Happy birthday Malarkey!

A bit of a worrying night again on Tuesday with acts turning up late, but it turned out to be a cracker.

Jason Cooke stepped in at the last minute and delivered a solid performance. A set of two halves though, with the second part being the weaker. Perhaps would have been better with the addition of the guitar to keep the ante up, but considering we phoned him ten minutes before he went on stage, and he was already walking down, can't really expect props! Thank you Jase, you are a star.

New Zealander Al Pitcher was up next and it was a cracking performance from the energetic kiwi.

Animated tall tales and some twisted observations, delivered an amenable, and sometimes frantic manner. A mesmerising act. A treat from start to finish. Comic of the night for me.

After Al was Dan Smith, and it was a solid performance from the Birmingham based comic.

Dan has certainly got the delivery side of things sorted. Very confident and the delivery and timing were flawless.

The material, on the other hand, needs work. Some gags were brilliant, but there just weren’t enough of them. Sometimes the payoff lines just didn't justify the build. The Cup-a-Soup prize for the best audience member was an interesting device. Useful for redirecting the attention when a gag fell flat and keeping the energy up.

Overall, a much improved performance and one to watch for the future.

John Bishop - what can I write about John Bishop that hasn't already been written? Well I could say, "get my fucking name right!"

A textbook performance from the City Life Comedian of the Year. You just can't fault him. For a guy that's been doing stand-up for around two years he looks like someone that has been doing it for closer to ten. Great stage presence, well-structured tales and flawless delivery.

Toby wasn't as comfortable as he could have been on Tuesday but when you're trying to track down the headliner and time is ticking on, it's no wonder. A professional performance nonetheless, and the cake at the end was nice way to round off the birthday party. Thanks to Sarah for that. Oh, and cheers for the champagne!

See you next week.

Lee.