John Bishop review: 'Cork is the only city where you can book a band on the street and they turn up the next night'
John Bishop at Live at the Marquee, Cork, during the Right Here Right Now World Tour. Picture: Denis Minihane
It was a case of third time’s the charm for comedian John Bishop as he took to the Live at the Marquee stage on Thursday night. Having originally announced a Cork gig for summer 2020, and then summer 2021, his two-night stint in the striped tent came to be at last, complete with a spontaneously booked samba band.
Opening the show, the Cork City Samba Band had every member of the audience clapping and stamping before being joined by Bishop shortly after 8pm, complete with drum and whistle, for an encore performance.
“You bought the tickets two years ago and you’re here. There are a few empty seats but you’re here. This is a gig for survivors,” he announced.
Surrounded by the Cork City Samba Band, though he was bemused too by the venue: “This is weird. I’m in a tent in the middle of a car park.”
The Liverpudlian felt right at home on Leeside and had the crowd in thrall. Bishop clearly paid attention after arriving in the Real Capital on Wednesday night - even if things got a bit hazy after his visit to the Corner House and Sin É.
“I saw them [the samba band] performing on the street last night. I woke up this morning and my manager Adam sent me a YouTube video of the Cork City Samba Band.
"I said ‘They look good, why did you send me that?’. He said ‘Because you fucking booked them last night’.
“This is the world: Cork. I turned up with a band. You could only do that in Cork. It’s the only city where you can meet someone on the street, book them, and they turn up the next night.”
So charmed was his long-awaited appearance that even the rain - so rare in Leaving Cert season - held off for the thousands of attendees that made their way to the Marina-based festival to see him.
The crowd was a broad mix of ages, with the established comic clearly having a fan base among all generations, though there was a more obvious representation from the over 30s.
Best known for his observational humour rather than scripted jokes, Bishop found the quips came easily among his Corkonian fans. Topics he touched upon included some universal favourites like his documentary travelling around Ireland, the pandemic and lockdown, and the Queen’s jubilee in the UK and his feelings about the British royal family.
He also had good banter with the audience on Thursday night, including Donal, a small farmer with 150 acres (“the fucking subsidies you must be getting...”) and Joe, who does “as little as possible”.
Bishop ends his two-night run at the Marquee on Friday night, before legendary crooner Tom Jones takes to the stage on Saturday night.
