Taking place in
the cosy surroundings of the Kilderkin pub,
The pub quiz structure works impressively well for stand-up, as Love covers the traditional rounds of Music and Film - and some less well-known rounds as well - to create a strong foundation for his stand-up material.
Alex Love is an endearing host, brimming with facts that are quirky, entertaining and only sometimes made up. His engagement with the crowd is quick and charming, which is a plus as the show revolves around heavy audience interaction. Sometimes the fast pace of delivery led to a loss of clarity; whilst this was acknowledged at one point, to great effect, it did continue to occur and obscured a few punchlines during the set.
The pub quiz structure works impressively well for stand-up, as Love covers the traditional rounds of Music and Film - and some less well-known rounds as well - to create a strong foundation for his stand-up material. Acting as the complete opposite of the siren from popular quiz show QI, the Fact Bell was rung whenever a true fact was announced - something that became a recurring and entertaining feature throughout.
Despite the promising idea behind this set there seems to be a lack of organisation; with better direction and preparation this could be improved. Whilst the hour is loosely structured into two halves, the handing out of stationery for the latter section could have been done at the very beginning and would not have put a halt to the action halfway through the gig. This event’s highlight is also one of its flaws: a show that revolves around one of the greatest British pub traditions must also suffer from the curse of stilted pauses as answers are collated, submitted and marked. I enjoyed the fusion of fact and opinion in Love’s questions, coupled with his fast and loose allocation of points, and the brief silences undoubtedly showed just how seriously the audience was taking this parody of a pub quiz.
It takes quite a show to create such a sense of engagement that one music question can become a full-blown sing-along, but this is the spirit of How To Win A Pub Quiz. There are indeed prizes to be won, facts to be learnt and certainly lots of fun to be had; see if you can become a winner.
