Leadmill Comedy Club – 2 September 2015, Leadmill, Sheffield
Without my annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival comedy adventure last month, I decided to return to the comedy club were I got my August fix and for a second time headed a short walk from my house (without getting lost this time) to The Leadmill Comedy Club for its monthly comedy night, which takes place on the first Wednesday of every month.
Comedy on the night came from four funny fellows, including headliner and Dudley comedian Sean Percival, a festival and Jongleurs Comedy Club regular host whose trademark comedy confronts real life in an explosively hilarious way. Sean was funny but shouty and slightly scary (if like me you’re not used to the West Midlands sense of humour) and I have been advised never to compare him to Noddy Holder (oops).
Joining the ex-welder was Dave’s Comedy Festival Comedian of the Year nominee Danny Ward. Known for his outstanding observational comedy, Danny’s 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut show was awarded the Amused Moose People’s Award for Best Show. Danny took the audience on side-splitting tour of recent technological history proving that the gadget choices we make will never be cool for the teenagers of tomorrow, via a rib-tickling visit to a Cardiff service station, Toby Carvery and a London night bus.
At only 18 years old (people half my age shouldn’t be so funny but I’ll let him off) Elliot Steel (aka “Gaylord” to his friends) made his debut at The Latitude, V and Reading Festivals in 2013, charming audiences with his refreshingly honest routines about growing up in Croydon. I was added to the list of those he charmed with his boyish looks hiding the voice of a 50 year old trucker whose honesty and comedy should make him a role model for teenagers everywhere and gave me new respect for his generation.
Making up the fourth corner of the comedian square and a long way from his Seattle home was host for the evening Erich McElroy, who alongside taking a hilarious look at British life via the microphone, has also written for the Huffington Post, the Independent, the Herald in Scotland and Saga, and has his own show on Fubar Radio. Reminding me of a young Greg Proops (Erich don’t take offence as I find you both hilarious live), he covered politics, becoming a British citizen, customer service and why white men can’t talk about race in a gentle comic fashion that not only made me laugh out loud the most during the evening but also re-warm to American comedy.
If you’ll missed out on Comedy Club which also featured tempting Mexican food from Sheffield’s Mexican finest The Street Food Chef (who this evening sold out completed before the first interval) but are still up for an evening of laughter at The Leadmill, I highly recommend booking for Joe Lycett (a comedy panel show regular for good reason) on Thursday 1 October and (not just for geeks) the informatively side-splitting Festival of the Spoken Nerd (who I enjoyed live on stage at a Sci-Fi convention in Wales in March) on Wednesday 18 November, as well as the forthcoming monthly Leadmill Comedy Clubs on 8th October and 4th November.
If that wasn’t exciting enough The Leadmill have also introduced a loyalty card (go to four comedy clubs and get the fifth free) and a competition on the night to win a table for four at the next. So comedy fans have no excuse not to attend.