David O'Doherty: Let's Comedy

Review by Tom Hackett | 17 Aug 2008

There’s always a worry with so-called ‘DIY’ comedians, defined by the seemingly shambolic, accidental nature of their comedy and their low-tech, do-it-yourself attitude: perhaps they will allow themselves too much leash and end up just being crap. The poster for O’Doherty’s latest show, which features the thirty-something year-old sitting in front of a piece of black fabric with his name taped onto it, head down over a tacky Yamaha keyboard, suggests a worryingly high degree of tweeness.

On seeing O’Doherty at work though, such worries are quickly dispelled. Whilst there’s certainly an improvised feel to the proceedings tonight, the jokes come thick and fast and with a surprisingly mature comic touch.

The material is rambling and tangential, underpinned by a sort of bemused but gently optimistic outlook on life. O’Doherty takes us through topics as diverse as the inherently passive-aggressive nature of text-messaging and the tedium of having to listen to what happened in other people’s dreams, with a sort of giggle and a what-the-hell shrug that leaves you feeling better about life’s miscellaneous annoyances.

The tacky Yamaha keyboard is occasionally whipped out for some elementary little songs, which would be irritating were it not for the often sharply wry lyrics.There are times when the pace slackens and O’Doherty admits at the end of the gig that his voice is a bit gone, which sadly lends a certain monotony to his tone of delivery. Quibbles aside, though, this is a DIY comedian at the height of his agreeably shambolic game.

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More on David O'Doherty and Edinburgh Fringe Festival:

Come Flyer With Me: David O'Doherty / David O'Doherty: David O'Doh-Party / David O'Doherty: Pioneer Spirit / David O'Doherty: Rory Sheridan's Tales Of The Antarctica / David O'Doherty: Seize the David O'Doherty / David O'Doherty at Edinburgh Fringe Review / David O'Doherty at The Fringe