Independent columnist Steve Richards brought his show, Rock and Roll Politics, to the Brighton Festival this Sunday. The show itself being a mix of personal anecdotes of Steve's various encounters with politicians during his time as a journalist and political analysis of the current situation the British political stage found itself. Steve managed to deliver politics in a comedic, interesting and most importantly digestible manner that kept you engaged throughout.


Steve managed this while simultaneously taking an interesting stance he titled “pro-politics”. Rather than doing the obvious and spending the evening highlighting the many mistakes, u-turns and errors our politicians have made in recent decades like the majority of political comedians, Steve, instead chose to humanise and attempt to analyse the thought processes of the likes of Cameron, Nick and Ed. A risky strategy, in the current climate of hate, but one that remarkably works. Not only was Steve interesting and insightful, he managed to be very funny and quick witted without taking the obvious route. My only criticism would be that some more politically specific references may have alienated some audience members. Steve’s Q & A with the audience also went down a treat - Steve both thoughtfully and concisely answering all questions posed, without falling into the trap of drifting off topic and leaving the audience feeling like they didn't really get an answer. It's just a shame time restraints meant not everyone's questions could be answered. All in all the show was excellent and I only hope Steve returns to give us more of his political insight next year.