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Austerity BingeAusterity Binge: At Last! The 1981 Show

When: 29th May 2011 Where: Royal Festival Hall, London.

Word Magazine Posted on Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Comments:

A night of comedy curated by Stewart Lee featuring acts that he, as a 12 year old, never got to see in their prime. The big names – Rik n Ade, Dawn n Jen, Elton and (thank god) Keith Allen are not here and the show is all the better for it. The acts are of the more surreal kind and its a real thrill to see people like Kevin McAleer do more than I’ve seen in a short Youtube clip. John Cooper Clarke looks exactly like he did in 1981 and delivers a machinegun speed ‘Evidently Chickentown’.

The Greatest Show On Legs do the balloon dance, Neil the Hippy and Nicholas Craig both appear thanks to Nigel Planer. Arnold Brown was there acting as if 30 years were a moment ago, as he has every right to do and Norman Lovett does ten minutes of nothing brilliantly.

Plus if you ever see a performance that doesn’t end with the artist marching across the stage naked with a firework up his ‘arris as ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ plays – they’re not trying hard enough.

The Audience:

Sadly the balcony was empty and I can’t imagine there was anything on TV worth watching on a Sunday night that is better than this bill. Three hours for 20 quid? You people make me sick.

It Made Me Think…:

All in all a night of nostalgia for some and a glimpse of the birth of modern comedy for others. As Arnold Brown said ‘If I’ve said anything tonight you didn’t understand, just look on it as profound.

It was a great night

To see John Cooper Clarke alone is £15 well spent but the undoubted other highlight was the wonderful Norman Lovett. The delivery and one liners were superb.

Pauline Melville as Eydie the Radical Housewife hadn’t performed in decades but also stole the show with her comparison on bin Laden and Jesus.
Alexei Sayle’s compering hit the right note. It was a mellow and reflective and bloody funny.

Kevin McAleer had the audience gasping for air and his thirty year old routine was a fresh today as ever.

Arnold Brown was the connection between old school jokes and absurdism and delivered impeccably.

Stewart Lee and Paul Jackson pulled off something of a coup with that line-up. I wonder how many nearly did a Tony Allen and tried to decline to go on.
The ending was a bit of a let down, Martin Soan was clearly having a great time pouring red wine over his completely naked self but it was an awful end after the strange but funny ensemble boogie at the end.

Word Magazine on 29th May 2011. Filed Under: At Last The 1981 Show, Austerity Binge
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