Fin Taylor: Daddy Self-Care

Fin Taylor is not afraid to speak his mind, and his recent set Daddy Self-Care is proof of that. Through his comedy, Taylor provides us with a new perspective which stays with us beyond the allocated hour. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: witty and fast-paced observations on his new role as a parent and mental health.

Every joke he makes is more risqué than the last

With an incredibly dark sense of humour, Taylor comments on dog whistle labels, and manages to pull his tangents together in a seamless fashion, whether it is a serious subject like the spectrum of mental health or something more observationist and offhand like Princess Diana’s car insurance. Finding the line is Taylor’s speciality, as he tightrope walks the line between funny and offensive, backing up personal anecdotes about how life has changed for him since the pandemic with cultural references. A shocked audience does not deter Taylor as he powers through his set, unperturbed, trying to rile us up with each joke. Because beneath the jokes he makes, there are entirely logical arguments and observations that we can take away with us.

When Taylor mentions that he is going to start speaking frankly mid-way through, we are forced to wonder how much more frank he could possibly get, as the material previously is anything but vanilla. And he does not disappoint. It is a lot to process, mainly due to subject matter that is hard-hitting for a weekday night and the many moving parts that each joke contains. Taylor is incredibly clever and shows this off in every punchline, bringing up ideas and viewpoints that we would not have otherwise considered had we not listened to him for an hour.

Anybody lucky enough to see Taylor in his element should prepare themselves for a downpour of controversy that under the surface speaks to larger issues. Although the set initially comes across as an undirected stream of consciousness, Taylor’s ability to craft smart and often extremely unapologetically filthy jokes speaks to the incredibly daring nature of his comedy. In Daddy Self-Care, Taylor shows us just how brave he is, because every joke he makes is more risqué than the last, building into a comedy set that is incredibly wry and grim, but overall a great way to spend the evening.

Catch Fin Taylor on his UK tour next year. Tickets available at fintaylor.com