OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 23 October 2009

I FIRST MET Des Clarke over refreshments backstage at a gig in North Berwick. In case the glamour of that setting sounds overwhelming, I had better clarify the situation. This was a small room at the back of a pub, the “back stage area” was a curtain illegally draped across a fire exit and the refreshments were curled up sandwiches probably left by day trippers on a bus tour a few days earlier.

Des Clarke

So glamorous it was not but, despite the unpromising surroundings, the back room of a pub is where many comedy careers have been launched. For new comedians they are places that alternate between terror and elation as your punch lines either sink into the lino to an eerie silence or raise something akin to a laugh.

Des paced about backstage with all the frantic energy of an over-wound clockwork soldier. Despite the fact that he was about to appear in front of a few locals whose opinions of him were unlikely to be crucial to his future career, you could tell that Des wanted to get it right. Even then you could tell he was going to be something special. Even back then his level of energy, wit and sheer charm quickly won over the audience of the County Arms in North Berwick.

That early appearance is a long time ago now, and in the intervening years Des has polished his act and refined his comedic skills. The Des Clarke who took to the stage tonight has clearly become an accomplished performer. If he still experiences the kind of stage fright that stalked him in his early years he has clearly learned to hide it well. As he steps out in front of the audience his humour is clever, fast-paced and well delivered, with much of his material well refined in his numerous appearances during his career.

His true ability as a comedian is only glimpsed occasionally, however, when he stays away from rehearsed material and begins to improvise. It is then you can see his razor sharp comedic mind working with amazing speed as he juggles words seeking connections that only he can see. It is in his ability to perform these mental conjuring tricks that his brilliance really shines through.

Much of his material is traditionally Scottish, and even he can’t resist the temptation to drift into anecdotes about shell suited ‘weegies that are the staple diet of so many Glaswegian comedians. Connelly covered that topic many years ago, when it was original and ground-breaking, but now it has been done to death. Surely it is time for Scotland’s comedians to move on and leave the Neds to rest in peace.

Clarke has built himself an impressive comedy career. His TV appearances continue to grow in number since he first made an impact as the presenter of the Saturday morning show SM:TV Live. He has gone on to wider recognition as the anchor man of Children in Need on BBC Scotland. Surprisingly, this was his first national solo tour (well, Scotland actually), and from the reception he got from the Inverness crowd, it is sure not to be his last.

He was ably supported by up-and-coming comedian Chris Forbes. Chris is a relative newcomer, having started his comedy career in 2006. He has a confident gentle style and the OneTouch audience clearly warmed to his gentle charm. His style is far more rambling than Clarke’s, and he has yet to hone his material to the sharpness of his headliner. Despite a little too much story-telling, he brought his acts to a hilarious if scatological climax and is certainly one to watch over the next few years.

Stand up comedy is blossoming in the Highland capital right now with performances at all levels coming up over this Autumn. The prolific and controversial Stewart Lee is soon to appear at Eden Court in what promises to be a cutting edge show from a man who is constantly pushing the boundaries of stand up.

The Ironworks will be playing host to Russell Kane, the shy pikey from Enfield, early next month in a show that could easily sell out. Hootananny is back in the act with performances in the next few weeks from up and coming acts from Glasgow’s Go Button and Nik Coppin’s Shaggers.

Des Clarke performs at the Ceilidh Place Clubhouse, Ullapool, on 31 October 2009.

© John Burns, 2009

Links

• Des Clarke
• John Burns at Purple Comedy