It’s a densely packed night at the Bath Comedy Cavern as UK comedian Richard Herring takes his accurately named one man show ‘ménage à un’ on a tour of Europe. In typical British style, half empty pitchers of lager provide a perfect accompaniment to the 39 year old and self confessed pessimist’s routine. An air of expectation and anticipation fuels resident compere Geoff’s lighthearted and brief interaction with the audience, seemingly unaware that the headline act aims to irritate as much as he entertains.

Infuriation aside, Herring’s set eludes traditional comic material in favour of more disgruntling and less socially acceptable topics and though he interacts sparingly (albeit lecherously) with the audience, his bond remains strong throughout the set even raising stifled hilarity when advocating consensual sex with the stigmata of Jesus: nevertheless stressing that rape would be a bad thing.

Herring’s gift of smiling confidently and laughing brashly at his own insight allows him to push the boundaries between obscenity and controversy further than many comedians on the circuit. His self deprecating style removes any suggestion of arrogance aside from demeaning less intellectual members of the audience, indicating a disdain for stupidity, ignorance, misuse of the emergency services, fighting fascism with fascism and constantly reminding the audience “I satirized you, with satire”.

Though his set raised many cheers and ripples of applause the biggest laughs arose from the brief moments of comedy gold in his banter with a heckling audience member who was christened ‘wolf-man’ and promptly told he’d be better off dead. Many audience members were left with a sore stomach and a guilty conscience to reflect upon his instance (shouldn’t this be insistence?) at not being Bernard Manning, with the realization that Richard Herring is perhaps a little too comfortable on stage.

Comedy Cavern keeps living up to its reputation. I think I speak for the crowd when I say I really enjoyed all of the acts this evening.

Geoff Whiting kicked us off as usual, introducing Isy Suttie. I was particularly interested in seeing Suttie’s act after hearing good things around the circuit and she did not disappoint. Suttie discussed Englishness, fairies with Parkinson’s, her insane mother’s letters, and she also encouraged us gleefully to participate in a game of her own invention – “pig sex”. To punctuate her set, she sings her own songs making reference to the likes of Dido, Avril, and Alanis. Suttie has a very easy-going, naturally engaging and funny stage persona which appealed well to men and women in the audience in equal measure. Not one but two open spots tonight. And a couple of promising acts they are too! Gareth Richards delivered a fast but controlled ream of gags and puns, most of which were excellent. After this initial barrage he discussed his old job at McDonald’s, leading onto a brilliant story involving clowns, a woman who was terrified of clowns, and beating up Ronald McDonald. Jim Smallman gave a punkish performance with similarly cracking gags about threesomes, suicide, and The Pussycat Dolls (“For older members of the audience they’re like The Nolans… but slags”). I’d like to see both these guys doing longer sets – it would be interesting to see how their already inventive material and styles develop. Sean Percival closed this evening’s proceedings with a crowd pleasing performance that seemed simultaneously true to himself. Some good stuff on hand transplants, oral sex in a car (“don’t drink and dive”), manufactured pop bands, working class vampires, and the standard references to drugs and bonking that the crowd probably required after a few too many shandies at the end of the evening. What’s the Difference Competition: What’s the difference between Tom Cruise and a radiator? - About an inch and a half - One needs to be bled every month, the other needs to be bled to death.
Matthew Alford

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