Review: Tom Stade Totally Rocks – Newcastle Stand
Tom Stade is a true rock ‘n’ roll comic, evidenced by the fact that the first noise we hear tonight over the PA system is an order for more beer to be delivered to the dressing room.
The night opens with a support set from Stephen Carlin (… what self-respecting rockstar doesn’t have ‘assistants’ to warm up their audience?), an Edinburgh-based comedian whose YouTube presence does him no justice. The dry delivery and clichéd observations that, on video, fall flat, have this capacity crowd falling at Carlin’s feet. Sharp observational routines on drinking, Scottish culture, and male “friendship” are expertly woven together, and the segue to and from a skilled analytical heckler putdown is as smooth as tonight’s headliner.
Then Stade bounds onto the stage (beer in hand) to a whirl of rapturous applause and country music. He opens his set with, “Yeah, well I’d be excited to see me too.” The first few minutes of the act revolve entirely around Newcastle and The Stand club in particular, in a slick and successful effort to endear himself to the audience.
Tom Stade Totally Rocks is an hour-long diatribe on Stade’s life over the past year, delivered with an angry drunk identity reminiscent of Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman. Stade talks extensively to a couple named Mark and Tish, along with a man in the front row who he arbitrarily names Larry.
Stade takes a roundabout approach to structure, zig-zagging between topics including iPhone use, the one-way interaction of a Facebook page, fish pedicures, laser teeth whitening offers, Groupon addiction, and the British (“pikey”) approach to emptying a skip full of fully functional items. Among his trademark dark material lie vivid routines on anal sex, a loveless upbringing, and the classic dead baby joke – all delivered with a hyper-aware self-mockery, and a charming childish naivety. Stade also juxtaposes his darker side with a frivolous surreal touch, sometimes reminiscent of Dylan Moran or Josie Long.
The set covers remarkably few themes, allowing Stade to really explore each idea, which is especially interesting in his discourse on what “love” really means – taking in his upbringing, relationships, marriage, and children. One of the highlights of the show for me is Stade’s discussion of what it means to be a “real man”, a strong father figure who is able to fix everything in the house and solve any issue – and how that idea has been lost in today’s culture. Stade’s show ends promptly at just under an hour – but he continues to provide value for money.
He emerges almost immediately from his dressing room (beer still in hand), joking and partying with whatever’s left of the audience. His every step is halted by a swarm of groupie attention – evidence against the fragile female stereotype, and in favour of the widespread charm of Stade’s dark material.
