Phil Nichol Rants!

Phil Nichol is having a bad night. In this year’s Edinburgh offering, he’s off almost as soon as the audience begin filing through the door, taking the mundane to task through the lens of his very specific vitriol. This forceful and uncontained energy is exactly what the crowd have come to see, but it soon becomes clear that something is missing. By Nichol’s account, we are not a good audience. The chemistry between audience and performer is obviously crucial in the success of any show and perhaps a certain amount of sympathy can be given, but Nichol does little to romance this particular congregation. He begins hurtling observations at them about everything from the detail on crisp packets, to the British love of queuing, to roundabout traffic lights. Bad audience or not, the material isn’t groundbreaking – in many cases, it starts off well but doesn’t really go anywhere.

As the show comes to a close Nichol knows he has failed to meet his own high standards, but instead of admitting defeat, embarks on an inspired recapturing of the audience's affections, including a tortured inner monologue about whether or not to leave the stage, throwing a bottle of water at the crowd and generally delighting the audience with more classic Phil Nichol. Phil Nichol Rants! might not be the most polished of his outings, but Phil Nichol ranting is always worth seeing however good or bad the audience is.