Stewart Lee’s stock, as a solo performer at least, has arguably never been higher. Since his partnership with Richard Herring in the 1990s – with hit shows Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy on the small screen, and several other writing credits – Lee has consistently produced engaging, thought-provoking and above all hilarious stand-up shows.

Recently finding himself back on TV with the prosaically (yet endearingly so) titled Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, Lee has now graduated to larger venues, being moved to the Butterworth Hall, though he bemoaned the echo-laden acoustics due to the fact that the hall was only two-thirds full. Nevertheless, the audience was in store for a real comedic treat.

Before Lee’s headline slot, he introduced support from Tony Law, a Canadian stand-up who merged surrealism with a bristling intelligence. Tales of slippery Belgians were interwoven with gags about Nandos, and a bizarre sequence featuring an imaginary goat.

His vaguely 1950s rockabilly look seemed gloriously at odds with this off-kilter material – although it was a short set, it unfolded during a winding journey, and one which was worth being along for the ride.

After the welcome sounds of lo-fi legends Guided By Voices bursting through the speakers during the interval, Stewart Lee launched into his current show, If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One. What began with recounting a moment of burning frustration experienced at a high street café soon snowballed into a devastatingly precise deconstruction of entertainment culture, with Top Gear being among the biggest culprits.

The Richard Hammond segment (“he’s not even a real Hamster…” etc) was bizarrely picked up on by the Daily Mail during Lee’s run at Edinburgh, yet other routines hit the spot in imaginative ways, such as the naivete of moving to the countryside or abroad for “quality of life” and a section which ties the strapline from a cider advertisement into a fabricated family history – it wouldn’t work in the hands of lesser comedians but Lee pulls it off with significant aplomb.

A master of his craft, Lee’s delivery remained perfectly pitched for his articulate hour of cultural dissection and comedic cynicism, skilfully built around repetition and a number of threads intricately woven together in his own inimitable style. Throwing down the mic on the stage, he climbed the stairs to deliver the denouement of the cider routine from the back of the theatre, projecting his voice to great effect.

He ended this superb set with an attempt to reclaim his favourite song, also used in a cider advertisement, treating the audience to a rendition of Steve Earle’s Galway Girl, introducing it in self-deprecating fashion by anticipating several audible groans. Rather than being mawkish or ill-advised, it was a touching and oddly fitting finale to a show which proved he’s still on top form.

One of the very best and most skilled stand-ups in the UK, you wouldn’t bet against him keeping up his incredible run. Fantastic stuff.

Stewart Lee and Tony Law both have DVDs for sale via the excellent Go Faster Stripe imprint.
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