Three tour shows this week from three of the best around as John Hastings, Michael Akadiri and Tessa Coates bring their latest works to Manchester.

John Hastings at XS Malarkey | Tue 21 Feb | 7.30pm | £6/3

We’re big fans of a long-winded show title with a big pay off and so John Hastings’ latest hour of musings ‘Do You Have Any Ointment, My John Hastings?’ is right up our street. The Canadian funnyman who currently resides in Los Angeles has had a wild life with one such stage appearance seeing Dennis Rodman approach the mic. Hastings blends his real-life tales with his masterful turns of phrase and well-honed joke crafting after years on circuits in his native Canada, the UK and now America.

Canvas, Unit 5, Building 4, Circle Square, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 7HB
Michael Akadiri at Gullivers | Thu 23 Feb | 8pm | From £11.37

Working as a junior doctor must be one the most stressful jobs in the world with no where near the remuneration they deserve. To counterbalance this vocation, Michael Akadiri decided to also go into the other stressful, low paid world of stand-up comedy! Luckily he’s brilliantly funny and his day job is ripe for material that Akadiri plays with an old pro’s hand in debut tour ‘No Scrubs’, coming to Gullivers this Thursday.

Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LW
Tessa Coates at Cultplex | Sat 25 Feb | 7.30pm | £12

Continuing the theme of excellently titled comedy shows ‘Get Your Tessa Coates, You’ve Pulled’ from the titular Tessa Coates. Formerly one third of sketch group Massive Dad, Tessa has been turning up in the likes of sitcoms Feel Good and Starstruck, as well as appearances on Hypothetical and The Stand-Up Sketch Show, and generally furthering her solo work as an accomplished comedian with her third and favourite show so far.

Cultplex, GRUB, 50 Red Bank, Manchester M4 4HF
Tue 21 Feb - Sat 25 Feb
Words:
John Stansfield
Published on:
Mon 20 Feb 2023