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Already one of the longest titles for a show at this year’s fringe, Matt Forde opens by saying he would have gone for a longer one had Gerry Rafferty written a song which included various expletives that more accurately sum up his opinions of politics in Britain today.
He notes that he’s going to be talking about his dissatisfaction with all the major political parties, before stating that this means there won’t be any reference to the Liberal Democrats.
The Tories are his main target, which will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Forde’s work. His disgust with Boris Johnson and his attitude to political standards is well-known. Johnson’s enforced resignation may have led to some of his material being hastily rewritten, but the sentiment remains unaltered and confirms his belief that while the Prime Minister may change, politics will stay the same, or get worse.
In lesser hands, much of the material could come over as, at best, a lecture and, at worst, a rant. But Forde knows how to turn political rage into satisfying comedy, mocking the absurdities of our present situation. He also widens his reach to include the decision to host a World Cup in Qatar and the possibility of Trump returning to office.
His previous anger at the Labour Party is now more muted after the departure of Jeremy Corbyn, and it’s fair to say that Keir Starmer gets a far easier ride than his rivals, but the self-destructive urge within the party is something Forde picks up on as part of the clowns to the left of him.
Political humour has long since ceased to be the dominant force in British stand-up, but Forde is a proud defender of its legacy and shows how powerful it remains in the right hands.
Pleasance Courtyard, to 28 August
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