Josh’s new podcast “Four Burners” has interviews on the four burners theory of Family/Friends/Health/Career making up the four aspects of your life. If you keep them all burning you will burn out, if you turn one off you will be more successful. If you turn two off you will be more successful. As he has told people the actual stand up show is not the one with the interviews on it but is more based on his own life following up from his previous solo show where he talked about his early life and how he was part of a dance group.

As Josh himself said he is over having to do a new show every year and is happy doing the Don’t You Know Who I Am? podcast for special events such as the comedy festival and the “So fresh” podcast on the Patreon after finally getting to the end of the 100% hits compilations. I passed on going to all the DYKWIA shows this year as it was a bit much for me and I ended up staying in the city to go to more shows than I would usually. I was on Josh’s Patreon until I lost my job earlier this year, I will get around to going back on it when I get a new job.

I had seen a little bit of this show when Josh tried out some of the material after one of the DYKWIA shows in November and thought it was good. He at least got some laughs unlike some of the other people who tried out their stuff and it was people who knew not all the stuff would be good (was a “try-out” set).

On the podcast for this show the order of the categories are of the guests choosing but here they seem to be set from the live version. Josh does ask people some of their responses but half the room did not really want to say anything, reminds me of someone at Barry Morgan one time “I came here to be entertained, NOT to do the entertaining!”

I would say that this show certainly builds on Josh’s previous show but you do not need to have seen that one or indeed have seen him before. Having been around the comedy scene for so long there are a lot of people who know him these days so there should be plenty of people interested. Even Cal Walker asked about him at the gig I went to before the show as they both grew up in Burnie.

This is more of a thoughtful show than a more funny ha-ha one but there are still some jokes. As the stories require more context there is less of the show he can take and make into a “tight five” but he is doing less of that these days which is the entire premise of the show.

I would recommend this show with some caveats with the mention of suicide later on in the show, I am not going to say who that is about but even the comedy festival site does not have that listed. This is the second show I have been to at the festival that did the same thing but at least they did not say that at the start of the show and it never recovered from then, you just had to eat it or leave. Why yes, I do know how far people have to do the show name and blurb for the show in advance for the festival.

A more mature show from an experienced comedian which you would expect from someone in their 40s, if he was still doing cake stuff these days I would not be able to recommend it. Josh does acknowledge he used to do musical comedy but does not do that at all these days. I can’t even recall the last time I saw him sing? Given that I recently saw someone perform that had not done so with that band for 19 years and not themselves for 17 I would never say never.

Rating: 4/5

Show details:

Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/four-burners

This show contains: Occasional coarse language, references to suicide, mental health discussion

Adult: All Tix $29.65

Concession: All Tix $25.54

Group (6+): All Tix $23.49

Preview: All Tix $23.49

Tightarse Tuesday: $23.49

Times and dates

Mon 8 Apr – Sun 21 Apr: 8.35pm

Tasma Terrace: Tasma 4, 4-7 Parliament Place, East Melbourne VIC 3000, Melbourne