In a really charming and comfortable little room at the back of the White Horse on Canongate, Jason Patterson and Romesh Ranganathan put on an hour of pretty charming stand up.Patterson’s set reflects on his experiences growing up in Brixton and getting into stand up, including the story of his leaving his job to go on his first national tour and subsequently taking up comedy full-time. The stories are affable and Patterson is a natural performer, taking interaction with the audience in his stride and hitting his comic marks with aplomb. Some stories are a little drawn out and the punchline a touch late, and occasionally a little too whimsical to properly engage the funny bone, but on the whole his set was solid, confidently delivered and well-received.
Ranganathan’s second half-hour was rather a marvellous affair, with his set focusing on (principally woven through an elongated rumination on Marvel’s The Avengers with regards his mild sociopathy) being a parent and a former maths teacher. He is an excellent observer, and has an uncommon knack for turning a fairly mundane or familiar comedy situation into something rather unique. In a massive bonus for those of us easily impressed by such things, he has a wonderfully expressive face, which occasionally makes its own punchline.
Considering the free admission and the handy scheduling in the mid-afternoon, this is a very solid show, and worth a look if you’re on the mile during the mid-afternoon lull.
