Reviewer: Tracey Lowe

The Public Reviews Rating:

It may be ‘The Inbetweeners’ that brought him to the wider public’s attention, but following a series of appearances on various panel shows and stand-up specials, the former Mr Gilbert, Greg Davies, has definitely become an appreciated comedian in his own right. In his triumphant return to the Lowry, he has sold every seat in the huge Lyric theatre, as well as nearly every seat of his extensive tour of the country.

Ed Gamble is our support act for the night. One half of podcast heroes Peacock and Gamble, he is definitely more than capable of handling a crowd on his own. Warming up with a bit of banter with the front row, he then moves into familiar comedian territory with an admittedly hilarious story about his Dad. The main bulk of his short set revolves around his genitals and circumcision, which should be crass, but has the audience in stitches. Ed Gamble is a competent, confident young comic, and hopefully this tour will give him the exposure he deserves.

Some comedians may be intimated by the sheer size of the Lyric Theatre. This is definitely not the case with Greg Davies. It takes him a good ten minutes or so before he even realises that the space has a third, full balcony. But Davies is extremely comfortable on stage. Much of his set is self-deprecating; this is a man who is very aware of his physical imperfections and plays on them.

The main focus of this new stand-up show revolves around Davies seeing the back of his Mum’s head in his youth, as she left the room after he’d done something weird, uttering the words “It’s not normal, love”. He resents the fact that he is expected to grow up, and indeed, be normal. However, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest Davies will be doing this any time soon. Highlights of his set include his top five favourite involuntary bodily noises (one tale about a particularly bad case of wind provoked riotous laughter), how to discredit children and a song about how his life would maybe be better if he were a bonsai tree. The material is varied, but always very, very funny.

By the end of Davies’ last tour, his show ‘Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog’ was extremely slick, as he had performed it at the Edinburgh Fringe and performed it around the country twice. ‘The Back of My Mum’s Head’ is a relatively new show, so does not have the same polished feel yet. However, it is still a great night of comedy, and it is only a matter of time before Davies is addressing arena-sized crowds.

Reviewed on 28th October 2012

Greg Davies: The Back of My Mum’s Head – The Lowry, Salford, 3.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Tags: Comedy, Ed Gamble, Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog, Greg Davies, Lowry, Manchester, Peacock and Gamble, Salford, Stand Up, The Back of My Mum’s Head, The Inbetweeners