Yeah, I know!!!

Last night, for the second time in a year I went to see Little Britain at the Liverpool Empire on one of the last dates of a seemingly never-ending tour.

I was quite ambivalent about watching it again. I think the show is quite funny, but I must admit I was becoming a little tired of the characters last year when I went to see it. This was evidenced with the last series, when some of the old favourites had seemingly ran their course.

A year on from my first visit and after a period of not watching the show I went to see the live show again. The main reason I went was to take my girlfriend Nicky who had never seen the show - the tickets were part of a birthday present she had been waiting to receive since June.

The show is virtually the same one that they have been touring for a year, but there is the addition of one or two moments of spontaneity to the mix – to freshen-up the heavily scripted show.

I managed to make it in on time for this performance – last year I missed the first twenty minutes last time - due to a mix-up with my tickets. That probably was one of the reasons for my less than glowing appraisal of the show last year.

The old favourite characters are all rolled out - Bubbles, Lou and Andy, Marjaorie Dawes and are well received by an audience expectant to see such characters.

The highlight of the show for me was the cameo appearance of one of the non-entities from the boy band Eton Road.
Before the show, to the right of where we were sat, there was a slight frisson in the air and the sporadic flash of a mobile camera. It suddenly become apparent that the X-Factor 'stars' Eton Road were in the audience.

One of the sketches involved Des Kaye, played by Walliams, who is seemingly a disgraced children’s television presenter, who is now plying his trade doing summer season at a summer camp.

The sketch involved getting two members of the audience to help him ‘hide the sausage’. One is an older person who Kaye/Walliams ignores and the other is a boyish individual - whom is basically molested in front of the audience.

Unfortunately for Eton Road, David – I think that was his name (my appreciation for boybands is on par with my appreciation of gnawing my own limbs off) was brought on stage and subjected to this humiliation.

After escaping without having his pants removed, Walliams then proceeded to chase David around the auditorium before announcing, 'I didn’t like you I preferred the black haired one instead' – cue all four member of Eton Road running for their lives through the rows and aisles of the Empire.

The sketch dissolved into farce with Walliams’ wig falling off and with the assorted members of Eton Road subjected to untold humiliation. It was funny and embarrassing in equal measure.

You have to give credit to Walliams and Lucas for the energy and the quick fire nature of the set changes. The characters who I'd grown a little tired of I did enjoy, but hopefully they can be consigned to history. The two transvestites are the main offenders for me. It has been an unbelieveably long tour for them and it will be interesting to see what there next project will be.

It was a good night and in the end I was glad I went - despite my earlier apprehension.

The Finn Brothers

Tuesday 26th October 2004, Liverpool Empire Theatre

Not the best of days to perform a gig in Liverpool, What with the passing of John Peel, but New Zealand’s finest certainly are what’s required to lift the mood of any crowd

Supported by Minnie Driver, the Hollywood Actress seemed to be visibly nervous during her 30 minute set. The music was pleasant enough in an inoffensive way - musical wallpaper. It was listenable but it didn’t make you want to rush out and buy the album.

The brothers Neil and Tim Finn took to the stage and before the rest of the band joined them they played a couple of new tunes from their latest album ‘Everyone is Here’.

The new album is a quality collection of songs from the Finn’s; from the latest single ‘Won’t Give In’ which has all the Finn trademarks – a cracking melody and an unexpected twist in the tune towards the end. ‘Edible Flowers’ is also a potential classic and was performed tonight immaculately.

All points of the duos careers were also visited, Split Enz classics such as ‘I Got You’ ‘Six Months in a Leaky Boat and Crowded House hits such as ‘Weather with You’ and ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ were played much to the delight of the crowd.

The surprise of the night came when Manchester’s finest Johnny Marr took the stage, accompanied by good-natured boos – because of his Mancunian heritage, to join his friend Neil Finn for a rendition of The Smiths ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’.

As this was the day that Peel died, Neil Finn had remarked about the passing, whilst doing so a member of the audience called out to Marr to play The Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’, Marr duly obliged with an impromptu rendition that almost brought the house down, it was rough and ready in a style that Peel would have admired. Marr admitted afterwards he’d played it in the wrong key and this gave him problems when it came to singing the song.

Neil Finn gigs are never really a passive experience for the audience and more often than not he will make his way into the crowd or beckon them forward. Tonight he incurred the Roth of the Liverpool Empire security when he did so.

A great night of music after what could be argued as the worst day for music what with Peel’s passing.