IGNACIO LOPEZ | LIVE REVIEW
Nolton Corner, Bridgend, Tue 26 May
A tall, strikingly handsome twentysomething man with slicked back long dark hair and a guitar: Ignacio Lopez definitely catches your attention.
Taking to the makeshift stage at Bridgend’s Nolton Corner, which is fast becoming a hotspot for up-and-coming Welsh comedians to perfect their act, Lopez was there to give us a taster of his new show 9 Ig Fails – a reference to his lifelong obsession with the band Nine Inch Nails.
Born in Spain to a Welsh mother, Lopez moved to Swansea in his teens. This has given him a unique and hilarious view of Welsh culture from two national perspectives – likewise, that of a Spanish man from a Welsh perspective. A line from his show recalls first moving to Wales, whereupon a lovely Newport gentleman asked him, in his finest English grammar: “Oi, is you Spanish?” He can slip effortlessly in and out of his sultry Spanglish to do the finest of Welsh dialects.
Lopez’s comedy borderlines self-indulgence, but this could be taken as a part of his self-proclaimed Spanish lothario image. He mixes in some musical comedy singing versions of Wheatus, Katy Perry and (of course) Nine Inch Nails tracks . All this, against the stripped-back stone-walled acoustics of this intimate Bridgend venue made for an enjoyable evening.
Ignacio Lopez is both confident and charismatic, traits invaluable to a standup comedian. His act still needs some polishing, but practise makes perfect: looking at his resume and upcoming schedule, it seems he is forever doing so. It may be only a matter of time before his act reaches its full potential and he finds his niche.
words DENIECE CUSACK
