When he was last at the Fringe, in 2007, Tom Basden won the if.Comedy Newcomer Award, and with good reason. If there is any justice, he should be winning (or at least be nominated for) the if.Comedy award itself this year. Basden charisma and charm are easily noticeable from the moment he stands on stage. The audience very easily fall for him and his humour, and stay by his side the whole way through, laughing at his every joke, and enjoying his every song.
Basden’s routine is a mixture of random projections on the wall (going from photos of himself, to drawings, jokes, and facts about his life or new ideas he has created) and silly, short songs about anything he can imagine. And if the wall projections weren’t funny enough, his lyrics will have you roaring with laughter for some time. His deadpan delivery works fantastically well with what he sings about, like being completely nonchalant about being a stalker, a woman marrying a horse or his filthy reworking of movie genres.
He might be chewing more than he can bite, mind you, with him also performing in his own play ‘Party’ and being part of Mark Watson’s ‘Hotel’. Tom Basden might be a bit overworked, something that you feel in his routine, where he could loosen up a bit, and enjoy his show. As it stands, some of it sounds a bit over-rehearsed, and you might not get the feeling that he is talking from his ‘heart’ but reciting a speech.
Good thing then, that what he has to say is great, and that this talented young comedian has still so much more to give us in years to come. Basden, don’t take another sabbatical from the Fringe, and be back in 2010 to entertain us with your songs.
4/5 
Adrian G. Velazquez
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