Comedy @ the State, 7 April

a pan-cultural mishmash of fringe acts

Article by Robert Wringham | 11 May 2007
Certain regional accents are perfect for stand-up comedy. Scottish, Welsh and Irish tongues have made many a simple joke acoustically brilliant. Good news then for those attending the Comedy @ the State's launch night, which featured a pan-cultural mishmash of fringe acts. It could almost make you glad to be part of the Union. Particularly welcome were the breathless monologues of Rob Kane, including some rather odd ideas about having sex to the Dangermouse theme tune. As recent winner of the Scottish Amused Moose heat, Kane is on impressive form. Lovely Sian Bevan packs in some punches too, identifying the differences between Welsh and Scottish peoples: their perceptions of the sun apparently veering between a "fiery ball" and "a great big sunbed in the sky." The setting is great: cozy, beery and more akin to a Victorian gentlemen's club than a comedy venue. Nights like these are the real fringe and the birthing grounds of new comedy. [Robert Wringham]