Stephen K. Amos @ The Parr Hall, Warrington – 4th November 2009

 

I first went to see Stephen K. Amos live last year, when he played in the Pyramid Centre.  Much of his act relies on his interactions with the audience and it really worked last time as there were a few characters in the audience that really made the show.  The funniest moment came when someone offered him a minstrel, which doesn’t sound remotely funny and it was a genuine ‘you had to be there’ moment.  It was one of the funniest gigs I’ve ever been to.

This year, he’d been promoted to the Parr Hall and had a lot to live up to.  The support act for the evening was Seann Walsh, who I’ve seen on telly somewhere but can’t remember exactly where.  He did a pretty  good job of warming up the audience but definitely had that weird ’support act that’s pretty funny but it isn’t entirely working because the audience know he’s not the guy who they actually came to see’ vibe.  Strangely, as I write this, I’m watching Wil Hodgson perform stand up on Russell Howard’s Good News Extra, who I saw supporting Mark Thomas earlier in the year and was one of the few warm up acts I’ve seen who didn’t suffer with the aforementioned phenomena.  Which was a hell of a tortuous sentence for such a tangential observation.

Anyway, it got to main event time and Mr Amos took to the stage with supreme confidence and you couldn’t help but instantly like him.  The important question was, for me, could he live up to last year?  The answer was…not quite.  He was certainly very funny but he does recycle quite a bit of material and so, having heard much of it before, it just lost that special magic.  Also, the smaller room, in the Pyramid,  made for a more intimate atmosphere which got more out of the crowd.

To a large extent, though, this doesn’t matter.  I’ve already said that his act doesn’t rely on his material and he bowls you over with his personality.  He makes fun of the audience members with such warmth that you can’t help but feel a sense of community in the room.  It was still a very funny gig and my opinion is clearly influenced by my expectations.  I’d certainly go and see him again and I would recommend that you go and see him.  I think he’d be an excellent first choice for any live-comedy virgins.