Lou Wall’s had enough of making shows about depression and mental health. So, after setting the standard for online brilliance during lockdown, they are back on stage with a live pop album. An album about being gay, not being sad and embracing the pleasure of being a minor menace.
Bleep Bloops are the oops, how-did-that-escalate and so-embarrassing-that-it-belongs-in-a-pop-song moments in life. While not as personal as their extraordinary 2021 That One Time I Joined the Illuminati, this new show draws on similar themes and re-visits past highlights like a new verbatim singing of a social media conversation.
In a lime green shortie tracksuit with cobalt blue stripes, Lou is ready to rave and be comfortable. And despite their own bleep bloops, this is a show about being comfortable even when things are awkward. There’s a song about anti-depressants – that should be played to anyone who doesn’t understand that mental health conditions can be treated – one about their love for short kings, and an anthem that might become a theme song for many festivals: “Gays are always late”.
With the kind energy and enthusiasm that’s as contagious as that damn thing that is still causing shows to cancel, Lou treats their audience like a best friend who they haven’t seen in ages. And we’re so happy to see them that singing along is easy, even when songs have layers of meaning and revelation that sneak up and remind us that being comfortable and happy isn’t as easy as it sounds in a pop song.
If Lou Wall stood on stage and read Ikea instructions, it would still be unmissable. They are developing an original comedic voice that’s blasting away any remnants of dull, straight and blah comedy and declaring the future as glorious, queer and full of wonderfully embarrassing bleep bloops.