Comedy in January ft. Harriet Dyer, Rachel Fairburn and Simon Munnery

If you’re attempting ‘dry January’, ‘veganuary’ or any other New Year’s resolution, there’s no doubt you’ll need a good laugh during the first month of the year. You’re in luck then as some of our favourite comic acts are playing out in January so why not cheer yourself up in 2019.

Barking Tales | Wed 2 Jan | Zombie Shack | 7pm | FREE
January can be a bleak time for some so the city’s most inclusive comedy night Barking Tales is putting on a special show right at the start of the month to kick those New Year blues into touch straight away. Host Harriet Dyer welcomes comedy and mental health chat from rising stars Josh Jones, Kat Molinari and Rouske Stellin.
www.wegottickets.com

Alfie Brown | Wed 9 Jan | The Old Monkey | 7.30pm | £5
Erudite vagabond of comedy Alfie Brown returns to the city with his acerbic wit and painful intellect, this time at the intimate surrounds of The Old Monkey on Portland Street. Trapdoor Comedy has a knack for booking to best left field comedy at a cut price and this show is no different with Brown one very much to watch in 2019, for just a fiver it’s quite the steal.
www.skiddle.com

Applause Generator | Sat 12 Jan | The Dancehouse | 7.15pm | £12
Another early 2019 treat is Foxdog Studio’s ‘Applause Generator’ at The Dancehouse with a great lineup of alternative comedy headlined by eccentric genius Simon Munnery. The tech comedy duo will also be trotting out some of their new inventions and if we’re lucky they’ll be packing their sausage cannon too! Joining the fun will be double act Róisín and Chiara and cult hero Jayne Edwards for a bumper night of live comedy.
www.thedancehouse.co.uk

Lettuce Laugh | Wed 16 Jan | HOME | 7.30pm | £12.50/£10.50
In a first for PUSH Festival, comedy night Lettuce Laugh has curated a double bill of great stand up from two of this city’s finest exports. Rachel Fairburn and Hayley Ellis will each be performing their Edinburgh shows from last year it what might be your last chance to catch them. Ellis’ ‘Once, Twice, Three Times a Hayley’ looks at the lost art of having patience and homing pigeons, whilst Rachel Fairburn’s critically acclaimed breakthrough ‘The Wolf at the Door’ is a brutally honest show about mistakes made, big and small. You can read our full preview of PUSH Festival here.
www.homemcr.org

Alphabet Comedy Club | Thu 24 Jan | Alphabet Brewing Co | 7pm | £8
A welcome new addition to the Manchester comedy scene Alphabet Comedy Club organises a p*ss up in a brewery and invites some of the region’s best comedians down to bring some big laughs. This month sees a special guest headliner, who’s mystery is nicely matched by his TV appearances having appeared on Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week. Opening is Dan Nightingale, which to be honest is worth the price of admission alone but if you must have more then Alphabet provides with well fancied up and comers Mike Carter and Tony Wright also on the bill.
www.skiddle.com