Review: Russell Brand, Vector Arena

Russell Brand skewers himself with the same sharp tongue he uses for everyone else.

You have to hand it to Russell Brand, he really is one of the most self-aware entertainers in the world. Any criticism you might have of the outrageous-yet-gentle Englishman, Brand has already heaped on himself.

He knows he doesn't have all the answers, he knows his behaviour is sometimes bonkers, he knows his ego and his brain will lead him astray, and he gets just as flustered and nervous as the rest us when talking about something he really cares about.

But he's still keen to try and fix the world, and his self-reflection and self-analysis is so sharp and incisive that you can't help but be on his side. Video clip after video clip of Brand in a variety of situations - presenting an Oscar with Helen Mirren, being interviewed by Jeremy Paxton, standing up for a group of women trying to save their housing estate, attempting to complete a US Marine obstacle course - is mined for laughs, and skewered for mistakes or failings.

He's loud and physical, manic and visceral, chaotic and inspired, capable of taking you to the brink of complete and utter exhaustion while also spreading utopian ideals and outrageous hilarity. And his new Trew World Order show is an undeniably memorable experience.

There's the ribald banter with the crowd when he jumps down onto the floor and goes walkabout in search of a true blue New Zealander. Most of it is uproariously bawdy and unprintable.

There's the graphic physical actions which go along with his rant about why Jesus was never particularly concerned with homosexuality. There's his perceptive mocking of Hamiltonians and Australians specially designed for an Auckland crowd.

There's his surprising tales of the 18 hours he spent learning what it means to be a US Marine at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. There's stories of Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise, and there's an awful lot of fantastically colourful, salacious yet eloquent, and clever one-liners throughout. Plus a tiny bit of side-splitting rapping. He should do more.

But it's not all sex and self-deprecation. The backbone of the show is thematically similar to his recent book Revolution, his web series The Trews, and his documentary collaboration with Michael Winterbottom, The Emperor's New Clothes: the growing economic disparity in the world, and the tyranny of the rich and powerful. His favourite fact is the 80 richest people in the world have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion.

Mike Hosking and John Key come under fire (much to the delight of the audience), as do Donald Trump, Fox News, The Daily Mail, The Sun, and the Royal Family. But the biggest target in Brand's sight-line is Rupert Murdoch.

"Rupert Murdoch is like Hitler, if the Nazis had won. We don't see him for what he is."

He swaggered, thrusted, probed and taunted his way through a 90-minute set, pointed out the absurdities of the world, and of human nature, and left the 4000-strong audience in a daze.

He finished with a "we can change the world" quote from Rocky IV, then he jumped back down to the audience to share hugs and jokes with a quickly gathering crowd of fanatics, assuring security that he was just fine to look after himself.

P.S. He really likes Ponsonby Food Court.

* What did you think of the show? Post your comments below.