Perth Comedy Festival: Andrew Barnett

Andrew Barnett - Simple

Andrew Barnett – Simple Rating

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Keeping it simple, stupid is never as simple as it sounds. Especially if you’re Andrew Barnett (aka Barney), where life is anything but simple as the father of two teenage boys who don’t yet appreciate that the ultimate sign of coolness is being able to drive yourself to the shops to buy stuff with your own money.

Ah, yes, the woes of being middle-aged while surrounded by teenagers and TikTok is the comedic stuff that dreams are made of, and Barney nails it with his wry outlook that anyone over 30 will relate to. Warning: If you have the audacity to show up below the age of 30, it’s probably best that you don’t sit in the two front rows.

His ease of delivery makes it feel like you’re just chatting at the pub, where he’s doing most of the talking. Barney’s effortless style is down to an extensive career since 2010 as a stand-up comedian, writer and media personality, including TV, radio and podcast appearances.

He currently co-hosts the Not Another F#ing Rugby League Podcast and is a familiar voice on SEN radio, aired in New South Wales and Queensland, when he’s not performing at high-profile sporting, comedy, music and fringe festivals around the country.

Reigning from Sydney to join the Perth Comedy Festival on 2nd and 3rd May, and performing upstairs of the Regal Theatre in the Regal Chorus Room is the perfect setting for Barney’s laid-back banter.

He returns to Sydney for the Sydney Comedy Festival on 8 & 9th May. Keep an eye out at various Perth venues, including The Rechabite and Comedy Lounge, for his quick-witted, relatable and endearing observational humour.

Performances: 2nd – 3rd May 2025, 7pm
Regal Theatre, Regal Chorus Room, 474 Hay Street, Subiaco
Tickets: $41.58

The Perth Comedy Festival runs from 21 Apr to 18 May. To book tickets to a show, please visit https://www.perthcomedyfestival.com/.

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Rhys Darby: The Legend Returns

Rhys Darby - The Legend Returns

Rhys Darby – The Legend Returns Rating

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The first time I knew about Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby was when I happened to stumble upon a tv show in which he travels to Japan, “Rhys Darby: Big in Japan”, and I instantly became a fan so I was super excited when I found out that he would be performing a show in Perth for the Perth Comedy Festival and his show did not disappoint.

Although Rhys delves into a range of topics, which he manages to squeeze into his hour-long show, it centred predominantly on technology and its impact on society.

His take on Artificial Intelligence (AI) within society was especially cleverly portrayed using an analogy of a horse and carriage. The horses are the AI, the tech billionaires Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk and Sam Altman are the horsemen with the whips directing the horses where to go, the general population are the passengers inside the carriages not knowing where the horses are taking them, and the Baby Boomer generation are being dragged behind the carriages in this crazy ride. The whole image was brought to life energetically with Rhys impersonating the horses, the tech billionaires, the general population and the Baby Boomers.

With Perth known as being behind the rest of the world in everything, he jokes that Perth wouldn’t be aware of this, as AI hasn’t yet hit Perth.

Throughout the show, Rhys tells separate stories like Rumba the robot vacuum that escapes from home or the flying machine he invents to take his kids to school. In the end, he manages to weave all the stories into one cleverly crafted final story.

Rhys is also a man of hidden talents, or perhaps a talent of his that isn’t so well known. I was impressed with his voice, sound effects, and his beatboxing and DJ skills. During the performance, he manages to put together a live track of him beatboxing.

Rhys was full of energy throughout his entire show. He is not one to stand still. He is animated in the stories that he tells, and his passion for comedy and storytelling shines through in his performances. There are some comedians who are more popular with male audience and others with female audience. Rhys appeals to a wide range of audience members regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.

Unlike other comedians, he also delivered quite a poignant message about not getting too consumed with technology, to appreciate each other’s company whilst we can, as life is short and not to be so afraid of what the future holds in these uncertain times.

The Perth Comedy Festival runs from 21 Apr to 18 May. To book tickets to a show, please visit https://www.perthcomedyfestival.com/.

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