Debatably ginger Geordie comedian Kai Humphries is shameless. There’s nothing he won’t say or do. He once ate a tuft of grass for a dare and has almost been killed by a bull. The Spanish say that there is always one English idiot that dies at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona and this year it was almost Humphries. This traumatising yet hilarious experience has given Humphries a new zest for life, making this daredevil’s performance very real and uplifting as well as outrageously funny.
Humphries is a stand-up who divides the room. His stories about defecation, sex and ecstasy probably wouldn’t be a hit at The Royal Variety Performance. However, underneath all of this vulgarity and crassness lies a heart-warming message. Humphries speaks about his childhood friend Andy who has Down’s Syndrome and how he has impacted his life. Admittedly Humphries’ initial gag was met with awkward silence as he said that he himself wished that he was just ‘a little bit down syndrome’; Humphries then went on to tell a story about the time he took ecstasy and was expressing his love to everyone. He said that when he experienced this euphoria he felt like his childhood friend Andy who always gives him a big hug. At the end of the show, the audience realised how important Andy was to Humphries and that his initial statement was his way of saying that he wished he could feel the same euphoria as his friend.
Comedians sometimes exaggerate or invent stories just to get a laugh. However the photographic evidence of Humphries almost being trampled by a herd of raging bulls show that there is no BS in his show. Humphries’ shamefulness might not be right for the Queen but if you’re looking for an evening of endless laughter then Kai Humphries is definitely the stand-up for you.
