I arrived at Latitude's comedy tent just as Ed Byrne was hitting his stride. At least I think it was Ed Byrne, the tent was way too rammed for me to be able to see the stage (hence no pictures), although I could just about get a glimpse of the live action on the screens on each side. Byrne was bemoaning s critic in Australia who had recently given him a five star review, marred only by describing Byrne as spritely - a word he associates with wrinkly senior citizens, not someone barely fifty and still with a full head of brown hair. Which just goes to show a) that critics can't win and b) there is just no pleasing some comedians.
Byrne was a good start to a great day of comedy at Latitude 2023. The next highlight was an act who is pretty new but quickly making a name for herself. Funny Women award winner Laura Smyth gets better every time I see her and a recent appearance on Live at the Apollo has given her a good boost too. She is a down to earth comic whose subject matter, ranging from getting older, body fascism and dodgy dads to having a difficult, ungrateful offspring still living at home is nothing exceptional, but that is its strength. It has an everyday appeal and Smyth really sells a gag well, pushing hard and getting laughs all the way. She is clearly going to be in big demand soon, so catch her now.
Russell Kane was one of my comedy highlights of the first day. Kane has always been a favourite of mine and I'm not quite sure what has happened to his career. I'm sure his tours sell out well, but I'm not clear whay he isn't on TV much more. Why hasn't he been on Taskmaster for example (sorry if he has but he didnt seem to be on the list according to google, just on Taskmaster online wishlists so others clearly feel the same)? Never mind spritely, Kane is an absolutely whirwind onstage, flying from side to side, throwing shapes and thrusting out his groin as if he's a Rik-from-the-Young-Ones tribute act.
Material-wise he has been ploughing the same furrow for a while now - the essential nature of Englishness – but that doesn't mean he hasn't evolved and his thoughts have even greater impact and relevance post-Brexit. His theory is that the English personality is all about nothing-or-lots. We abstain from drinking during the week, for example, and we go mental at the weekend. Why, he asks, can't we be more like the stylish continentals, sipping wine every day, not going without then pouring Sambuca on our arseholes, lighting it and getting somebody to drink it on a Saturday night.
Kane has a good perspective on class, having come from a working class family with its fair share of Brexiteers, but also has a hipster vegan relative. He throws every fibre of his body into his act spooling out ideas as if there is no tomorrow. He's simply brilliant and the audience, demonstrating that the middle classes at Latitude know genius when they see it, loved him. Now please can BBC One give him his own primetime show.
The co-star of the Off Menu podcast Ed Gamble was on great form. One of his winning self-mocking stores was about joining the Whatapp group in his street. Needless to say what started off as a mildly interesting pursuit and a way to dispose of food about to go off quickly turned into an obsession, with everyone in the group constantly wanting to know everything about everyone, particularly the young couple nearby who couldn't possibly have afforded their house.
He also had a superb riff about having a hen night during lockdown - just him and his wife-to-be were present, which meant that he had to be the obligatory stripper. Gamble is very much on a roll at the moment, with lots of TV work in the pipeline including a foodie version of Taskmaster. He's also going to be touring in 2024, though full dates have yet to be announced so keep an eye out for them.
Gamble was also in demand at Latitude. No sooner had he finished his set in front of the 2500 capacity Comedy Tent crowd than he pitched up to do an intimate extra set as part of the Barclaycard Presents Latitude Festival Secret Stage series on the Amp Stage (The Lightning Seeds were another act to double up and were great both times). This low-key gig was back in the camping village which meant that he found himself performing in front of a much more random crowd, including an excited child in a bright yellow Pikachu hat (something of a theme at this year's Latitude).
Gamble was initially concerned that he had made a mistake, recalling when he appeared at the heavy metal Download Festival (he loves heavy metal, he just doesn't have a heavy metal face). But despite early concerns he quickly won over the crowd, very cannily finding someone there who was about to get married so that he could do his routine about having a hen night during lockdown and being the stripper. At which point I felt I had seen enough comedy for the day and was starting to get stand-up routine flashbacks...
Review of day two here.
All pictures ©brucedessau
