Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

For many children of the internet, life is a whirl of vacuous, attention-grabbing memes, insecure egotism and toxic jealousy, comparing yourself to the supposedly perfect lives curated on screen.

Lou Wall has mashed all this and more up into a frenetic, fever dream of a musical comedy show that mounts a relentless assault on the audience’s senses as the inventive comedian takes a very deep dive into their obsession.

Wall’s envy of a contemporary and a fellow performer is, apparently, all-consuming. They are perpetually trawling the socials to see what their nemesis is up to, and becomes obsessed by getting more followers, more money and more roles than her. Of course, the object of such jealousy is blissfully aware she’s in any such competition.

In their quest to come out on top, Wall sets up some bizarre social media accounts, thirst-trapping evangelicals horny for Jesus, and starts a dubious side-hustle selling pictures of their feet. It’s a bizarre running theme of this festival that quite a few shows have made a feature of this kink – but none as shockingly entertaining as Wall’s blockbuster musical number on the topic.

This show speaks to so many of Wall’s generation, and their ambition in presenting an almost immersive experience is impressive. The show’s only 50 minutes long but it feels as if twice as much material has been crammed into it, thanks to a hyperkinetic, fully committed delivery that never lets up. Plus the back of the stage is busy with memes and screen shots that pull you in and illustrate the story. 

The spectacle and energy is often prioritised over jokes, but the story is wittily told, with Wall’s stupid insecurities always front and centre. Anyway, your brain will be in such a scramble to take it all in, there’s never a dull millisecond.

Then there’s the mic-drop twist, which underlines Wall’s creative audacity. Lou Wall vs The Internet is an onslaught even by attention-deficient Gen Z standards, but it’s quite the exhilarating ride.

• Lou Wall vs The Internet is on at ACMI at 6.30pm today and tomorrow and 5.30pm on Sunday

Review date: 7 Apr 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival