John Robertson: Dragon Punch @ The Griffin

Australian John Robertson’s Glasgow Comedy Festival show gets off to an uncertain start when an elderly ned begins to heckle him by bellowing, a situation which only resolves itself when the ned and his friend are thrown out.

Unfortunately, Robertson never quite manages to recover from this point. He’s evidently tired and punctuates his sentences with a firm ‘now’ – not so much to focus the audience’s attention as to try and rein in his own rambling.

The show covers fandom and the ineptitude of his own punching skills, ranging from eighties video games to anime. It’s not always successful and there are moments where several different thoughts are strung together in a jumble. However, there are some great images – his material about anime conventions proves a particular highlight, and the musical numbers are very well received.

Altogether, although there are glimpses of intelligent and articulate comedy, I’m left with the sensation of having watched someone capable of greatness having a bad night.