Words: Elodie Marriott

Simon Brodkin tells us he doesn’t feel very rock ‘n’ roll tonight. He accidently walked past half the queue on his way into the venue. This is the start of his set in which he portrays himself as the Everyman. A relatable guy with an amazing wife, who wishes he was the type of person she deserved. A man who has only ever bought one bag-for-life.

After speed-dating a few audience members, mining for comedic material with the question: ‘so, what do you do,’ he lands upon a man who self-describes as ‘working in money’. He’s hit gold. A perfect lead into his set which mocks and berates the elite and the wealthy. Spending a while reminding us of Matt Hancock’s wrongdoings, Brodkin himself even suggests that it was too much time, as he inadvertently inserts the former health secretary’s name into a joke about someone else.

In a skit joking about the severity of the Queen’s punishment of Prince Andrew, Brodkin displays his skill in physical comedy combined with his interest in famous controversies. No one avoided his critiques, even his own teenage daughter, who he called a c-word. 

While some of Simon Brodkin’s punchlines were a little too predictable, overall, the set was well designed, covering people and topics that the crowd could easily follow along with, like politics, covid, and I’m a Celebrity. Basically, anything that meant Matt Hancock could be mentioned.

Simon Brodkin: Xavier
Pleasance Courtyard, Forth
20.30
9-14, 16-27 Aug