Gig review by Steve Bennett at Latitude

Marcus Brigstocke is as much a fixture of Latitude as the spray-painted pink sheep. But while it’s usually his skills as an opinionated liberal-leftie comedian that are called into play, this year he drew upon a different talent: his previous job as a podium dancer.

For here he was paying tribute to his musical hero Prince in the most fitting way possible, with a party in which one comedian after another came on stage to take up the lip synch challenge of miming to one of the Purple One’s finest, living out their rock start fantasies. It’s one of the few times it’s OK for stand-ups to use other people’s material.

Brigstocke – whose fondest memory is getting free tickets to a Prince gig after a member of the New Power Generation came into the West London record store where he worked as a youth – kicked things off with Let’s Go Crazy. Then there was the likes of Rufus Hound (shirt open to the navel) Felicity Ward (in purple pants) and Josie Long (uncertain of the words to Raspberry Beret)

Joel Dommett, used to this type of thing after his stint on Sky’s Bring The Noise, boldly crowdsurfed his way through the tent to When Doves Cry; while Jonny And The Baptists, used none of their talents as real musicians, to ham up their lip synching.

Then there was the audience, en masse or individually, taking to the stage to get their funk on, once the ice was broken by a bloke called Tom who volunteered to perform to Starfish And Coffee. He’d come in a spangly top, but for those more conservatively dressed there was a bag full of props, costumes and confetti cannons for the sharing, all to add to the celebratory mood.

‘It’s all I hoped for and more,’ Brigstocke enthused as Prince’s music got everyone on their feet in glorious delight. There’s no other way to put it: The literary arena partied like it was 1999.

Review date: 18 Jul 2016
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Latitude