Review by Dave Hampson

Phil Walker bounds onto the stage with the energy of a dog that has just been let out for an overdue walk. He looks excited and full of beans at the prospect of us paying attention to him for the best part of an hour.

Walker, who’s from Preston, has the almost stereotypical Northern comic aptitude for banter with the audience which is useful for getting the room relaxed and on-side. Only one problem arises with this all-inclusive attitude; the fact that his dad, Roy Walker, of Catchphrase has decided to see this performance. Although sitting at the very rear of the room, Roy seemed to find it impossible not to shout out uninvited, though Phil dealt with this with charm, asking his dad after one interjection; ‘Whose name is it on the flyer?’

When in full flow, Walker Jr is an extremely affable performer playing to the entire room literally and figuratively. His material is very easy to access, including routines on the crap summer the UK has been having, the ridiculousness of Kerry Katona being voted mum of the year on more than one occasion and the state of some women after a night on blue WKD walking home barefoot and being sick.

Throughout this main section of the evening his set moves seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly. The gags and observations keep on coming thick and fast and time is flying by. Still, the material is far from cutting edge, touching on strange Olympic sports and last year’s rioters looting without using logic.

When he moves on to politics, the lack of depth to the material really starts to show as he points out that Alistair Darling looks like a badger and that with his surname, Ed Balls did well not to be bullied to the point of suicide at school. These raise more giggles than they are really worth, mainly due to the fact that the audience is now definitely having a good night.

However, the biggest laughs were awarded to a member of the audience who, through alcohol or one too many bags of Haribo, starts to get fits of giggles, often at the wrong moments. Walker acknowledges him with warmth and appreciation and, yet again, the room is all his.

Walker is a crackingly good club comic. He has an excellent ability at warming a crowd up and keeping the energy in the room high. He appears always to be having as much fun with the audience as they are clearly having with him.

It would be harsh to write this off as an extended club set, especially when we have a clever back reference involving talking to his young daughter. He certainly has the everyman touch and is someone most people would enjoy having a pint with.

He can can pretty much guarantee a good night out, though with slightly more original writing he could be in serious contention for an extra star.

Review date: 16 Aug 2012
Reviewed by: Dave Hampson
Reviewed at: Laughing Horse @ The White Horse