Adam Rowe "Fashionism", King's Theatre, Glasgow. Sunday 1st November, 2026.

When I bought two tickets to this show, I didn't anticipate my 'plus one' would be my wife. Adam isn't the kind of comedian she would normally choose to see.

"What kind of comedian is that?" you ask.

One who discusses at length the sexual practices of modern dating; one who swears with the C word sporadically; and one who appeals broadly to neds and knobheads. And me.

We had two support acts: Eshaan Akbar and Liam Bolton. The former, a better-known comic, went on first as he was also appearing at the Glee Club on their Desi Central Comedy Show. 

Eshaan Akbar

Eshaan asked if there were any 'brown' people in tonight. Silence, followed by nervous laughter. He thanked Adam for letting him perform to a white audience, though it turned out one black person was willing to shout out that they were there. Eshaan did well during his 15-minute set, playing against the Muslim stereotype. Probably not the same set that he performed later at the Glee Club.

Liam Bolton

Liam Bolton wasn't as polished, sounding more like an open mic comic who had written a few jokes and intended to tell them all. Despite his routines containing no slickness, literally moving from one bit to another with no effort to link them, the scouser was funny. Adam did well to offer him this bigger platform. 

At this point, I should mention that four youths were sitting behind me. Before the show, I overheard one say, "This is just like The Pavilion in here." 

"Aye, it is, but it's no. This is the King's", replied his mate.

"Yeah, fucking massive sausage fingers," sniggered the first. 

The conversation moved on to the topic of phoning in a sickie, with one trying to persuade the other that it was acceptable to fake a sickie. "It's allowed. You get holidays AND sickies. Just tell them you're no well and come out wi us after." 

I mention them because the pricks wouldn't shut up during the support acts, like they were cast members of Gogglebox, chuckling as they repeated the punchlines and told each other how funny they thought the jokes were. I don't even know how they could hear the comedian over their conversations. There were times I couldn't. I was fizzing at the interval.

At the start of Adam Rowe's set, they remained quieter until two people heckled Adam, one in a funny way and the other less so. Adam explained he didn't mind heckles so long as they were funny. This emboldened the prick to raise his voice twice. The first time, Adam didn't hear him, and he withered into his seat, sighing like a deflating balloon. The second time, he made sure he could be heard. 

"I'm not gay, but my boyfriend is," he shouted. 

Adam shook his head and informed him, "The '80s want their punchline back". This was during a section outwith the show, where Adam was taking an audience member in the balcony to task for shouting out, "there's two faggots over here". Admittedly, Adam had used the homophobic term, but in the context of a situation where he was the punchline. He didn't find it acceptable for the audience member to use it as a derogatory term, and he wanted him to explain himself. It was an important moment, pausing the show to shut down the heckler for his prejudice. The idiots behind me didn't recognise that. 

I was grateful that others in his row and ours scolded the youths for their behaviour during the show, attempting to get them to shut up. I wasn't so happy about how many times one of the guys felt the need to repeat the word "sorry" as if he had to say it to everyone around him individually, repeating how his mate can't help himself.  

The highlight of the night came from sixty-one-year-old Stuart, married to Susan for forty-one years. Adam had been using Stuart as a bouncing board for his material about modern-day dating compared to the olden days, and Stuart, with perfect timing, heckled, "What's the name of that app?" Later, during a bit about old couples and what happens when the woman dies first, Stuart piped up with the same line again, killing in the room. Even Adam had to compliment him for hitting two home runs with the same heckle. "It's not often a heckler gets to use a callback to their own heckle, using the same line. That's a first. Well done, mate." 

 

At the end of the show,  Adam mentioned that he would be on the merch stand straight after, autographing posters and posing for selfies. Lout number one immediately leapt from his seat and pushed past the others still sitting in his row, saying aloud, "I'm going to get one of those posters". 

My wife didn't enjoy the show, but not for the reason I expected. She had been getting dripped on for the entire second half. Someone must have spilt their pint on the Grand Circle balcony ledge, the contents seeping down the side and onto her. She almost left because of it, but didn't want to disturb everyone else in the row.

I enjoyed Adam. He is a gifted comedian, prone to using crude topics for humour but skilled at dancing along the line of acceptability. Because of this, he attracts louts to his shows and, unfortunately, this time, some were sitting behind me. But in a packed King's Theatre, they were a minority, so I shouldn't pick on them. I really shouldn't. 

 

Ticket Price: 2 x £29.92 + £3.95 Restoration Fee = £63.79