Political comedian, Hardeep Singh Kohli, is not afraid to delve into the pressing issues of the day: Brexit, the Scottish Independence question, Sectarianism and Terrorism are all covered in this hour long (very Scottish) look at the world today. Of course, it is not all serious satire, Kohli also covers Still Game (for those in any doubt, he is not Navid), jakeys and bhangra dancing in his latest Fringe show, Alternative, Fact.
Kohli is a proud Scot, a proud Glaswegian and a proud Sikh, paying homage to them all with his eclectic outfit that includes the unusual combination of kilt, corduroy, and pink turban. He emits an enigmatic personality from the off, and quickly builds a rapport with the audience, translating much of his Scottish humour for the English members of the audience (much to the amusement of the Scots in the crowd), as how do you effectively explain that a comedy show about two old guys is considered so funny in Scotland that U2 nearly had to cancel their Glasgow dates?
The show is littered with laughs, but Kohli also serves up some thought-provoking questions, and allows for moments of reflection on the politics of our age and where we go from here? He even ends with a quotation from American actor and comedian, Will Rogers, who once said: “Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”
This may never have been so apt as in 2017 and is certainly no more apt than in this show. The audience want to listen to what Kohli has to say, comedic or otherwise, and even those of a different political persuasion cannot help but be impressed by his quiet, engaging manner as he explains why he feels the way he does and what he has learnt from his experiences in the world of politics to date.
It is not necessarily a laugh-a-minute show, some of the content is too deep for that, but Kohli is enigmatic and entertaining and deserves his long, loud round of applause.
This is a very weird review. I saw the same show and was depressed how weak and old the material was. There’s no insight, plenty of contradiction – he loves Scots, well –
the half that vote the same way as him
Hardeep’s biggest problem is insincerity: nothing is deeply felt, aside from his interest in Hardeep.
Thanks for your comment, Alun. The joy of the Fringe is that there is something for everyone I guess and this is just one take on a comedian I had never seen before.
(I also happen to vote the opposite way from him…)