| .
The
eight best runner up acts from this year's SCOTY battled it out in
the semi final at rammed Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock. For many of
them it was their first time doing a theatre gig, for others it was simply
the biggest gig they had ever done. For all of them it was the most middle
class / middle aged audience they had ever played to. Compere Janey Godley
did a sterling job at breaking in the audience, exposing them to some of
the language they may face later in the gig and helping the comedians get
a feel for the room. The
man who playfully flings Billy Connolly's favourite word about was up
first. Obie's "jobby" material was missing in action. He
refrained from doing his strongest material (about and ugly one night
stand) preferring the less risque fairy story route. The audience warmed
to his charm, but this was not vintage Moodiesburn madness. The
foppish Chris Forbes knew this crowd. His Bridge of Weir stock
means that he is one of them. His guardianista style comedy musings hit
the audience like well aimed sniper bullets, lead free ones of course. It
was polished, it was professional, it was everything he could have hoped
for. Tommy
Mackay and his musical parodies are the political polar opposite if
these East Renfrewshire folk. He seemed ill at ease up there, like a
Bolshevic having tea in Buckingham Palace. Andy
Vaughan was another polar opposite, he was young firey and did gags
about students and for students. This was the best I have ever seen Andy
perform. No stupid cigarette jokes, just crisp well delivered gags, which
Nelson would think were no bad. Tonight's
wild card Jonathon Stanley took a long time to settle into the
room. He is still very new to comedy and is still trying hard to find his
voice. It will come and when it does his writing and performing skills
will be the envy of many. I fear however that it is going to take a long
time because he shows signs of trying to hard at times, but not hard
enough on the basics. His mic technique is erratic if not awful. The
next ten minutes were worth the entry fee alone. In amongst his Scottish
bashing, Australian Rowan Campbell took a risk with some topical
material about the US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. God how
this audience lapped it up. Campbell doesn't seem to have time to worry
about anything onstage, he's too busy just being angry with everything.
This was by far the most well thought through and delivered routine of the
evening. You
could not imagine Iain Stirling being angry, unless you force him
to spend the night in a megabus converted into a caravan. If he were the
characters of a TV show he would be called Prudence, Piper and Phoebe. If
this audience were a jury his cutesy, cheeky persona would get him let off
of a murder charge. His set was ticking all the boxes, it wasn't
remarkable, however it was one throw away line which showed how much he
himself was enjoying the show that turned this audience into a gooey mess. After
the previous two acts Jeff O'Boyle had his work cut out. Thankfully he
made it look effortless up there. Good strong material with not a wasted
syllable, let alone a wasted word. However compared to the charm of
Stirling and teh professionalism of Campbell you knew he hadn't done
enough. The
audience vote at the end had Chris Forbes and Rowan Campbell
giving Iain Stirling a good run for his money. However the sheer
joy at simply being there that Iain showed on stage during his set was
nothing compared to the ecstacy he showed when Janey read out his name as
the winner. A shock but not undeserved result, but can he take it up a
gear for the grand final? |
