Eva Bindeman is a comedian who you suspect is in her element as an MC, playing the ringmaster to unruly weekend audiences. She has that breezy authenticity onstage that can’t be manufactured, only tempered into a potent weapon to which a crowd will respond. Of course, this is a lunchtime slot in a hotbox of an attic that any estate agent worth their bullshit would champion as a fourth bedroom, so instead Eva’s crowd consists principally of exceedingly polite young women. As such, the appealing and talented Northumbrian is able to stroll through an unpretentious and frequently terrific hour.
The majority of ‘Semi Killer’ deals with Bindeman’s ‘always the bridesmaid’ feelings about getting through to the semi-finals of practically every contest she’s entered. This includes both a long-running TV juggernaut, which is accompanied by perhaps the single best anecdote of the hour, and a comedy competition organised by the very much known for other things OnlyFans (a contest also referred to in Mary O’Connell’s show if more info is wanted). The normal content of OnlyFans is very much on Bindeman’s mind however, specifically her own.
Bindeman uses her talent as an engaging raconteur to cultivate easy audience banter that gently joshes her targets while keeping them very much onside. The lazy comparison, but practically inevitable one given how quickly it jumps to mind, is with Sarah Millican. Not just because both have a pleasing sing-song North-East cadence (though Eva’s Berwick lilt is a fair bit softer), but also the propensity for earthy, some would say gynaecological, humour. Not that Bindeman isn’t very much her own distinct personality, with a frankness about sexuality and dating that’s organically part of her fluid storytelling, and not in any way crammed in for shock value.
‘Semi Killer’ ostensibly takes the form of an acceptance speech for the (thankfully) fictional FANY award, but Bindeman’s relaxed, conversational style is a little too digressive to stick to that format. That means one forgets that is the conceit until it appears again to book-end the show. The announcement of the award (with the comic sitting in the crowd during the recording) is a nice opening gambit to give the show some instant context, but once the copious audience interaction begins, it’s somewhat forcing the issue to return to it.
Slight structural inconsistencies aside, ‘Semi Killer’ is one of those shows that leave you with a real sense of the person onstage through a steady build-up of incidental detail. While focusing on a few larger topics, Eva Bindeman has delivered a fine introduction which nimble paints who she is as a comic and a person, a Venn diagram that appears to be pretty much just a circle.
‘Semi Killer’ runs until Sat 19 Aug 2023 at Just the Tonic at The Mash House at 13:20