Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Dave Spikey, All Stars, Barry Dodds + more

Dave Spikey | The Heatons Sports Club | Fri 8 Aug | 7.30pm | £10
Okay, it’s the second week of the Edinburgh Fringe and there’s a dearth of comedy on the hilarious ground. But not everyone has headed up. Some are even warming up for future tours. Take Jerry St Clair himself, Dave Spikey, for example. He’ll be in Stockport at Heatons Sport Club for a night of pinpoint observations and Bolton accents. A consummate performer, Spikey has been in the game long enough to know what works for him and he hits every note perfectly. A definite old-school brand of comedy, he still sells out his shows and performs new material year on year. A class act.
www.ents24.com

New Stuff | The Comedy Store | Sun 10 Aug | 7.30pm | £3
Manchester’s favourite master of ceremonies Toby Hadoke hasn’t abandoned you either. Still going week in, week out through August with his trusty steed of XS Malarkey, he also takes the helm of New Stuff at The Comedy Store this Sunday. Seeing as a whole lot of his comedy pals have used this in the past to test the waters for shows they were taking up to Edinburgh, it’ll be interesting to see who appears and what they’ve got while the rest have buggered off up north.
etickets.thecomedystore.co.uk

All Stars of Comedy | The Lowry | Sun 10 Aug | 8pm | £19
Ever wondered what happened to Richard Blackwood – the man behind countless MTV shows at the turn of the century, star of his own show on Channel 4 and creator of the greatest song of all time with 1,2,3,4 Get With The Wicked? Now touring as a comedian, he might be worth watching here at The Lowry for a perverse sense of ‘where are they now?’ – but really the main draws of this, the only comedy show at The Lowry for the month of August, are the inimitable Rudi Lockwood, Def Comedy Jam hero Will-E Star and former Tellytubby John Simmit (he was Dipsy). Though if Blackwood belts out ‘Mama used to say’ then we might have to make it down. Unwise pop comebacks are all the rage these days.
www.thelowry.com

Barry Dodds (pictured) | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 12 Aug | 8pm | £5/3
Since it moved to its new home at The Pub/Zoo, XS Malarkey has continued to be a breath of fresh air on the Manchester comedy scene, despite nearing its 17th birthday. Still flying the flag for independent comedy in the city when most other nights have taken August off, XS once again curates a fantastic night of live comedy as they welcome Barry Dodds as headliner. A subtle mix of observational humour and a disarming wit that rivals any of the big guns, Dodds has the bizarre accolade of being the first comedian on Luxembourg TV. This was in 2006, which means television most be quite the dour affair in the smallest sovereign nation in Europe. Support comes from Nick Clarke and Cal Doughty.
www.wegottickets.com

Thanks to @johnwinsagain