With a bank holiday style weekend comedy line-up of Jason Manford on Friday, the Komedia on Sunday, and John Bishop on Monday, I thought a review only appropriate. However, instead of extensively going through each one and boring the pants off of everyone, I thought it better to condense them into one synoptic blog. First up to the plate, Manford...
As Ben and I found our seats, just six rows back from where our Mancunian maestro would be performing, a big smile crossed my face. Having booked the seats way back in October 2009, I couldn't believe the day had finally arrived, but boy was I glad it had.
Jason arriving soon later on stage to a rapturous applause, as a self professed tight-arse he did his own warm up on the recent firing of Sky's Andy Grey. Everyone in a jovial mood, he moved on to some fantastic material, including jokes about babies, Christmas, hecklers, people's names (in which he said our pal Jeff's name was akin to Barry, and shouldn't be allowed on anyone under 50 - poor Jeff...but true), poo and Brighton, that had all watching in stitches.
The performance was fantastic, Jason's inoffensive and almost conversational style making him seem friendly and relatable. Whilst his material was on some moderately standard comedic topics, the jokes and anecdotes were fresh and clever, with punchlines being unexpected and perfectly timed. He was definitely worth the wait, and I'd recommend him to anyone for when he returns to Brighton later this year on the same tour. Though I'll resist the temptation to go again, I may take his advice this December and look past Michael McIntyre, and reach for his DVD instead.
My laughing muscles having recovered, off I headed to the Komedia with the Kayaking Club for one of their Krater Comedy Club nights. After navigating my way through the labyrinthine North Laines, I eventually located the neon emblazoned club, not really sure what to expect of the evening.
Settling in with a rather pricey drink, I watched with glee as pro-compare Stephen Grant expertly warmed up the crowd with some great improvisation and observational comedy, including a destruction of my foolish friends who'd broken the first rule of being a comedy club audience member - don't sit at the front. Everyone being suitably jovial in spirits, it wasn't long before Stephen brought on the first act; Malawian comedian Daliso Chaponda.
His soft voice alongside a very measured delivery meant that each punchline almost surprised you at how funny it was. Once acclimatised to his method of delivery, each anticipatory wait was rewarded with exuberant laughter from the audience. Whist comedians such as Shappi Khorsandi and Stephen K. Amos (though undoubtedly great) tend to hover their jokes around their ethnicity, Chaponda drew away from this with some top material on his ambitions, and experiences in Brighton. Whilst perhaps some layering to his anecdotes may help him reach greater heights of comedy, at the moment he suits mid-sized venues like the Komedia down to the ground, and is definitely worth a watch.
Next up was Rosie Wilby. Being brand new to the scene she had a tall order to follow up, but faired fairly well, showing few signs of nerves for someone so inexperienced. Whilst many of her jokes lacked the nuance that differentiates between the funny and hilarious, she undoubtedly has potential. Managing to produce the odd gem within her short slot, she adequately showed that with some polishing and improved timing, she has the skills to do do well, though I'd probably wait until she had some more experience before rushing to see her again.
Third out of the four was fresh faced "cross between a bi-curious 14 year-old girl and the moon"; Marc Burrows. Whilst having shared stages with the likes of Dara O'Brian and Rufus Houns, on the night it didn't really shine through. Whilst undoubtedly talented, his phenomenally rapid pace of speech prevented much comedic timing, and meant the audience barely had time to register a joke before it was whisked away to the next one. Alongside this, some iffy linking between topics made his set feel slightly disjointed, occasionally causing him to return back to has stock of jokes on his physical appearance in order to maintain the crowd. Expecting a bit more from the orchestrator of '09 and '10 5* Edinburgh Fringe Festival show "The Big Comedy Breakfast", this writer was left disappointingly underwhelmed.
Fortunately however, the headline act certainly didn't disappoint. Having been on the circuit for a number of years, with some solo shows and the odd award to his name, upon entering, a few spectators could be heard murmuring vague recollections of seeing the performer. After his performance however, just about everyone who attended will be actively seeking him out, as on Sunday the 6th February, Carey Marx brough the Komedia to tears.
With a wide range of well intellectual and meticulously crafted material that somewhat belies his appearance included: Disproving God whilst simultaneously proving a Jahovah's Witness to be a bed wetter, how punching clowns and sexually abusing cows will save the planet, and an exploration of how insensitive paraplegics can be.
Whilst pushing the boundaries of offensiveness with every joke, Carey's honed timing, wry smile and doe-eyed expressions of innocence, forced you into fits of laughter against every politically correct bone in your body.
A fantastic end to the evening, and a comedian that I'd pay a fair amount to go and see. Whilst you'll be likely to come out severely questioning your morals, you certainly wont be disappointed.
Overall, a great evening, with the venue itself carrying a great atmosphere; and considering the student price of £3.50, an unbelievable bargain. If you haven't been to a Krater night, get down there asap, you're really missing out.
To round off my laughter-filled weekend, Monday evening brought along a visit to see 2011 British Comedy Award Winner John Bishop on his second solo tour - Sunshine. Having been in the game for just over 11 years, his career has recently taken off. However, despite appearances on such shows as Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, and Michael McIntyres Comedy Roadshow, the 44 year old Liverpudlian is still remaining on the peripherals of becoming a household name.
Walking in a couple of minutes late, my friend Tom and I were bricking it, as our fantastic seats (2nd row back, centre stage) meant that as late comers, we were ripe for a ribbing. Fortunately for us, we managed to sneak to our seats underneath the Bishop radar, and settled in for what turned out to be a brilliant evening.
The Scouser drew upon a lengthy history of work and familial relationships to present the audience with a wide variety of observational comedy, whilst providing a great insight as to how the Ex-Pharmaceuticals Manager came to be where he is today.
His measured and friendly approach meant that each anecdote not only made you laugh, but kept you interested throughout. Additionally, meandering off on unrehearsed tangents whilst maintaining perfect comedic timing, not only showed the depth of his talent, but displayed his clear enjoyment for his profession, further enhancing his likeability factor.
What made his act stand out more than most, were a few recorded ads for TV job applications (e.g. Bazooka and Admiral), coupled with a dazzling dancing finish, with Bishop suited up like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
If you haven't seen or even heard of John Bishop, he's definitely worth at least a Google. His material reaching a wide range of audiences make him a great night out regardless of whether you're out with your mate or Auntie Margaret. Though I'd reckon that ticket prices may be slightly more dear for his next tour, you certainly wouldn't be wasting your money.
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