Bill Bailey - Tinselworm (DVD)

If you have never seen any of Bill Bailey's stand-up comedy then you'll be in for a bit of a surprise - he's not the average stand-up - he combines comedy with music. (If you have seen Lee Evans stand up don't let this put you off, when Lee plays the piano it's lame bordering on the cringeworthy). Bill is much more accomplished at it because his entire act is based around it. He is also a very talented musician - his instruments of choice are the keyboard, guitar and an unusual electronic instrument that is played by waving the hands around it (any ideas anybody?) As well as the musical element Bill's comedy is not traditional either: it is very surreal but ...  Read the complete review

Success is a double-edged sword, apparently... * Into The Light * To anyone in the embryonic stages of a career in the creative arts, a time when dreams are strong yet distressingly delicate, and where the spectre of a lifetime in McDonalds enquiring 'do you want fries with that?' haunts your every move, such a statement must seem like the worst sort of whining: it's rather difficult to sympathise with the man who grapples with writer's block whilst simultaneously pondering whether he fancies a go in the Ferrari or the Bugatti later on. But still, success doesn't remove pressure...it merely forces it to take on a different form. No longer does one ...  Read the complete review

As a huge fan of Bill Bailey, I had high expectations for 'Tinselworm' after the hilarious 'Part Troll', but Bill's newest dvd left me feeling very disappointed indeed. Bill's career has been going from strength to strength of late, his hard-won and much deserved popularity culminating in this, his latest dvd, in which he takes his latest tour to Wembley for his first arena performance. Inevitably, the intimate feel is lost, and combined with the lukewarm nature of his new material the whole show feels like Bill Bailey dumbed down for the masses. His clever, surreal and often philosophical material doesn't translate well to an arena setting, and his performance often ...  Read the complete review