The Cambridge Geek is on holiday! And decided to drop into The Stand Comedy Club while he is in the neighbourhood, having never been to one and having heard good things about it.
The Edinburgh Stand is sneaked away on York Place (possibly sneaked, possibly very obvious - it was dark) in a cozy basement space, containing a little stage, a dozen or so tables (more chairs available) and a very tiny bar.
Typically recommended you get there at door opening (730pm) in order to guarantee seats for the 9pm start, which I did and am glad for, as it allowed me a decent view while not being in picking on range.
Of course, that's quite a long time to sit around and do nothing, but thankfully they do food, so I had a rather reasonable burger and a nice pint of Aspall's while we waited. Food sufficiently good to not worry about suggesting you eat it (for somewhere that isn't a restaurant).
The compere was JoJo Sutherland, who seems to mainly specialise in doing that. You can rather tell, as she's more than a bit good at it. She nicely worked the room, with an entertainingly filthy mouth and a self-deprecating "set", being primarily about her personal and family life. Kept the audience engaged between comedians and was consistently funny.
Jamie Dalgleish was the first act of the night, and as such can be expected to be the weakest. That was definitely the case, as he found himself struggling a few times while attempting to land a punchline. He tended to rely a little too heavily on taboo breaking and profanity, which ran short of comedy a bit too often. Valiant effort, but not one I'd go to see as a single act.
Daniel John Smith was a solid act, not particularly sparkling, but also not terrible. Bit workmanlike. Struggling to remember much about him, either good or bad, so let that speak to his quality.
Ed Patrick was probably my favourite act of the night. A junior doctor, his act primarily focused on the vagaries of a career in the NHS and the difficulties of both learning and teaching the ups and downs of medicine, as well as a few of the more unfortunate examinations. I don't think he told a bum joke. Or a bad one. I laughed throughout, both at his wit and his expressive face, which he used to accentuate a joke. This was strongest during his reading of a somewhat poorly written sex scene in Pat Barker's Regeneration, but also came up when a genital exam resulted in something coming up.
Joe Rooney is an old hand at comedy, and brought the show to a resounding climax. He gave a strong set about a catholic upbringing and his relationship troubles, and then finished off with a rendition of various Irish folk songs in the style of popular musicians, such as Johnny Cash and Green Day. His accents are much better than mine.
Definitely a fun evening, and one I'd have no problem suggesting someone else have a try at. Unless that person was a bloody annoying git from the south of the U.S., who would talk constantly during the act. They would annoy the rest of us.
Tagged: Theatre Comedy Standup