A few years ago it would have been hard to believe Stewart Lee would ever play an 1,8000-seat venue on the strength of his own name. But his ongoing artistic and, to an extent, popular renaissance means he can make a decent attempt at filling it. And no one seems more surprised than him.
For although his profile, buoyed by his recent BBC Two series, has risen to the point that Alistair McGowan ‘does’ him; Lee is still an acquired taste, a wilfully inaccessible comedian who demands his audience’s patience on the promise he will reward it generously. Though a couple of times here, he tests that to the very limit.
Mainstream popularity is anathema to him: that his favourite targets include Adrian Chiles and Russell Howard should tell you that. And no, he doesn’t respect any code of honour among comedians – 20-plus years of uncompromising stand-up and unblemished integrity have given him elder statesman status and the right mock his colleagues. His take on how comedy has evolved from the radical days of alternative comedy when he started to the bland observational sets on ‘that Roadshow’ and the nastiness of Mock The Week is understandably astute.
Vegetable Stew, though a fully-fledged tour complete with support from Simon Munnery, it is also a work in progress. Lee is road-tesing material for the next BBC series, and he unapologetically announces at the start of the show, this will comprise three 25-minute routines, just about the length of a telly episode. However he, understandably, fears his Chiles piece might fall foul of the Beeb’s new guidelines on making derogatory remarks about real people.
Ever the comedians’ comedian, Lee delights in telling us exactly what he is going to do, to a minute degree, laying bare all the tricks of stand-up. It simultaneously flatters his audience by suggesting they are too savvy to fall for cheap callbacks, musical distractions or well-rehearsed performance gimmicks, while also setting a challenge for himself to succeed without the devices that will elicit easy laughs, even to the extent of forewarning us of material to come, robbing it of the very element of surprise that jokes are supposed to rely on for their effect.
He replaces that element of surprise with the element of anticipation. Because we’ve been told what to expect, and are suddenly acutely aware of the conventions that most comics employ, the laughs come in unusual places – in the pregnant pause before he goes into a material we have been primed for, at the slow repetition of a phrase, or at lines that are clearly not funny, but are made so because of we all know a ‘real’ comedian would put a gag there. It becomes a cat-and-mouse game, in which everyone knows where the punchline is, but the fun is in dancing around it.
This approach often sets off small packets of isolated laughs, but also can pay off handsomely when he decides to suddenly take a routine in a different direction. He sets standards so high that you feel a twinge of disappointment when he mentions such potentially hack subjects like Al Qaeda not being like the gentlemen terrorists of the IRA, but then finds a strong new line in it.
Elaborate extended routines are constructed around his crisp-loving grandfather, how Russell Howard delivers a kick in the teeth to the world’s poorest people every time he goes to work, and his encounter with David Cameron and his Etonian sense of entitlement when they were both students in Eighties Oxford.
This last routine is the one that doesn’t quite have the payoff it needs, although the effect may have been diminished because he pulled a similar trick in his last show, If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One. However it’s fairly certain that earlier version, based on a sustained, dark attack on Richard ‘The Hamster’ Hammond won’t be making it to primetime BBC Two, guidelines or no guidelines.
As Lee inevitably points out, there are periods when the show flags, leaving the audience to trust that it will be worth it in the end. And the jury is still be out on Lee’s attempts to introduce more music into his act – a wariness he references, but doesn’t wholly defuse.
But despite all the new acts who try to emulate him without grasping the real source of the humour, Lee’s shows are a unique experience, with a depth and thoughtfulness you almost certainly won’t find on ‘that Roadshow’.
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries