Glasgow Comedy Festival
Iain Stirling, The Stand, Glasgow
Marianne Gunn
three stars
It must be difficult being a comedian sometimes. It is March 2015, and Iain Stirling continues to dwell on the break-up with his girlfriend in late 2013 (the basis for this show). Presumably the pain and numbness he once felt is now just reeled off as those wounds must surely have benefitted from the healing gift of time. Stirling is probably best known as a CBBC presenter, and with his hipster beard and geek-chic glasses it is clear he is now trying to veer away from that territory. Some of his more explicit moments show that the Edinburgh twenty-something is trying new things but his apologies to the front row proves he is not yet wholly comfortable with this new persona.
Living in London now, he delights in his return to Scotland: where else can he appreciate the sheer abandon of excessive swearing, being punted about like punctuation by his fellow commuter passengers? He dips his toes into the political arena too, in what was probably the highlight of his set. His musings on a Sturgeon and Putin tete-a-tete (otherwise known as a "square go" in Glasgow) were much more than mildly amusing, while his reflections on the Referendum remain salient.
His relationship with his father is explored as a reaction to the aforesaid break-up and this section has the potential to take his act to the next level. Bemoaning a failed relationship and recounting the moments he shared with his girlfriend's family just doesn't ring true after such a long time, but with this tour continuing until November, he may still be getting mileage from it two years after the event. It would be good to see his charm and likeability being put to different use in the future.
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