Images by Jo Leahy
SITE Festival, Brunel Goods Shed, 23rd April
Part sit-down - as opposed to stand-up - comedy, part performance art and part amateur film project, welcome to the wonderful world of Simon Munnery's Fylm School...
In an era of selfies, perhaps it's no surprise our comedians are indulging in such narcissistic behaviour! Quite how they felt being able to watch themselves on a giant screen as they performed, who knows...We had the usual - but delightfully unusual - suspects of Penny Gaff present; Jonny Fluffypunk, Uta Baldauf and Miserable Malcolm. Jonny's moustache on widescreen being a sight to behold. As was Malcolm's 'Void of Despair' and Uta's wordery.
However, it was special celebrity guest Nina Conti who stole the show. Out came the infamous 'Monkey' who viewed the whole set-up rather dimly as some 'real Orwellian shit'. Not that it stopped him from literally talking out of his arse at one stage, and pleading with Nina to go down on him - the whole evening felt equally voyeuristic.
And then to Mr Munnery himself. A compère supremo from an alternative universe. His astute observations on political and social life, seen through the eyes of two pegs on a first date talking about a common interest in skiing; crucified men debating the futility of it all; and, a shy avocado taking it all 'slowly, slowly.... like guacamole'.
Pure, unadulterated nonsense. The masses loved it.
Jamie Baldwin is a renewable energy specialist with a background as a freelance journalist for the BBC, Discover Channel and Panos International