I’m running out of unique ways to gush about how great the last several Blizzard Comedy shows have been, but gosh dang it it’s true every time lately.
As we approach our 5th birthday we’ve still not quite gotten through our back-catalogue of rebookings where spots were lost during 2020 lockdown, but my god it’s been worth the wait to get them back.
Opening the show, however, we had an act I only discovered very recently and has already made a name as one of the hardest working and tightest comedy writers of the generation. Mel Judson is one of those acts that makes comedy look easy, with seemingly effortless confidence in her delivery of sets honed to perfection, and a very astute presence in the room that makes everything she says feel so naturalistic that you’d almost forget it was a scripted comedy set if it wasn’t so fucking funny.
Mel has effortless charm, with her deadpan, matter-of-fact Yorkshire delivery, meaning whether she’s telling dick jokes or reflecting on the nuances of atheism she has exactly the same tone of voice. That tone elevates her already tightly written routines to some of the best stand-up I’ve ever had the privilege to see live. Mel’s on her way up in the industry and you need to catch her before she’s too famous to do lil gigs like ours anymore!
Next we had Gill Gee, who is just a classically brilliant joke teller. Her diction and cadence is spot on. Her material is unapologetically graphic but the punchlines more than justify the setups. Gill holds nothing back in her set and has the room in hysterics throughout. Imagine what makes an objectively brilliant comedian, and Gill has it all, a truly exceptional comic.
Following her we had yet another first timer at Blizzard, Josh Sedman, bringing a much more enthusiastic tone to his set which was a nice contrast to the brilliantly deadpan opening of the show. Framing his entire set as if he was talking to his best friend in the audience (who had never met him before, but of course at Blizzard he played along with his role with superb gusto).
Framing his set as a conversation gives a real relaxed vibe. I think a lot of stand-ups want to recreate an atmosphere of a group of mates having a laugh at the pub, but without anyone else allowed to speak. Josh creates that environment with ease, using interaction only as far as to bounce his energy off of the room, and making everyone have a brilliant time.
Josh is quick witted, cheeky, charming and comedically brilliant from concept to execution. Yet another criminally underrated act who’s got the talent of a pro, and guaranteed to have the room fall about with mirth, whatever room he’s in. Funny stories, funny delivery, weaved together by a naturally funny man.
And closing the show, an act who we’ve been trying to get on for literal years at this point – Richard Stott. It’s hard to define what makes a good headliner, but whatever it is Richard nails it. After half an hour, you still want to hear more. The routines are so jam packed full of jokes that there’s not a single wasted word or beat. In Richard’s set, you are getting a great ratio of great gags to time, and yet it doesn’t feel rushed or overwhelming. Just immaculately constructed.
Richard has such a commanding stage presence whilst retaining that conversational tone, keeping everyone at east and hanging on every word for the duration of his set. The contents covers a wide range of popular cultural references to niche life experiences encountered being an actor with a disability, making his set uniquely his, but told in such an accessible and relatable way that you really connect with the act throughout.
There’s only so many ways to say that a comedian is fucking great, but Richard Stott is fundamentally fucking great.
And that was our show, yet another banger of a line-up (you’re welcome) – and if you missed it live it will be available online at Twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy from March 18th until April 1st; and you can book tickets to our show on April 8th right now via OutSavvy.
