Review: Lucy Porter: Northern Soul – Newcastle Stand

Ridden with post-colonial guilt, Lucy Porter is a fan of general knowledge, puddings and sound politics. What isn’t there to like?

Lucy Porter is a northerner at heart. Inspired by fictional representations in British films and the factual (well, pseudo-factual) representations of the Miners’ Strike, Porter always felt greater affinity with the top half of England (and Scotland) than in the south, where she was raised.

The first half of Northern Soul explores her identity problems growing up in the concrete loving Croydon, a town which has been pushed between counties like a blingy candelabra at jumble sales.

Porter finds herself when she moves up north to attend Manchester University.

She remains in the area when she graduates, gradually engaging with the local community, and enduring Radio 1 DJs in her job as a researcher at Granada Television.

By the way, kudos to Porter for outing the twat, which is something that our own lawyers are reluctant for me to do in this review; you’ll have to catch her live for that particular revelation.

Northern Soul took is actually deeper than I anticipated.

Her stand-up contributions to topical shows like Mock the Week and Radio 2’s Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections (RIP) weren’t always politics with a ‘big P’, with the latter using her character comedy (the letter-writing naïve student being a favourite of mine).

So, it was a rather nice surprise to see Porter’s more political side, and to hear her socialist principles (even if they may not be as strong, she says, as they once were), and her criticisms of a certain top man for some creative accountancy when it comes to paying tax.

Since many touring Fringe shows use a support act, with the headliner only coming on for the second hour, it’s also a nice surprise that Porter covers both parts of the evening.

Northern Soul is an engaging show from an engaging performer.

Date of live review: Tuesday 24 September 2013