As always in the NZ International Comedy Festival there is a plethora of well-known and up and coming comics to see. Tonight, I’m at SkyCity theatre to see Alex Williamson – “the Loosest Aussie Bloke” – in his solo show Dumb Stuff I’ve Done.

I’ve never heard of Alex but if seems most of the population of Auckland University have. Sitting here feels a bit like a Uni lecture, thanks to the design of the venue and the fact that the theatre is mostly packed with patrons aged 18-24.  As Alex walks on stage, the crowd erupts into rapturous applause. I’ve clearly missed out on hearing about this guy and I’m glad I’m here.

Alex is young – perhaps this is part of why the audience love him – he could easily be friends with this crowd. And his comedy really is made for this young middle-to-upper-middle-class demographic. I should state that I’m in my 20s but I think I’m the wrong side of 25 to really get this comedy show, or appreciate some of the audience’s lack of etiquette as their phone lights, exits for more drinks and loud conversations continue on during the performance.

Alex’s performance style is relaxed, natural and fast-paced. I find myself being thankful I am of his generation so I can keep up, and fully understand his many references to social media, 90s pop culture (most of it; again, I’m the wrong side of 25 for some of it), and I find myself wondering how the guy in his 50s sitting behind me is going.

If you find harsh language offensive, this is definitely not the show for you. Alex’s favourite word is c**t – he uses it more times in one sentence than you’d think possible, and it’s even on his merchandise. This is just part of his vernacular and clearly a trademark of his; a hint into Alex’s comedy style, which takes taboo subjects and puts them into the conversation in a very casual way.

He talks a lot from his own experience and this works in his favour. His open and sometimes self-deprecating style lands well; we recognise he is openly sharing things that people often try to keep hidden for fear of being judged. That lack of fear of judgement goes too far for me in some of his set – especially his incredibly male-chauvinistic and objectifying comments about women, and his references to raping children.  

There are some serious topics raised in his set: child abuse, politics, drug addiction, teenage struggles, relationships, poverty and national defence. This Aussie Bloke is obviously an intelligent and deep thinking guy. However, every time I think he’s going to finish his bit on an important issue with something clever, he descends once more into the realm of crass jokes about children, women or masturbation. 

Rightly so for someone who started as a YouTube sensation, there is a multi-media element to the show, which is fun and well put together. The couple of comedy songs he performs are not his strength and feel confused as he sings in a heavy English accent.

Alex handles heckles from the crowd well – almost as if they are mates – which I think this audience likes to imagine is true. And perhaps in some small way it is true, as this loose Aussie Bloke has a strong social media presence where his fans interact with him, and no doubt he has more than a few fan tinder matches.    

The show is 55 minutes long and really well received by most of the audience. Despite the university-like crowd, I’m pretty sure there aren’t any Women’s Study students in the audience. I think there are some great moments in the show, but overall I’m not the right audience for this one.

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