Comedy / News
Bristol best of 2015: Comedy
1. Bristol Comedy Garden
Queen Square, July 8-12
An enhanced event this year, with a pop-up restaurant and nightly live music adding to the already considerable charms of five nights of top comedy in a big top in midsummer Queen Square. Stewart Lee (above), Adam Buxton, Mark Watson (main photo), Nina Conti and Tim Key were among the mirth merchants.
is needed now More than ever
2. Katherine Ryan
The Lantern, May 20
“Heat magazine dunked in a bucket of vitriol”: the Canadian émigrée was on splendidly waspish form. “Ryan’s warmth takes the sting out of many of the digs, whilst also lulling the audience into a false sense of snuggly comfort before delivering a barrage of no-holds-barred punchlines.”
Read the Bristol24/7 review
3. Stuart Goldsmith
The Comedy Box, Feb 21
One of the circuit’s most incisive minds is also – given his street-performer background – one of its most watchable onstage presences. “A charismatic, energetic set focused on the delicacies of relationships, filled with acute observations on the invisible war between couples and singles, the correct way to handle dating websites, and a brief guide to how to tell children when things have died.”
Read the Bristol24/7 review
4. Josie Long
Factory Theatre, Feb 23
In her new show Cara Josephine, Josie Long embraced us into her wise bosom, offering us sage lessons on what life, and Trisha, has taught her thus far about love. “The show is interspersed with trips into Long’s rich inner world: a wonderland filled with film noir pastiches, ginger men who look like ex-Vikings – and Nigel Farage, whom Long has smothered to death with marshmallows”.
Read the Bristol24/7 review
5. Sean McLoughlin
Comedy Box, Jan 16 (supporting Matt Richardson)
A surprise jewel of the evening – 27-year-old Sean McLoughlin from Brighton. His bleak take on life is relentless, but he speaks with an original voice and appears refreshingly honest. He rails against letting agents, living in the countryside, being single and, most amusingly, sex. There are some beguiling turns of phrase in his act, and it was encouraging to see his body language and confidence grow as he realised he’d won over the crowd.
Read the Bristol24/7 review