Review: Dan Lees Vinyl Countdown at The Pleasure Garden

Dan Lees Vinyl Countdown at The Parlour at The Pleasure Garden
Friday, January 17, 2025

You might call Dan Lees a very silly person, but I prefer to think of him as a master of energetic absurdist comedy. This show hangs on the premise that he has collected some crappy old record covers from op shops around the world and wants to bring the creators of these old tunes back to life for his audience.

With tunes to fit the covers—some pre-written, some improvised with audience input (meaning every show is a largely unique experience)—and a few props to “transform” himself into these long-forgotten artists, he is away creating guitar and keyboard loops and random lyrics of what a 70s pop folk wannabe, an old standup comedian, an eighties synth artist, or a large fluffy labrador might have sounded like in the absurd alternative universe he inhabits.

It’s not just hilarious fun and extremely silly; it’s also absurdly catchy (Lees is obviously a very talented instrumentalist) and extremely interactive, with the crowd gleefully singing along through every song, whether it’s to scat ‘shaboody do’ lyrics, ‘where’s my dog gone,’ ‘ice cream cake,’ or ‘bowling in Paris.’

SHANE PINNEGAR