When an American 'name' comedian comes to Scotland, I like to catch them, but I was particularly keen to see Taylor. I wasn't that familiar with her work, but I knew there was a buzz about her. She'd been the youngest comedian ever to be awarded the host role in Late Night with her quiz show After Midnight, and she already had three Netflix specials before turning thirty. Her crowd work reels showcase a talented comic, not surprisingly, given that she has been a comedian for over half her life.
Tuesday had been a nice day, but by the time we were driving, the drizzle was on. The doors were supposed to open at 6:30 pm for an 8:00 pm show, but at 7:20, the queue to get in was only getting longer. There were punters inside, though, which was confusing. Was there a special early entry VIP exclusive that I'd missed? We stood in the rain for a while and eventually were let in, but we didn't get much further than the foyer. The house doors were still closed. Someone asked the usher what the reason for the delay was, but she didn't know. She guessed it could have been a late sound check by the artist or a problem with the room.
The merch stall was selling T-shirts and tote bags, but none interested me. I'm not confident enough, sister, to wear a Taylor Tomlinson tour T-shirt as a personal statement.
Eventually, at 7:30 pm, they announced that the house doors were open, and we could make our way in. An usher handed us a glossy, folded leaflet. Excellent! A souvenir! No need to buy any merch. Our seats were fantastic (thanks, Kim), five rows from the front, in the middle, close enough for the perfect view but far enough away to avoid the comedian's eye.
The audience is predominantly female and young, often in pairs. That should have been a clue about the nature of the show, but I hadn't done my research.
The opening act was Sophie Buddle, a Canadian comedian who'd worked with Taylor on After Midnight. The leaflet revealed that "she has a gluten allergy but not in an annoying way, in actually a very cool and seductive way". Mmmn... that doesn't sound foreboding.
It took me a while to tune into her voice. I found the pitch of her Canadian accent and her delivery style difficult to follow. That could have been down to the sound in the room or my hearing. I don't remember much about her material, except to say I switched off around the time she veered into her vibrator speed bit. I'm sure it was hilarious to the women in the audience, but I didn't find it relatable.
After her twenty minutes, I expected an interval, but no (theatre scowls at missing out on ice cream and alcohol sales). Instead, she introduced Taylor.
That girl has some comedy chops. Her performance is exquisite. She knows how to deliver every line in the best way to elicit laughs. Toppers appear casual, throwaway lines on the way to the next joke, but you know she's crafted them deliberately (sometimes, she'll pause to tell you that). The writing is key, but she's not afraid to play around with the audience. She's loving that, in Scotland, she can go darker with her material, even swear occasionally (using the C-word, gasp!) without causing offence, knowing the audience will respond appropriately with laughter. Her set covered her religious upbringing, her family background, touched on her mental health, relationships and finished with her recent coming out as bisexual. Not my favourite topic for comedy, but she brought the funny. The parts where she interacted with the audience seemed playful and warm, but with a comedic edge. She knew precisely when and how to put someone down strongly enough that it wouldn't spoil the atmosphere.
Her performance didn't come across as another 'let's plough through this shit one more time'. It felt present and in the moment. It was her first time performing in Scotland, and she worked that into her routines. She had trouble understanding our accents, but that was okay.
After the show, both Taylor and Sophie conducted a crowd-confessions Q&A, answering the questions submitted via the QR code on the leaflet. This was a nice, relaxing way to end the night. It was so evident from their giggles just how close their friendship is (not in that way - Sophie has a boyfriend!).
My favourite comedic bit from the night was when Taylor acted out the differences between girl-on-girl and girl-on-boy sex. With girl/girl sex, both parties have to remain present because they know instantly when the other's mind has wandered. Whereas with girl/boy sex... well, she showed us what can happen. One of the best physical comedic performances I've seen, that wasn't Elf Lyons.
Ticket Price: £57.62 x 2 = £115.24 from ATG+ (Thanks again Kim)
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