REVIEW

Ahir Shah

Swindon Arts Centre

THERE may not have been many people at stand-up comic Ahir Shah's gig in Swindon but the ones that were in the crowd were constantly entertained by his passionate, high energy set.

Sunday night gigs are always a tough one to fill, especially in the colder months, but Ahir dealt with it by asking us all to come closer so he could see our faces and ignore the empty seats.

Then the gig titled Machines was kicked off by him introducing himself and walking down the aisle between the seats and onto the stage.

It's always strangely nerve-wracking to see a new comedian that you don't know. Are you going to like them? Will they pick on you? Is a previous negative review correct?

Well, Ahir Shah - a proud left wing comic genius - kept everyone engaged from the minute he came onto the stage until the end of his 90 minute set.

His hectic persona is enticing and full of passionate youth and, as someone with Eastern European heritage, I could relate to his mindset when he spoke about how immigrants should not be despised for living in the UK - they should be accepted for what they bring to the table.

Ahir also spoke about what it's like to be Indian in this post Brexit time and, as a Guji, my husband could relate to a lot of what he was saying. But regardless of our personal circumstance as a couple, everyone else in the room also appeared to agree with his views and there were lots of nods.

He wasn't preaching though - his views were delivered in a comical manner with tiny plays added into the mix. No spoilers here, but you definitely want to see one of his short plays called The Tree.

The most memorable part of the evening was when he told of being caught up in the Paris attacks. At that moment the room became serious the tone changed and we heard about the devastation. Then the mood lifted as we heard about an act of kindness involving Percy Pig sweets.

Like most of us, Ahir wants to make changes in the world, but he knows he is just a spectator from the sidelines. So instead he observes, writes and tells his audience about how much he wants democracy to flourish.

He's young, full of ideas and definitely someone to look out for. Next time he comes to our town, hear him out - he is well worth your time.

KELLY JOBANPUTRA