Simon Amstell

Simon Amstell and I have the same love life. During the course of his show I came to realize that he and I not only have the same taste in men, but the same pathetic way of not getting them. His comedy is personal, heartfelt and sincere, far removed from the acerbic barbs  which viewers of Never Mind the Buzzcocks know and love him for.

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Jack Whitehall

 

Nominated for Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Jack Whitehall’s Nearly Rebellious debut solo show received rave reviews and completely sold out in August. Now visiting Brighton as part of the Magners Comedy Festival, Whitehall’s show didn’t have a single empty seat left in the Pavilion Theatre.

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Best of the Fest

Best of the Fest’ showcases five comedians performing at the Brighton Comedy Festival, and although the night is value for money, and has some solid comedians and funny moments, you’re not really left in hysterical raptures.

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Hitler Moustache

Hitler Moustache is Richard Herrings 25th Edinburgh show on the trot, and there is a reason he is a fringe favourite. His current mission is to reclaim the toothbrush moustache for comedy , “taking it away from Hitler and giving it back to Charlie Chaplin, two contemporaries whose careers, it’s fair to say, dropped off after the Second World War.”

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John Hegley

The rigid mouth of the bouncer twitched a little. A snot-nosed ten-year-old messed up on cranberry juice jetted about, grinning madly to herself. The kindly ushers looked at us like we were clever as dolphins for having come to this show. The point is, everyone was terribly excited to see performance poet John Hegley back in Brighton offering his unique brand of “awesomely mundane” verses, where potatoes and spectacles become the focal point for the best poet Luton has ever produced.

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Jon Richardson

As the lights go down at 21:30, a chirpy Lancastrian voice filters out on the tannoy, introducing tonight’s act. Being, judging by the applause, one of the only people in the Brighton Dome who does not know of Jon Richardson yet, I assume that this is simply the announcer. When he stutters and then admits, “God, I’m bad at this”, I’m taken slightly aback at the brutal honesty of this lad. Only when he modestly proclaims, “And now introducing…me” and appears to a chorus of cheers and whoops, do I realise my mistake (I’m not the quickest, you may have noticed).

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Quirky comedy improv gets the nod

Comedy Store Players Corn Exchange, 23/10/08

‘So, I’m an apprentice to the cake maker who specialises in making lemon drizzle cakes for David Hasselhoff’s oil boy?’ Steve Steen looks incredulously at the crowd before laughing and commending Brighton’s creativity.
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Stephen grants us a laugh

Stephen Grant Corn Exchange, 25/10/08

Stephen Grant is a man who definitely follows the mantra “first the worst, second the best” – in fact, his Brighton festival show for this year was entirely focussed on proving it. I’d seen Stephen before as the compere of Komedia’s Krater Comedy Club, so I was curious as to how he’d cope with being the star of the show. Read more

Embarrassing dad posing as stand-up comedian?

Mark Steel Corn Exchange, 24/10/08

Mark Steel is well-received by a left-leaning and surprisingly diverse audience in terms of age at a reasonably full Corn Exchange.

The ‘I first heard him on Radio 4’ crowd sit pretty comfortably with the ‘I saw him talk at an anti-war demo, my dad’s a socialist’ types, of which I suppose I was one.
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Funny women?

Funny Women Corn Exchange, 24/10/08The Pavilion Theatre saw the introduction of ‘Funny Women’ to the Brighton Comedy Festival on the 23rd October.

A team of three female comedians and a compere create a show of gags about everything, from sex to muffin tops (overhanging stomachs if any blokes are wondering) to periods to train journeys.

First on stage is Andi Osho, who has found recent television fame on Channel 4’s ‘Tonightly’ programme. Her performance is well delivered and receives many a laugh from the audience, especially when reminiscing about childhood tendencies to make bizarre throat noises! However, there is the impression that her extensive discussion on chavs became slightly tiresome with the middle class Brighton audience.

Next up is Canadian Katherine Ryan. Ryan fails to deliver many gags which connect with the audience, creating an almost awkward feeling in the room as a few audience members muster up small, pitying laughs.

A joke mocking the lesbian community shows that Ryan obviously hasn’t done her research on Brighton. One woman in front of me turned to her friend mid-way through and whispered rather loudly, ‘this is shit!’

The ‘Funny Women’ producers most definitely saved their best ‘til last with Zoe Lyons rounding up proceedings with a faultless performance of comic talent. Her local knowledge of Brighton gives her a head start as she discussed the snobbery of seagulls and the infamous late night trains back from London Victoria.

However I still left with a disappointed feeling after having initial high expectations from these award-winning comics.

A gig that fails to provide the true ‘laugh till you cry’ experience I was expecting.

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