Confessions of a Grindr Addict

Confessions of a Grindr Addict is one of the most entertaining monologues I’ve ever seen. As a man who is not gay, and therefore a man without a Grindr profile or any experience with the application, I clearly wasn’t the target audience. But it’s to the show’s credit that it’s able to explain itself to the neophyte as it goes, as well as, judging from the outbursts of knowing laughter behind me, playing well to the home crowd.

Ensconced in an armchair, necking Pinot Grigio and clad in denim shorts, tight white t-shirt and a beanie, Gavin Roach, our mincey host, doesn’t exactly try to dispel stereotypes, but it’s all good fun, and the chatty persona is very suited to a confessional show.

Our irrepressible interlocutor (I couldn’t possibly tell you about that… oh alright then!) talks us through his life of Grinding with inexhaustible charm and enthusiasm as we move through his litany of encounters, from the sordid to the sweet to the unnervingly foot-centric. It’s delivered with great intimacy, and a winning sense of self-deprecation that soon has the empathy rolling in from the audience.

As you’d expect from the title, some of the chat is quite explicit (though not obscenely or gratuitously so). To be frank, audiences will probably self-select quite sensibly as to whether the humour is likely to be to their taste. For those in the mood, this is a sincere, funny and captivating look into a vibrant slice of modern gay life.