It's always the way isn't it, somebody else's loss is your gain and so it proved last night;Friday 29 November 2019.
Binding commitments meant that I was now in possession of two tickets to see Tony Law at The Punchbowl. Who is Tony Law was my first thought and Google and You Tube led me to believe he was a surreal stand up who's momentum had stalled a little recently.
Having visited the venue before I thought the room was gonna be a bit small, surely.
I turned up early and had a quiet pint with a mate before climbing the stairs to be greeted by the same stamp machine that inked me last time and sure enough it was the same room, this time with chairs.
Things were running late and a Greek comic, 15 years now a Geordie, came and did a 20 minute set whilst Tony battled the unexpected vagaries of North Eastern traffic. Didn't catch the name of our Greek friend but he entertained us royally for a short time before a harassed Tony Law entered the room smiling, quickly departing to get ready for his spot.
Armed with a clipboard, to which he made comical references, a guitar and a non-descript bag, he grabbed the mike and took apparent control. By this time I had developed a very distracting eye irritation that made concentration random, but Steve and I quickly cottoned on to his patter and enjoyed. His musical prowess was comically non existent and I'm sorry to say that the the only section of the set I remembered for its title was 'testicle mince' (Ask Tony)
Sitting behind us were a quartet who were suspiciously copious with their laughter, I wondered about their green fingers; they certainly acted like a plant!
I wish I could remember more actual dialogue but you could tell he was a pro no matter where he currently stands on the ladder, looking for ways to get back on telly. He captured the absurd (hominids a speciality) and the moment really well and even evaluated his own performance at the end and he got it about right. He seemed to need reference to his clipboard and was distracted by the odd occasion of punters leaving the room for toilet but quickly got back on his own disjointed track.
I've never seen a comic so up close and personal and it was quite revealing. See him again? Yes I probably would, I think the circumstances would be less fraught, if that's not putting a negative spin on the night. The bloke's a fine comic and I wish him back to where he wishes to be. Best of........
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