Like his erstwhile comedy partner Stewart Lee, Richard Herring delights in confronting the supposed prejudices of his audience and confounding expectations. He is also hilariously funny and for me, a warmer and more generous performer.
His latest show, 'Lord of the Dance Settee', bases its title on a youthful misunderstanding of a well-known hymn, and that’s where any thematic thread stops. His absurd, manic routines are tirelessly inventive and clever, analysing everything from sombreros, the relative virtues of Chicken Cottage, KFC and Nandos and bigots who object to International Women’s Day. We now know that the men’s equivalent is on November 19th, so that’s one inequality settled. He ponders being kissed by an elderly relative who was born in the 19th Century and how he may pass that baton, “Have you ever noticed the terrible curse of the UK’s oldest person? Whoever receives this poisoned chalice is always dead within months,” going on to muse over the problems inherent in eternal life – the streets cluttered with Neanderthals talking about when this all used to be Pangea. If this is “observational comedy”, it is not concerned with, say, the problems of opening a jam jar. Herring's humour is altogether wonkier and smarter, especially when he consequently attacks the audience for their own smug recognition of his references.
Didcot Cornerstone is a stylish and intimate venue even if it became the butt of one of his self-deprecating jokes - a fantasy where he may be dead and is just living a “weirdly unambitious dream” when he could be playing bigger towns and venues. He also had a joke at the Didcot’s expense, confessing his ignorance of the town but returning after the interval to declare he had discovered that this was where someone first cultivated watercress (although being Wikipedia, even this slight claim needed corroboration). “We’re laughing and learning tonight,” he points out, “although to be honest, mainly learning.”
Herring's likeable personality and curious mind is great company and thankfully, he’s wrong that the audience wasn't laughing throughout. He’s never cruel (only amiably ‘uncool’ as he happily admits) and his cheekiness is inclusive and good-natured without ever being too benign as to be bland.
With his podcasts, interviews with fellow comics, Metro columns, charity fundraising and so on, it’s a wonder he has time for his own high-octane, tightly-honed performances, but he’s never disappointed in the several shows I have seen. I’d recommend seeing him any time you get the chance.