I went to the Lincoln comedy festival this Saturday just gone (3rd) to see one of my comedy icons Charlie Chuck and had a fantastic day. Myself, my friends Ryan and Gary (who is over visiting from Hong Kong) caught the train into Lincoln at lunch time not really sure if we'd get tickets but thankfully it wasn't a problem. The venue was Lincoln Uni, in what is known as the 'engine shed' and what a good venue it is too, cheap bar, good seating in the auditorium and a nice modern feel to it.
So, tickets bought we grabbed some beers and settled to watch Charlie Chuck at 2pm. Charlie pretty much has the same tried and trusted act but that's never a problem for me as I find him hysterical every time I see him. The hour Charlie was on quickly passed, though nearing the end Charlie was content to chat with the audience and tell anecdotes of past experience in the business etc. For me, it was money well spent, Charlie, ever the surrealist is very visual as well as vocal, and why deviate from that when you have a cracking act? After the show I managed to snatch a quick joke with the legend himself and get my photo taken with him, plus he signed a poster for me, cheers Charlie!
Next up was Gary Delany, ironically I saw him support Charlie back in February at Just the Tonic in Nottingham. I enjoyed Gary back then and was looking forward to seeing him again. Gary is obviously working towards a tried and trusted comedy routine with jokes written by himself, though I'm sure odd elements are borrowed now and again. In a frank and open performance he told the audience just what was going to happen and used a few props such as a kitchen timer, cue cards and a horn. As the jokes flowed it became apparent Gary is trying to perfect his act (for the next Edinburgh festival and more mainstream perhaps?) so the audience were very much guinea pigs in what was largely a laughs experiment. I like Gary, his delivery is excellent but then many of his jokes are one liners, so he doesn't have to be too articulate. His jokes range from the noir to the absurd, he's comfortable bantering with the audience without taking the piss every time and all in all his 'there will be jokes' routine worked very well. I suspect as I saw him arrive late he didn't have too much time to prep or get settled, his routine lasted just over 50 minutes, it did seem a little rushed and uncoordinated in places but in fairness he did say it was experimental at the beginning. There's something I can't put my finger on about Gary, there were new jokes and some material from when I saw him last time but I'm left wondering is he going to do the comedy circuit forever or make a bid for tv or radio success?
So, tickets bought we grabbed some beers and settled to watch Charlie Chuck at 2pm. Charlie pretty much has the same tried and trusted act but that's never a problem for me as I find him hysterical every time I see him. The hour Charlie was on quickly passed, though nearing the end Charlie was content to chat with the audience and tell anecdotes of past experience in the business etc. For me, it was money well spent, Charlie, ever the surrealist is very visual as well as vocal, and why deviate from that when you have a cracking act? After the show I managed to snatch a quick joke with the legend himself and get my photo taken with him, plus he signed a poster for me, cheers Charlie!
Next up was Gary Delany, ironically I saw him support Charlie back in February at Just the Tonic in Nottingham. I enjoyed Gary back then and was looking forward to seeing him again. Gary is obviously working towards a tried and trusted comedy routine with jokes written by himself, though I'm sure odd elements are borrowed now and again. In a frank and open performance he told the audience just what was going to happen and used a few props such as a kitchen timer, cue cards and a horn. As the jokes flowed it became apparent Gary is trying to perfect his act (for the next Edinburgh festival and more mainstream perhaps?) so the audience were very much guinea pigs in what was largely a laughs experiment. I like Gary, his delivery is excellent but then many of his jokes are one liners, so he doesn't have to be too articulate. His jokes range from the noir to the absurd, he's comfortable bantering with the audience without taking the piss every time and all in all his 'there will be jokes' routine worked very well. I suspect as I saw him arrive late he didn't have too much time to prep or get settled, his routine lasted just over 50 minutes, it did seem a little rushed and uncoordinated in places but in fairness he did say it was experimental at the beginning. There's something I can't put my finger on about Gary, there were new jokes and some material from when I saw him last time but I'm left wondering is he going to do the comedy circuit forever or make a bid for tv or radio success?
Charlie, Me, Ryan !
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