Jo Brand – Barely Live

Jo Brand, one of Britain’s top female comics, filmed at a one-off live show at the Adelphi Theatre, London in September 2003. Jo describes her latest material as being for ‘older ladies like myself who are gently easing themselves into HRT’
Jo Brand Barely Live is an absolutely straightforward record of a stand-up gig, with no frills at all, which is all you need from a comic such as Jo Brand. Here we get a coherent view of life, vigorously expressed: no wild flights of comic invention, but lots of sardonic bitching about men, feminism, weight problems and an absolute refusal to pretend to be nice or girly or polite.
This London gig includes Brand’s views on What Not to Wear, incontinence and improved types of Barbie doll. She talks about having small children and about what to think about when having sex with your husband (among other things, she recommends trying to list the cast of The Magnificent Seven). This is alternative comedy with everything exactly as advertised on the packet–it’s also painfully real and funny. –Roz Kaveney