Review: Tony Law @ Comedy Junction

Surreal Canadian comic Tony Law. Time-travelling dog not pictured.

For those of you who have not heard of the Comedy Junction, you are in for a treat. I too was unaware even though this gem of a monthly Birmingham comedy night goes on in my very own home town, Sutton Coldfield.

Who’d have thought this archetypal suburb would have such a draw for headline acts? The committed crowd upstairs at The Station have witnessed the likes of Chris Addison, Ross Noble, Reginald D Hunter, Alan Carr, Lee Mack (regularly), Russell Howard, Russell Kane and Tim Lane to name but a few.

Mark Degenetais started up the night with stand-up Karen Bayley eight years ago. It took a while to find the right venue – The Yenton of Birmingham Road didn’t work and their next venue, Bitter End, closed shortly after they took up residency. It’s now enjoyed seven years at The Station and there are no plans to move on, the cosy upstairs space makes for an intimate vibe, part of what must keep the performers coming back as they can try out their new material on a receptive audience.

“We’ve got about 700 people who keep coming back which is great,” explained Mark. “With most of the comedians we have to give them two years between their sets so they don’t repeat material.  Russell Howard is the exception, give him six months and he will have a whole new set. He’s known for it.”

Tony Law was a delightful headliner for my Junction debut. He’s the best dressed ‘old’ guy I have ever seen which is wholeheartedly intended as a compliment. His youthful persona, with enough laid-back cool to make him instantly likeable, backs his on-trend getup, and then there are his gags. His careful use of the term ‘riffing’ combined with his slightly surreal choice of subject matter makes you feel like he is making up his whole set on the spot.

For those who prefer a more polished performer this could prove annoying, but worry not. He has practiced them all before – it’s just an act! Well, not all of them before. With great crowd interaction, you leave feeling like Tony is your best mate, or wishing he was.

The open slot this month went to Hayley Ellis, a promising young Manc you draws on her time spent working on the tills at Asda. It’s a confident set for a newcomer to the circuit.

Prior to that there was Paul B Edwards – his self-proclaimed status as a Rock & Roll Poet is maybe putting a bit of spin on things but he did have an electric guitar in tow which he used to play an assortment of 90s classics. You couldn’t tell how long he had been pushing those gags but most of his references seemed a little bit dated. Let’s not dwell on that however – he casually referred to his drink problem and painful divorce during the set so perhaps he is not in need of another critic.

Catch the next Comedy Junction on 27th May and see Roger Monkhouse and Mary Bourke.

By Amy McLeod

You can buy Tony Law’s DVD, An Hour and Some of Tony Law, from Who’s Laughing Now favourites Go Faster Stripe.