Small crowd-Lots of Energy, Christian Friendly Comedy, Surprise Act! 02/04/2013

What can someone expect for turnout on a Tuesday following a Bank Holiday weekend when the football was also on? Not much. Long Live Comedy audiences have however often surprised us with really unexpected numbers. Well, tonight was not one of these nights.

George Zach went on stage playing to a small crowd in what looked to be slightly awkward but turned out to be surprisingly fun. When the numbers are small it is best to try not to offend anyone and he did just that. He instead explained what the night is about and went on to grab his mobile phone and go through notes to see what will stick. Turns out a few things did, with a long shambolic rant about Judas and Sodoma and Carlisle standing out in particular and with that he brought the first act on stage.

Blythe Loxley is no stranger to the gig and the oddball character comedian was once again giving us her oddball take on the world, discussing how unattractive she is in a constant rant. Maybe too early in the set but the audience warmed up to her and overall a nice start to the evening.

Second up was Richard Ross, discussing a few things that I really should have kept some notes about. He did well but this blogger has totally forgotten. I blame John Scott who had just walked in.

Third up was Graham Milton. He did some pretty intelligent stuff that went down well with the crowd, showed a lot of promise and brought the first section to an end in style.

Dave Smith was first in the second section. Dave spoke about having a little child that he isnt ready for sometimes and watching a lot of TV that pisses him off, including some rude stuff. He is still learning but he is picking up things fast and it was good to see him try new bits. Good start to the next section.

John Scott took to the stage next, with admittedly not the best of introductions. He spoke about pregnancies, politics, his missus and some more politics. He did well, he seemed to enjoy himself a lot and the audience liked him too. It is always a joy when a professional heads down to try new stuff and it is even better when the stuff hits the mark.

Last one was Liam Elcoat. Liam went on to basically dissect one of Lenny Henry's jokes in detail before taking us through the original Holiday Inn commercial where Lenny Henry had a little duck. I don't think Liam likes Lenny Henry. It is fair to say he lost some people. He hadn't done comedy in a while and looked pretty nervous, especially when the crowd isnt too big but something tells us he would have otherwise be more appreciated in a different room on a different day with a little more stage time under his belt. Hopefully he will be back.

Liam was meant to be the last one, but one of the audience members (John-no surname given) who was here on a trip from Belfast to see some mates fancied having a go and he told us a story about his mum getting cancer and him losing weight. It was really dark but there was honesty in that bit and a lot of nicely put punchlines that helped make it not as uncomfortable to watch as you imagine. 

Then again you can say anything in an non standard accent and it will just sound better. (Ask George!)


That's it. Everyone had a good time and we were happy to provide a platform for comedians (and in this case an audience member) to have a go at it and the audience were more than happy to sit back and watch things unfold, anything can happen at the Dog and Parrot and anything does happen.

See you next week!