James Acaster - Cold Lasagna Hate Myself 1999

Friday night at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone, or as it is otherwise accurately defined - "a haunted underground Ballroom", James Acaster reinvents himself as he takes his audience on an emotional jaunt through the best year in life to his very worse.

Before probing at nostalgic thoughts of the Acaster Family holiday and the pleasure once brought to him by the simpler things in life, James rocked up on stage in aviators and a jacket pulled straight from the '90s and kicked off the show expressing his new 'edgy' side in an unexpected manner.

Acaster's previous skits and shows have been presentation's of false fronts and make-belief, likely filling you with admiration as well as laughter. This new gig, however, digs away at his usually standoffish barrier revealing a much more vulnerable James who is not afraid to talk about his trials and tribulations over the year of 2017. This likely came as much of a surprise to the stereo-typically reserved and aloof British in the audience.

It is not unheard of for comedians to utilise their personal life for material that the audience can relate to, but Jame's approach is far from the usual cliche's we see on television. His trials are as unexpected and amusing as his attempt to impersonate a baseballer, only to see his microphone unintentionally soar to the other side of the stage. Oops!

The first in the unforeseen series of unfortunate events to be mentioned by James is his time on the British television baking competition - The Great British Bake Off. James appearance on the GBBO became quickly wide-spread as we witnessed him create rather 'abstract' pieces of work whilst bearing what appeared to be an existential crisis. I adored Jame's guest appearance on the GBBO, presuming his momentary lapses were a somewhat hipster-like facade purely to serve as amusement for us viewers. However, during his show, James lets his audience in on a glimpse of his experience inside the classic white tent behind the scenes, and it became very clear that his misanthropic approach was not just for show. Battling with suicidal thoughts and having his mental breakdown turned into a nationally used meme certainly put the Hollywood Handshake at the back of his mind. It is clear to see why Acaster is officially granting 2017 the title of the worst year of his life.

You are likely hesitant to see the funny side of things so far, rest assured that the worst is yet to come. Talking about mental-health is usually classed as Taboo when you are trying to make an assemblage of people laugh, but the Comedy Genius is amply proficient at finding the funny side in things.

James then goes on to explain his struggles and the side effects of a broken relationship, abandonment from his agent and some truly shocking manipulation from his therapist. Even though it comes across as if the world is playing a cruel practical joke on James, the worst year of his life still managed to give him a four-part Netflix series that hopefully lifted his spirits. He makes it clear that 2017 more than made its presence known to him, but he never plays for pity or sympathy. It's apparent that Jame's has processed the events and is making the best use of his experiences, creating a well-intended panorama of unparalleled stand-up.

Continuing in his efforts to reinforce topics that are unfortunately commonly classed as Taboo, James gives us a visual representation of his take on the menstrual cycle and the role in which the 'moon' plays in it. This part of the show is small, but it deserves its recognition among his more commonplace subjects. No comedy show is complete without a few digs at the societal hot topic of the country - Brexit. Despite Brexit being the superior piece of material over the past year, and likely for the foreseeable future, Acaster's jokes feel new and refreshing. They are not to be lost in the endless sea of Brexit-related material. James can choose a well-worn topic that has been covered many a time by the nation and make it emerge from the rest, his jokes are distinct and memorable when compared to the majority. Even more amusing is the level of truth lying beneath the surface of his skits that many choose not to accept. Voicing your viewpoint to the opinionated world today is a risky move, but this new and improved, edgy, realist James managed to pull it off without fault.

All jokes aside, 2017 must have been a mentally exhausting year for James, but I'm glad he has managed to find the humour in it all. I do hope that one day soon he feels as contented as he did in the year of 1999. The time when the only strain in his life was having to steady his Sony Discman in the backseat of a moving car. The desultory string of words that is 'Cold Lasange Hate Myself 1999' is sure to be the nonpareil of comedy in our time.

Death comes to us all.