Live review: The Midnight Beast @ Cardiff Student Union 08/10/2012

Published on Gigwise.com.

If any crowd seems suited to The Midnight Beast’s catchy synth-pop tracks about apocalyptic sex, strategy wanking and videogame obsessives, it’s the anxious freshers in glittering baseball caps congregating in Cardiff University Students’ Union. It’s not surprising then that  as the band enter – with backing musicians dressed as tigers and dancers in red suits waving TMB flags – that a cult-like response of deafening screams erupt at the venue.

Unlike support act, Unicorn Kid, whose generic trance-pop and shouts of “guys I want to see your hands” became repetitive and dull, the band’s infectious stage presence and charisma is clear from the start. Opener “I Kicked A Shark In The Face” shows off the bratty vocals, puerile lyrics and anthemic choruses that has helped them gain almost 50 million YouTube views and land their own E4 sitcom.

Elsewhere, the Flight Of The Concords-meets-Inbetweeners vulgarity of “Lez Be Friends” may not be a standout on their self-titled debut. However, the boyband-aping dance routine and self-assured delivery helps it become electrifying in its live incarnation. Better still are Stefan Abington’s emphatic vocals on the Busted-esque album highlight, “Begging”, which shows that the band don’t always need to rely on being comical to be engaging.

Their gimmick-heavy set of lycra-clad dancers, X Factor-style introductions and throwing toilet paper into the audience doesn’t always mask the show’s weaker moments though. The band’s jazz hands and perma-grins during Glee pastiche “Life Is A Musical” come across as laboured rather than funny, while an abrasive, rockier climax to “Quirky” doesn’t save it from being one of their least memorable tracks. It’s stripped back moments like bromance-gone-wrong ballad “Friends For Never”, with ballsy lyrics like “our friendship is kind of like a prostitute”, which allow their excellent comic timing to shine through.

During a celebratory run through their 2009 parody of Kesha’s “Tik Tok” (the song that turned them into YouTube sensations) in the encore, Stefan looks proud and slightly disbelieving as the crowd sing the lyrics back to him. It shows that despite their patchy debut album and hit-and-miss schoolboy humour, The Midnight Beast’s likeability and energy in bringing their pop-culture satires to life on stage makes them a far superior live act.

The Comedy Club: Michael Fabbri and Vicki Stone – Narberth Queens Hall

Published on What’s On Wales’s website.

“I’m going to make you my bitch,” says compere Dan Mitchell to a vocal crowd member at the packed Queens Hall in Narberth. Despite his biting crowd interacTagstions though, the Show Me The Funny (ITV) runner-up’s observational jokes come across slightly bland and safe in comparison.

Even though his stories about growing up in a sleepy Welsh village are whimsical and charming, Mitchell lacks the self-assured, charismatic delivery of contemporaries like Rhod Gilbert.

When five-inch heel clad musical comic Vikki Stone struts on, it’s clear that she has no problems with onstage confidence. Recounting filthy tales about rampant rabbits, one night stands and the embarrassment of having 16 bottles of lube delivered to her door, she gives the impression of a chirpy primary school teacher after one too many bad relationships.

The highlight, her stalkerish love song to Philip Schofield (“I’ve sent you lots of things/from dirty knickers to engagement rings”), benefits from an unhinged delivery and gets the loudest laugh of the night. While a heartfelt song about singing the Jurassic Park theme to win back an ex-lover shows she doesn’t always need to rely on sexual humour and shock tactics to be funny.

Unfortunately, penultimate act Dave Parton’s sharp gags and strained one-liners don’t prove as much of a hit with the audience. A replacement for the ill Barry Castagnola, his rants about Starbucks menus and fad diets come across as unimaginative and his act lacks the likeability of the two previous comics.

In contrast, headliner Michael Fabbri’s laid-back demeanour and eye for turning the normal into the absurd immediately charms. Through anecdotes about epileptic cats and his experiences with dyslexia, his most inventive routine is about a China-themed Internet discussion which descends into a heated argument about biscuits. Although he has an offbeat affability, less unique material about his fear of macho men and hang-ups with porn let down an otherwise polished and confident set.

As Fabbri ends with a puerile, yet well-received story about an uncomfortable doctor’s appointment, it’s clear that the evening hasn’t suffered from the absence of Barry Castagnola’s character-based comedy. However, there’s a feeling that Vikki Stone’s magnetic stage presence and triumphant Victoria Wood-turned-raucous moments would have provided a more outstanding finale.