Banana Cabaret: The Bedford Arms, Balham, London, 2016
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2016
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2017
Always Be Comedy (4 shows): The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2018
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2019
Nick Helm’s Xmas F*ck Fest 5: Pleasance Theatre, Islington, London, 2019
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2021
I have seen Adam Hess many times live on stage as a guest on a comedy showcase in London. Hess always delivers a good show of observational humour and gets the audience laughing from the start of his set. He lists numerous things about himself or that have happened to him and has a clever wisecrack about them all. Hess handles derogating himself brilliantly and makes light of his less fortunate times in a very engaging way.
His engaging style not only comes from excellent observation skills which points out the lighter side of life, but in the expressional way he performs, and really tears up the stage. His physicality, facial expressions, and his descriptive imagery was a big hit with the audience.
Hess regularly plays Always Be Comedy – I saw him play there five times (in March, May, June and September 2018 and then again in February 2019). His comedy style was manic, lively, enthusiastic, and very funny. He presented a good try-out performance of his Edinburgh show Seahorse in June 2018 which contained observational humour brilliantly degrading throughout the performance to generate laughter. He darted around the stage like a man possessed and looked exhausted at the end of his frantic, lightning quick-fire delivery.
Every time, his likeable charm not only came from excellent observation skills, but also in the expressional way in which he performed, and really owned the stage. His facial expressions, physicality and his animated imagery helped enormously with his story telling and gave the audience a great time.
In February 2019 at Always Be Comedy and then as a guest at Nick Helm’s Xmas F*ck Fest 5 in December 2019, his work in progress musings and ramblings were once again inspired creating new material and making waves of laughter throughout the excited audience.
In June 2020 and September 2021, Hess appeared for Always Be Comedy Online and live on stage describing his exaggerated experiences of isolation due to a worldwide pandemic and creating bizarre routine and situations.