Review: Dane Simpson – 100% Hits
Tuesday 2 March 2026
The Garden of Unearthly Delights – Le Cascadeur

If you can survive the sensory overload that is the Adelaide Fringe and find your way into Le Cascadeur at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, you’ll be rewarded with one of the most effortlessly funny hours going around.

Dane Simpson is a regular bloke — Aboriginal and proud — and within minutes he has the audience laughing like we’re at a family BBQ rather than a Fringe show. He doesn’t just tell jokes; he spins yarns. The kind where you lean in thinking, “Surely that didn’t happen,” only for him to casually produce photographic evidence later.  Dane is not frightened to take the piss out of anything or anyone which starts with his indigenous heritage and ends with Australia Day and more.

This dad from Wagga Wagga, NSW started out as the sound guy for local comedians. One night he made the bold (and possibly ill-advised) decision to grab the mic and tell a joke. Ten years later and with tons of gigs under his belt, here he is at the Fringe proving that sometimes country confidence and a good story can take you a long way from home.

There are plenty of comedians bouncing around the festival circuit, but Dane has that rare quality of feeling like he’s talking directly to you. Not in a terrifying audience-participation way — more like you’ve been cornered at a wedding by the funniest bloke in the family and you’re absolutely fine with it.

Most of the gold comes from home. His Dad, in particular, deserves either a medal or his own spin-off series. When we’re shown the now-legendary photo of Dad strolling down the aisle at Dane’s wedding double-fisting beers, the audience reaction is part disbelief, part recognition. We all know that guy. Some of us are related to him.

There’s also the ongoing case of mistaken identity. Dane has often been confused for an AFL player — and to be fair, he does resemble Garry Lyon just enough to make you do a double take. Close enough for a selfie request. Not quite close enough for centre-half-forward.

What makes the show land so well is how easy it looks. No flashy gimmicks. No smoke machines. Just a man from country NSW, a mic, some family stories and the confidence to let the laughs roll in naturally — often when you least expect them.

He won’t run out of material anytime soon — not with that family. And not with a life that seems determined to keep handing him punchlines.

Life is funny. Dane Simpson is funnier.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 Stars

Stephen Foenander
For Adelaide Review Team