Satisfaction?

Another slightly muted night at the Malarkey and you couldn’t really blame the comics this time.

Richard Ousey was first to take to the stage, and delivered a very similar set to the first time he was at Malarkey. Richard’s casual observations on his height and buying shoes for his size thirteens are solid gags. A little predictable in places but there was the odd twist to keep the audience on their toes.

His delivery is very good. The timing was spot on. An amenable and engaging presence on stage. Overall a competent opening.

Next up was one of my favourite open spots, Ken Bulger.

A much more confidant performance from Ken than the last time he played Malarkey. The material is great. Observations and tall tales but with a sinister undercurrent which I find fascinating. One to watch for the future.

Phil Zimmerman, erm, well, Phil, was erm, different.

Phil seems to be going for the Charlie Chuck-style barking mad comedy, but he falls well short of the mark. The vast majority of the act is nonsense, repeated, with no discernable structure, and more importantly, a distinct lack of laughs.

Harriet Bowden was the main support act of the evening and had her work cut out for her after Phil had killed the room.

Harriet responded to this brilliant and delivered a shorter, more punchy set that was a big improvement on the first time she gigged at Malarkey. Her posh, but filthy character and twisted material, brought the crowd back to life nicely.

Noel James produced yet another belting performance for Tribe Malarkey.

The Welsh Wizard delivered his puns a surreal tales with his usually charm. The arrangement and delivery are truly shambolic to say the least. On one hand you think, imagine how good he’d be if he tidied it up, but on the other hand, would that take away from the unpredictability that makes Noel one of the most engaging talents on the circuit?

Comic of the night? Has to be Noel. A slightly quiet start from The Hadoke on Tuesday, but he soon got into full swing. Shame about the Big Brother entries being about as entertaining as the program itself though...

See you next week.

Lee.