Press

Review from www.funny.co.uk

Place on bill: Headline

Venue: Creased Up - The Hawth,Crawley

Date of show: 12th May 2005



Richard Herring has been doing stand-up for a long time yet this seems to be a bit of a downturn in his comedy career when you think he was a part of a hugely successful TV and Radio partnership with Stewart Lee in their Fist of Fun shows. And, by god, does he look like he’s hit on hard times too! Overweight, unshaven, scruffy and unkempt hair is not the best way to make a good first impression.

Looks aside, Herring is totally at ease in front of the lights and harsh glares of the judgemental crowd (well, me at least) and begins a non-stop attack on everything. Politics, the Pope, checkout staff, nothing is sacred to this man, including himself and the audience.

His pieces range from calm, yet scathing, observations on contentious issues to over-the-top rants on life’s inanities stripping every issue down to its basic elements and leading the audience along paths of undeniable logic no matter how ridiculous.

Course, crass and at times downright condescending to his listeners he gets away with it by letting us know that he’s being deliberately condescending which means he’s not being insulting but ironic.

In any other setting he could be considered rude and arrogant but with his varying delivery styles and consistently high delivery-to-laugh ratio he is one of the funniest and most skilled comedians on the circuit.