Andrew Maxwell at Komedia

I'd only seen Andrew Maxwell a couple of times on TV (including his stint on the Secret Policeman's Ball) in very short doses but what I did see was very funny. As part of the Fringe, he was appearing upstairs in Komedia, Brighton. It wasn't exactly packed though perhaps people were either voting or queuing up to vote Green (apart from our ward).

We were half expecting a warm-up comedian but the little Irish fellow built up his entrance and really needed too as the crowd just seemed non-plussed as if they were expecting a political debate. Once on stage he did his best to charm us by some shouting, swearing and asking where people came from to prompt any stories or opinions he had to say. Again, the crowd really weren't helping with the best heckle in answer to a question was a polite 'Pardon?' and the energy levels didn't get any higher than that. Maxwell admitted he forgot to book a warm-up guy and took on the whole show himself delivering almost two hours.

His style is more of a sweary man down the pub telling some random stories with extra padding and some funny descriptions and insights along the way. He used some of the same material in the video below as if to jump start a routine but generally stayed on local politics, what he'd been doing before the gig, a great insight into his young daughter's scheming mind and a few boozy nights out such as demanding to see some homeless people at a Salvation Army hostel. Kerry and I had a whale of time and may have given him a small lifeline and target to aim at, when the Green Party was talked about.

By the end of the night he seemed to be either testing the crowd with a self-defeatest attitude, admitting that we, the crowd had been one of the toughest yet. It was almost like hari kari on stage. Shame really, a few less intellectuals in the audience and maybe the gig would have been different.