Andrew O’Neill’s Escape (or Andrew O’Neill must be stopped)
It’s another Dead Leg Comedy Club night with a twist. There are no other comedians on tonight’s bill as it’s a preview of Andrew’s latest comedy show. It must be stated that what’s being presented tonight is not the final show that will be seen in Edinburgh. Some of the jokes are less than a day old, having literally been written in the afternoon. It’s entirely possible that some will be written during the show. It’s Andrew O’Neill, anything is possible. For those who don’t know who Andrew O’Neill is, they are known for their radio and TV appearances, regular festivals, and their appearances in seasons 2 and 3 of Good Omens. They were also one quarter of the steampunk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing.
The night opens as usual with the Dead Leg House Band, who have brushed up on some punk music. Alongside their new comedy show they’ve also been writing a History of Punk so the music choice for the evening has been selected accordingly. It’s straight into “Teenage kicks” from the Undertones before going into “Alternative Ulster” by Stiff Little Fingers. Rounding off a triple bill of recognisable punk classics is “Bored Teenagers” by The Adverts. It’s then onto the comedy.
The show is a showcase of their political views and ideas. It’s a work in progress and still being written, but it doesn’t stop the jokes from flowing. It’s actually hard to tell how much is ad-libbed and actually written comedy, but that’s more to Andrew’s credit as a comedian.
They’re disappointed in Keir Starmer. Very disappointed in Keir Starmer. To be fair the entire country is very disappointed in Keir Starmer so there’s an entire barn door for the jokes to take aim at, no chance of missing here. Their views on the rest of politics, disappointment would be an understatement. It’s safe to say they’re actually quite angry at the state of the country as a whole and the show sometimes veers off into angry rants, but it’s all done with acerbic observation that leaves the audience in hysterics.
There’s sketches and audience interaction and some rather out of place, but absurdly hilarious anecdotes. Not sure how they fit with the political themes of the show, they may just be there to fill the gaps. If they don’t make it into the final version I’m sure they’ll form the basis of another, more personal, show at a later date. If there’s fault in the show it may be that it tries too hard to explain the politics, diving into political theory and a lot of explanation of how their political beliefs shape the show. But as stated, this is the first preview of a show that’s still being written and as such offers a unique insight not only into Andrew’s political beliefs, but also into their comedy writing methods. It’s anarchic, chaotic, hilarious, and still very much Andrew O’Neill. I look forward to seeing what the show is like once it’s finally worked into a stand alone comedy show.
It’s a change to the line-up as Andrew’s band Meltzer takes to the stage to close with some hardcore tunes. They start with “I Don’t Want To Hear It” by Minor Threat before moving onto “Step Down” by Sick Of It All. They finish off with a medley of Metallica songs starting with “Master of Puppets” before segueing into Battery. It’s then back to the Dead Leg House Band and punk requests, starting with “New Rose” by The Damned. Next up it’s “Pretty Vacant”. None of the band can remember the music, but then again neither could the Sex Pistols so it’s an authentic cover at least. We get Eddie and the Hotrods’ “Nervous Breakdown” and “Rise above” from Black Flag. Last song of the night and we bring it down a bit with some Jimi Hendrix. For all that Andrew complains about playing different styles of music they pull off a very credible “Wind Cries Mary”. No Dead Leg Comedy in August, so it returns on September 15th.
You can catch Andre O’Neill’s Escape Thursday to Tuesday at 7:10pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire) until August 24th.
Tickets available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/andrew-o-neill-escape
Andrew will also be performing their new show A History of Punk Wednesday to Sunday at 11:30pm at Bannerman’s until August 24th.
Tickets available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/andrew-o-neill-s-history-of-punk
Andrew O’Neill – Occult Comedian
Review and Photography Mark Bestford
