Its a Saturday night and it’s the Big Night Out in Covent Garden, where about 100 people are sitting in a darkened Sway Bar in Great Queen Street. A hefty middle-aged man, with very long, messy and spiky hair (like a walking ad for Wella Shock Waves), walks on to a small, bannered stage. He winces as he grabs the microphone from its stand, as if startled by the glaring spotlight. He looks like a man who has just woken up after spending the night on the sofa. He scratches the stubble on his chin and speaks:
“Yesterday,” he says, pausing deliberately. “I saw… a small… dead… white ghost.” He pauses as if confused at the mixture of sympathy and derisive amusement. “Might have been a handkerchief.” He looks even more confused as the room explodes in genuine laughter.
The comedian is Milton Jones, Time Out comedy award winner for best performance in 2003, and winner of a Perrier best newcomer in 1996. He brings a quirky brand of comedy; one-liners that are as funny for their simplicity as they are for his bewildered, almost sleepy delivery. Of the three comedians performing that night Jones was easily the most assured on stage. He was the last to perform (and just possibly the best) but the others were no amateurs, by any means.
Tommy Campbell, a Canadian with a shaved head, who came on and did a ‘gay dance’ (his words) was also assured if slightly betrayed and hurt by British estate agents’ ability to ‘take the piss’. Campbell has performed in top comedy venues all over the UK, and he is also the author of The Slacker Confessions, a humorous account of 10 years spent in day jobs.
The other comedian on this Big Night Out was Jeremy O’Donnell, a tall, gangly man described by some as lightning fast, and lauded for avoiding expletives. O’Donnell’s comedy is funny both for its sharpness and its self-deprecatory tone.
The jokes on the night were light-hearted with only passing references to current political contexts and were easily accessible for everyone. Once the show ended (leaving us all with the giggles) Sway Bar became a nightclub. The music was a mixture of commercial house and R’n’B, and the crowd was eclectic and casual (shoes only lads).
So, if you want to experience more of the urban nightlife that’s on offer, and want to enjoy some popular stress alleviating culture, avoiding any unconvincing discussions about Pissarro or caviar, then book yourself a Big Night Out – it’s a proper good laugh.
3 out of 5 inq blots
Review by Kamal Hussain
