The second comedy competition in two nights, following Old Comedian of the Year, was another mix of very familiar and less familiar names, with only one act cropping up twice. If nothing else this shows that there are lots of talented stand-ups around. And a lot that want to win competitions.
By one of those flukes of the draw the night started out with echoes of Caroline Aherne. Mancunian Rachel Fairburn had a similar accent, though that was largely where the similarity ended. Her set was divided roughly into two sections, opening with a routine about having OCD and explaining that you can’t be “slightly OCD” any more than you can be “slightly HIV”. The second half was about her obsession with serial killers. Fairburn certainly found the funny side of a very sinister area, but first spot is always tough and this was a set that never quite hit the requisite groove to be in contention.
Second up was another Mancunian, Nina Gilligan. Like Fairburn she also had shades of Aherne. Like Fairburn she also wore some leopard print, but that was where the similarity with the first act ended. It wasn’t just the fact that if you closed your eyes she sounded like Hi-De-Hi’s Su Pollard that made me feel she would do well at holiday camps. Gilligan’s material and delivery felt distinctly old-fashion and corny, as she talked about trying to lose her baby weight (her kids are now teenagers) and joked about resembling a drag act. She had one very good gag about class differences when it comes to time off, but she overran and had to end abruptly.
Third on the bill was Josh Pugh, who I have previously come across in another competition. I thought he had promise then and he was even better this time with a mix of crisp one-liners and oddball gags. Even with Pugh there was a whiff of Aherne. Like the Royle Family star (and James Acaster) he has an instinct for finding the right words to make a sentence funny - although let’s face it you can’t go wrong saying “verucca”. He was particularly good at flipping logic, turning ideas about X Factor, homeless people and going for 10km runs into comic gems and piling punchline upon punchline. A keen comic mind was clearly at work here. The judges had little hesitation in awarding him first prize ahead of more established acts…
…such as Chris McCausland, who is a very well-established circuit comedian. McCausland is blind and got plenty of good laughs from stories about his idiot guide dog before moving on to more universal material about being a parent, paying tax and, erm, flavoured condoms. McCausland is Liverpudlian and has that Scouse skill of making stand-up feel like a very funny conversation, albeit a one-way conversation. He wasn’t quite exciting enough to earn a placing but went down very well.
If the prize was being awarded to the best dressed English comedian Eddy Brimson would have romped home. In his tailored post-mod suit he was definitely the smartest act on the bill. And his routines were very on-the-button too, as he talked about how his working class accent and hairless head make people jump to conclusions about him that are usually wrong. Brimson was not afraid to talk about politics or address audience members directly. He made a real connection on the night and also had a playful routine about why pandas are in danger of extinction. A few of the acts tonight overstayed their welcome, Brimson energised the room and could have done longer than the ten minutes that earnt him third place.
Final act of the first half was an odd one. Joby Megeean came on with a ukelele (I thought they had been banned from comedy in 2012) and proceeded to do a song about how another comedian on the circuit can never remember his name. It had a few witty lines but felt strange and a bit of a stand-up in-joke. Megeean is obviously talented and a story about being bullied and a second song was better, but despite being the only musical act on the bill he failed to bother the judging panel.
Review continues here.
