Sam Simmons: Meanwhile

Sam Simmons is not for everyone and, somewhere between showcasing his favourite pine cones and dancing with a pack of taco shells, he is completely aware of this.

"There are some of you in the audience looking incredibly confused," he says. "Unfortunately, this is not going to get better for you." 

From the moment he bursts onto the stage to his exhilaratingly mental finale, Simmons tears about at full pelt, re-enacting his response to fake emails he's received and showing us what is happening in other parts of the world. If this sounds odd, that's because it is. In his underpants and wielding a trolley full of cereal, Simmons delivers bizarre material with conviction and playful self-awareness. It's a mixture of song, dance and skits set at such a pace there's no time to take stock - the only thing to do is go with it.

That's what Simmons really wants: for everyone to have fun and lighten up a little. With a glint in his eye and his tendency to corpse during the more ridiculous sections, the show is best described as an experience. His voice fills the venue while he sweats charisma and commands the room. By the end, even the most cynical have loosened up, so energetic is his set. Of course, there are moments that descend into the incomprehensible. Some leave utterly bemused, some leave in hysterics, but either way one has to appreciate that whatever Simmons is doing. He is very good at it.