BEFORE the gig starts, a man in the row behind muses on the fact that you have to produce a whole new stand-up set when such a large amount of your material has gone into six half-hour episodes of the BBC show Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
Though it was Lee’s first foray into TV for a number of years, it seems he’s never had much trouble coming up with new material. Not just new material, but quality stuff – full of incisive comment and beautifully realised every time.
Stepping out to introduce his support act, Lee takes the opportunity to make some self-deprecating comments about his first performance of the night (an extra show slotted in at 5pm when the 8pm one sold out), typically playing down just how good the second of the night was to be.
Then there were twenty minutes or so of the marvellously offbeat Canadian Tony Law, with such musings as why wolves and not squirrels tend to nurture feral human young in the wild.
After the kind of rock ‘n’ roll entrance of the type that “belongs to a much younger comedian”, Lee’s latest show begins with the delightfully ridiculous tale of a spat he had in his favourite high street coffee chain.
Relating the incident leads to a pathos-imbued breakdown, when a funny noise gets a bigger laugh than a carefully constructed pirate joke (complete with a call back).
The 38-year-old comedian Frankie Boyle has added to Lee’s ennui with his devil-may-care comments about over-40 comics having lost their anger. The 41-year-old Lee finds himself mildly disappointed by this.
As ever with Lee, there’s plenty of intelligent self-reflexive humour on the nature of stand-up. There’s a lovely deconstruction of the young angry comics on Mock The Week and a deliberately prolonged observational piece of the type oft used by comedians (‘I know I look like…’).
Already having attracted some misguided attention from aspects of the press with his Richard Hammond rant, it transpires that his thoughts on ‘the Hamster’ play around both with ‘ironic’, un-PC humour; and notions of ‘truth’ in what people say in stand-up.
Lee’s performance is wonderfully nuanced too, largely deadpanning his way through; and occasionally letting a playful smirk slip then tripping off into the crowd in an (staged of course) unhinged moment.
He rounds off with a magnificent rant about plagiarism (a persistent problem that is notoriously difficult to prove in the stand-up community and something that Lee famously speaks out against) – this time suggesting that a ludicrously unlikely saying his granny used to spout had been poached by a TV advertising campaign.
Sheer, inspired brilliance.
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.