Comedy Central Live Stand Up at The Vault

It must be awkward playing a gig in front of a small crowd of University students; this probably isn’t aided when the necessity to begin a show by asking the audience to move towards the stage arises, but this evening’s compere Marlon Davis certainly made it work for him. However, his initial success diminished slightly as the audience was incredibly hesitant to interact. Of course this is often the case when warming up a crowd, but it seemed to knock his confidence slightly as pauses between sections began to feel hesitant and even a little awkward.

Over time though, Davis’ performance gained momentum through his use of relatable anecdotes and a few well researched and executed snipes about the area along with his friendly personality and appearance which he certainly knows how to use to great comic effect.

Matt Forde, of Talk Sport fame, had great presence on stage despite initial hesitance from the audience. His clear observational skill is weaved into fairly topical material in a way that makes even political-based remarks funny and accessible to all. Forde’s personal stories were also told in a way that made them hilarious even to those who might not have been able to fully relate as his honesty and openness allowed everyone to feel part of them.

Headliner, Josh Widdicombe (Live at the Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats), blended both tried-and-tested and new material in his performance to great effect. Using his improvisation and observational skills, he delivered a set that was both personal to the audience and entertaining in a way that would be appealing to anyone. His normal smoothness, however, was diminished by his lack of links between each section of his new material but this created its own comedy that kept up the great energy his performance provided.

In all, a hilarious and well received show by three clearly talented comedians.