Russell Brand Re:Birth, Wolverhampton Civic Hall - review

Some will foam at the mouth with rage, demanding that any fan of the Radio X DJ acknowledge he is simply not funny and is not worthy of being called a comedian.

Others may see him more as a celebrity who drifts back and forth between starring in bad films and offering questionable but well-intentioned political advice to the youth of Britain.

But as a packed crowd at Wolverhampton Civic Hall saw last night, Russell Brand is one of the few truly original British stand-ups to have emerged over the last 10 years.

He owes a debt to Bill Hicks of course, but who on the comedy circuit worth seeing in 2017 doesn’t?

His Re:Brand tour set is split straight down the middle between the blue humour that made his earlier stand up shows so hilarious and political insight that separates him from the pack.

Brand’s adoring army of fans welcomed him like a returning king as he made his way on to the stage, but he still remained full of grace and gratitude for those who had come out to see him.

In his view, peace and love always wins the day and it was touching to see a man who was once a constant on the front pages of the tabloid press deciding to waver his right to an interval between sets in favour of turning the house lights on and letting anyone in the crowd who wanted to say hello come forward and do so.

The man is a larger-than-life character, but does come across as a much more down-to-earth, humble chap now than when the star was at his peak of fame.

This is mainly down to the birth of his daughter and the imposition of responsibility that has come since, which he seems to have found both inspiring and daunting in equal measure.

He has always been self-deprecating but Re:Brand takes this side of his personality to a whole new level, with the comic pointing out that some of his most excruciating moments have come when he tries to tackle topics of a more serious nature, including his infamous interview with Jeremy Paxman in which he encouraged young people not to vote.

However, that doesn’t stop him from tackling the big issues with consumerism, Donald Trump and Theresa May’s ‘strong and stable’ shtick all getting knocked down a peg.

This is because, in Brand’s view, they are all meaningless aspects of modern life that we have let cloud our judgement over what is truly important.

He admits that his life is full of contradictions and he doesn’t know the big answer we are all searching for.

What he does know is comedy and even in its deepest moments, Re:Brand is a great show put together by a true entertainer.