SEAN LOCK | COMEDY REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Tues 12 Nov
Lock is a familiar face from his appearance on nearly every television panel show ever devised. It’s an empirically verifiable fact that at least 36% of the television channel Dave’s output consists of Lock pretending to enjoy some top bantz with Russell Howard. But let’s not hold that against him; he’s also a fine stand-up with a nifty line in absurdist whimsy. At times his surreal shtick strays into Bill Bailey-ish territory, although Lock seems to pull back from exploring some of the more out-there implications of his flights of fancy at just the point that Bailey would really let rip. It’s somewhat frustrating to witness this hesitancy, you feel it would be great to see him throw off his blokey shackles and let his imagination go where it wants.
The premise of the show is that Lock, as a Purple Van Man, is giving his opinions on a variety of topics much as a white van man might, but taking an alternative look at topical affairs. While there are topical elements to the act, the final part of the show is dedicated to his attempt to explain politics to his young daughter and how he would make the world a better place, most of the material on display tonight centres around the everyday frustrations of a middle-aged man.
At certain points it feels as if Lock is phoning it in, and although he displays a physicality to his humour which would put some younger comics to shame (he mimes a moth banging its head against a lightbulb for what feels like an age) he still gives the impression of someone going through the motions. There’s a sense that he’s keeping something in reserve and the evening never quite takes off in the way that it threatens to at certain junctures.
words DAVID GRIFFITHS