Gig Review: The London Jam - Abandoman - Park Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭
The London Jam
Abandoman
Park Theatre
Review by Duncan Brown
20th January 2014: Abandoman at 21:15 was about as far removed from Austentatious as it is possible to imagine.
The MC for the evening was the incredibly impressive Rob Broderick, describing his crew as Ireland's seventh best Hip Hop band. To say he had the gift of the gab is an absolute understatement as he hardly paused for breath in the 75 minute show.
On his website he describes himself as creating "hilarious freestyle songs at lightning speed on audience suggestions". This sums up the evening perfectly as he drew out information from his audience and then riffed on it ably backed by his two musicians on guitar, keys and backing vocals and his multi-coloured box of tricks of samples, drum beats and sound effects
Whether it was the couple, celebrating their eight-month (rhubarb) anniversary with a song about Spag Bol and Salsa or the genius of the Money Song where he took very I random objects from the audience the lyrics and rhymes continued to flow.
He hit comedy gold when talking to an audience member who was in an episode of last week's Celebrity Big Brother, as a fan on a date with Lee Ryan (you really couldn't make it up) to the eccentric guy in the closing 'political song' about compulsory apostrophes in plurals, inviting various audience members to join him on stage.
I can see why Abandoman has gone down a storm at comedy festivals worldwide and why he was asked to support Ed Sheeran on his 2012 tour; it really was comedy gold.
If the following acts are as impressive as these first two offerings the London Jam is going to be a festival not to be missed.
