Knock2Bag

Knock2Bag

21 November, 2008
by: Emma

The first comedian that comes on tonight, Wil Hodgson, is a classic Knock2Bag diverse act.  It's not just the fact he is a pink-haired ex-wrestling socialist with Care Bear tattoos all over his arms but his delivery isn't exactly typical either.   He talks in a rapid monologue staring intently at a fixed point in the distance; not the best tactic to endear oneself to an audience.  As we get used to his patter however, there are some winning lines to be heard like why he isn't attracted to Paris Hilton:"It would be like shagging a Toblerone dipped in Ronseal." Although admitting to an unhealthy obsession with My Little Ponies and Care Bears, Hodgson tells us he's not gay. A staunch leftie, he hates ignorance and prejudice, especially homophobia and use of the Americanism 'faggot': "At least use the word poof or queer and have some national pride in your prejudice." While he has a fairly intense style and doesn't tell jokes as such, he makes up for it with intelligent quips and interesting stories from his life in backwards Chippenham, where 'you're considered gay if you can read'.
 
A stand-out act of the night is Trevor Lock who could probably win a record for most laughs produced a minute. His routine revolves round him telling a joke and then apologising to correct it, usually with a pun, pushing the wordplay to such an extent that the original joke becomes unrecognisable. For example a story about him dressing up in his mother's clothes as a small boy and receiving an order to 'take off Mummy's clothes' takes a darker twist as he insinuates his mother used to like him to undress her. He is equally skilled at improvisation; squeezing a lot of laughs out of a faulty mic stand and making a noisy audience member appear to have a crush on him.
 
Solid residents Carl Donnelly and character comedian Brian Gittins are another reason why Knock2Bag works so well. As far as comperes go, Donnelly must be one of the best on the circuit. He goes through the usual schtick of asking the front row what their names are and what they do for a living but somehow manages to turn such a simple thing as someone's occupation into comedy gold without offending anyone. Brian, a hapless roadside cafe owner-cum-comedian has a regular spot which differs each time. This month he pairs up with Richard Sandling and the two make a good double act as Brian lets Sandling (one of his cafe patrons) have a shot at stand-up. The results are disastrous as Sandling's character turns out to be a horrible racist and after much cringing, Brian has to cut him short.

Highs and lows of the night are headline act Pete Firman and 11 O'Clock Show host Iain Lee.  Firman, an acclaimed comic magician is even better than I anticipated. He begins by performing garden variety tricks like pulling rabbits out of hats and conjuring objects from velvet cloths while simultaneously taking the piss out of our expectations, revealing the trickery with sarcastic asides.  He then does a genuinely impressive disappearing act with an egg aided by two girls who he uses just the right amount of cheeky banter with. The final trick - the old 'Silver Rings' classic is simple enough but accompanied by Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding Out For A Hero' and exaggerated gusto from Firman, it becomes a stand-out piece.

Iain Lee on the other hand, is soemthing of an anti-climax. On the 11 O'Clock Show, he was a smart, funny and slick presenter. His stand-up set tonight however, is pretty thin on the ground. He begins by playing around with stage equipment and teasing a member of the audience which, instead of being off-the-cuff whimsy that worked so well with Lock, falls flat here. When he eventually does his set he spends an exorbitant amount of time joking about how now he's just that guy who 'used to be on telly'. All very well but the material doesn't do much to prove otherwise.

This is the third time I've been to Knock2Bag and each visit has been incredible. The comic genres range from magic to poetry, music, character comedy and top rate stand-up so it never feels tired.  It's not surprising that it regularly sells out and while you couldn't call Bar FM a small venue there is still an air of intimacy to the gig, possibly a result of so many tables being crammed in to cope with demand. Roll on next month.

Click here to see next Knock2Bag line-ups.

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Emma