Brian Tan - Since 1982

It was a last minute decision to get a ticket to see this - like, the afternoon of. I wasn't sure if I could before, but yeah.

A mainstay of the local stand-up comedy scene, Brian Tan is sharp as a whip and twice as memorable. Split your sides with laughter as he takes everyday scenarios and twists them to lay bare the absurdity that is life.

Versatile and engaging, he has performed all across Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Brian was on the content team for both Malaysian Netflix Comedy Specials, is an alumnus of ‘Comedy Zone Asia’ (from the prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival), a member of 1 MCB and is an all-round stand-up guy (heh).

I didn't know there was an event space in SS4 called TWENTY20TWO - it's been that long since I was last in the area. But I did remember that there was a cafe on the same row - cannot remember if it's the same one or a different one. Ordered a cheesecake at the cafe, but it took them so long to take it out of the chiller and serve it because other people were also peckish that I had to have my leftovers to go. 

By the time I got to the show up the street, there were quite a number of people already - I don't know how many of them were comp tickets, but that's not the point. I ended up in a back row with both Shamaine Othman and Sim Tong... and also a bunch of open mic-ers that I recognised from around. 

Hosted by Kavin Jay with Keren Bala Devan as the opening act. Kavin's attempt at crowd work kinda fell flat because it was so dark he couldn't really see anyone, so he was stabbing in the dark with his stage time. Some of Keren's set I remember from the 1MCB show I saw last week at the Crackhouse, but he also brought back his bit about Bruno Mars's song writing, especially the song Grenade (I have similar thoughts about this particular song). 

Brian came on stage and started by making sure he stuck to his hour-long set by setting multiple timers, one of them being opening the seal on a packet of petrol station nasi lemak which goes bad an hour after opening (or so he says). I also have to mention that this was also his 37th birthday celebration, so there was a birthday song and birthday cake at the end of the show. I took this chance to skedaddle.  

Props to anyone who has the confidence to be like "I now have enough material to entertain a room of people for one hour", and the cojones to tell sex and dick jokes in front of their progenitors. But now I can't unthink his Tiger Balm = semen bit. 

I had a fun night out. 

PS. I don't know if it was just me, or the room got uncomfortably warm towards the end...?