Gary Delaney – Purist -Stand Comedy Club Edinburgh 8 May 2013

I like comedy in all shapes and sizes as followers of this site will no doubt be aware, and it is always good to have a great laugh. I think therefore the most laughs one can have in any given hour is with the one liner comics with such exponents as Tim Vine, Stewart Francis, Milton Jones all to the fore. But for me the daddy of them all is possibly the least well know as yet and he is Gary Delaney.

I was press ganged into seeing his Fringe show a couple of years ago and boy was I glad. There were more laughs per minutes than anyone else I had seen so was delighted to get a second helping albeit a while later.

But before we get to the main event an unexpected bonus was on offer up front, in the shape of Steve Day. Steve is a deaf comedian, and I use the small d intentionally, but he has come to terms with this and well and truly carved his niche in the world of comedy. Full of bubbling enthusiasm Day bounded onto the stage to do his bit, was he really on 20 minutes? The time flew by, it seemed like only 10 with a jamb packet set of quality material. A fair amount of which  was on his condition and how it has affected his life and how it has been used to his advantage, also his family, TV subtitles, gigs and preconceptions came under his microscope.  Day went down well with the packed out crowd from the start and I know I was not alone in wanting to hear more from this gifted comic.

After a short interval it was the turn of Gary Delaney to take command of the club and boy did he grab it with both hands.  He explains that there is no message in his show, no underlying meanings, just jokes pure and simple and then sets about his tast like the artist he is. I tried to count the number of one-liners and laughs he delivered but sheer weight of numbers defeated me. Nicely punctuated with excursions to AV and clipboards Delaney delivers his gags in machine gun style burst. He can be juvenile, edgy, outrageous, silly and intelligent with his stuff, but wherever he goes he is also very, very funny and amazingly inventive.

Like his opening act the time flew by, I really couldn’t believe he was coming to the end of his hour when he started winding up, but unfortunately he had. Still I really think everyone enjoyed his set, I certainly had a ball and next time he is around will be waiting impatiently for my ticket. Catch him if you can while. His forthcoming gigs are listed at www.garydelaney.com  so check out if he is playing near you and for the best of what’s on offer at The Stand then www.thestand.co.uk is the place to be.

Reviewed by Geoff

Wicked Wenches – Stand Comedy Club Edinburgh – 7 May 2013

 With the weather actually feeling like May for a change I made my way to Edinburgh’s Stand Comedy Club for the monthly all female line-up gig full of expectation for a top quality night of comedy and I wasn’t disappointed.

As part of  an unusually bijou audience we were welcomed by our MC and compere Susan Calman, who is usually the mainstay of these gigs and as always no matter the size of crowd delivers a masterclass of how to do the role. Susan has a much higher profile these days but doesn’t have any airs and graces, just an honest to goodness class act who is in her natural habitat chatting with the audience, jesting, feeding in some of her material and generally warming up everyone for the acts to follow. She is always different each time and this show was no exception. Ms Calman was on fire and ran with an idea that she was ‘psychic’ a la Derek Acorah to absolutely hilarious effect. She had the entire audience in stitches, nothing new there as this amiable Glaswegian always does, but set the scene for those to follow, the first of whom was Elaine Malcolmson.

Elaine seems to have been missing for the scene for a while and I for once have missed seeing her perform. From Northern Ireland originally but now Glasgow based, she has a style all of her own and also is never predictable as to her subject matter. What she is always is a great value act, and manages to draw laughs from unusual ideas and subject. Recent trips to New York, the different meaning of word dependant on where you are from, the NHS and radical solutions to A&E issues and alternatives to medicines TK Max and fridges all were dealt with during her set as only she can. Great to see her back and on top form.

Following the first interval and more of Susan’s new found psychic powers filling the short slot was up and coming Natasha Yapp, and in keeping with what is the norm on the night certainly delivered a thoroughly entertaining set. Ms Yapp is of a very complicated heritage and a lot of her material was based on and around this, all of which to me anyway was extremely well written and impeccably delivered. I saw her a few months ago on beginners night Red Raw and since then she has matured as a performer so much. Confident without being cocky she took charge from the off and certainly was well received by all. Definitely look forward to seeing her progress to a longer set.

Closing out part two was Lancastrian Katie Mulgrew. This was the first time I had seen this effervescent lady perform and like everyone was impressed with her offering. She seemed to have boundless enthusiasm, some really funny material  and bags of personality. Her range of  subject matter was wide, her recent engagement, McDonalds, a friends new child, previous Edinburgh trips and ex boyfriends amongst other subjects were intermingled with audience riffing all to great effect. I would like to see her with a larger crowd to play off as I feel she feeds off audience reaction a lot and the more they give the more she does too, so hopefully next time I’ll see if I’m right.

Headline act of the night was the gorgeous Tara Flynn.  This multi talented  comedian / singer/ actress/voiceover artist has been a favourite of mine for years and if anything looks younger today than she did the first time I saw her. Tara has total control from the start, captivating the punters with her mix of comedy and music. Starting off with some really funny stuff on her native Ireland,  tourism, Ryan Air ‘The Gathering’ and the boom years there moving through to her recent marriage and her moving into her middle youth , Ms Flynn royally entertained.  And as a bonus she completed her set with three of her songs to demonstrate not only her vocal abilities and styles and also song writing abilities, a really enjoyable ending to a fine set.

And for another month that was that. Ms Calman closed it out and we all had to leave. Still next month it’ll be back okay a new line-up but without doubt the same high standard. For details of this and all other shows at The Stand in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Newcastle check out the website www.thestand.co.uk  ad you can book tickets for their Edinburgh Fringe line-up too.

Reviewed by Geoff

Red Raw – Stand Comedy Club Edinburgh – 6 May 2012

It was the May Day Bank holiday in Edinburgh and somewhat unusually it was almost warm and dry as I headed to this Monday night show, an opportunity for up and coming comics to get a a chance to home their style in front of a live audience and also an opportunity for more established acts to try out new material. I like to drop in occasionally to see what’s happening and although the night is always well supported this one was absolutely heaving, Why? The word was out that a couple of potential star players were on the bill so i was intrigued to see if this was the case.

Compere for the night was Stuart Mitchell a new name to me, but obviously a guy well versed in his art.  Right from the off Mitchell was in charge and endeared himself to the by now bursting at the seams club with his material interlinked with audience riffing.  He was excellent in this essential warming up the crowd role, has bags of stage presence and it was good to see yet another young Scottish MC staking his claim, the Scottish scene is so fortunate to have many already, but he certainly was well up with them.

Opening act was Neha Nayer. Now I have seen her perform a few times now and I guess you cannot say she is conventional in her approach or material.  Ms Nayer is a little surreal for my palate I have to admit, but her initial confidence seemed to desert her mid way through and maybe it was part of the act, but she didn’t seem as though she was enjoying being there. It is always good to see immerging comics and I hope she continues to perform and I look forward to her development.

Jay Miles was the next act to the stage and he was straight into his material, funny throughout with material on facebook stalking and alternative TV shows well to the fore. He got plenty of laughs and certainly did himself justice throughout. Hopefully the next time I see him he will have a longer time allocation as I felt I wanted to hear more.

Derek Johnston was the next to ply his trade, a comic who I have hardly seem for ages. He is always value for money in his set, his style particular to him and delivered a set of new and more established material. I don’t think Derek is a laugh a second comedian, but his material is well crafted and often very clever. Maybe an acquired taste for some, but something I got in tune with a while ago and it was good to see him back on stage again.

Closing out part one was another guy who I hadn’t seen for a few years Martin McAllister. Now anyone who has seen him will instantly know his delivery style and his penchant for unusual material and both were in evidence in abundance.  He has plenty of material to fill his time, the odd, and I do mean odd,  prop to reinforce part of the set and to a certain extent he split the room, some really going with him, others slightly  less impressed and then some, myself included ,liking some stuff but not so much other stories.

Following the first interval and Stuart Mitchell giving another example of his undoubted skills,   he introduced   Jamie Andrew to one and all. Andrew has stage presence to burn, a commanding delivery and a whole raft of extremely funny material. Evangelical Christians, geology, homophobia, confessionals and a horoscope tirade were stopping off points of his extremely impressive set. Definitely one to catch again soon all being well.

Next act confirmed the rumours were true when Edinburgh based Canadian Tom Stade hit the stage to huge acclaim. Stade is a veteran of numerous appearances at Edinburgh Fringe and assorted TV shows as well and just oozes professionalism and class from every pore. This was his chance to try out new material and for me anyway I have never seen him in better fettle. His personality swamped the club, he got laughs with every line and if the 10 minutes or so we got was indicative of his new show, then I’ll be right at the front of the queue when tickets go on sale. The material, mostly about his family, was well written and impeccably delivered. To quote the title of his 2013 show State ‘Totally Rocks’.

And they kept on coming, hard on his heels came another Edinburgh residing superstar Dylan Moran. Having been the youngest ever winner of the Perrier Award in 1996 he has been held in awe by most ever since and ventures into film and TV, Black Books, have only enhanced his reputation further. It was amazing to see him on stage working on new material, and of course like Stade before him the audience lapped up every word an nuance. A bit less prepared than some Moran was however a shining example of how to work his room. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed his all too short set.

Following the second interval it fell on Pierre Novellie to close out the gig as the headliner. Now some may have been fazed doing this following such icons, but not this young man. Novellie is South African by birth but has lived in the Isle of Man for 15 years . A fair amount of his set had undertones and references to his country of birth, but the set was not just that. It was well written, impeccably delivered and most importantly extremely funny.  He certainly was in anyway out of place in this exalted company. Take my word for it he is going to go far in the world of comedy, so do yourself a favour and check him out.

So that was it for another night. What value for money it was too. For all the up and coming gigs at The Stand’s three clubs, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle why not visit their website www.thestand.co.uk  where you can also buy tickets for their Fringe programme in August as well.

Reviewed by Geoff

Best of Scottish: Stand Comedy Club

*****

5 Stars

If there is one thing that the Stand Comedy Club can excel at is putting together their nightly ‘Best ofs’ as numerous visits in the past have proved.

The format is the ‘usual’ 4 acts and a compere with a couple of breaks built in for beer, smokes etc.

Compere for the night was Stand institution Susan Morrison. Bedecked in a gold lame jacket, Susan was in top form as usual and warmed up proceedings and got everyone ready for the acts to follow. She has the ability to suss out the crowd identify targets which can be used by later acts should they wish.

Opener on the night was Keir McAlister always a Stand favourite with a incisive wit and a raft of good material. Keir handled the opening slot with his usual panache eliciting numerous laughs along the way.

Following the first interval, Ms Morrison introduced Anthony Murray to do the short slot. Again Murray was well know to me and the young guy again went down well with the very busy house. Maybe not as dynamic as McAlister, but a very good comic for all that.

The closing act of the second part was Scottish comedy veteran Parrot. Again I had seen him perform before, but it seems a while since he was regularly gigging in Scotland. He did his reputation no harm though with a funny, well crafted and delivered twenty minutes.

Headline act on the night was another Stand regular Vladimir McTavish. I have had the pleasure of witnessing him perform many, many times over the years and always find him engaging and being very funny is a given. Vlad certainly entertained one and all as only he can, his selection of gags hitting the right note from the off.

All too soon it was time to make way for the next show, but rest assured this show runs every night of the Fringe and with a different line-up each night there’s no reason why multiple visits can’t take place.

*****

Reviewed by Geoff

Stand Comedy Club I V 5

5 to 29 August