As an accomplished comic known for being comically uncouth, Akmal delivered a show that certainly lived up to his reputation.
From the moment he walked on stage Akmal started questioning social and racial taboos in Australia that may be too far for some comedians, yet hilariously in range for him.
Slipping in and out of his on-point impression of the typical bogan Aussie accent, Akmal helped the audience see the humour in, and laugh at, themselves.
After laying into the housekeeping message and a standard 'f... Scott Morrison' message, Akmal was understandably taken aback by a 12-year-old audience member, inconveniently seated in the very front row of a full theatre. Even taken aback, his every interaction with the boy and his mother was amusing.
He quickly regained his composure and went on to deliver a show that clearly was not changed for the presence of young ears.
Akmal took the audience on a journey through some of the worst towns of Australia, dealing with V8 supercar fans, not getting your head punched in (somewhat related to the previous two topics), conspiracy theorists and the finer points of 'being a f...wit'.
Throughout his stand-up, Akmal would often address specific members of the front section audience to validate a point, faultlessly remembering their location to refer back to them throughout the show, including the 12-year-old boy in the front row.
“You see mate, this is the sh.t you get to look forward to.”
While the majority of the show kept a great pace that integrated key audience members quite well, the pace slowed for the final ten minutes as Akmal attempted to engage the wider audience with a bit of back and forth.
On other nights this may deliver comedic gems, but it seems the Brisbane crowd on this night was not as active, with a few shouted remarks not giving Akmal much to work with.
It didn’t necessarily bring down the show as a whole, though it did mean the performance ended on a slower note, only to be revived by a photo slideshow tying in with earlier jokes as the everyone made their way out of the theatre.
