Connor Burns, "1994", King's Theatre, Glasgow. Saturday 15th March, 2025.

They say it's good luck if a bird shits on you (the feathered variety, not the fetishist, although maybe that is too). I was extremely lucky because, as my mate and I exited the car on Blytheswood Square, a seagull dropped a massive shit on his jacket. By the time we arrived at the pub for some dinner and a drink, having attempted to clean up the mess with a tissue, the paint-like smear had solidified and wasn't for cleaning. It was just as well we were heading out to see a comedian afterwards. He needed a laugh.

Scottish comedian Connor Burns had never been on my radar. I was unaware of his social media work, or how he had been on the comedy scene for eight years, so I bought these based solely on the buzz around him. He'd sold out his entire Edinburgh run last year, well in advance of the festival, and sold out five shows at the GICF in 2023. That rarely happens unless the act has had major TV exposure, which Connor hasn't (I looked this up after the gig, not wanting my opinion of him to be swayed one way or another).

This was the second of his two sold-out shows at the King's Theatre this festival. I'd misread the ticket and thought the show started at 9 pm, so we arrived at 8.45 pm and joined the long but fast-moving queue. Tickets checked, we made our way inside to our seats in the stalls, five rows from the front. Lots of empty seats prompted me to recheck the start time. Turned out 9 pm was doors open, though they'd let people in early. The website confirmed the show started at 9.30 pm.

As we waited, I noticed the background music, with tracks like Basket Case by Green Day and Say It Ain't So by Weezer, were all quite old and quickly twigged they were all from 1994. There was one exception, though: Sheryl Crow's All I Wanna Do, which was released in 1993. I'm sure there was a reason why this one slipped through but I never did find out what it was.

Connor Burns had a lovely surprise for us. Although he doesn't normally have a support act, he did tonight. Before he introduced him, he explained he would be coming back on straight after the support so not to fuck off for a drink. He then welcomes on none other than DANIEL SLOSS! 

I paid to see this young comedy veteran at the Armadillo a few years back and he was awesome. Daniel had been taking a year off from stand-up following the birth of his second child, so his unexpected performance tonight was at his wife's request, who, after having had him at home for eight months, was delighted to see the back of him. His assured set related to his current homelife situation and was extremely funny. Afterwards, I read that Connor had supported Daniel on previous tours, so it was nice to see them switch roles.

Much of Connor's set revolved around the tunes that were hits at important stages in his and his father's lives, from Rock The Joint by Bill Haley & His Comets and Voodoo Child by Jimmy Hendrix to Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet and The Mr Blobby song. He got some mileage from the significance of these songs. Time was another theme he used, discussing how there was a ten-year gap between him and his nearest sibling and how he'd been born nine months after his father's birthday. Cringe! 

Connor's routines flowed naturally and were cleverly crafted with only a hint of nervousness in their delivery. The idea of replacing the Scottish national anthem with Glasgow's unofficial anthem, dance track Bits and Pieces, touched a comic nerve within the crowd who were totally up for it. It was a very funny show. Top marks!

He is definitely an act worth catching. He will be performing his new show GALLUS at this year's Edinburgh festival, from  JUL 31, 2025 - AUG 24, 2025 at Just The Tonic Nucleus - Venue 393. Get in there quick. Tickets are already on sale.     

Ticket Price x 2 = £46.40
(including Booking fee £3.70 per ticket, which incorporates the Venue Fee of £1.75 per ticket)
1 x Order Processing Fee £1.25
Total £47.65 from SEE Tickets