Geoff Norcott is a working class comedian with an (oven) chip on his shoulder. He voted Leave and thinks the middle classes are disappearing up their own arses. In Taking Liberties, Geoff pokes at the double standards of modern life and jibes at the little things we get hung up on when we all try a bit too hard.
He’ll make fun of you, your wife and himself in equal measure.
Geoff is like your laddish friend who loves a bit of banter. He can get away with saying what others can’t because you always feel like he’s on your side – regardless of which side you're on. He moves seamlessly from one gag to the next, and there’s never a dull moment. But, despite his right-leaning politics USP, it’s not all about Brexit and that’s just as well. Although his is surely the only set with a multiple-orgasm referendum joke, the strongest jokes are observations on everyday relatable topics like family life, ageing, relationships social awkwardness and dodgy marital sex.
Geoff doesn’t discriminate; he’ll make fun of you, your wife and himself in equal measure. Sometimes you can’t tell if he’s making fun of you or himself, and maybe that’s what makes him so forgivable. He offends everyone equally so that we’re brought together and united in the stupidity of our own hangups.
The pace lulls slightly in the middle and two jokes about nuclear family holidays and A-Levels fall flat. Likewise, a couple of lines cut close to the bone; they're there for the shock factor rather than your agreement, but he flows seamlessly onto other topics with unflappable ease and fluidity, before it gets too weird.
The audience might have been expecting something more hard line, but it’s clear that Geoff has way more to offer than just ranting about Brexit. Maybe he’s progressive in his own way, caricaturing himself and exposing the self-righteousness of the self-righteous. There’s a surprising undercurrent of unity, tolerance and togetherness, and he surprises the audience by sneaking in a few poignant moments with genuine celebration of change and social progress - rather than the harsh anti-everything persona that some may expect.
Huge credit has to be given to the support act, Russian Konstantin Kisin, who was totally hilarious. His mere presence as a Russian Jewish comedian dispelled any possibility that Geoff’s right leaning nature could make the gig descend into a UKIP rally. Kooky Konstantin was sharp and on point throughout his set. He had the audience roaring and he effortlessly ripped apart everything from Russian stereotypes, to Novichok, the Olympics, politics, and dick pics. The two go well together and ultimately the content is well-crafted, good-natured and an unlikely celebration of unity. A class act.
