The Laughterhouse delivered another quality line up at its new basement club at Lenny’s Bar on Sir Thomas St. Compere for the night was character comedian Keith Carter, as his brilliant incarnation amiable Toxteth scally ‘Nige’.
Carter impressed me at the Edinburgh comedy festival a couple of years back with a mixed bunch of characters, and it’s fantastic to see him establishing Nige on the circuit. It’s difficult not to draw instant comparison with Steve Coogan’s legendary drunk Manc Paul Calf, but Nige is far less tightly scripted than Coogan’s creation, rougher round the edges, and all the more believable for it. Nige won the room over with ease as he set upon a group of girls on a hen night. Nige would never hit a woman but he has slapped a few slappers so button it before he punches you so hard your granny’ll feel it, right?
First up was Irish comedian Brendan Dempsey. A tall, relaxed figure behind the mic with a gentle Irish lilt – he’s been in Father Ted but you probably wouldn’t recognise him – no matter, he was absolutely hilarious. Pointing out the benefits of The Recession as the ultimate excuse for being the tight bastard he always was. Lambasting children, marriage, and the food label ‘may contain nuts’, Dempsey is a skilled comic and you can catch him back in Liverpool with Silky for ‘The Antics Roadshow – The Rebirth of the Cool’ at the Slaughterhouse May 13th.
Next, TV panel show regular Rob Rouse grabbed the mic in a fluster. Blaming his dishevelled appearance on two years of sleepless nights; Rouse is dad to a toddler. Rob playfully laments that life is no longer his own, raining down a fast-paced tirade of potty humour. A highlight of which being his now frequent, previously unthinkable, task of cleaning poo from another man’s testicles. Rouse is currently touring his one man show ‘My family and the dog that scared Jesus’ and you can book to see him at The Brindley, Runcorn, 27 May 2010.
Closing the show was oddball Geordie comic Seymour Mace. His assertion that the audience were just jealous because he’s more Northern than Scousers, met with a heckle of “Byker Grove!”, made Seymour an instant hit. Berating Facebook users and pondering whether the best use of time travel would be to switch Hitler with Dale Winton. Imagine how intense Supermarket Sweep would be. Having seen his act a few months back, Mace seemed a little off his game, although it must be said he had already played to a crowd over at the Slaughterhouse. Still delivering the laughs, he was clearly weary by the end of his set, as he climaxed with a brilliantly mimed routine as a backing singer to Gladys Knight.
If you’ve not had chance to get down to the Laughterhouse at Lenny’s Bar yet, this week is the time to do it as Seymour returns along with Mundo Jazz and Ste Porter. Go to the Laughterhouse Comedy website www.laughterhousecomedy.com to book your tickets or call 0151 227 5946.
The Liverpool Comedy Festival runs from Thursday 6th May – Sunday 16th please visit www.liverpoolcomedyfestival.com for full listings.
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