Richard Herring @ Night & Day Cafe, Manchester – 6th July 2010

I bought the tickets for this gig thinking it was just an Edinburgh preview for Richard Herring‘s Christ on a Bike – The Second Coming, but it also featured a preview for Josh Howie’s Gran Slam and MC Hayley Ellis.  All that would be a bit long for a title for the post, though, so I’ve just stuck Mr Herring’s name on.  I hope this doesn’t cause offence.  Not that it would.  I don’t know why I even mentioned it, to be honest.

Anyway, we arrived at the Night & Day Cafe a bit late, following a semi-traumatic journey, and so were without seats for the show.  This was about the only downside of the evening, the venue had a friendly atmosphere and was rammed with an enthusiastic audience.

The show opened with MC Hayley Ellis, who did a great job of warming the crowd up.  She particularly enjoyed the people with beards and those with rashes, in the audience.  For the record, I’d only eat a strawberry if I’d gotten to know it really well as a strawberry first (this will only make sense if you were there).

The first Edinburgh preview was of Josh Howie’s Gran Slam – the story of him and his wife living with his grandma.  It was still clearly a work in progress, and he used a script to keep on top of things, but there was lots of good material throughout and he was comfortable enough with the audience to make the most of the bits that didn’t quite work yet.  I’d definitely go and watch the finished article, especially to see if he managed to get his treadmill routine to fit in with the rest of the narrative.

Next up was Richard Herring with Christ on a Bike – The Second Coming.  I’ve mentioned Herring a few times on my blog before and he’s one of my favourite comedians, so I was always predisposed to liking this, but I was especially impressed by how well formed it was already.  The show is a re-working of a previous Edinburgh show, so I guess he had a good base to start with, but he was really on form with his delivery and the show is definitely a winner.  Like all his shows, Herring delivers an incredibly well structured routine that maintains his theme throughout. COAB takes a scathing look at the bible and what the true meaning of Jesus’s life might be, but don’t be put off by the seemingly serious subject matter as the show is hilarious and he manages to weave in the silly and absurd, along with an uplifting and positive ending.  Herring is one of the best comedians in the country and I highly recommend seeing the show if you get the chance to.

That concluded a cracking evening of comedy for the bargain price of just £10.  Check out the Night & Day Cafe website, here, to see what other upcoming comedy they have.