If you ask Garrett Millerick, even the future’s not what it used to be. In his eyes, it’s all been downhill since the 60s, and he’s not afraid to tell you why. Millerick is a seasoned ranter, once again using The Tron basement as his soapbox. Over the years he’s turned being a curmudgeon into an artform, and Needs More Space continues that theme, with the comic getting some very reasonable qualms off his chest. This he does with aplomb, bringing a packed room with him for the ride.  

Millerick describes himself as ‘a man who gets pissed off by quite a lot of stuff’, and this is the cornerstone of his act, although he truly shines when he allows himself to go beyond the ‘and another thing’ material. The show excels when Millerick explains the Space Race through the lens of the ‘I bet you can’t’ versus ‘oh yeah? Watch this then, mate’ dialectic. It’s clearly something Millerick is passionate about and he conveys it in a manner of the history teacher you actually liked. 

As the set reaches its climax, our host provides an impressive threnody reminding us about the woes of the capitalist realist hellscape we occupy. It’s not all doom and gloom however, and his optimism towards the end of the show does feel genuinely cathartic. Needs More Space never quite enters orbit, but you’ll be clamouring for a second Space Race by the end.

Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, Monkey Barrel The Tron, until 25 August, 4.25pm.