Comedy: IOU Comedy
A debt of laughter to this gem of a small club with some fabulous names topping its bill
Happy new year! It may be a little late but with those January blues hitting your mood and your pocket simultaneously a little good cheer goes along way. Which is just one reason to go along to Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar on Monday to catch some of the most exciting comics playing in the South East in this intimate and friendly venue.
IOU Comedy has been going for some time now, quietly gathering momentum and a reputation for an eye for talent and professionalism. Tonight’s headline act was nominated for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award 2011 with his show Dare To Dream, and won Dave’s Funniest Joke of The Fringe Award last year for a gag from the same show – it’s Nick Helm. An anarchic ball of aggressive loveliness who may poke you until you laugh, there’s no-one quite like him on the circuit and his star has been rising fast in 2011, with featured spots on BBC3 scattered over Russell Howard’s Good News and the BBC’s highlights of the Edinburgh Festival, among other places.
Joining Nick Helm on the bill will be Adam Hess – winner of 2011’s Chortle Student Comedian of the Year accolade, as well as Mark Allen, the brains behind Humble Quest For A Universal Genius comedy brilliance (recently moved to Komedia); Rue Barratt, host of another local comedy gem night Laughtermath; circuit regular the sardonic Adam Smith, plus new acts Joe Foster and Fin Taylor. All of this will be coralled together by friendly misanthrope Robin Buckland, himself a finalist in the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition back in 2009. All this for four pounds!
Now we’ve spilt the beans on this glorious basement club with its razor-sharp line-up at downright affordable New Year prices in the heart of the Lanes there’s no excuse to mope with the January blues. Going out to see quality acts doesn’t have to cost the earth. As IOU so eloquently demonstrates.
IOU Comedy, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, 9-12 Middle Street, BN1 1AL, Monday 16 January, 8pm, £4
