Hugging Comedians
  • NOW.. ONTO THE COMEDY
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  • NOW.. ONTO THE COMEDY
  • HUGS ACHIEVED
  • CONTACT
Hugging Comedians

now.. onto the comedy

Birds Basement Comedy, 27 March 2017

3/27/2017

 
On 27 March 2017, I was invited to come along and check out Birds Basement Comedy, a new’ish room located at 11 Singers Lane, Melbourne (near Flagstaff Gardens in the CBD). Traditionally a jazz club, Birds Basement is well equipped to deal with a high-class comedy night, which it hosts every Monday night. With an excellent speaker set-up and a raised stage, there is no bad seat in the house.
 
Do not be put off by the alley, as the blue lights will guide you to a welcoming venue with top-notch service. The venue is catered and has a range of classic Italian fares available. With a nice bar and a range of tap beers to choose from, there is more than enough drink and feed to go around. Another highlight of my experience at Birds Basement Comedy was the table service. Each guest is provided a blue light to attract the waiters’ attention, meaning you do not miss a minute of the entertainment. The venue appears to welcome all as there was variety in the audience make up on 27 March, with no weighting towards a particular demographic.
 
While I was a big fan of the table service, the waiters have the potential to be a little distracting when speaking loudly or if they are in the audience’s and comedian’s eye line. The seating set-up is good, with lots of room and tables to choose from for a variety of small and large groups. The seats nearest to the stage are quite close and for future gigs, the comedians could benefit from performing a little back from the edge of the stage to maximise the enjoyment for the whole room. 
 
Birds Basement Comedy is a classier affair with comedians proudly hand-picked to perform each night. This is not a pub gig and there is an expectation that the comedians will put on class comedy suited to the venue. With longer sets to work with, audience members at Birds Basement Comedy will get to see quality comedians show off their skills.
 
Now… onto the comedy!
 
Damian Callinan took the role as MC for the night, guiding us through the evening of comedy. Damian has an animated stage presence and remained active throughout the night. While he could maybe avoid some of the more cardio-heavy elements of his set, his occasional jester-like flourishes were engaging! His discussion of the room and some of the ‘behind the scenes’ revelations felt a little unnecessary but these did not feature heavily. Damian has a clever brain and delivered many quips and zingers, with some lines going over the head of the audience, at no fault of his own delivery.
 
Simon Taylor delivered one of the best sets I have seen him perform. With great energy and clear delivery, Simon connected with the audience early. He delivered some strong, well thought-out material and did not let interruptions by the wait-staff faze him. There were elements of Simon’s set that felt a little off but these were bookended with solid bits, including takes on power tools and the races.
 
Rusty Berther, Australian comedy legend and member of the Scared Weird Little Guys, entertained the audience with a mix of stand-up and musical comedy. Rusty had flair in his music, with his musical adaptations in the style of big-name bands proving particularly enjoyable. Though the content of his set was at times eclectic and non-linear, this did not detract from his banter, clever comparisons and skill with a guitar. What a legend!
 
A big thanks to Birds Basement Comedy for having me! I felt really looked after and I’m excited for how this room develops!
 
For more information and to book tickets to Birds Basement Comedy, check out their website here.  
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Dirty Secrets Comedy, 1 February

2/1/2017

 
​ In the lead up to the 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), get in touch if you want your MICF show reviewed or if you want to sit down for a chat/interview about your show! Get in contact on Facebook, Twitter or through the website. 
 
There was a smaller crowd than normal at Dirty Secrets Comedy on 1 February. While there were lots of laughs to be had, the night did have the occasional weird moment. These moments were largely dependent, or as a result, of how the comedian approached the smaller audience and how the crowd responded.
 
With this in mind, I will focus on the comedians who were particular highlights before covering some of the other elements.
 
Sam Taunton did a great job as MC. He acknowledged the audience early on and his crowd work improved as the night progressed. Sam’s style of comedy is largely classic observational and suits Dirty Secrets Comedy well. I particularly appreciate Sam’s clear and approachable manner as he delivers quality material. HUG ACHIEVED. 
 
Greg Larsen as ‘Colin’ dealt with a potentially touchy subject. That said, he did so in a novel way that drew the audience in and brought waves of laughter. Greg’s commitment to the ‘bit’ was effective regardless of the audience size and he should be commended for how he approached the set.
 
As I’ve noted previously on Hugging Comedians, surprise Dave Thornton is always a good thing. Even when he is working on new material (like he was on 1 February), he brings energy and experience to the stage that compliments a night well.  Dave worked through a range of fixed and malleable content, most of which resonated with the audience. However, some of his set appeared to suffer in the battle between finishing off the first bracket strongly and audience members wanting to refresh their glasses.
 
Simon Taylor and Nick Capper have very different styles but both approached their sets well. Simon had more of a classic delivery, with a range of prepared and rehearsed quality material that he delivered well to a relatively unresponsive audience. Conversely Nick delivered his humorous (but more left-field) material in a less linear fashion, which appeared to resonate with the new crowd that came in for the second bracket.
 
The night lost some momentum during periods of some depressing, rather than amusing, stories and where comedian(s) blamed the audience for not laughing. I have seen enough gigs where a comedian’s material that was performed elsewhere to raucous laughter has received little more than an awkward cough on a different night. This is surely part of what being a comedian is and such moments require an ability to adapt. This could be through a variation to the delivery or even changing up the content slightly. Where I take issue is where a comedian blames the lack of laughter on the audience. This outward display of frustration, and in some cases anger, does not help the audience or the comedian.
 
Overall I had another fun night at Dirty Secrets Comedy but it is an important reminder that this is a FREE ENTRY night. There will be ups and downs as comedians try out new material. What is also important is to remember that these nights also run on donations. I sound like a broken record at times, but at least put in a few coins when you leave. This will go towards the comedians but also to ensuring consistently good comedy nights. What goes around comes around right? 
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    editor

    Andy
    Melbourne-based comedy enthusiast.

    If you are a Melbourne-based comedian or a comedian just passing through, please get in touch! I'll buy you a coffee, we'll talk about comedy, and I'll write up our chat for others to enjoy (hug optional but recommended).


     

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