03 December 2016 (gig)
10 December 2016
"At first I wasn’t sure about doing this gig,” Rich Stokes says early on in his showcase of music and comedy. “ Then I realised: I’m being paid to make noise in a library.” After bemoaning the fact that he can’t do his darker material due to the family-friendly venue, he proceeds to lead the crowd in an energetic singalong apparently called ‘Dear Theresa May, Let Us Keep The NHS.’ Like other charismatic tunesmiths Tim Minchin and Bo Burnham, Rich Stokes knows how to write a catchy song. He also isn’t afraid to use his music to make a point while keeping the jokes coming thick and fast. One piece stages an argument with Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal, while another details the exploits of a decidedly un-super superhero, helpfully named Man-Man (“nearly all the abilities of one man… in one man!”) The latter track is neatly rendered on acoustic guitar, shorn of the rawk noodling to be found on the studio version (you can hear that one on his Bandcamp site, https://mrrichstokes.bandcamp.com/) An adept musician, he refers to his act during the set as “acoustic metal” or “comedy-punk.”
Stokes is actually most impressive when he keeps things simple, as on the my-kid-doesn’t-need-me ballad ‘There He Goes.’ By rights this should be a cringe-fest like ‘Look Mummy, No Hands,’ or, um, ‘Little James.’ Thankfully any hint of saccharine is banished with lines like “there he goes, with his back to me/I know that’s the way it should be/wouldn’t want him clinging age 33.” Despite this, I spotted a few young parents wiping away a tear or two at the end of the song, which closes with a falsetto that wouldn’t shame the late great Jeff Buckley.
Stokes gleefully admits that he’s cherrypicking the best parts (“the bits that worked”) from his last two full-length shows, Secret Of Happiness and Cautionary Tales, which makes for a side-splitting, occasionally moving, and ultimately uplifting hour. This performer is well worth your time.
website: mrrichstokes.wordpress.com
music: https://mrrichstokes.bandcamp.com/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrrichstokes
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/richaquilastokes
twitter: @MrRichStokes
