Review: BULLRING TECHNO MAKEOUT JAMZ, Soho Theatre

“I love everything about a first date”

Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz, written by Nathan Queeley-Dennis and directed by Dermot Daly, is described as “a love letter to Birmingham through Beyoncé lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship between a man and his barber.” And indeed, those themes certainly come across throughout the hour-long performance, but there is more of a focus on a different concept - serial dating. 

We are introduced to our main character, Nathaniel, performed by Queeley-Dennis, who claims that he has a history of “weird” and “tragic” first dates, giving some examples, including a disastorous attempt at the iconic spaghetti moment from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Nathaniel wants to find love and goes on many first dates in order to accomplish this goal, bringing women to his favourite underground rum bar and planning every single first date down to the minute. Queeley-Dennis’ sense of humour in his writing is dry and observational, a fantastic combination that make for a great character in Nathaniel. 

It is through Nathaniel’s dates that we learn more about his life, including his job at a call centre that he wants to leave but struggles with what he would do once he quit. His true passion? Art, but it is not something he believes that he is able to pursue full time as he feels that he has lost motivation while working at the call centre, something many creatives working other jobs can relate to. When one of his dates ask him what he “raison d’être” is, Nathaniel avoids answering, instead turning the question back on her and then moving on. 

But, along with the scenes of actual dates, we see the preparation for the dates themselves, including a fantastic introductory one in which Nathaniel tells the audience about the relationship he has with his barber and the level of betrayal he feels when he goes to a new one in order to get a haircut the day of a first date. There are also several times where we are introduced to Nathaniel’s friends through their group chat, during which the lights turn green and a notification sound goes off as Queeley-Dennis plays each of the friends, giving them their own personalities and voices. 

We are introduced to the world of techno music and how Nathaniel feels ostracised from the community that has been built around it, which he points out as ironic as the genre was created by black men in Detroit. The scenes that take place within a rave with techno music are quite fun and bring a new level of energy to the show while still providing some more emotional moments, including Nathaniel seeing an older man raving and then having to deal with a white man rapping in his face. 

Unfortunately, there appeared to be a few technical issues during the show, especially when Queeley-Dennis was rapping at the techno rave with a handheld microphone which kept giving off feedback. The person working in the tech booth was also typing on a keyboard throughout the show, which was quite distracting and difficult to ignore, especially during the quieter moments of the show. 

Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz is a powerful one-man play that discusses important concepts like love and family while still having a great sense of humour. Queeley-Dennis has done a fantastic job in the creation of Nathaniel, making a character that the audience will root for and understand, even though he may not always be making the best decisions. 

Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz runs until 16 November at Soho Theatre.

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