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Russell Brand did not disappoint his fans. They had turned out in their hundreds to see the comedian despite the allegations of serious sexual misconduct levelled against him, strenuously denied by the comedian, and their solidarity was rewarded by his defiance.

Rather than allowing an elephant to linger in the room the comedian immediately addressed the controversy, which might have reasonably been expected to lead to the cancellation of his performance. Rather than awkwardness, there was an atmosphere of more or less uproarious support.

Russell Brand leaves the Troubadour Theatre at Wembley Park after his show.Credit: AP

Greeted by a standing ovation after stepping onstage to a packed house at Wembley Park Theatre, he said: “I really appreciate your support. I love you, I appreciate you.

“There are a lot of things I want to talk about, that I can’t talk about. I’m sure you’ll understand.

“I love you all already.”

This earned another cheer from the crowd, while a middle-aged woman sitting in the crowded auditorium held aloft a placard urging fans to “Stand by Russell”, wearing a t-shirt with the same slogan scrawled across it.

“Support for Russell” was the theme of the night, during a set in which the most political and anti-authoritarian perforations earned the biggest applause.

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla, and Andrew Tate, the social media influencer, are among those who have come out in support of Brand.

Commenting on the allegations Musk, 52, said on Twitter: “Of course. They don’t like competition.”

Andrew Tate showed solidarity with the British comedian after tweeting: “Welcome to the club @‌rustyrockets”, alongside a picture with the caption: “On my way to fight the crazy b—h allegations”.

Tate, 36, was released from a prison in Romania on house arrest in April and has since been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News presenter, appeared to sympathise with Brand after hinting that the allegations had surfaced because of Brand’s social media influence.

The 54-year-old wrote on Twitter: “Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.” In response to the tweet Andrew Tate wrote: “Yep.”

The messages of support apparently stem from the belief that Brand’s large following on social media and anti-establishment opinions are of concern to those in power.

In the build-up to the show there was little sense of suspense as hundreds of fans awaited the arrival of Brand, whose delayed entrance was put down to “traffic”, according to staff.

Young and old, men and women, filed into Wembley Park Theatre to form a crowd as diverse as it was excited, despite the controversy hanging over the entertainer.

There was no sign of protest outside, and inside, those attending the show were always confident it would go ahead, without any intervention by either Brand or the venue.

Russell Brand leaves the Troubadour Theatre at Wembley Park after his show.Credit: AP

Queues for the stall selling Brand merchandise were briefly as long as those for the bar and the hot-dog stand: fans could purchase Brand-branded t-shirts, mugs, water bottles and notepads marked with the word “Community” (the name of a festival he runs in Hay-on-Wye in Wales) and his frequently used crow symbols.

Some attended in glamorous attire, others sported the colours of Brand’s favourite football club, West Ham.

Late, but welcomed with rapturous applause, Brand launched quickly into his set, with jokes about fatherhood and a tirade against the establishment.

“Never trust authority in any circumstances,” he told the roaring crowd, later critiquing “top down elitist control”, and calling for people to “fight the power”.

There was a chorus of cheers when he spoke against Covid vaccines, the subject of many of his YouTube videos, and after speeches made in the rhythm of a spoken-word poet on subjects ranging from spiritual awakening through drug use to the authoritarianism of traffic lights.

The Telegraph, London

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