Before I even enter the venue, there’s a man with a huge pink microphone advertising Raul Kohli’s show, the noise blasting up and down Blair Street. It’s Kohli himself, and he is pumped up. I love to see it. Even if I wasn’t reviewing, I would have definitely taken a chance on this show for the sheer confidence.
It’s the final ten minutes that really cement the show as something special
It’s quite a quiet room, but there’s a buzz about it, which is really great to see. Kohli bounds onto the stage after entrance tunes by Punjabi MC and Spice Girls (I thought it was an odd choice to put these tunes together, but by the end of the show, it made so much sense). He’s in a Newcastle United top, radiating passion and excitement.
Kohli’s show is smart and sensitive and includes some devasting takedowns on racism in the UK and some brilliantly up-to-date takes on current issues in England. However, at it’s core, the show is about what it means to call yourself British – a tough sell for a Scottish audience. But not to worry, his explanations on pegging, comparisons between Rishi Sunak and Shamima Begum and his take on ‘Nigel Farage’s wet dream’ keep the audience hooked for the full hour.
But it’s the final ten minutes that really cement the show as something special. An intense, vulnerable and emotional monologue, that had the lady in front of me in tears, reminds us that, although we’ve listened to an hour of comedy, the serious subjects that Kohli has spoken about are no laughing matter.
I came out of the show feeling happier, prouder and, dare I say, a little more British? That’s an achievement right there.
