I can proudly state that I have been a Bill Bailey fan for a good long while
now. I first saw him at Brighton University, then the Reading Festival before he
moved up in the world and played the Hawth Theatre in Crawley. And now - The
DVD!
It should come as no surprise that Mr Bailey has retained the format that has
proved to be his success. A lot of talking, a little musical distraction, more
talking, whimsical flights of fancy...it's simple and yet it works so well.
There are a few of his older jokes thrown in ("I like to go up to people at
parties and say 'My name's Aled Jones, it's all gone wrong for me!'") but the
majority is fresh. He remains very self deprecating about his appearance ("This
radio mike makes me look like a Wizard at a help desk") but that doesn't extend
to his comedy. He remains brilliant at taking you gently down a path of
increasing absurdity, starting with a simple premise (for example, U2's music is
a bit samey) and demonstrating it's logical conclusion (a brief example of a
catastrophic technical breakdown at a U2 gig).
The DVD shows off a few of his more creative talents. Not only do you get an
extended version of the Kraftwerk tribute, with before and after rehearsals,
there is also a tour diary. The diary is, frankly, a little dull, but it's worth
it for flashes of genius and Bill's continuing obsession with Tea And Coffee
Making Facilities.
All in all, the show is extremely funny, not over long, clever and stupid in
the right places, and well worth your money.