Nish Kumar is angry. And why shouldn’t he be? The world is one big, damning catastrophe. So here the ex-Mash Report host is, in his trademark linguistically dextrous, mile-a-minute style, to run us through the current affairs and colonial-history hellscape. Yes, we get Donald Trump jokes. And yes, there’s more than one mention of how the internet has corrupted us all. But, God, does it feel good to hear someone, clearly enraged, scream the things this Hackney audience is, more than likely, also thinking.
He’s the UK’s leading lefty comedian – and for good reason. There is real skill in making us laugh about things that are, broadly, very depressing. Of course, Kumar knows he is preaching to the converted; he states plainly that his audience are a bunch of non-heckling, hand-raising “geeks” who are already on board with his views. Part of the show grapples with that discomfort; he believes passionately in standup as an art form – and it has made him big money – but for the first time, he’s wondered whether now is the right time for his usual political satire. Should we really be laughing when things are, well, this bad?
It is a concern you feel could genuinely keep Kumar – and his mother – awake at night. Still, he serves up gags impressively thick and fast. At 41, his conversations with his peers centre largely around their workout routines. But even then, Kumar’s mind wanders to how the actions of the British empire have changed the genetic makeup of south Asian bodies – making it harder for him to lose weight. One by one, he goes through the generations from boomers to gen alphas and speaks of their individual virtues and failings. Some of his most vicious bile is reserved for Jimmy Carr and others who appeared at last autumn’s Riyadh comedy festival.
We get a little insight into Kumar’s personal life, too – musings on his 14-year relationship with his partner and fellow comedian Amy Annette may not quite fit the tone of the rest of the show, but are a sweet, reflective addition. And a chat with one “weird little” 13-year-old fan in the crowd is enough to swell your heart and make you believe in the power of comedy to change things. This is Kumar at his very best: a deeply principled joke maker, ready to set society’s wrongs alight.
