Comedy Picks of the Week ft Patrick Monahan, Phill Jupitus + more

Patrick Monahan | The Railway | Mon 10 Mar | 8pm | £5
One of the best pubs in Didsbury hosts one of the best comedy nights in the city this week as Irish/Iranian/Teesider Patrick Monahan takes to the stage at The Railway for a steal at only a fiver. With numerous TV appearances under his belt and a winning turn in ITV’s Show Me The Funny, Monahan has perfected a blend of audience participation and ad lib banter with solid stand-uppery. The musical idiocy of Duncan Oakley is fine support and your regular compere Tony Basnett will be in charge of proceedings.
www.wegottickets.com

Phill Jupitus | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 11 Mar | 7.30pm | £5/3
Week after week sterling acts cement XS Malarkey as the best comedy night around, with fine example Phill Jupitus headlining this week. The Buzzcocks stalwart is always a welcome addition to XS, and here he will be ably supported by the likes of Rachel Fairburn, Daniel Nicholas, Anth Young and exciting Sheffield sketch group Stapleface.
www.wegottickets.com

Sham Bodie | The Castle | Thu 13 Mar | 7.30pm | £5
Returning for its fourth monthly outing, Sham Bodie presents its usual mix of comedy, music, food and chat, with a great emphasis on comedy. Your host Ben Tonge guides you through the TFI-like show with stand up from the mirthful and misanthropic Phil Ellis, observational gems from Kevin Dewsbury and the darkest of sketch acts Gein’s Family Giftshop. A great night out that comes with a free hot dog in the middle.
www.wegottickets.com

Russell Kane | The Lowry | Fri 14 Mar | 8pm | £20.50
Somewhat overshadowed by the other Russell draped in jewellery, smothered in guyliner and with a questionable haircut, Russell Kane is dismissed all too quickly as a tribute act, who rode the crest of the cheeky overly sexual wave of comedy purveyed primarily by the former Mr Katy Perry; a Kaiser Chief to Brand’s Franz Ferdinand. But with a dedication to craft over his own persona he has etched out his own comedic style with this show in which he examines our obsession with making things smaller. Hopefully he won’t make too many references to his penis and undo all that good work.
www.thelowry.com

Shappi Khorsandi (pictured) | The Lowry | Sat 15 Mar | 8pm | £18
The author of the hilarious book, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, Khorsandi has a knack of treading the line of racial harmony with a glint in her eye that can let her get away with almost anything. A very smart writer (as the book proves), her flawless routines explore about race and culture in a country that borrows from everywhere else but fears the human attachment. As one of the brightest comedians currently touring the country she is definitely worth checking out for her dizzy delivery and effortless charm.
www.thelowry.com

Carl Donnelly | The Lowry | Sun 16 Mar | 8pm | £12
Carl Donnelly rounds off an impressive weekend at The Lowry with his brilliantly titled show Now That’s What I Carl Donnelly. Bringing his observations of a world gone wrong and how we might best deal with it, the Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee makes a lot of sense out of his nonsense. After featuring on the likes of Mock The Week, Russell Howard’s Good News and Dave’s One Night Stand, he is able to share his world vision through more and more gigs, which can only be a good thing.
www.thelowry.com