Richard Digance, Robin 2, Bilston - review and pictures
He’s worked with the likes of Tom Jones, Steve Martin, Brian May, Cilla Black and Status Quo - and last night witty wordsmith Richard Digance graced Bilston with a wonderful performance.
The hilarious poet, songwriter and musician took to the Robin 2’s stage dressed in a shirt and jeans, acoustic guitar in-hand, and had the audience chuckling from the get-go with his entertaining tales and sharp, yet laid-back persona.
Much to the crowd’s delight, Richard spoke of The A5 Tour which he regularly undertook years ago; taking the comic to nearby towns such as Cannock and Norton Canes. As a result of having previously toured the Midlands, Richard added that he was particularly pleased to play the Black Country venue - despite having never performed there before.
The London star also told tales of having worked with comedy great Steve Martin, his time on Countdown, working at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham and writing songs for Bernard Braden. Richard even treated the audience to a rendition of the first song he wrote ‘under order’ - a hilarious number about discounted drinks at a pub, with a surprisingly witty ending.
A real highlight was when Richard recited a poem entitled The World’s Worst Magician; an extremely amusing verse about an incompetent entertainer, who accidentally sawed his assistants in half and cut the heads off doves.
Joining Richard on tour was support act The Broadside Boys; a Suffolk folk duo who performed mid-way through the star’s set. Though the chaps have not toured previously, their voices and harmonies were beautiful and faultless; their songs covering a range of topics, from family holidays to historic tales.The pair told stories and played a few numbers, before Richard returned on stage for the second half.
This part of the performance saw Richard give splendid renditions of an array of witty songs, such as What’s The Use Of Anything and Sod’s Law.
The star also played a stunning acoustic rendition of Dire Straits’ instrumental Local Hero; showing that he is not only a highly-skilled writer and comedian, but also a very talented musician.
He also sang a series of old advert jingles, which the audience delighted in joining in on, before sending the crowd into fits of laughter with jokes about his father, the Bible (which Richard said he had no need to read, as he knew how it ended - someone dies and we all get Easter eggs) and brilliant parodies of well-known songs.
“Thank you very much for coming along,” beamed Richard.
“It’s been very nice indeed to be back in this area.”
It was a pleasure having you here Richard - please do return soon.
