Comedy / clint edwards
Review: Daliso Chaponda, Comedy Box
Two Africa-born comedians triumphed on stage tonight at the Hen and Chicken. Could they compete with the 6 Music Festival? This crowd definitely thought so.
Clint Edwards compered, delivering risqué jokes with his killer smile and plenty of audience interaction: he looked thoroughly at home on the Comedy Box stage.
First up was the intriguingly named Pierre Novellie, who admits that he is neither French nor Italian, and simply has two parents determined to confuse. Growing up in Johannesburg, at the age of seven Novellie moved to the Isle of Man, where he became the tallest thing on the island. This interesting background provided him with plenty of material for gags on Britishness, delivered in an untypical and clever way. Pierre shared with us the thrill of using the right accent for the right situation (posh English to placate the police, for example).
The audience particularly enjoyed learning the meaning of the song at the start of The Lion King, from which Pierre developed a fun riff on crap film songs. It will be interesting to follow this charming comic and find out what he has to offer beyond his autobiographical material.
After the break, Daliso Chaponda burst on to the stage with exactly the right energy to match his punchy material. His lively set moved through familiar topics like insecurities and single life, with a bit of political commentary thrown in for good measure – all delivered at pace with a high density of laughs per minute.
Chaponda’s precocious talent lies in the delivery: he draws the audience in with his voice, only to rail back at them with arms and eyes blazing. His well-deserved encore closed another great value show at the Hen and Chicken.
Daliso Chaponda and Pierre Novellie played the Comedy Box at the Hen and Chicken on Saturday, Feb 13. For future Comedy Box lineups, visit www.thecomedybox.co.uk
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