As with most cities in the UK, Sunday nights are pretty quiet. Walking up towards the Grand
Theatre, I’m anticipating a bit of a laugh, but the eerie nature of the evening means that I’m not quite prepared for the sheer amount of energy that Russell Kane brings. Think physical comedy in the kind of in the style of Lee Evans, but with nicer clothes and better reference points.
I last saw Kane live probably over 10 years ago and for the life of me, I don’t know what has stopped me seeing him since. The man is a phenomenon and hugely funny to boot, so it’s been careless of me at the very least!
Support tonight comes in the form of Jack Skipper, a comedian I’ve not encountered before. However, within a couple of minutes of taking to the stage I’m engaged. He tells us of his plans to pay his kids back for all of the times they’ve woken him up when he’s hung over and follows it up with a reference to being out on a Sunday night and how it better have been listed on the calendar, which in our house is always the rule!
Skipper is relatable with his tales of his former life as a carpet fitter, his school days and his feeling that he’s really not that bright. It’s honest and most importantly, funny, making Skipper very much a comedian to keep an eye on.
After a longer than advertised break, on bounds Russell Kane and he’s more than a little bit angry. He’s been stuck in traffic and only arrived 10 minutes prior to walking out stage, making his brilliant set all the more remarkable.
Kane is an all action comic. There are times when he’s practically running around the stage and everything is delivered at break neck speed. Once he’s vented about his journey here he makes the acquaintance of a number of people in the front row, with hilarious results. He’s as sharp as a tack, with a response to everything, but none of it is malicious and every word is received with roaring laughter. Even when he’s ribbing a 17-year-old about the inadequacies of Gen Z, you can feel heartily sorry for the lad while still laughing like a drain.
The material tonight is brilliant while also feeling like it’s very much off the cuff. Sure, there
will be a plan, a framework to stick to, but Kane’s tales of family, life in the North, his working-class roots and what feels like everything in between meander along and intertwine fantastically well. There’s even time for some life lessons too and while it comes across as a little preachy and serious, it’s still very funny.
Before we know it, Kane is telling us that his hyperactivity and the exhaustion that it can bring is the reason why he only does 70 minutes on stage. Yet, it genuinely feels like he’s only been talking for about half an hour. He ends with what is actually a really sad tale about a young man that he met who was going through the last stages of terminal cancer. And yet, we’re still laughing.
Kane is a quite brilliant comic with a relatability, intelligence and style of delivery that makes it difficult to take your eyes off him. Tonight, has been an amazing night of comedy. I must remember to not leave it so long until I see him again.
WORDS BY GRAHAM CROSBY
FOR MORE ON RUSSELL KANE HEAD TO HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE
