Comedy: Brighton local comedy

For a city teaming with aspiring comedians, jobbing comedians & comedians you’ll see on the telly, it’s worth staying in touch with your grass roots

This Christmas will see the release of Brighton boy Seann Walsh’s first stand-up DVD, in time to fill stockings and local pride alike. After a bounty of appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week, Argumental and Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow it seems right. It is also only six and a half years since Seann played his first gig ever, here in Brighton, at the still going strong new act night Rabbit In The Headlights (Upstairs At Three And Ten, last Friday of the month, 8pm, £6.50/5.50).

The new act night, frequently including a more established act headlining the bill, holds a treasure chest of booty in terms of newly developing talent, and Brighton is a city that truly nurtures and develops it. Usually with at least seven or eight acts on the bill, sets are kept short – between five and ten minutes each – and topics and styles vary enormously. They’re scattered all over the city, from Comedy Cooler at the Alibi in Hove (first Friday of the month, £4/3) to A Bit Of Banter at the Thomas Kemp pub in Kemp Town (this Sunday, free), with Comedy Canoe in the middle at the Temple bar on Western Road (first Wednesday of the month, £4). Throw in Comedy Hamster (The Hampton pub, Tuesday 18 June, free), Giraffe comedy (first Tuesday of the month, Caroline Of Brunswick, £3) and Hecklers Delight (last Wednesday of the month, Koba, free) for good measure and there are loads to catch the next big thing at.

And as they grow so do their headliners. The next Funnyhaha (second Wednesday of the month, Caroline Of Brunswick, £5) has the marvellous Zoe Lyons headlining, as seen on TV, clubs nationwide and monthly hosting Komedia’s Bent Double. The next Laughtermarket (The Old Market, first Thursday of the month, £4) has Nick Helm headlining. He who has just won commissions for two new TV series of his very own and has been making his own splash on the small screen of late.

It’s the acts that cut their teeth at these clubs that come back again as they grow in profile to the places that supported and encouraged them. At the same time Seann Walsh was getting his first gig, a certain Ms Sarah Millican was headlining the now defunct Sidesplitters at the now defunct Providence pub on Western Road. She knocked our socks off then. Don’t miss the batch that are separating feet from wooly attire right now.
Find all local comedy club listings at thelatest.co.uk/listings/