Oran Mor, Glasgow
31 March 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emmanuel Sonubi is relatively new to stand-up comedy; he's only been doing it for a few years. I first heard of him last August at the Edinburgh Fringe.
I was chatting with another comedian in a beer garden (as you tend to do at the fringe!) and he asked me who I'd seen, who I liked etc. He then went on to recommend 3 stand-ups to me that I'd never heard of. Emmanuel was one of those.
Unfortunately this was near the end of my fringe and I wasn't able to squeeze in any of their shows. However their names are firmly lodged in my brain and I've since seen them everywhere!
For a start, getting a recommendation from another comedian is an honour and, as far as I'm concerned, if someone on the circuit is recommending you, you must be good! I've seen lots of comics on other comics recommendations over the years and they're rarely wrong.
Since first hearing Emmanuel's name at the fringe I've seen him all over Twitter, and on TV on Live at the Apollo. If you haven't seen that Live at the Apollo set, please go watch it. I'm pretty sure it'll be on iPlayer.
As we learn from his Apollo set, Emmanuel used to be a bouncer / doorman and he still has the stature to match. He has lots of great anecdotes from his time on the doors and from his other adventures. I was surprised he didn't repeat any of his Apollo set during his almost 2 hours on stage in Glasgow. He obviously has plenty of material already.
Emmanuel came across as interesting, genuinely funny and really personable. He's a gentleman too. During the interval he came out and shook the hands of those in the front row he'd picked on. It was all good natured banter anyway, nothing nasty, but even so he personally thanked them for being good sports. What a legend!
I found Emmanuel's stories about his sisters and his upbringing particularly hilarious - Looking at him, you can't believe that he was ever the underdog! His whole show was a joy from beginning to end. I loved the call backs and clever storytelling. His set is funny but it's poignant too.
'Emancipated' is a great debut from Emmanuel Sonubi and I can't wait to watch his career sky-rocket from here.
[Review first posted on Instagram 4 April 2023]
🌟 A review of Emmanuel Sonubi, Emancipated, stand-up comedy, UK tour, at Glasgow Comedy Festival, Oran Mor Glasgow. 🌟
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