Stuart Mitchell & Festive Friends, Blackfriars, Glasgow. Early Afternoon Show, Friday 6th December, 2024

It has been many years since I last visited Blackfriars and even longer since I'd been to a show there. And at nearly a tenner for a glass of red wine and a can of Irn Bru, it may be a while before I return. Since my last visit decades ago, the downstairs area has been given a revamp; the stage is now at the opposite end of the room, where the bar used to be, with a mural of Detective Columbo as a practical reminder of where to face. Actually, the position of the mic stand and the chairs help, too.   

The show is sold out despite the 2:30 p.m. start on a Friday afternoon. Stuart Mitchell is the draw for many of the crowd, which has a predominantly elderly demographic. There was a bit of impolite forcefulness as punters converged on the stair entrance from three directions, multiple people pushing in front of me after my wife went through. Such was their enthusiasm to grab the best seats.  

Downstairs, the semi-circle front row had been heavily populated by grey/balding old men, all friends from Motherwell. As Stuart remarked, they gave the place the appearance of a prostate ward, cue mime pulling on the surgical gloves. 

Stuart is hosting, not headlining, much to one woman's vocal disappointment. He has to remind her of the show's title, emphasising the 'And Friends' part. As host, he shows off his crowd-work skills for which he is famous on the old internet. He gets some mileage from the Motherwell grandpas, one of whom claims to work at Edinburgh Zoo. The punter's replies are quick-witted, the banter bouncing back and forth, with others joining in. Who knew a Friday afternoon crowd could be so rowdy? Especially with a Chief Detective Inspector from the Paisley Police Office in attendance.

The first act is Rosco Mclelland, who is in his thirties and is younger than everyone in the audience as far as I can see. I'd watched his recent Edinburgh show online, and he used bits from it today, but not enough for it to feel like a repeat. At times, it felt like he was slogging through his material, trying to connect with this crowd and stop them from veering off into heckle-land or starting conversations. We weren't his normal demographic.

Aside: He revealed he'd had his teeth fixed in an attempt to appear more tv-friendly, just as BBC Scotland admitted they had no money left for new programmes.     

After the interval, Stuart dropped a bombshell: the zookeeper was, in fact, a car salesman. He was miffed because it scuppered the joke he'd written at the break especially for him, asking, "What Koala-fications do you need to work at the zoo? 

After more banter with Mr Mercedes, Stuart introduced his Glesga Da, Raymond Mearns, as headliner. Raymond has been on the circuit for decades. I'd even seen him perform (badly) in this venue back then when he died on his arse. Today, he fared better. His rough and ready Glaswegian material won over the crowd, though he did give both barrels to the grandpas to ensure they knew who was in charge. 

This show went over well as a wee early Christmas treat. Hopefully, when I see Stuart perform again, the crowd will be better behaved but just as funny.   

Ticket Price (for two): £19.80 (incl. £1.80 booking fee) from WeGotTickets.