Latitude review: Joel Dommett

An airing of teenage embarrassment, turned out for the enjoyment of Latitude’s comedy tent, Joel Dommett’s set this afternoon is pinned on self-flagellation of the most painful kind.

Self-confessed man-child Dommett relays tales of his laddish housemate (the oddball flatmate now seemingly a must-have for young comedians these days), and foiling his attempts at seduction with the only weapon in his arsenal; noisy video games.

But it’s his cringeworthy re-enactment of his youthful attempts at being a rock star that induce the most laughs. Dommett embraces his unimpressiveness, and runs with it, bewailing his inability to be the cool guy on the film, or on the stage.

The clever use of a confetti cannon lends an impressive yet short lived punch to a largely story-laden routine.

Sacked from MTV for being too old, Dommett nevertheless exudes youthful exuberance. Such incidences of the teenage failure feel refreshing amongst so many sets about dating and parenthood, though perhaps prove a little niche for his current audience.

Though on paper getting a star of Geordie Shore to vomit on screen isn’t much of an achievement, Dommett recants his tales with an enthusiasm that is matched with a sort of endearing sincerity that many of his MTV Generation peers lack.

With stories that hang on youthful awkwardness, and his lack of typical ladishness, Dommett’s tortured lack of hardships bequeaths us tales that purposely end with a fizzle rather than a bang. Such is life, Dommett states. Perhaps that’s what the cannon is for.

Date of live review: Friday 18 July @ Henham Park, Suffolk.