Express & Star

Phill Jupitus, The Old REP, Birmingham - review

Upon entering the theatre last night, we were shocked to find Phill Jupitus already on stage half an hour before the advertised start time.

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Phill Jupitus

But it would appear that all was not what it seemed, with a makeshift dressing room assembled on the stage including drinks, coat stand and a record player for the former Never Mind The Buzzcocks host.

And as the clock struck eight o'clock, 55-year- old Jupitus got up from his chair to introduce his support act for the evening, Porky The Poet.

Porky is a moniker that was used by Jupitus early on in his career, and on Saturday evening he returned as part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival.

Telling tales of his time on tour with Madness - as well as commenting on the fact that it now looked like Birmingham had been invaded by the Death Star aka Grand Central - Porky’s hilarious and dry style of poetry left the crowd excited for Jupitus’s return for his stand-up set, as he swapped his double denim in favour of a black coat.

Throughout the interval Jupitus returned to his on-stage dressing room, before getting out bags of sweets and cakes for the audience to help themselves to whilst walking around the auditorium chatting and taking pictures with his fans.

There aren’t many artists that would make themselves so accessible while not on stage and this was a credit to Jupitus’s persona.

Returning to the stage in front of the packed room, Jupitus told tales of his honorary degree from the University of Kent, his move to live in Scotland and his new found love for cheese, chips and curry sauce as well as commenting on his daughters and family life.

The style in which the material was delivered was very conversational with laughs peppered along the way, and the subject matter talked about for an extended period of time that sometimes lost momentum.

Unfortunately due to the lack of trains back to Staffordshire on a Saturday night we had to leave the performance early, however upon leaving we couldn't help but feel we hadn't watched show but were very much welcomed into Phill Jupitus’s world.