Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Michael Legge, Zoe Lyons, Murder Inc + DAFT

Michael Legge | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 4 Oct | 7.30pm | £5/£3
After celebrating its 19th birthday last week you might expect XS Malarkey to have a quiet one – but with firebrand headliner Michael Legge you can expect anything but. What one might deascribe as a ‘comedian’s comedian’ in that he’s brilliantly funny, self-effacing and meta as all heck, yet for some reason doesn’t have nearly the amount of televisual exposure as one would expect of a comic with such talent. Hugely respected on the circuit and rightly so, this is a great chance to watch a stand-up at the top of his game.
www.wegottickets.com

Zoe Lyons | The Lowry | Wed 5 Oct | 8pm | £10/£12
Another act who arguably deserves more exposure than she currently gets is Zoe Lyons – though recent appearances on Live at the Apollo, The John Bishop Show and a Chortle award for best comic mean she might not be so under the radar for much longer. Her new show, Little Misfit, goes over her awkward adolescence as the gay kid with a different accent and a pretty shoddy combover (thanks to a severe bout of alopecia) and how she learned to love her quirks and accept her position on the outside looking in.
www.thelowry.com

Murder Inc. | The Ape and Apple | Thu 6 Oct | 8pm | £5
Death and improv are usually pretty common bedfellows but Murder Inc take it one step further as the night invites an audience down for a murder mystery comedy night with a twist. Each month Murder Inc. asks fans to vote for the setting of their crime scene – and October’s champion is a game show, or more specifically the 90s classic Crystal Maze, which has been clunkily retitled ‘Crystal Demise’. The original show was pretty nerve-wracking and at times hilarious – so seems perfectly set up for the improvisational skills of Murder Inc.
www.ticketline.co.uk

DAFT (pictured) | The Dancehouse | Fri 7 Oct | 8pm | £8
Daft by name, daft by nature as a trio of character comics – Randolph Tempest, Scarlett SoHandsome and Keith Carter – welcome you back to the Dancehouse for another installment of the ‘show like no other’. Sketch, character comedy and anti-stand-up are the order of the night, with acts encouraged to try new things that might be out of their comfort zone. Support comes from Jack Evans, Rachel Fairburn, Gary Morris and more packing in a superb bill for a great Friday night out.
www.thedancehouse.co.uk