Review by Steve Bennett

Tom Ballard is 20 years old. That has to be said right at the start, as there’s no way you’d know it from his comedy. He has the confidence, timing, presence and instincts of a comedian twice his age.

In a festival full of gimmicks, he has none. This, he explains, is just an hour of jokes, with no theme or message. Yet he holds the attention throughout with a rock-solid, extended set of no-nonsense club comedy.

To be brutally frank, it probably won’t rock your world. But knowing Ballard – who was named best newcomer at last year’s festival - has got his whole career ahead of him, yet can produce a robust, free-flowing hour for the second year running is a tantalising prospect.

He moves between familiar touchstones such as religion, to comments on news stories such as the death of Harry Patch, the First World War’s last soldier. Other gigs and inappropriate behaviour in his day job as a Tripe J radio presenter also feature large, although it never feels as if he’s limited to this just because he’s stuck for wider life experiences. There’s no concession to his youth at all.

He does self-deprecation well – though would surely be too self-deprecating to admit it – and trots out the anecdotes like a chat-show regular. He’s gay, which he mentions a bit, and from a small town, but that coming-out story was the story of the previous show. Now it’s just background.

Not all the tales are classic routines, it has to be said, and this is a show bigger on jovial atmosphere than brilliantly-crafted punchlines. but it’s testament to Ballard’s talents that you remained entertained by his company throughout. He’s a natural, all right, so just imagine what he could do with plutonium-grade material…

Review date: 2 Apr 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett