Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Bobby Mair, Alun Cochrane & more

Dead Cat Comedy | Sandbar | Mon 12 Jan | 8pm | FREE
Red Redmond takes hold of the back room of Sandbar for the first time in 2015 and offers another great line-up of free comedy to get your laughing gills around. Always a fun and friendly gig, Dead Cat is set have another successful year if tonight’s bill is anything to go by. Well-established acts Marshal B Anderson and Ian Seaburn will be trying out some new fried gold, and 2013 Beat The Frog World Series winner Pete Otway headlines with his jovial sideways look at what the modern world has to offer us.
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Bobby Mair (pictured) | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 13 Jan | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Yet another Canadian comic taking our jobs up residency in the UK and proving the nation’s status as America’s weirder, funnier younger sibling, Bobby Mair is a patchy bearded, strange-minded but searingly hilarious young comic from Toronto. We strongly recommend you catch this fellow in the intimate surrounds of XS Malarkey as he prepares for another strike on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His previous show Obviously Adopted was one of the stand out shows at last year’s Fringe, and the odd, angular and sometimes downright creepy storytelling of Mair is one to keep an eye on for the future.
www.wegottickets.com

Comedy Balloon | The Ape and Apple | Wed 14 Jan | 8pm | FREE
Manchester’s longest-running free comedy night helps new starters test the waters of a career in comedy, and those that already have one to try some new material. A genial and welcoming crowd is on hand to help comedians, both young and old, find their feet. If you have an interest in stand-up then this is an ideal place to head to. And it’s completely free. This week sees eight comedians for the price of none including Kieran Lawless.
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Alun Cochrane | The Lowry, Quays | Sat 17 & Sun 18 Jan | 8pm | £13
A familiar face from various panel shows including Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats, Alun Cochrane is one of the most prolific stand-ups on the circuit. He is a phenomenal observational comic who comes across as a kind of West Yorkshire Seinfeld, delving in to the minutiae of everyday life and the human brain. Especially his own overactive human brain. Playing both nights of the weekend, make sure you catch one of them.
www.thelowry.com

New Comedians | The Comedy Store | Sun 18 Jan | 7.30pm | £4/£2
With the new year comes a host of new talent, and hand-picked by Wire favourite Alex Boardman, the new comedians on show at The Comedy Store are certainly a bunch to keep an eye on for the future. Boardman creates an easy-going atmosphere despite pinpoint-accurate character assassinations of anyone who might cause a bit of undue noise in the crowd, he is a genial host who doesn’t suffer fools. A handy talent to have when choosing your favourite new stand-ups.
etickets.thecomedystore.co.uk

Thanks to @johnwinsagain