Catherine Cohen on the Hackney Empire evaluate: winningly humorous

The winner of the 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Greatest Newcomer is lastly again and touring right here together with her new present Come For Me, however solely had a one evening stand in Hackney, leaving fortunate ticketholders in addition to these unable to safe seats, looking forward to extra.

Cohen is now 31 – “one of many oldest ages you may legally be” – and this feels just like the comedic equal of second album territory, with the rising star exploring her private state of play. Correction. Let’s make that exceedingly private. Songs and tales embrace reflections on the technical intricacies of intercourse tapes, an account of freezing her eggs and a vivid anecdote a few Californian street journey involving random nudity.

If oversharing was an Olympic occasion Cohen would completely prime the rostrum. She worries flirtatiously concerning the size of her skirt, she is anxious that her therapist is simply too younger. Every difficulty include a wry, ironic look. Her outlook is absurd and Cohen is aware of this higher than anyone else.

She units out her stall as the final word millennial narcissist from the beginning with a tune about always requiring validation and having a “void” that must be crammed. Self-indulgent to the max, however Cohen’s mixture of music and chat mixed with swaggering and sashaying dance strikes is winningly humorous.

The hashtag-heavy humour might turn out to be tiresome if her persona didn’t promote the fabric so properly. Her temporary foray into poetry is twee however the cabaret-style numbers, accompanied by pianist Frazer Hadfield (launched with a withering – “he desires me lifeless”) are persistently infectious. When Cohen begins to strum a guitar she quips that she “as soon as noticed a man play considered one of these”.

That is somebody who sees their complete life as potential content material. All the pieces is grist to the confessional mill. “Do it for the memoir,” she sings. Possibly, although, she is beginning to maintain some issues again. Heading house I checked what she had posted lately on Twitter. It turned out that she has closed her account.

I panicked. Is that this candour all an act? Is Cohen an elaborate comedian character just like the Pub Landlord? I double-checked TikTok and Instagram. She may be very a lot nonetheless energetic on-line. However rather more of a thrill onstage.