| 05 August 2010
“Things are easy when you’re big in Japan,” sang Alphaville in 1984, and comedian/guitar hero Dave Hill seems to be living proof that the German synthpoppers spoke the truth.
Hill was happily strumming away in his native America with his middle-aged bandmates, playing gigs once a month or less at tiny venues, when the offer to tour Japan suddenly made them into temporary rock gods. This is the story of their exploits, told in a shambolic, meandering fashion that evokes the sheer, anarchic brilliance of Spinal Tap.
In a hail of crashing chords, against a backdrop of Japanese video, Hill appeared on the stage looking like a mash up of Angus Young and Ford Prefect. His skills on the axe are certainly impressive, but once he started into his rambling monologue, it was easy to assume that a nap was on the cards.
Hill’s soft voice and downcast style began to lull the audience into a drowsy state, but when two people got up to leave ten minutes in, we saw a sudden spark of brilliance that reignited our interest in his set. His comments on the couple inspired the first big laughs of the night, and this seemed to encourage him to include more interaction in the rest of his act.
And fortunately so, as not only did speaking to a couple of giggly girls in the front row show off his quickness and ability to improvise in what was otherwise a well-rehearsed performance, but it woke the crowd up enough to appreciate the cleverness and wordplay of his material. Easily transitioning from a solidly Anglo-Saxon curse to a beautifully and wittily turned phrase in less than a second, Hill is a truly wonderful, if digressive storyteller.
My advice would be to have a couple of coffees before the show, or hope for more walk-outs, because it would be a real shame to miss out on some very finely crafted comedy and, of course, a premium opportunity to rock the f•ck out with Hill.
Pleasance Courtyard, 4-29 August (not 16), 8.15pm
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