Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Hayley Ellis, Austentatious & Ray Peacock

Sidekick | Via | Mon 26 Jan | 7.30pm | £2
Sidekick makes its first 2015 bow with a solid line-up of northern talent. Recently Sean Morley managed to do an entire hilarious set doing admin and basically telling people off for clapping (hand heckling) and laughing (laugh heckling) – so it’ll be interesting to see what he turns up with here. Adam Rushton has been steadily rising up the comedy ranks for a couple of years now and looks set to get the recognition of his labours. Though more often seen as an MC in these parts, Freddy Quinne is a sharp and inventive jokesmith, turning allegorical tales on their head in the blink of an eye. And as a special bonus, Sham Bodie host Ben Tonge will round out what is a phenomenal bill for just £2.
www.facebook.com

MACE | Kosmonaut | Thu 29 Jan | 7.30pm | £5
Though not the first place you might think of when looking for a comedy night, Kosmonaut launches MACE (read our full preview here) with the help of Dead Cat Comedy. The bare brick walls bring to mind the comedy clubs of New York in the 1980s, and the bartenders are suitably surly as if jaded by years of watching stand-up. For a first show they have lined up the best of the North West with Edinburgh Panel Prize winner Phil Ellis, Sketchfest’s best Sketch act Gein’s Family Giftshop, and Wire faves Jack Evans and Kate McCabe. It’ll all be held together by Dead Cat’s resident imperial overlord and all-round good egg, Red Redmond.
www.skiddle.com

Hayley’s House Party | Three Minute Theatre | Fri 30 Jan | 7.30pm | £5
Just before Christmas, Hayley Ellis held a house party that wasn’t in her house – and she had so much fun that she’s decided to do it all again. The night promises comedy, booze (that you have to buy yourself, sozzer), music, and an individual crying on the stairs come midnight (hopefully not Hayley). This month she welcomes Kate McCabe, who you may recognise from the previous paragraph, and Will Duggan who has been described by Giggle Beats as a ‘must see’. Music comes from singer-songwriter Emma Young.
www.threeminutetheatre.co.uk

Austentatious (pictured) | The Lowry | Fri 30 Jan | 8pm | £17
Are you a fan of improvisation? Of shouting at acts on the stage to guide what they might do? Then you might be interested in Austentatious. If not, then go and have a bath or something, we don’t know your life. ‘An Improvised Novel’ is the subtitle of this evening’s entertainment asking for audience participation to craft a narrative that Jane Austen would be proud of – or horrified by, depending on how well you know her. It has had sell-out runs in London and Edinburgh and no two shows are alike. Just maybe swerve it if you don’t like period plays or drama school kids. Or both.
thelowry.com

Ray Peacock | Didsbury Cricket Club | Sun 1 Feb | 7.45pm | £7
For Sunday night entertainment that’s a little closer to home, as long as your home is near Didsbury Cricket Club, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better value comedy club than this. With headliner Ray Peacock and support from Barry Castagnola, you’ll do well to find better rosters in the city centre. Affable Irishman Andrew Ryan is on hand to guide you through with a few names yet to be added to the list – no doubt some top up-and-comers as is usually the case with this very popular gig. Make sure you get your tickets early, they tend to sell out fast.
www.wegottickets.com

Thanks to @johnwinsagain