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Buzzmag reviews Collings and Herrin in Cardiff 21/01/10

COMEDY REVIEW: COLLINGS AND HERRIN PODCAST LIVE
By Emma Davies ⋅ January 21, 2010 ⋅

I’m slightly concerned about something: one of my mannerisms has become the basis for comedy. Secret dancing – you know that sort of shuffly, fidgety, not-actually-dancing dancing you do when you’ve got headphones on in public? Please, somebody, tell me this is a normal thing to do, because Andrew Collins has a 20-minute stand-up routine about it. He does make it bloody funny, mind.

For the unfamiliar among you, this duo comprises a self-christened “media hyphenate” (Collins) and a man who’s single-handedly trying to reclaim the toothbrush moustache (Richard Herring – get what they did with the names?) touring on the back of their cult podcast.

Tonight features short stand-up sets from each – cue jokes about the limitless imagination of childhood and the previously-mentioned secret dancing. It’s indisputably great, but it’s the second half’s live podcast recording which proves the highlight.

Podcasts are all too often a self-contained entity. A few people in a room, bouncing ideas off of each other – they’re amusing but sometimes frustratingly distant. By taking the podcast on tour, Collings and Herrin drag the audience into the fun. Quite literally, if you’re the unfortunately-named Tyma, who bears the brunt of many time travel jibes.

Often tasteless, occasionally libellous and frequently off-the-wall in its observations, this may not be comedy for everyone. But it is, most definitely, comedy for anyone with a decent sense of humour. Be honest: we all know that “I fucked your mum” is the premium way to deal with would-be hecklers.

http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/?p=1716