Kevin Bloody Wilson with special guest Jenny Talia from Australia @ Dalrymple Hotel 15/09/24

Photo by A Snee

This dad/daughter duo are the G.O.A.T at creating acronyms. Sharing the stage for the International DILLIGAF Day World Tour, Kevin Bloody Wilson and his protege Jenny Talia from Australia are masters of wordplay, some acronyms easier to work out than others. The genes are certainly strong in this family.

Taking to the stage first with a perpetual cheeky smile plastered across her face, Chicago-based Jenny Talia charmed the crowd with her barrage of side-splitting songs, making light of a multitude of topics: rude people (F.O.C.U.S and C.H.A.M.P), resilience (F.I.S.H.M.O), modern female fashion (Cameltoe) and Australian politicians (Bunch of Parasites sung to the tune of Choir Boys’ Run to Paradise). Handy on guitar and with a husky Aussie country twang in her voice, she had the crowd eating out of her hands and nicely warmed up for father dearest.

Kevin Bloody Wilson - still performing at 77 years of age and touring for 40 years! - is as sharp as he was back in the 1990s when I first heard his comedy on a cassette belonging to my older brother. The world is certainly more PC now than back then, but Wilson hasn’t caved in to the modern ways. There was a strong theme of family throughout the performance with him sharing stories about his childhood growing up in Kalgoorlie, his courtship with his wife, Betty, through to the joy of being a Pop to his grandkids, and memories of his parents.

There even appeared to be several father and son pairs in the audience, possibly a Father’s Day gift given the time of year. But these family niceties were later dropped for the Kev we love best - bloody filthy, hilarious and not for the faint hearted. No topic was off-limits: Catholic schooling, brothels, the elderly and everything in between. But despite his reputation as a crude old bastard, KBW was surprisingly gentle with the audience, even extending a polite request to a patron to stop recording on her phone. He could’ve been way more harsh!

The highlights were a medley of his well-loved Christmas reimaginings and a superb singalong of his greatest hits including Kev’s Courting Song, Dictaphone, Livin’ Next Door to Alan and It Was Over. With so many laughs and energetic crowd participation, this was a comedy highlight for 2024.