It is in these moments that Brand comes into his own, and we remember why, for all his foibles, he still plays a distinctive role in the corridor between British comedy and politics. This material is reinforced by his numerous, eloquent and sincerely heart-felt critiques of the merciless cruelties of the British tabloid media, as well as the myopic disconnect of political culture with everyday life, the latter of which he brilliantly compares to a well-oiled machine of continuous bullshit. However, in Re:Birth, the videos he uses encapsulate Brand’s self-confessed, awkward dalliances between comedian and political activist, mocking his infamous interview with Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight, a recording of a pre-presidency Donald Trump in which he called Brand a loser, and a final segment in which the comedian invokes an exaggerated, Danny Dyer-ish Cockney accent while in battle with a journo outside 10 Downing Street.īetween segments, the videos work well because they strike at the heart of Brand’s comic message, which, refreshingly, also tears down his authority as a political comedian, or at the very least, questions his ability to effectively translate complex messages through mass media. I’ve found many political comedians’ use of videos during their acts somewhat laboured, often being employed to act as a means of delivering a punchline without putting in the effort. One element of the show that in my opinion worked very well was Brand’s use of short video segments. Alongside some rich material on being a father and his past drug addiction issues, it’s this quality of self-interrogation that for me really stood out in Re:Birth. Among his excoriating critiques on British politics, the mass media and political power, I couldn’t help but notice that a major target of his special was himself, particularly as he highlighted his interventions in British political debate and by discussing how he wrestled with his role as a British political comic figurehead. While knowing Russell Brand mainly through his activism and political commentaries, I found myself pleasantly surprised at the eloquence of his new stand-up special Re:Birth.

Critique by Daniel I. Russell