Jon Richardson at Fringe Review

Misanthrope, angry young man, "just a mouth spouting hate": Jon Richardson has been called a lot of (admittedly, very similar) things. Unsurprisingly, as he makes clear throughout this well-received set, he's none too pleased about this.

Richardson clearly feels a little misunderstood as a comic. As he makes explicit, he believes moaning and complaining to be this generation's only weapon in the battle to Make Things Better. In fact, it's only because he believes things to be so good that complaining is at all important; it's our way of eliminating the little things in life that get us riled up. And it is upon this philosophical foundation that Richardson's set is built.

We learn, early on, that Richardson isn't necessarily an exciting man. He lives alone, counting cooking for himself as his most exciting pastime, and lives the life of a touring comedian. To an extent, this is reflected in his routine, which barely deviates from observations taken from public transport, long distance driving and the little idiosyncracies that appear when one is left to their own devices. Bill Hicks this is not.

While you could never call Richardson an important comic, he is very good when playing in his comfort zone. When he briefly stumbles into political analysis, it is—and I'm being generous here—naive at best, but his personal demeanor is thoroughly engaging, and his enthusiasm coupled with his high-pitched Lancastrian accent is naturally funny. His best material is all rather safe but is executed with great skill and his packed-in audience are captivated throughout.

This is low comedy of a very high quality.

Read our preview feature for Jon Richardson's show.