Pete Johansson - Pete's On Earth

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Some time into his set, an exasperated Pete Johansson asks the audience, “Do you guys fucking hate me?” The strange thing is, they plainly don’t. While they chuckle more than laugh, they are clearly receptive. Nevertheless, following a tough gig the previous evening, Johansson becomes ever more flustered: speaking too quickly and stepping on jokes, before blurting out the accusation.

This failure to read the room is baffling as, despite his ‘Best Newcomer’ nomination, Johansson has worked in the business for years. His observations on airport customs or sexy massages, while unoriginal and fairly old-fashioned, are well practiced and occasionally hilarious. But even after he settles into the act, he still holds a grudge against the audience’s initial imagined betrayal, referring to it periodically.

In fact, despite the peaceful title, the show is shot through with turbulent and inappropriate emotion. Johansson’s hatred for his father is searing and entirely unrefined. He mentions funny-sounding stories in passing, leaving only a raw, formless bitterness. What’s more, routines about forced abortions and sterilising the poor come dangerously close to eugenics. At one point he congratulates China for its methods of population control. You would dismiss these views as ironic if he didn’t keep earnestly referring to them as his "message".

It is likely this was just an unlucky second off-day in a row, and that with a sunnier disposition the material will seem less repellent. There is no reason to hate Johansson. However, on this occasion, he made himself hard to like.