one4review | On 01, Aug 2025

Brazen, bizarre, and at times brilliant — imagine Adam Sandler transplanted into a Geordie vessel and set loose on a stage.

Newcastle’s Deage Paxton is one of this year’s surprise packages. If you don’t know him yet, you should. He describes himself as immature, inappropriate, and impersonable — and he’s not wrong. But that barely scratches the surface of the chaotic joy unfolding in this hour.

Delivered with the energy of Robin Williams midway through a marathon, Paxton’s set hurtles through Train Trauma, ex-girlfriends, opera, and dog nipples (yes, really). It’s loud, unhinged, and, crucially, underpinned by a tight, well-honed structure. Beneath the chaos is something smarter: a rapid-fire barrage of gags that hit so fast you’re still laughing from one as the next lands.

There’s no filler, no drawn-out segues — just raw comic instinct. And the songs? Genuinely brilliant. He’s got the pace and likability of a stoner-oddity of pre-Hollywood Sandler. Though Paxton’s version of Happy Gilmore would probably end in a bare-knuckle scrap behind Greggs.

Some comedians ease you in with crafted arcs and gentle insight. Paxton sprints at you like a man being chased by the last good joke on earth. Not every bit is gold, but when he lands a punchline, it really lands — and he makes the act of joke-telling feel joyously uncynical. You don’t get the sense he’s trying to impress. He’s doing this because it’s the only way to quiet the noise in his head.

Exactly the sort of show you want in a late-night slot — messy, memorable, and aimed straight at the funny bone.

****
Reviewed by Steve H
Stand 4
21.40 (1hr)
Until 24 Aug (not 11)