Comedy Picks of the Week ft. Sara Pascoe, Silky, James Dowdeswell + more

Gein’s Family Giftshop | King’s Arms, Salford | Mon 5 Jan | 8.30pm | FREE
After a super successful 2014 scooping awards and noms aplenty, Gein’s are back at The King’s Arms in Salford peddling free comedy just for your eyes. Volume 1 of their sketches saw them nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, so come delight at what volume 2 might include. They also bring with them some comedy pals in the guise of fanciful wordsmith Sam Gore, highly-though-of up-and-comer Tom Short, and silent Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, who’ll be be proving why that adjective is somewhat misplaced.
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James Dowdeswell | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 6 Jan | 7.30pm | £5/£3
This time last year there was a slight worry that XS Malarkey may not return having been made homeless by the abrupt closure of Jabez Clegg. Though thankfully all was well when The Pub/Zoo (which is it!?) swooped in and rescued them, to which they reciprocated by having some of their best line-ups ever as a thank you. This year continues that trend as they welcome jovial Bristolian James Dowdeswell to headline, as well as Sean Morley, Dave Green, Chris McIlroy and the downright strange, sweaty charm of Edward Aczel – the latter of whom is worth the price of admission alone.
www.wegottickets.com

Quippodrome | Mono, Chorlton | Thu 8 Jan | 7.30pm | £3
Illness robbed us of the last instalment of Quippodrome but now it returns in mankind’s darkness hour to bring light (and loads of dark) comedy to the back to work crowd. This outing of the variety and sketch bonanza will see ruminations of salesmen, psychics, pick up artists, para-xenophobia and unspeakable evil. Running the gamut of comedy alongside the quartet of loons in the Quippodrome is verbose vegan stand-up Will Setchell. A mixed bag of mixed-up kids – just what’s needed for a cold winter’s eve in Chorlton.
www.wegottickets.com

Sara Pascoe (pictured) | The Lowry, Quays | Sat 10 Jan | 4pm & 8pm | £10
Having wowed us back in October at Gorilla’s Group Therapy night, Sara Pascoe returns for a double bill of her Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show ‘Sara Pascoe vs History’, in which she brilliantly takes on the nature of the world from the early stages of evolution to Kim Jong-il, and the effect it has on our every day lives. A smart, precise performer, Pascoe has made her way on to a wealth of panel shows, and appeared in sitcoms such as Twenty Twelve and The Thick of It.
www.thelowry.com

Silky | The Old Monkey | Sun 11 Jan | 7.30pm | £3
Having recently been nominated for the City Life Award for Best Comedy Club in just its first year of operation here in Manchester, Trapdoor Comedy is getting a reputation for being one of the best nights around. With headliners such as at this week’s, it’s not hard to see why. A quick-thinking musical comic, Silky has been a favourite of the comedy circuit since he broke on to the scene in the inaugural BBC New Comedy Award back in 1995 – a year that also featured Daniel Kitson and Julian Barratt. Support comes from Danny Deegan and as always the good ship trapdoor is ably steered by the delightful Tony Basnett.
www.wegottickets.com