Oh boy, where to start with this pile of shit? If it wasn’t for Matt Berry, I wouldn’t have touched this record with one of his ten foot ‘Maypoles’ (his band). My assumption was that his music was going to be an extended joke of his acting work, laughs and side splitters aplenty. Unfortunately, you’ll quickly realise this isn’t a joke. Which begs the question, can a comedian do serious music?
Berry is incredibly hilarious. His roles in The Mighty Boosh, IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, Snuff Box and Toast of London are A-grade comedy performances, underpinned by his uniquely boisterous deadpan demeanour. These shows are dusted with his musical stylings and they fit snugly into the context of their satirical environment.
The Smalls Hours is not satirical comedy – unless Berry’s so deep in the joke that he doesn’t know if he’s joking anymore, like a confused undercover cop. His psych/folk/jazz offal is something you might find in an Op Shop’s vinyl collection, next to a stack of Kamhal and Engelbert Humperdinck records. It lacks substance, feels outdated, but most of all, is just plain boring. It’s like elevator music had sex with hold music in a waiting room.
Expectations can be a doozy. Even if you try to put all of your previous conceptions of Matt Berry out of your head, the record still doesn’t improve. Comedians can do serious work, but it needs to be good. In particular, when Matt Berry’s comedy is so firmly based in satire, if you want your music to be taken seriously, especially acid jazz, you better wear a mask. Then again, maybe he is joking, and the joke’s on me.
BY LEE SPENCER-MICHAELSEN
