The early bird catches the worm and also Dylan Moran. One of the main comedy attractions this weekend was the acclaimed Irish comedian warming up for his forthcoming Dr Cosmos tour. The show started at 12.15pm but still attracted a packed house. It was a short set, but Moran admitted he's not the best of timekeepers so maybe it was an achievement that he turned up on time at all.
The big change is that Moran has stopped drinking so there was no glass of red wine by his side, which wasn't just down to the brunch-time kick-off. He doesn't necessarily look any healthier – but then who would in the scorching heat? – but he does look a little thinner.
As for his comedy, it hasn't changed a great deal. His disposition is no sunnier, although his metaphor of life being like a dropped ice cream slotted in nicely with the heatwave.
Moran's subject matter is pretty much standard comic fare, it's what he does with it that makes him stand out. Whether talking - reluctantly – about Brexit or his increasingly creaky middle aged body or revealing that his wife is much cooler than him he has a striking hit rate and a memorable way with words. There are strong echoes of the brilliant Dave Allen in the way he rages against the world and the establishment.
Whether it was because of the bright sunlight and al fresco audience or because of his new sober regime he was easily distracted, going off at tangents when he spotted someone fidgeting in the crowd. The magic of Moran is that he has so much charisma and such a lyrical way of constructing a sentence that even his ad libbbed asides were funnier than other comedians' well-honed sets. It's great to have him back.
Buy tickets for Dylan Moran's tour here.
