Damien Power @ Assembly George Square
Strong hour from Australian comedian Damien Power
Damien Power's viciously bleak gags punctuate a thoughtful performance themed around utopia, as he rips apart sloppy ideology. Riffing on fundamentalist opposition to homosexuality as unnatural he follows the idea same-sex acts are found throughout different species, and so is murder. This segues neatly into Power's impression of a Texan preacher babbling utter nonsense in a startlingly persuasive way.
Switching from abstract philosophising, he softens his act with a segment on crying at his son’s swimming achievements. He contrasts the purity of childhood happiness with the confusion of his tragic pleasure at eating his ex-wife’s new partner’s pizza. Then we're back to violence and stupidity, as he's accosted over the same joke by both a feminist and a men's rights activist. An aside reveals Power was banned by a celebrity comedian at Adelaide Fringe for being too dark and a reflection on asinine, crowd-pleasing comedians.
Appealing to the lowest common denominator is a particular bugbear of his and there's a skit on getting attacked by an angry man wanting to be run over. The climax of the gig is about how the Ancient Greeks would be amazed at smart phones, but his sad conclusion is modern society only seems to be getting stupider. A solid hour with a stark outlook.