Where did you see it? Soho Theatre, Dean Street
I'll be honest I wasn't really familiar with the work of Neil Hamburger but a friend sent around an email inviting me and you know what a social butterfly I am behind these sad, lonely trips to comedy alone...
I'm not sure what I was expecting, I'd followed Hamburger on twitter and found him quite funny but would it translate to the stage?
Yes and no. The whole point of Gregg Turkington's greasy anti-comedian character is that he is a horrible act to watch; bringing up lodged phlegm and an awkward performer but sometimes it felt just too awkward and just too slow, I found myself distracted by how Hamburger held his drink glasses. By the time Hamburger got going, the fantastic Ben and Jerry's joke for example, he slowed down again only to get good when it came to show-stopping (literally) end song. He's good, but not brilliant and I can see why someone on Twitter came on to complain and ask for a refund. He's okay, he's certainly not worth £10 for an hour's set.
I think my issue with Hamburger stems from the fact that there are comics on the British circuit doing what he does so much better, like David Earl's Brian Gittins. Hamburger's dated reference of Smashmouth and Kiss feel out of place when attacking Britney Spears for being a bit of a skank and Steven Tyler's role on American Idol. I think I would like Hamburger more if he just stuck to really old references to give a better impression of a terrible comic.
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