Review: Robin and Josie’s Shambles – Newcastle Stand

How do you review a conversation?

By Robin Ince and Josie Long’s admission, tonight’s show at The Stand in Newcastle isn’t really a show. It’s a shambles. Clue’s in the title, idiot.

Shambles, like Ince and Long’s podcast of the same name, in its purest form is an amiable chat between two of Britain’s top stand-ups.

Along the way there’s obscure literary references (Robin), work-in-progress routines (Josie), exercise bragging (Josie), Stewart Lee impressions (Robin) and readings from a book about giant crabs (Robin).

It’s great fun, if a little flabby; the show must be going on two hours by the time Long wraps up the night. (That’s mainly Ince’s fault. He doesn’t half like a rant.)

Speaking of Josie, her new material is worth a mention.

It’d be unfair to look at it ‘critically’ at such an early stage, but it’s quite an interesting shift from political to personal writing, with a couple of ‘over-sharing’ moments along the way.

Even reading from notes she’s still one of the funniest stand-ups we have.

Music and stand-up doesn’t usually work on the same bill, but the addition of singer-songwriter Grace Petrie, who usually supports Long on tour, gives the show so much more value.

Petrie is incredibly funny, and – let’s face it – she’s pretty much playing to her target market here with left-leaning songs about Thatcher, the NHS and the decline of the welfare state.

Chuck a few quid her way, she’s well worth a listen.

It’s getting late, but there’s still time for Robin’s legendary giant crab material.

Taken from his Dirty Book Club shows, Robin reads lines from Guy N Smith’s killer crab novels, to an improvised jazz cacophony. Terrifying.

All in all, then, an utter shambles – but who said there was anything wrong with that?

Date of live review: Tuesday 3 September 2013