Fullmooners in Victoria Park

November 2008

More Andrew Maxwell videos

Dublin-born stand-up who was named comics' comic in the 2005 Chortle awards (where he was also nominated for best headliner). In 2007 he was nominated for the if.comedy award for the best show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Andrew Maxwell: The Lamp - Fringe 2009
Live Review

Andrew Maxwell is shamelessly honest about his state of mind. ‘I’m hungover as fuck,’ he announces huskily at the start of his 9pm show. ‘I just got up an hour and a half ago and am still very much drunk.’

It perhaps explains why this performance lacks a certain sparkle. There are some excellent routines here, but it does feel as if the playful Dubliner is running below full capacity.

Still we warm to him – and not necessarily because of the well-intentioned but clearly insincere compliments he pays us as an audience. To be honest, the room is even more subdued than he is, but we’re happy to have metaphorical smoke blown up our collective arse.

It’s his attitude that endears him: he initially seems intense, but soon proves cheeky and upbeat. ‘Pesky’ might be a good adjective. His unusual stage garb – vest and shorts revealing his scrawny, pasty frame – also adds to the self-deprecating air.

There’s no theme to the show – the lamp simply being a stage prop he lays his hands on whenever he’s doing any ethically dubious material, as if to send any evil juju into its magical confines.

He turns to it most on his paedophile material – two words that might suggest lazy shock comedy, but it turns out Maxwell has an inventive solution to internet, child porn, even if his idea for a pervert-based talent show might not quite make primetime. Almost as good is his mischievous enthusiasm for being the face of erectile dysfunction in Ireland, after the drug companies were foolish enough to approach him for the role.

Equally the train of thought set in motion once he discovered most gun crime involved replica firearms certainly goes along some underused branch lines; although not everything is as thoughtful as that. Wank material, anyone?

At one point, Maxwell praises the Somalian pirates for their pizzazz in taking on gargantuan container ships from their tiny dinghies, and even a sub-prime Maxwell has that in spades, selling his provocative yet optimistic material with a cheeky chumminess, and exaggerating every line by stretching the emphatic vowels until they almost snap.

But even that’s not enough to convince us that the Russian doll finale is anything less than pathetically indulgent. Like those toys, there’s many more layers to Maxwell than you might first think… even if some of them were missing tonight, left behind during the previous night’s drinking session.

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When are we going to see Andy Maxwell on the TV more? This guy needs his own show hes that funny..seen him a few times at the Glee in Cardiff, Channel 4 pull your finger out and snap this guy up, he's wasted on just the stand-up circuit.

andy farina, September 2009

Hooowl! I'm a fullmooner.Fullmooners show on friday night was brilliant, quite possibly the best show I've ever seen, Eric rocked, Terry stormed, and the breakdancers were ffing amazing, good time had by all. cheers maxwell! nice bit of tummy button action too x

julie, June 2009

We went as a group of 8 at the Old Fruitmarket Glasgow. First half brilliant, second half my husband dragged us all out as he thought the jokes were out of order as spoke about religion... Watched DVD and understood Andrew's beliefs. Sorry we left now my husband is a prod, took it wrong way. Andrew, if you read this my husband raised the complaint? We take it back

Claire Mackay, April 2009

I saw Maxwell last year at the Altitude Festival, he was hilarious! Definitely going back for some more!

Katie, February 2009

An amazing comic. A legend in the making.

Joz, May 2008

My comedian of the year!

martin davis, December 2007

The Fullmooners at The Ghost Theatre last night was amazing. Andrew Maxwell is a legend!

Jude, November 2007

A legend!

Tracy, November 2007

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