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John Robins

Sara Pascoe and John Robins, Edinburgh Previews

July 12, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

It’s nearly time for the Edinburgh Festival 2014, and although that makes me want to shrivel away with jealousy because I can’t be there, it also means comedians are performing their shows to small audiences in order to perfect their routines. I visited a lovely little art centre called the Mac in Birmingham, which I’d urge anyone to visit if they are nearby as it also puts on theatre performances, art exhibitions and cinema shows (amongst many other things).

Firstly, we saw Sara Pascoe’s show: Sara Pascoe Vs History, which was a wonderful mix of relatable material, crazy facts and a small amount of madness. Sara has been one of my favourite comedians for a while and she has growing audience-wise week by week, having recently appeared on Mock The Week, for example. It’s been great watching her television persona develop over time and I was really looking forward to actually getting to see Sara perform her stand up to a live audience.

What I loved most about Pascoe’s show was that she talked very openly regarding her feminist views without leaving a resentful feel in the air: she spoke of liberation and change. But also, it was hilarious. One of my favourite ideas she expressed was one that she also talked about on Mock The Week very recently: that Page 3 should actually be made like jury duty, where anyone could be called up at any time. She expanded on it during her live show and I actually think it’s an excellent idea in theory, but I definitely don’t want to see it put in place! (Well, actually, I gladly don’t read The Sun, so maybe I, and most people I know, would be okay!) I really enjoyed Sara’s set, even though everyone was sure the building was burning down at one point and even the venue staff had to investigate the smell of smoke during the interval.

Pascoe and Robins

Next, we saw John Robins (my latest Comedian Of The Month, who is a relatively new comedian for me) with his show: This Tornado Loves You. I talked at length about John’s style of comedy in the post mentioned above so I won’t go too far into that as I’d just be repeating myself. However, what I will say is that this new show is very strong, with a good balance of accessible observations (such as an in depth analysis of the strange tradition of weddings and people’s behaviour at such events) with brilliant acted out scenes that only contained one person (John, obviously), but were developed around another silent character. I found a quote for John which summed up what his new show portrayed: ‘His self-deprecation and Olympic ad-libbing would have you skipping happily down even the darkest alley’ (Venue).

It was really interesting to see which jokes from both comics didn’t work with the audience, not because they weren’t funny but simply because there needed to be something additional said in order for us to understand and appreciate them (such as subtle wordplays that kept going unnoticed). If you’re in Edinburgh this summer or are interested in seeing some preview shows, I definitely recommend both Sara Pascoe and John Robins as they are both very talented and hard-working comedians.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH… SARA PASCOE

MORE EDINBURGH PREVIEWS

Posted in: Comedians, Live Comedy, Previews, Reviews Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Edinburgh Preview, John Robins, Live Comedy, Sara Pascoe, Sara Pascoe Vs History, This Tornado Loves You

June: Comedian Of The Month #5, John Robins

July 1, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

John Robins is an English comedian who I believe should already be a household name and it is a travesty that he isn’t as of yet. His 2013 Edinburgh show is downloadable online so I took the opportunity to properly listen to some of his stand up, having only seen him on television shows beforehand.

After listening to John Robins: Where Is My Mind? I was struck by a number of realisations. Firstly, why had I not listened to this before? John’s material was heartwarming, clever and hilarious and I’m annoyed I was missing out previously. Secondly, I was suddenly extremely looking forward to July 10, as I have tickets to see his and Sara Pascoe’s 2014 Edinburgh previews.

This show combined the story-telling genius of Rhod Gilbert with the relatability of maybe Jon Richardson or Josh Widdecombe and there was a heavy theme of self-deprecation, as John talked about his awkward teenage years and criticised his current way of living. I think it’s always good to hear a comedian who’s act doesn’t necessarily revolve around making themselves look good, because while John was busy slating his own personality and life choices, the audience, myself included, were slowly falling in love with him. (The crowd on the track clearly thought he was wonderful as they laughed continuously throughout, even to the point where John had to check if one of them was dying.)

Listening to Robins relay his funny anecdotes, it was impossible not to notice how smooth his transitions were, with perfectly timed call-backs throughout. This element made an hour plus show pass by in seemingly twenty minutes or so, which is a skill that few comedians have, and I could have listened to more afterwards.

It was an absolute pleasure to hear John Robins’ stand up show and I feel refreshed and even enriched having done so. The events of the hour spanned over many years yet fitted together seamlessly and beautifully. Not only did I enjoy the time spent listening to Robins, I also feel like I’ve learned something as a result.

For more information, visit John Robins’ website and follow him on Twitter.

 MAY COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH
Posted in: Comedian Of The Month, Comedians Tagged: Comedian Of The Month, Comedy, John Robins

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