Alicia Adejobi enjoys a night of randomness at Kinetic Comedy 1.4.
After hearing so many good reviews and praise for this up-and-coming artist, I'm looking forward to finally seeing her perform. Only, Andi Osho, one of the two main headliners at Kinetic Comedy 1.4 doesn't turn up. So it's down to the six other performers to put on a good show. We're at the Library, where the upstairs room, although small, has been decorated rather nicely with fairy lights and leather sofas.
King Gong finalist Inel Tomlinson acts as compère for the evening and does well to hype up the crowd and get the laughs flowing. Reminiscing on how his school teachers used to get his unusual name wrong and asking if anyone else has any unique names (which prompts answers such as Mordon and Nebla) is a great way to break the nervous atmosphere.
When Pat Burtscher takes to the mic slurring his words, I'm not quite sure what to expect. But then he decides to pick on gingers. His delivery and the way he singles out the only ginger in the room manages to save his performance. The highlight of his set is when he suggests that the government should release tigers onto the streets to stop our country being so miserable. Why? Because “nobody would be depressed,” he drawls in his Canadian accent. “People would actually run to work and for once be grateful they were there because they survived the tigers in the street”. He isn't finished: “Plus, all that running would help fat people lose weight”. Slightly offensive but brilliant all the same.
Another top moment of the night is when Lateef Lovejoy bravely starts his set by picking on a large man sitting in the front row. “You look like you held KFC hostage!” he bellows in the poor guy's face. The audience look away and laugh in embarrassment for the man, who takes it all on the chin.
Bringing a touch of the Caribbean is Crispin Flintoff who, sporting a Jamaican string vest, shares with the audience that he has sleeping problems. “I just can't stop wining, and not in the moaning sense”. Brilliantly, he then proceeds to dance to reggae music, which is surprisingly quite good. Flintoff's rapping about eating his five-a-day, persuading an audience member to dance with him, and his overall display of obsession with reggae music makes his set one of the best of the night.
Finally it's time for the most anticipated act of the night, the one and only Prince Abdi. After swaggering up to the mic, he impresses the audience with his analogy of how polite northerners are compared to Londoners. He then recalls a time when an old lady informs someone on the phone that she's going to Gatwick. Only she's on the train to Heathrow. “No one told her, I felt so bad that I got off the next stop with her,” reveals Abdi. “Not really, it was my stop”. At this moment, the UK's first Somalian comedian proves why he is one of the most popular new acts on the circuit.
The Library manages to host a funny and mostly relaxed comedy night, and a good time is had by all. After a few awkward laughs at the beginning, the atmosphere is upbeat and, even without one of the headlining acts, it's clear that the rising stars have some serious talent.
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