Gavin Webster: Don't Give Any Money to Comic Relief and Other Opinions

A death metal soundtrack vibrates through this small venue; a bodyless voice utters stuttered comic lyrics over the top before Gavin Webster appears on stage.  The music dies down but the noise level remains as he works up a head of steam. Ostensibly, the show is about differing opinions, and he spouts against Band Aid, Comic Relief, and their founders. It's laced with irony, of course – it’s just a joke!

It is a novel twist, taking on such grand institutions, and he pours himself into the material. Initially impressive, beginning with a diatribe against their politics and money distribution, it does, however, peter out as the hour progresses. The well of ideas runs a little dry and subsequent material is familiar: billionaire tax dodgers; comic misunderstandings; idiocy of the BNP. Ultimately, it all seems just a little stretched.

He’s clearly confident performing, has an eye for a joke, but the glimpses of potential remain underdeveloped as the flashes of novel comedy are allowed to fizzle out. There are moments when he relays conversations, highlighting colloquialisms and class differences, but ultimately they are just not enough to sustain laughter in the crowd. [Simon Pattullo]