Kate loves to cycle — so much so that she leaves a supposedly live feed of her journey to the venue on screen to entertain the audience as they fill the Monkey Barrel studio. However, the cycle-hostile amongst you needn’t worry; this spoke-head’s debut Fringe show has a much bigger fish to fry than societal animus towards bikers: the British immigration system.
You can see why Canadian Kate Hammer is, quite literally, a UK Government-approved comedian — she has the presence and vibrant delivery of a naturally gifted comic with a few years on the comedy clock. Yet, whilst Hammer isn’t new to the industry, this is her first Fringe, and judging from this debut, it’s unlikely to be her last.
Her material is clearly personal, be it her continual battles with dodgy gears, her anatomical specialities, her personal campaign to restore and reclaim the clarion call of ‘GAY!’ for the gays, or indeed her recent experience when trying to secure a 5-year visa. It’s the last that forms the bedrock of the show, and she mines it for mirth from start to finish.
Is the material lethal? Not quite, but she’s such a vibrant, engaging and likeable presence it’s hard to imagine anyone having a bad time. Plus, there are some great moments built in, whether drawn from her early years on her parents’ goat farm or from applying Super Bowl production values to her very personal relationships. Her bit on the psychological battlefield known as Vinted is also a cracker.
“You can see why Canadian Kate Hammer is, quite literally, a UK Government-approved comedian — she has the presence and vibrant delivery of a naturally gifted comic with a few years on the comedy clock.“
Ultimately, she rustles plenty of superb material, giving ample opportunities for well-timed callbacks. Some of her funniest moments come from comic asides riffing on earlier shtick, but there’s an opportunity to do even more. Having seen her in action, I don’t doubt that she’ll zero in on more killer lines as the run continues. To be this good on your first show out of the Fringe gate is impressive – and brava for letting me in the door on day 1!
Further, it’s impressive to watch her keep hold of a pretty complex show, the narrative thread never dropping despite frequent, impassioned detours. There’s also an episodic check-in with an audience volunteer who has to complete their own immigration application – and this she weaves through the rest pretty effortlessly.
On that note, it’s worth saying that her crowdwork is genuinely fun, not remotely mean or just there to generate social-media clips. So brava! I’m quite sure we’ll see more of Kate Hammer, be it in future Fringes or in the media where she already enjoys a growing profile. You’d never catch me thinking the UK Government prone to good sense, but in letting Kate Hammer call Glasgow home for 5 years, they’ve done us all a favour.
Show details
Venue: Venue 80: Monkey Barrel Comedy (Niddry Street), 51 Niddry Street, EH1 1LG (Google Maps)
Date(s): Mon 03 Aug to Sun 30 Aug (27 shows)
Time(s): 5:00pm (60 mins)
Age recommendation: 16+
Price: From £8 (concessions available)
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