The show itself is about people doing stuff to make a difference in the world, and a topic close to Ballard’s heart is gay rights, fag marriage – faggage. In referencing the current political standing on the issue he offers the kindly advice that if you are less progressive than Tasmania on the issue of gay marriage, then you should kindly reconsider every decision you’ve ever made in your life and then kill yourself. This is the same Tom Ballard that you would hear on the breakfast show on Triple J but operating on an altogether edgier, more opinionated and unfiltered frequency.
Thematically Ballard stretches far into the political and social arena with his honest and cutting blend of vegetarian, Gen Y, middle-class white-boy inspired views. The last 15 minutes though are devoted to a single topic and are delivered in an unrelentingly brutal fashion with the audience a raucous pit of laughter and shock. Not all comedians will have you wincing, groaning and laughing at the same time – but more certainly should. Ballard commands the stage and feeds off hecklers with alacrity and razor wit. He has the confidence to call omnivores ogres but the self deprecation to admit to eating chicken after a bad gig. Based off his performance tonight – he won’t be eating meat for a while.
