Another month, another unseasonable Blizzard show, and another terrific line-up, seriously whoever books these should get an award or something *hint hint*.
Monday’s show was our first guest host of the year, and someone I’d wanted to get on to guest host for a very long time now, Ben Hodge.
Ben is a phenomenal comedian who has gone from strength to strength since his first gig with us back in 2020. As a host, seeing him thrive in the opportunity to show off his manic wit and revel in the joy of playing with an audience, really making feel everyone included in the mirth, really suits the bundle of camp charm that is Ben Hodge.
He did a terrific job moving the night along, and his improvised banter was on point for an environment like Blizzard.
Bringing on our first act, all the way from Brighton we had Bex Turner. Bex Turner is a delight of awkward absurdity on stage, really pushing the creative lines on what alternative comedy can be. Bex has a knack for making the mundane whimsical to incredible degrees, and bounces between bits which cover genuinely vulnerable and personal subjects, to absolute silly nonsense in such a coherent flow that you’ll be hooked throughout regardless. Bex is an act like no other, and we were privileged she travelled so far to be with us, a comedy legend in the making.
After the interval, we had a more local comedy legend Ciaran Mullins. Local comedy fans will recognize him from his involvement in Laughienda, but this was his first time with us at Blizzard, and he absolutely crushed it.
Ciaran’s joke crafting is among the best I’ve seen, combining a clearly unique and surreal imagination with more low energy and deadpan delivery, leaving the incredible punchlines understated so they hit you twice as hard with what a curveball the transition from setup to punchline could be.
Thriving as a low energy comic is alien to me as I tend to hide behind more loud and in your face delivery as a coping mechanism for nerves, so the ability to slow right down and delivery such precise comedic punches is one I am forever in awe of. And Marie Goulbourne is another such act that nails that.
From the moment Marie steps on stage, she has an audience in the palm of her hand. She has such a controlled delivery, deliberately playing with tension to make her punchlines land perfectly, in a way that any aspiring comic of any style should study. She has an impeccable sense of timing, combined with astute insights, great gags and engaging anecdotal storytelling, making her an all-round phenomenal comedian.
And closing the show, a fairly last-minute change but certainly not an unwelcome replacement, we had the icon that is Jain Edwards.
This is an act I’ve been tangentially aware of for a while now, having seen some of her earlier character work, and obviously the lockdown phenomenon that was Escape The North, but this might’ve been the first time I’ve seen her performing stand-up as herself. It’s just as brilliantly weird as everything else she’s done.
Jain puts meticulous craft into everything she does, digging the depths of fantastical absurdities to inspire one of the most bizarre sets I’ve ever seen, straddling routines that are just so wacky and whimsical, to darkly satirical in places; notably depicting an abusive relationship from the point of view of a victim who has been gaslit into finding all the toxic behaviours endearing. That routine, interspersed with sprinkles of the bizarre, keeping the humour throughout perfectly. Jain Edwards is a comedy icon, and a stalwart of the weird and wonderful comedy that we love to platform and promote here so much.
And that was the show! A great way to round off our 4th year of being a comedy club, before we celebrate our 5th birthday on Thursday 18th April, with a headline length spot from Quantum Leopard founder and godfather of Blizzard James Ross, and support from some of our all-time favourites in Eddie French, Alex Stringer, Saeth Wheeler and Maxine Wade. Book your free tickets here.
And follow us on twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy to watch the stream version of this show on Monday 15th at 7:30pm!
Blizzard Comedy 