Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Ed Gamble, XS Malarkey, SOS TV + more

Sidekick Comedy | Via | Mon 30 Mar | 7.30pm | £2
The Village’s best comedy night serves another delicious slice of weird and wonderful comedy, headlined by one of the strangest acts you’re ever likely to see in Cheekykita. But see her you must, because it’s very difficult to describe exactly why she’s a genius; the fact that she won an award at the Prague Fringe might give you some indication, however. Also on the bill are the quick-witted Simon Ramsden and effortlessly funny Tony Basnett, as well as a bonus mini-taster of Harriet Dyer – but more about her later. Kate McCabe has created, and hosts, a wonderful gig that deserves to flourish.
www.skiddle.com

XS Malarkey | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 31 Mar | 8pm | £5/£3
This week’s headliner for XS is Robert White, a jittery performer with echoes of Adam Hess – but as is often the case with those Malarkey folk, the true gems are to be found in the support slots. This week is no exception with Chortle Student Comic of the year Jamali Maddix turning casual racism and white guilt on its head for your pleasure, and Alfie Brown who recently performed his solo show ‘Divorced from Reality… and my wife’ at The Lowry. Presenting these two comics from London who are making big noises from the capitol, make sure you prick up your ears.
www.wegottickets.com

Barking Tales | Joshua Brooks | Thu 2 Apr | 8pm | £5
A valiant and never-more-pertinent attempt to remove the stigmas around mental illness at this new show from Harriet Dyer, Barking Tales invites comedians to share their stories about how various maladies have affected their lives, both in and out of comedy. Having suffered from mental illness all of her life, but never really realising that’s what it was, Dyer is hoping an open conversation on the trials people face will break down a few barriers. She’s invited a few of her comedy pals to share too – and for this freshman effort Michael J Dolan, Dean Mavros and Felicity Ward will be discussing what it’s like to be a comedian, and more importantly, a human being that suffers from mental illness. An important show.
www.wegottickets.com

SOS TV Live | Three Minute Theatre | Fri 3 Apr | 8pm | £5/£4
Lee Fenwick and Peter Slater are back to host Manchester’s finest live television show as they invite comedy pals to riff, invent and perform via sketch, interview, stand-up or even short films. A friendly atmosphere and a polar opposite to the kind of crowd you might get at a bigger comedy club on the weekend, this is a comedy night for comedy fans, run by people who are having a lot of fun with the medium. Also, the beer is dead cheap.
www.threeminutetheatre.co.uk

Ed Gamble (pictured) | Gorilla | Sat 4 Apr | 8pm | £10 (£12 otd)
The last time Ed Gamble took to the stage at Gorilla for Group Therapy it was to more-than-ably compere the event. He return triumphantly to headline, having conquered the States (in a fashion) as distant heir to the throne of Georgie Carlton in BBC America show Almost Royal. Gamble is crude and impossibly likeable – a cheeky cousin at a wedding that you can’t to see what he does next. Or how long it’ll take before he winds up in prison. As ever with Group Therapy, they have assembled a cracking support for their headliner with Nish Kumar on MCing duties and the Franglish stylings of Eric Lampaert, probably best known over here for his work on Impractical Jokers on BBC3.
www.seetickets.com

Thanks to @johnwinsagain