Review by Steve Bennett

It’s often said that the sign of a natural comic is that they could read out the phone book and make it funny. Tommy Tiernan would read it and somehow get passionately opinionated about its content.

He’s a man with a fiercely strong opinion on everything and an unquenchable drive to communicate it. He testifies with the fervour of a firebrand preacher, his voice almost hoarse with the emphasis he injects, commanding the audience to listen.

Attitude is only half the story, though, and Tiernan not only has fire in his belly, but inspiration in his mind. There are some exquisite turns of phrase here – the description of the diaphragm as ‘a small rubber Pringle’ stands out in a forest of similarly inventive examples. This contraceptive routine also showcases the physical aspect of his powerhouse performance in a very visible way, but he uses his body to reinforce almost every joke.

His fluid set takes in an eclectic range of subjects. This afternoon, it included immigration, how the Irish are ill-suited to the boom years of the Celtic Tiger, an hilarious anecdote from his school days and the tribulations of being a father of five – and always with an interesting, funny and fiery approach.

It’s a festival phenomenon that the comedy arena gets quieter as the day goes on, as the range of options widens. So it’s a shame that fewer people saw Tiernan in full flight as the day’s earlier offering, because he’s one of the finest exponents of the stand-up craft. Surely it won’t be long until he achieves the same God-like status in the UK as he has back home in Ireland.

Review date: 25 Jul 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett