23 November 2011 (released)
01 December 2011
After collecting our tickets for tonight's performance we nervously make our way to the front of the venue....yes row B is the second row! Easy target range for tonight's comedians.
Warming up for Tom Stade tonight is Irishman John Lynn. He opens up his act by calmly ensuring the front row not to worry as he's not one of those guys who picks on people and asks them loads of questions.........after being lulled into a relieved sense of security he then goes straight in to the guy in the centre of the front row....."What's your name and what do you do for a living?" Poor I.T man Dean then gets ripped apart for the remainder of John's set.
John, an ex teacher (well, so he tells us anyway...) apparently took up comedy after attending a comedy gig a few years ago and thinking "I could do that". The Audience here is very glad he did. With a confident yet incredibly relaxed approach he cheekily rips the shit out of a few members of the first row, in particular Dean who John quickly discovers has chosen to sit in the front row with his girlfriend, AND his parents.....the gloves are off!
Falmouth Pavilions is a Fair sized venue but John quickly manages to unite the crowd and get the whole place in stitches at his own and other audience members expense. Including a cringeworthy recollection of a rather uncomfortable taxi journey after having taken a course of ultra strong laxative Picolax!. He Finishes off his set tonight by enquiring on Dean's sexual prowess and techniques, giving us all belly laughs, and a mental note never to attend a comedy night with the folks, especially not in the front row!
Tom Stade is a Canadian who moved to the UK (Edinburgh) in 2003, and in that time he's immersed himself in, and observed our culture to an extent he's able to spit out razor sharp, slightly twisted observations of British life back at us and strike us clean between the eyes every time.
With your reviewer quaking in his boots in the second row, Tom proceeded to take up where John left off with a character assassination of the guys at the front, thankfully he didn't look any further than row A, and for the main part not much further than good old Dean and his family. His dad Barry now taking over as prime target, especially after Tom found out during his musings of married life that Barry is on marriage number 3!.
Although he shares John Lynn's audience bating skills, Tom's anarchic style is very different to John's laid back approach. The audience is never sure where he's going next, or which taboo will be broached and chortled at. One of the great things about watching live comedy is that comedians don't have to be overly worried about upsetting the ultra PC brigade sat there waiting to be offended and subsequently complain. The paying audience here tonight know we shouldn't really be laughing sometimes, but the guilt makes it even funnier, and we know Tom doesn't really go seal clubbing in his spare time!
Tom takes us through his set by bouncing ideas off his best friend 'Jimmy', yep, some poor guy sat in the front row, regaling past stories and glories about Fat Americans, McGeldofs and disease ridden Tamagotchis! He really draws the audience in and makes us feel part of the whole experience, laughing all the way until his apparently infamous 'Meat Van' routine. After several members of the audience shout for 'Meat Van' he delivers it, like a band saves their hit single for last song of the encore!
I didn't know anything about Tom Stade before turning up hoping for a few laughs tonight. The guy is sharp, fast, cruel, and yet endearing at the same time. He even came out amongst the crowd as we left, keen for autographs, photos and a chat. Sure to be a name gracing the panel shows and big venues soon, with John Lynn hot on his heels.
