Melbourne International Comedy Festival review by Steve Bennett

The title of Huw Joseph’s show came from a withering comment that a critic made about an earlier performance, suggesting he should keep his music to himself. If bad reviews are going to be his inspiration, he shouldn’t go short.

For Songs That Should Have Stayed In My Bedroom is an underpowered hour of half-hearted stand-up, inconsequential stories that would pass muster as entertaining pub conversation, but don’t have that extra element to elevate them to comedy routines.

There are a few youthful confessions, a protracted list of euphemisms for sexual practices – noting that dogging has nothing to do with canines for example – and the obligatory reference to Tinder. He and his mate misheard a Thai prostitute who approached them in Bangkok, giving them an in-joke he shares here, complete with comedy Asian accent. None of this is particularly terrible, it’s all just tediously ‘fine’, a mildly engaging bloke telling mildly interesting stories to a mildly attentive audience. It’s not enough to be worth leaving the house for.

Some of these tales are set to music, although, like the standup routines, they don’t have the hooks to be memorable. It’s a diversion, however, as is a bit where he prances around his bedroom pretending to be a model as I’m Too Sexy plays because… well, just because

The climactic routine, about his youthful efforts to form a heavy metal band, shows more promising elements, and proves engaging even if the punchline is more-or-less obvious from the beginning. But it’s a thin basis for an hour.

Joseph has recently moved to London, where his biggest achievement is appearing on Dinner Date – Britain’s third most popular show in which strangers go round each other’s houses to judge them – opposite glamour model Casey Batchelor. If he doesn’t step up his writing, that could be his career peak.

Review date: 10 Apr 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival