Monday evening and I find myself once again in the Northern Quarter's Frog and Bucket pub and comedy club. Open four nights a week, Monday is the chance for amateur and aspiring comedians to give it a go in front of a surprisingly busy audience.
Our compere for the evening is the charming Pete Otway, who puts us at ease straight away with his friendly and relaxed style, getting to know some of the characters in the crowd, and putting us all in the mood for a night of comedy. My favourite line of the whole evening came from him - "turn your phone on flight mode as your night is about to take off"!
Before the competition kicks off we are treated to two support acts. First up is Hayley Ellis, who I had the pleasure of watching just last week, and although a lot of the material was understandably the same, it got a much better reception from the more intimate and friendly crowd, and deservedly so. We also got a set from David Stanier, who works the awkward nerd angle very well indeed. He delivers a series of terrible puns which are hilariously cringe worthy at times, and really works well for this kind of comedy event.
The premise for the competition is simple - three green cards are handed out to the audience, contestants then have five minutes to impress us and if we don't like what we hear, the cards go up and the act is out. From the original eight acts only four made it to the final. 
Generally the standard was quite high, but there were a few acts that didn't really get off the ground, or pushed the boundaries too far. One of the audience card holders seemed to really enjoy watching the comedians squirm, leaving one act to almost beg to leave the stage!
Personal highlights for me were young lad Luke Wright, who bravely started out with some very risky material, which thankfully got the desired reaction from the crowd! I think once he gets his confidence up a little he could be a name to look out for in the future. I also enjoyed the self-deprecating humour of Jack Black lookalike, Danny Holt, who was strangely quite endearing despite his choice of material.
My favourite act for the night was Simon Wozniak, who made me completely forget that I was even watching an amateur performance. I can't give a higher compliment than that. He was very slick and professional, his observational comedy and reality TV material going down a treat with the crowd.
I also enjoyed John Macdonald, who despite having some of the best material of the evening, did not make it to the final. He just needs to relax and get more experience in front of a crowd, once he sorts out his confidence he could be a great talent!
Our final two for the evening were Wright and Wozniak, with the former taking the title. Overall it was generally a supportive atmosphere, and a great opportunity for upcoming acts. The only complaint I have is the start time - not beginning until 8.30 seems a little too late for a school night, and a lot of the audience were leaving by the second interval around 10pm. In fact the whole set up does seem geared up to sell expensive drinks, with doors closing a full thirty minutes before start time. However don't let that put you off, for just £3 (or free for students), you could get the chance to see some real stars of the future.
Reviewed on: 14th March 2016
Reviewed by: Poppy Stewart
