On a packed Tuesday night at Sheffield’s famous Leadmill, the crowds gathered to see the legendary David O’Doherty and his UK-touring show, ‘whoa is me’.
David has a real talent for his delivery and timing of jokes, which made his gig incredibly enjoyable. His comedic musical skill is also hilarious.
If, like me, the name doesn’t ring any bells in your head, you’d be forgiven. He is a bearded, cap-wearing comedian, who is known for his performances with a miniature keyboard that rests on his knee, used to perform songs about his life.
O’Doherty has previously featured on Channel 4’s ‘8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’, BBC’s ‘Live at the Apollo’ and – as he alluded to many times in his performance – Channel 4’s ‘Sunday Brunch’ with Dua Lipa.
A full crowd of over 400 people were in attendance at the Leadmill for O’Doherty’s first performance here since 2019. The set was split into two hour-long periods, with a 20 minute break in between.
His show opened with a musical number titled ‘Glad to be back’ which referred to his relief at being back doing comedy gigs, which had been stopped for the past two years, as a result of the pandemic. He joked that during that time he would scream: “Take me back to Leadmill!”
During the first half, O’Doherty spoke about the past two Covid-affected years, his relationship break-up with his ex just before, and him living with his parents on a small remote island in lockdown.
He joked that he was being judged by his neighbours when he did online gigs in his basement, as they could hear him but they were not aware he was doing comedy gigs online. His neighbours thought he was doing a performance for his teddies, including his Darth Vader toy!
Onto the second half now, and it was stories about his parents, Jim and Anne, that stole the show. One joke that got the crowd bursting with laughter was when Anne rang David asking for help with her new laptop. She questioned why he suggested closing her windows, as she became increasingly roasting in her room during summer. She had not realised David was referring to the Windows on her laptop!
Overall, it was an evening I would highly recommend, which left the audience howling with laughter throughout.
David O’Doherty is due to return to the Leadmill on 4th March 2023. Tickets are available for purchase here.
