Matt Holmes, who I last saw as compere of Bright Club, opened the evening with his own spot. One or two gags were repeated from Saturday but most of his material was, as usual, garnered from the audience. Matt is a past master at making the audience write his material. His hesitant, slightly gauche manner allows him to get away with some very personal digs at his audience members without ever going too far. This guy deserves to end up as TV presenter at the very least. Matt won the DMU Footlights Comedian Of The Year Award in 2011 and is part of the Just The Tonic stable of comedians working around the country. Well worth making an effort to see for his intelligent wit and gentle teasing of the punters.
Jack Campbell is what would, in the Fifties, have been called an Angry Young Man. Having been performing since 2010 Jack is a self assured performer who mixes tales from Uni with his disillusionment with teaching and lacing this with edgy tales of his racist Mother. His blond floppy hair belies his sharp with and his confident style on stage coped well with a misfunctioning microphone which, hilariously, only started to work at the end of his spot.
Dan Nicholas is an enigma. Described as 'borderline psychotic' by Birmingham Comedy Festival (and I wouldn't argue with that), his edgy stage persona has more than a nod to Emo Phillips' demented physical posturing. Add to that an immensely brave use of Pinter-esque silences and you have a dangerous comedian who keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next outrageous non sequitur. His surreality is always funny and often uncomfortable, staying just this side of tasteless. Usually.
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