Review by Julian Hall

Rob Deering's ability to deliver a consistent level of entertainment is, I think, one of the reasons why it feels like he has been on the scene beyond his 11 years in comedy.

Over the years his hair has greyed in a distinguished way, and he's slimmed down considerably. Oh, and he set a record for The Weakest Link for winningwithout getting any questions wrong. No wonder he has maintained that cheeky grin.

In his attempt to layer and define The Rob Deering Experience, Deering exposes the spuriousness of much of the filler material he uses between the musical goofery he is known for. However, the focus of course remains overwhelmingly on music such as his sharp mash-up of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and Abba's Dancing Queen, so the banter is of secondary importance.

Dexterously manipulating pedals to provide soundscapes that can accompany his guitar, Deering sometimes uses known musical refrains as set-ups to one-line spoken punchlines, or, as with his use of George Michael's Faith, to contain a quick two-line gag in its entirety.

He's no Bill Bailey, nor does he pretend to be, but he does have an impressive virtuosity and even watching him build the Daft Punk track Around The World is entertaining. Indeed, Deering is a curious comedian in that his set-ups are as entertaining as his end products.

Inevitably the audience get caught up in some of Deering's more interactive musical forays and guessing the mash-ups enables some good banter tonight, although the improvised song at the end, using audience suggestions, feels a bit tacked-on.

More out-and-out musical parody such as his Scottish U2 tribute band would have been welcome, and while he doesn't exactly run out of ideas the show would have benefited from being tighter.

Review date: 21 Aug 2011
Reviewed by: Julian Hall