feed half the other customers. It’s a routine that might work better in a club - this mainstream Friday audience included a lot of people who would love to be 40 again and couldn’t see what she was complaining about. She definitely touched a nerve though when she said she had reached the age where she hopes social events get cancelled so that she can have a night in.
Lee Nelson introduced the third act, Nish Kumar, only to realise too late that the next act was actually George Rigden. It was a bad mistake but when Nelson got an audience member to do a second take Rigden (pictured) got a warmer welcome than ever. And he seemed to benefit from the cheers as if catching a comic wave and surfing on the laughs. Rigden’s musical comedy is deliciously dark as he sets himself up as a tragic, romantic loser – imagine Nick Helm with a guitar plus some occasional David Brentish asides. For a newbie he is very good at working the crowd and of all tonight’s acts he probably made the biggest impression.
By contrast Nelson’s slip-up maybe made things slightly harder for Kumar, who now had to live up to two big intros. Luckily the Foster’s nominee is on good form at the moment and the excerpts from his award-nominated show – about calling up a hapless help line and wondering why there can’t be a black James Bond – had wide appeal. His line describing John Wayne playing Genghis Khan as “a massive budget Benny Hill” always makes me laugh.
Review continues here.
