Sunday left me double booked. Hibs were playing in Dundee and I also had tickets to see Jimeoin’s ‘What’ show at the EICC.
Thankfully the kick off time at Tannadice had been brought forward to 1pm which made both possible if not certain, depending on the traffic, but the one good thing about being a Hibs fans these days is that there is not usually an inclination to stay to the bitter end of games. By the time Michael Gardyne scored Dundee United’s third, I was southbound on the M90 swearing at the radio.
When I reached Edinburgh, I realised that Hibs were now bottom of the SPL, so I definitely needed cheering up, and Jimeoin was the perfect tonic.
Jimeoin is one of those comedians who can make an audience laugh without saying a word. His facial expressions, particularly his frequently raised eyebrows are enough to start the giggling in the auditorium.
Quick to distance himself from the new brand of alternative comedians who don’t tell jokes, but instead merely give their opinions on subject that he doesn’t know or care about, Jimeoin just wants to make people laugh.
Whether he is talking about shirts, supermarkets, shopping, wives or doing jobs about the house, his surreal take on everyday behaviour had the crowd in stitches. His perceptive take on human behaviour had young, old, men and women with tears of laughter.
If there are any comedians with better timing, I haven’t seen them. His strong Belfast accent would make you laugh even if he was reading out the telephone book.
These days, stand-up comics seem to go out of their way to shock or cause offence, but Jimeoin has no need to rely on such material, although the subject of ‘hanky panky’ occasionally arose.
He finished off with a few songs, including the hilarious ‘What’ which had the audience singing along, and didn’t bother leaving the stage before his well-deserved encore.
I have seen many of today’s comedians live, including Jimmy Carr, Dara O’Brien, Sarah Millican, Michael McIntyre Omid Djalli, Rich Hall and Steven Merchant, but Jimeoin is right up there with the best of them.
Although not a sell-out, once the word gets round he will be, so if you are looking for a show which will guarantee laughs then don’t miss this and at only £11 per ticket you won’t find better value.
It was several hours after leaving the EICC that I remembered the Hibs’ performance, but even that couldn’t remove the smile from my face.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
