Edinburgh 2013: Liam Williams - A comedian of existential introspection
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.If the hero of John Osborne's Look Back In Anger, Jimmy Porter, had ever performed stand-up, he'd look and sound a bit like Liam Williams. Similarly deracinated and disillusioned, Williams sets out to extricate himself from the restrictions of a lower middle class upbringing and thereby express his dissatisfaction with the world as a whole.
Merely performing stand-up is not enough - "I didn't get to comedy to have more conversations on equal terms" is his superb put-down of audience banter.
Williams' deadpan, workmanlike and earnest persona is furnished with numerous lines of a similarly sublime quality. "My neighbours piss me off... Their wi-fi signal is so weak" scorns the 25-year-old, as he builds up to more fundamental disillusionment with human failings.
A gimmick-free debut hour of Williams, one-third of the sketch group Sheeps, would have been a big ask of the audience, let alone the performer. Nonetheless, the comedy tropes he introduces, including extracts from a novel and his idea for a television show (a documentary in this case), sometimes restrict, rather than encourage, his existential introspection. Similarly his use of Venn diagrams, a favourite of lo-fi comedy, is a familiar ruse, even as he takes a more sideways look at them.
There is little argument to be had, however, when it comes to acknowledging that Wiliams' solo effort has brought with it a fresh voice, and a persona pliable enough to thrive in various media, not just on stage.
Until 25 August, 0131 226 0000
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments