Dave Hill: Big in Japan

Rock'n'roll is a world in which virile young men make their mark, before going on to become ageing rockers. Dave Hill describes an alternative world, where the ageing bloke can get a babysitter and live out his youthful dreams, not in front of his supportive friends and family on the local stage in New York, but by fluking a four-date tour in Japan.

Based on the truth of Hill's band, Valley Lodge, his shaggy dog story wanders, wide-eyed through the tour, agog at the wonders of Japanese culture. He delivers it all with a naive use of swear words, almost apologetically as if he were a teenage boy trying – and failing – to shock his mother.

This is thoroughly endearing comedy, perfectly suited to an intimate setting. Hill is quick to bring his audience into the telling of the story, picking up local vernacular which helps where the strong American reference points might confuse.

Hill spins the twin elements well, blending fish out of water with a wry look at foreign lands that is never too mocking in tone. His occasional guitar freak-outs help reinforce the veracity of the story itself, while his use of visuals, hinting at where the exaggerations lie, is very funny indeed.