Live At The Dome

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Brighton Dome, Saturday, June 16

With Reginald D Hunter, Sofie Hagen, Jen Brister, Joe Wilkinson and headline act David O’Doherty, Live At Brighton Dome was just one Jimmy Carr short of being a Channel 4 panel show.

Jen Brister tacked together each act with chat about various areas of female life – being a mum, hitting the menopause, tampon adverts – but not before splitting the audience with some Brighton postcode rivalry.

She was the perfect MC for a Brighton crowd.

The delightfully honest Sofie Hagen made her weight the butt of most jokes in a confessional set about her supermodel friends, romance with British boys and even ghosts; a very enjoyable and truly funny bundle.

The health and safety nightmare that is Joe Wilkinson started his set by mumbling he couldn’t be bothered and, to some extent, you believed him.

Using some recycled material (very Brighton) he wandered around the stage having covered himself in talcum powder almost as soon as he came on.

The little puffs of powder he left behind in his wake were a constant reminder of just how ridiculous his sets are, and stories about awkward bus journeys and reading passages from Sue Lawley’s autobiography were delivered with the usual sense of desolation.

Reginald D Hunter moved between life in England, Brexit (inevitably) to taking on racists on Twitter. It’s a good thing the British can laugh at themselves, especially when Hunter’s on stage.

The general feeling from each comedian, whatever subject, was that there really isn’t much left we can do.

Although it’s always a delight to experience Hunter’s mix of intelligent insight and cutting wit, his set seemed to fizzle out towards the end.

David O’Doherty rounded up the evening with his trademark keyboard and took on all the famous Davids the audience could think of along with, of course, the general state of the world.

His tendency to throw the stage furniture around in frustration at the world around him in contrast with the childish tones of his tiny 80s’ keyboard.

While there was some disconnect between pieces, Doherty’s affable stage presence made you happy to just drift along with the medley of quirky tunes and sarcastic comment.

With almost three hours of comedy, Live At Brighton Dome boasted a stellar line up whose acts complemented each other and brimmed with the very 2018 cocktail of anger, wit and despair.

Lois Zoppi

Event Preview

Eric Bibb

St George’s Church, Brighton, Friday, June 22

With his effervescent mix of blues and soul mixed with compelling gospel and folk infusions, Eric Bibb is simply, unflappably cool; a performer that has you gripped from the first notes to his very last chord.

Despite hailing from New York City, his music is a far cry from what you would expect of the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the world.

That is not to say it is off the backwoods, but you could very easily conceive listening to the likes of Home To Me and Roadworks while driving through the long and winding roads of countryside and suburban America.

A Deep South resonance resides in the music Bibb has forged over his life and it is that which has garnered him critical acclaim the world over.

On paper, Bibb’s career seems staggered to say the least; his first three records were released between 1972 and 1983, before a 14 year gap preceded his fourth album, Me To You.

Since the turn of the Millenium, however, Bibb has been more than consistent with his music releases.

Seven albums have been put out since 2010 alone.

His latest album, Migration Blues, is sure to feature heavily on this show set. However he’s still likely to roll out the hits.

The venue, St George’s Church, could not be a more perfect location to see Bibb perform.

The building’s character and decor make for idyllic surroundings for what is sure to be an absolutely brain-storming show.

I wouldn’t say that this is one for the dancers and ravers but if you appreciate good music, like to sit back and relax – with perhaps a glass of wine or a beer – and a desire to be whisked away to the American South, then this may well be the show for you.

For more information visit https://www.stgeorgesbrighton.com/