The Borough’s luxurious function room adorned with sparkly chandeliers and satin curtains didn’t exactly seem like the most likely setting to hear comedic musings about the violent killing of badgers, genocide and Vagisil. Nevertheless, Lancaster Comedy Club seemed to pull it off pretty well, and the show was far more successful than I anticipated.
Compere Phil Ellis did a wonderful job of warming up the crowd, and certainly made me very glad that we didn’t sit on the front row. A quick joke at a couple of reserved seats turned into a subject of hilarity for the entirety of the show with the help of the lady who had reserved them, who was more than happy to divulge the life story of the lads who were due to arrive at any minute straight off the plane from Almeria. When they finally arrived they were of course instantly quizzed as to how their holiday was, and their personal life and relations seemed to become a subject frequently at the centre of attention. While Phil mentioned a couple of times that he was doing a bad job at involving the rest of the audience I was really quite content sitting at the back and observing the banter going on between them. The compere’s tales of heroic hedgehog saving and plenty of awkward jokes at his expense had us laughing hysterically before the show had even officially started, which set a good precedent for what was to come.
The show involved sets from three different comedians, however it was Dan Nightingale who impressed me the most. With his self-described ‘Danish physics teacher aesthetic’ he captivated the audience with stories that were universally worthy of raucous laughter. Most amusing was an anecdote from a recent snorkelling trip in Egypt where he was confronted with frightened cries of ‘Barracuda!’ He explained how he adopted an “aquatic paedophile” status as he frantically ushered Russian children to the shore, despite not being entirely sure what a barracuda is – “They might as well have screamed “Terry’s chocolate orange!” and I would have had the same reaction – “quickly children, diabetics first!””
The Lancaster Comedy Club show was definitely better than I thought it would be. Stand-up comedy is always a bit hit-and-miss and I’ve seen my fair share of awkward shows where the only person laughing is on their fourth pint, but the comedians at the Borough certainly know what they’re doing and they do it well. There are few better ways to spend your Sunday evening, and with the Borough’s 2 for 1 student offer on tickets and food it is definitely worth a visit.
