Joe Stanley loves comedy and I have read many of his reviews and I’m so glad he came along to review one of my gigs!!
The people of Hull gave a unanimous roar last week as the city was named ‘City of Culture 2017’. With a promise of events every day of the year in 2017, arts, music and theatre are set to have a huge shot in the arm in Hull in the next few years. However it’s not just these disciplines which are thriving in the city. Comedy has seen a rapid incline in the last few years with local comedians appearing in national competitions and comedy nights popping up all over the city. Hull is quickly becoming the place to be to see great new comedy, with one of the newest nights being ‘Nibbles with Giggles’ at the cafe bar ‘Pasaz’.
The cosy venue on the corner of Ferensway hosts a monthly comedy night every third Saturday of the month which not only provides top class comedians but a buffet during the interval as well!
The room is decorated with candles which gives it a lovely vibe and the front row is made up of comfy sofas giving the night a relaxed feeling (even if people are still weary about sitting in them!). However any worries of being picked on are soon dashed away as the warm friendly atmosphere makes it feel less of a comedy club, more of a few of your mates telling jokes and stories in your front room.
The organiser of the monthly gig, Steve Rimmer, stepped up as host and compere for the night. With his likeable personality and his ability to get humour out of any audience member. Steve really did warm the audience up for a great night of comedy. Some comperes feel the need to pick on audience members to get laughs, whereas Steve chats to the audience in a way an old friend might, making jokes but never in a nasty way. He gives the audience the chance to make jokes back and comes up with some great lines, often on the spot, he is the perfect host for such a relaxed gig.
The night gives local acts a stage allowing them to perform in front of home crowd audiences, but also features talent from across the country. Talking about how he books his acts Steve says:
“Working as a bomb disposal engineer gets me around the country and being a comedian I get to gig most places I work. Having this opportunity lets me see some brilliant acts and offer them the chance to come and gig in front our our ever growing Hull audiences.”
Tonight’s night (23rd November) featured both local and national talent. Andy Woolston opened the night in a cracking fashion as per usual, fresh from his debut double header show at ‘The Hull Comedy Festival’ Andy is always on top form and got the night off to a brilliant start. Following him was the incredibly funny Gina Jenkinson. Steve has always given new acts a stage to perform and Gina is one of these comics, however you simply could not tell she has been going for less than a year. With some hilarious stories about her life and a great stage presence Gina is one to look out for in the future and another in the increasing long line of brilliant female comedians hailing from Hull.
The second half featured acts that have traveled further a field. First up was Fran Garrity, storming his set and coming up with one of the best lines of the night, a call back to Gina’s earlier set, which brought the house down. Andrea Whitaker was on next, the second woman of the night. Where some clubs are nervous about putting on too many female comedians, Steve has never been bothered by this. As as long as they are funny it doesn’t matter what sex they are. Andrea, a genuinely funny woman filled the room with laughter and provided a great build up for the final act of the night.
Before the headliner though the buffet was served. A bargain at £3 nobody could turn this down, especially with the smell wafting up the stairs makes everyone as hungry for food as they was comedy.
The final act of the night were the brilliant ‘Live Naked Idiots’. A sketch group from Hull, the idiots are sometimes filthy, sometimes dark but always hilarious and a genuine pleasure to watch. This group are going to be huge with sketches about game shows, psychics and the origins of famous children’s tv shows, every single sketch brought the audience into hysterics and are a must see before they become huge.
As Steve brought the night to a close and thanked the audience for being there, the audience cheered for more and there wasn’t a doubt in the room that it had been a great night filled with laughs, good food and a great atmosphere. Someone in marketing should be sacked as ‘Nibbles with giggles’ provides a lot more than that. ‘Food that fills your belly and laughs that make your sides split’ may seem more appropriate, although a lot less catchy.
At only £5 a ticket ‘Nibbles with Giggles’ is a night not to be missed, I thoroughly recommend you get your tickets for next month’s gig on the 21st December now!
Joe Stanley
