BEFORE the gig starts, a man in the row behind muses on the fact that you have to produce a whole new stand-up set when such a large amount of your material has gone into six half-hour episodes of the BBC show Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
Though it was Lee’s first foray into TV for a number of years, it seems he’s never had much trouble coming up with new material. Not just new material, but quality stuff – full of incisive comment and beautifully realised every time.
Stepping out to introduce his support act, Lee takes the opportunity to make some self-deprecating comments about his first performance of the night (an extra show slotted in at 5pm when the 8pm one sold out), typically playing down just how good the second of the night was to be.
Then there were twenty minutes or so of the marvellously offbeat Canadian Tony Law, with such musings as why wolves and not squirrels tend to nurture feral human young in the wild.
After the kind of rock ‘n’ roll entrance of the type that “belongs to a much younger comedian”, Lee’s latest show begins with the delightfully ridiculous tale of a spat he had in his favourite high street coffee chain.
Relating the incident leads to a pathos-imbued breakdown, when a funny noise gets a bigger laugh than a carefully constructed pirate joke (complete with a call back).
The 38-year-old comedian Frankie Boyle has added to Lee’s ennui with his devil-may-care comments about over-40 comics having lost their anger. The 41-year-old Lee finds himself mildly disappointed by this.
As ever with Lee, there’s plenty of intelligent self-reflexive humour on the nature of stand-up. There’s a lovely deconstruction of the young angry comics on Mock The Week and a deliberately prolonged observational piece of the type oft used by comedians (‘I know I look like…’).
Already having attracted some misguided attention from aspects of the press with his Richard Hammond rant, it transpires that his thoughts on ‘the Hamster’ play around both with ‘ironic’, un-PC humour; and notions of ‘truth’ in what people say in stand-up.
Lee’s performance is wonderfully nuanced too, largely deadpanning his way through; and occasionally letting a playful smirk slip then tripping off into the crowd in an (staged of course) unhinged moment.
He rounds off with a magnificent rant about plagiarism (a persistent problem that is notoriously difficult to prove in the stand-up community and something that Lee famously speaks out against) – this time suggesting that a ludicrously unlikely saying his granny used to spout had been poached by a TV advertising campaign.
Sheer, inspired brilliance.
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012