Capital of Comedy
The Slaughterhouse, Fenwick Street, February 8

IN between Robin Ince’s excitable, rambling trains of thought the stand up can be heard burbling little manic asides to himself, like “I think I’m having a breakdown” or “I’m definitely ill”. But the more he works himself up, the more endearing he becomes.

Watching his set at Capital of Comedy, it was hard to think of a comparable act that ever had me laughing out loud quite so much and with such consistency, while leaving me hanging on their every ridiculous word.

Robin Ince, the comedian who bought the concept of the book club to the stand-up stage, is at that time in life, approaching middle age, by which he is looking forward to officially being a curmudgeon.

If Morrissey suddenly fancied becoming a comic and a bit of playing to the gallery, the result would probably not be too unlike a night with Ince.

He talked of recently becoming a father, and how he had been egged on to have a baby by other comics who told him it would provide endless material. Five weeks on, he bemoans, he’s got nothing funny, just an endless panic he’s about to kill his son through sheer ineptitude. His ponderings as he recalled his wife’s labour, and how he considered starting a new glamorous life if it all went wrong, were just brilliant.

His beautifully chaotic style, as he frantically gesticulates and speeds up to keep up with his pace of thought, is nothing short of commanding – interesting, given his unassuming persona. So much so, some of the audience almost seemed to tire of the fact they couldn’t get a heckle in sideways and went to the bar for a loud chat (shameful).

Co-header Gary Delaney offered a varied set of whimsy and smut that worked well. His endless stream of smart one-liners combined the wit of Jimmy Carr with the delivery of someone altogether more approachable such as Richard Herring.

Compere Silky was on good form and clearly enjoying himself as we were treated to an extra one of his songs – one about a deviant office thief, the other an ode to tormenting a vegan girlfriend. A short set from newcomer Simon Gibson was well received by the audience, as part of Capital of Comedy’s commitment to providing opportunities for new comics in a supportive atmosphere.

A little bit of Ince being blinded (with rage) by (not) science:

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