Naas gets set for Controlled Substance show by Neil Delamere

A midlands man and internationally renowned comedian is now touring with his show Controlled Substance, and will be at The Moat in Naas, this December 27,  and offers reassurances to people that there will not be a Garda raid.

Son of John and Kay, Neil Delamere is a native of Edenderry, who never could have predicted growing up in the midlands that he was going to become a renowned stand-up comedian.

Neil Delamere went on to DCU and studied Computer Applications, then  became a Software Engineer and worked in Stoneybatter.

He said “There was not a theatre in my home town, I was 20 or 21 when I started stand up, there is a bit more of a path for people to follow now, with college gigs.”

Neil acknowledges that a lot has changed in the 20 years since he started comedy in Ireland, particularly due to social media.

He said: “When I started off doing stand-up, you were allowed make mistakes, a degree of forgiveness,  people who were there saw it, the downside now is that someone can have a go at you on social media. There were very little stand-ups on TV but now young people are more educated about starting stand-up is that it gives an avenue, you don’t have to make it on TV anymore. I am able to tour as I made it on TV, you can make it in  your bedroom now by putting something on YouTube.”

Neil says that the show is not about a controlled substance, such as drugs, but is about how we all want control over our own decisions and choices.

He said:  “There is an illusion of control, but Brexit can throw us off track, you have very little control economically, politically, there is no big solution to the show, it is about a state of mind.”

The Edenderry native is sad to see Bord na Móna workers losing jobs, his father worked there for 41 years, but he thinks that there could be a sustainable solution.

He said:” It was the lifeblood of lots of midlands towns, my father sent four children to college. When I was growing up, it was Bord na Móna and the ESB, while we change things, we have to ensure that we look after people. With a little bit of ingenuity and training, Bord na Móna still could be a staple.”

From Bord na Móna job losses, Brexit  and the election of Trump, there is sometimes little control over the way things can work out in the world.

Although Neil acknowledges that Brexit was voted by the UK electorate, he feels that ‘a lot wasn’t explained to them, you can acknowledge that a lot of people did not want it. It does bring home to you that we are all interconnected, and we don’t have control that we think, that is the core theme.”

Expressing surprise at Trump being elected President of America, he is confident that the Irish people would not give him a Céad Míle Fáilte.

He said: “I’m still surprised that Trump has got in. The rhetoric that we have heard from Trump has got worse. At every term I have been confounded by his success, I think that he has changed the game for the worse, he could do anything.”

He said: “I would be surprised if there was any support for Trump here in Ireland.It is hardly a surprise to see his welcome in London, he is the least statesman like statesman I have seen in a long time.”

Balancing a hectic schedule with a 50 dates tour around Ireland, radio and television, Neil likes to take some time out with a game of indoor soccer during the week or a live comedy gig.

The anchor of the week he says is going to a school hall and playing indoor soccer.

He said: “I am still a fan of really good comedy, I go to see people who don’t do it the way that I do, like a surrealist, I still get a kick out of that side of it.”

The Irish Times says of Neil “No TV camera could accurately measure the lightning speed of Delamere’s wit” and audiences can expect hilarious banter and quick-witted, well-observed comedy at Controlled Substance as they have come to expect from the popular stand-up, whose recent wry Brexit ‘solution’ (“have a border but we let the guards from Áras an Uachtaráin patrol it.”) was lauded as ‘quote of the week’ by several media outlets.

Neil returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year where his shows garnered rave reviews, including a coveted five stars from The Scotsman, the premier broadsheet reviewer at the event, who described him as “a master”.

Tickets are on sale now; visit www.neildelamere.com/gigs for tour listings and bookings.