Dogshit Johnson 'One Small Step'

Riffing on Seasick Steve – dungaree-clad, bearded, bluesy troubadour –Dogshit Johnson greets the cosy State Bar audience with a catchy song about his hometown of Brownsville, Louisiana.

As the accent wavers in the early stages, the material leans heavilyon a few tired stereotypes with little evidence of satire. A shame as it feels like a real opportunity missed to challenge the audience’s perceptions.

Musically proficient, the songs are good fun, although some of the bigger laughs are reserved for throwaway lines during the chat in-between. The character is at his best interacting with others as he welcomes several special guests to the fold, including an amusing segment with his manager and a duet with his country & western loving daughter. Yet it’s an out-of-left-field Finnish folk duet that proves to be the most entertaining part of the evening.

An exchange with a heckler seems to disrupt his flow somewhat, though it’s handled well enough, before closing the set with Dogshit Blues, a humorous song that has the audience happily singing along. There’s definite promise here and with a few tweaks Dogshit Johnson should prove a welcome addition to the characters on the Scottish comedy circuit.