Sam Simmons

The last time I graced the hallowed halls of The Tivoli I was a preening pubescent with blue streaks in my hair and in the height of my nine-month obsession with punk rock.

Blue streaks and even hair aside, the years have changed much about the venue.

Carpet now adorns the floors and there is an old-world cinema charm about the place.

Walking in I could feel the energy within the room.

Much like punk rock fans, those of Sam Simmons seemed devoted, primed and ready to rock.

I was intently interested to see his Brisbane Festival Show: 26 Things You’ve Been Doing Wrong.

In my honest opinion, I didn’t quite understand or appreciate Simmons’ humour.

To begin the show, we were greeted with an amateur copied-and-pasted collection of pictures and movies that rolled on the screen behind the stage.

These images were accompanied with instrumental hits of famous songs with transposed lyrics Simmons had changed for his comedic needs.

The premise of the show it seemed was to teach us “26 life hacks through karaoke”.

However, at times, these songs were random, ridiculous and bordering on the absurd.

There were songs about an alpaca, linty jeans, vegans and monkeys, as well as bay leaves and spaghetti bolognese.

Intermixed with these personalised karaoke tales, Simmons interjected even stopping his singing to comment on the disappointment of the audience.

While this may have been slightly endearing, or part of the performance, it was hard to tell.

There were some laughs from the audience and true fans who appreciated his show, although I was not one of them.

I lasted 5 songs before leaving.

Maybe you will be able to last the whole 26… or maybe not.