Comedy Balloon Comedian of the Year

There was a slight departure from the usual format at XS Malarkey on Tuesday, with the Comedy Balloon Comedian of the Year finals being held instead of the usual selection of paid and unpaid support. It was, again, a sell out night, so I can't stress to you enough how important it is that you arrive early. I hate telling turning people away, so please, please turn up early to get in.

First on was Chris Roche, with some well rounded material.

Chris held the audience well for the most part. However, some of his slightly sicker stuff wasn't received well by a partly cold crowd. However, I feel this was only due to the point at which he performed and bears no reflection on his work. Jokes about Friends Reunited were fresh and enjoyable, and his comparison of lager and the female genetalia (as always) receives one of his best laughs. Not the most energetic of speakers, and that let him down. However, still a strong performance at a difficult time in the evening.

Second on was Dave Ingram.

Dave has tightened up his set since the first time I saw him and thus has improved a great deal. I especially enjoyed his material about voice activated dialling. However, nerves appeared to be affecting Dave tonight, and that, coupled with some unecessary ramble during his set, left the audience flagging in places. But generally his cheeky persona keeps people on side even when they aren't really sure where he's heading. One of his best lines of the evening appeared after the crowd didn't completely come with him on his piss take of Stephen Hawking: "No, I don't mean any offence by that, some of my best friends are robots." Massive potential here, from someone with great stage presence, if a tad questionable fashion sense.

Mark Langley was next.

He started with some crowd pleasers about scallies, which worked well. But unfortunately the audience weren't taking to him, despite his spot-on Corrie impressions. I don't think Mark performed his best last night, I have seen him do much better, and I feel he sensed that and cut his set short. Had he had more time to showcase the rest of his vocabulary of impressions, then I feel he would have done better.

Aimiable Ashley Frieze was next to take the mic.

Ashley is an instant crowd pleaser who has what is obviously a very well rehearsed set. However, whilst his material is good, his songs are the stand out moments in his set. Classics such as Reverse Psychology, which features self-deprecation of the highest order (the chorus is basically "I'm crap in bed", repeat). His Zippy and George duet is a constant crowd pleaser and always gets people going. Whether it's the memory of Rainbow and its cast members, or simply the quality of his impressions (I suspect the latter) it never fails to impress an audience. Definitely an act to watch out for, and definitely deserving of the third place he was awarded.

Dave Twentyman was fifth on.

There are moments of brilliance in Dave's set, but his massive lack in self confidence is often not only what can help make him funny, but also what loses the audience at times. The sparks of genius leap out of his set, such as, "It's pointless, it's like brail that says Wet Paint", but the minute he thinks a gag hasn't gone well, his lack of self confidence almost convinces the audience not to laugh. If he could only stop apologising for jokes he doesn't think go well, then people would find him more convincing. It's such a shame, because the material that works, really does work well.

Chris Brooker was up next.

Chris has a great stage energy, which can, at times be slightly disturbing. I don't know whether it's just me, but it's not often you see a six foot three redhead, standing on stage yelling "ARSE MILK!!" at the top of his voice. However, once you get past this, there's some great observations. His set voices overwhelming common opinion, so naturally wins over the crowd. He's got a great turn of phrase, and that coupled with his sometimes sarcastic humour, means that he always delivers.

Lou Saffire was next on.

The audience were flagging in part now, so consiquently there were people talking at the back, which was not only annoying, but unfair. However Lou managed to energise them with his raucous performance, which guarantees constant laughs from the audience. Hailing from the dizzying heights of the showbiz capital of Huddersfield, he draws inspiration from the treatment of 'alternative' cultures and general crapness of his home town. Lou also utilises his love of rock music to his advantage, as this is often a subject left untouched by comedy. His parody of Iron Maiden and Guns 'n Roses is well thought out and always get the laughs it deserves. Lou is a high energy, boisterous and lovable act who is an absolute joy to watch.

Finally came Scott Tyrrell.

Going on last is always tough, but even with the slightly noisy crowd, and his generally quiet demeanour, Scott didn't suffer in the slightest. The great thing about Scott is that his set is accessible to everyone. His material about the stupidity of internet abbreviations is relevant to all. And, most notably, he avoids offense even when he's voicing his own opinions on religion. He is sarcastic and pithy, and still remains likeable, which is an admirable quality. Scott is one of the acts that, no matter how many times you see him, he is consistently funny and throughouly deserving of the first place he was awarded.

Final Result

1. Scott Tyrrell
2. Lou Saffire
3. Ashley Frieze

Big well done to everyone who performed last night, and to Toby Hadoke who donated the prize money (what a guy). Also to all the judges and organisers who worked really hard to make this night go off without a hitch.

Ros Bell.