The One And Only Joey Page

Joey Page is one of our more recent TVO ‘guests’. As a stand-up comedian who specialises in the surreal he certainly belongs here, but his connection to the Booshniverse proper has come from his more recent involvement with Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. He guested last week on Fielding’s team on Buzzcocks and the Twitterati amongst you may also have spotted an off-screen friendship between the two artists. But is he any good?

© Mog / The Velvet Onion

The third time I get to see Joey Page live is on a rainy Thursday night in Camden. On the previous two occasions this unknown indie-Victorian ragamuffin blew me away with his sparkly dreamworld of ideas. This time I know what to expect, but I’m not disappointed. The comedy is silly and frequently ridiculous (think beetles in the fridge, Janet Street Porter, relaxation tapes from Poundstretcher and wrestling legal firms), while also being pin-sharp. Clever insights and witty wordplay are woven into a mind-jumble of nonsense.

The intelligence that runs big, looping rings through and around Joey’s unhinged stories keeps them firmly on the right side of the line that divides entertaining and annoying. His youthful, confident and likeable style also pulls you in – you want to be on his side from the moment he cheekily peers out from the wings onto the stage. The comparisons with Fielding are inevitable, but Joey is at his best when he’s doing his thing. I hope he realises he doesn’t have to be Noel Fielding Mk 2 to be successful.

Another highlight is the double-act banter between Joey and his warm-up act, Sam Ashurst. The deadpan hatred that Sam displays for Joey is something to behold, and their intermittent interaction neatly punctuates the show with another texture. It works wonderfully.

You either like this style of comedy or you don’t and the audience included a smattering of stony-faced people who didn’t. If you’re reading TVO you probably do, so go and check out Joey Page if you get the chance.