Review by Steve Bennett

Dry, deadpan merchant Albion Gray doesn’t get off to the best start by using an old Emo Phillips ‘by and large…’ gag. He’s a sort of cut-price Jimmy Carr – not so harsh in tone, perhaps, but using a similar mechanical process to generate one-liners, then delivering them dispassionately, fixing a frozen expression on his face while he waits for the penny to drop.

It’s a pun-driven set, and often he seems to be generating the sort of wordplay you might find in local newspaper headlines. A few notable lines rise above that sort of thing – especially the self-deprecating ones that reveal his gags’ inner workings – but it is definitely hit and miss; and about 30/70 in the wrong direction.

The night Chortle saw him, Gray was also noticeably nervous, you could actually hear how dry his mouth was under the lights, and that doesn’t engender much trust.

Review date: 26 Apr 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett