Comedy / andrew bird
Review: Andrew Bird, Comedy Box
“Broccoli!” It was one of the most surreal heckles I’ve heard in a comedy club. Nevertheless, it did sum up a distinctly unruly atmosphere that threatened to overturn the first half of tonight’s Comedy Box evening at the Hen and Chicken.
However, compere Clint Edwards did a fine job of keeping the excitement under control, albeit by picking out a few members of the audience with some rather unkind characterisation (one unsuspecting audience member on a first date was quickly reimagined as the Bristol Strangler). Perhaps the cheeky smile on his face and comfortable style lulled us all into a false sense of security.
First up was support act Erich McElroy – Seattle born and now a British citizen. It’s clear he loves being in the UK, and the usual observations on queues and modesty ensue. But he saves his smartest material to attack American gun culture and the White House, which form the most cerebral parts of the evening’s entertainment. With more build-up to each laugh, Erich’s satirical comments might have got more of a reaction; as it was, some of his lines were lost in the rush.
In contrast, headliner Andrew Bird is most comfortable talking about his home life – his long-suffering wife, their two ‘pet humans’ and his Slovakian in-laws. It’s not ground-breaking stuff, but it’s delivered with conviction and he is, as his marketing material will tell you, effortlessly funny. Especially on the subject of marriage, which he memorably imagines as a job he’s not very good at.
Bird is currently doing a big UK tour and it shows: his delivery is flawless, the jokes are clearly structured and his gestures support them. It’s easy to relax in the hands of such a confident performer. Not a moment slips past without him in full control – it would be interesting to see him in conversation with the audience, or perhaps commenting on the particular place he finds himself in tonight, but this is no criticism.
Bird and McElroy are two comedians who perhaps won’t share the same fans, but do work well together in one evening: the sweet and salty popcorn of the comedy world.
Andrew Bird and Erich McElroy played the Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, Bristol on Saturday, 22 November.
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