Andrew Polk Presented in Lo-Fi: What Is the Right Amount of Terrible?

I’ll start with the venue. It’s small. It’s weird. The stage backdrop makes no sense until you learn the venue is called Sports Drink. But then it stops making sense again when you Google Sports Drink and discover it’s… a coffee shop. Naturally, it’s the perfect place for a comedy stage.

The term “stage,” by the way, is generous. It’s more like a slightly raised plank that Andrew paces laterally for 24 minutes.

Fancy stage lights? Absolutely not. The lighting is reminiscent of the cheap track lights that look like they were salvaged from your first efficiency apartment after a renovation in the early 2000s.

And let’s talk about that backdrop: Igloo coolers. Yes, actual coolers. No traditional curtain, no classic brick wall, just a large orange wall of coolers. Three of the coolers in particular were missing their “Igloo” stickers which, for some reason bothered me to my core.

And as the special cycles through the different camera angles, you get glimpses of hanging potted plants and random coffee shop art on the walls.

There’s a massive TV on the side wall with a big black cover draped over it. Was it covered specifically for the comedy show? Or has it been that way for years? The mystery haunts me.

But the charm of the Lo-Fi special doesn’t stop at the venue; it carries over gloriously into the filming choices as well.

One camera angle seems to replicate the classic “worst seat in the house”, the one behind the corner of the stage where the comedy club seats you after you politely decline the front row. It provides a perfect view of one spotlight aimed directly at your retinas, inducing a slow-onset migraine while you awkwardly watch the audience instead of the stage.

Another angle appears to be pulled straight from the venue’s ceiling mounted fish-eye security camera. And, of course, no Lo-Fi comedy special would be complete without a handheld camera offering shaky, Blair Witch-esque cinematography.

It begs the question if this was a stylistic choice or if there was some function over form choices that had to be made.

And while some specials are recorded in front of massive crowds to highlight the comic's wild success and widespread appeal, Andrew’s performance takes a different approach. He delivers his set to an intimate audience of what appears to be thirty to forty people, one of whom happens to be his boss from his day job.

This small detail immediately reminded me of the countless local shows I’ve attended, where performers navigate the delicate balancing act of figuring out what will land as funny tonight, without risking their job tomorrow with their co-workers and/or bosses in the crowd.

If you think I wrote this just to bash Andrew’s work, you’re dead wrong. I genuinely loved every moment of this almost half-hour special.

I’ve seen countless performances in large comedy clubs and theaters, and they’re great, but there’s something vastly more entertaining about comedy in small, intimate, and unique venues like this.

There’s an honesty to these settings that either makes or breaks a performer. When they stumble, the tension in the room is palpable. But when they succeed, as Andrew does, you’re left doubled over, laughing until it physically hurts. If I were to take you to your first comedy show ever, it wouldn’t be a large venue. It would be at a place like Sports Drink and hopefully Andrew would be on stage.

I should’ve known Andrew would be a killer before I even hit play. This special was released on Sam Tallent’s YouTube channel, which is a badge of quality in itself. Any lingering doubts I had were immediately dismissed when Andrew boldly opened the video with an incredible Anne Frank joke.

But it’s not all edgy material. Andrew, a former Shake 'n Bake social media operator, delivers surprisingly insightful commentary on modern issues, hilariously critiques the mundane aspects of life, and even takes a moment to educate the younger crowd about the lost art of using a landline telephone.

And while I’ve heard plenty of jokes about truckers, I can confidently say my favorite now belongs to Andrew Polk.

While he may not yet be a household name, he is certainly a phenomenal stand-up comic, and I assume he’s likely a standout in his local New Orleans comedy scene.

This is the kind of talent that doesn’t stay local for long. Readers should take the time to watch his Lo-Fi special now, and for anyone lucky enough to live in New Orleans, don’t hesitate to see him live in these smaller local venues while you still can.

At first glance, the Lo-Fi nature of this special might seem like a terrible novelty. But by the time it’s over, you realize it’s one of the most genuine representations of what makes comedy great. Comedy, at its core, thrives on that sense of closeness and connection, and this is the kind of environment where it truly shines.

Andrew Polk Presented in Lo-Fi is a comedy release that I highly recommend you all watch.

Travis Wright is the host of the “I’m a fan of…” podcast. If you enjoy music and comedy, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and check out the You Tube Channel. Thanks!