Komedia: Alfie Moore

What better way to spend your Sunday evening than nestled away in the cosy Komedia listening to the northern tones of a copper taking a sabbatical? Not that many, as it turns out.

Alfie Moore is every inch the policeman and as a result has access to a plethora of material that just isn't available to most other stand up comedians. You can forget the  'ello 'ello 'ello, this material draws on the varied and sometimes harrowing career of the copper from Skegness. He wanted to be Sipowicz, but endless red tape and pointless training courses caused the dream to fall by the wayside, along with countless other victims of 20^th century killjoys.

Moore describes his humour as dark. It's certainly cynical, as befits someone who has dealt for years with the justice system that will allow a teenager to carry firearms, but not purchase a goldfish. There's plenty of scope for him to have his say on current affairs, middle management and the general state of the world, and all in the easy conversational tone that only the police know how to carry off.

This is not a polished piece. With so much material Moore sometimes has a tendency to lose his thread, but all threads are neatly tied up with a solid structure that leaves the audience wanting more from Moore. His delivery is laid back, delicate and skilful as he handles subject matter which could be potentially disastrous in insensitive hands.  

3.5/5 - It's funny, it's balanced and it's a great way to spend an evening.

Komedia: The Maydays: Confessions

The Maydays: Confessions
The Komedia

Deep and dirty, anonymous confessions from audience members being spun into improvised comedy and songs. Curiosity was at the top of the bill as a friend and I sat in the wonderful Komedia, bearing the last of our shameless souls to each other. The curiosity quickly died as we witnessed a long, drawn-out party piece sink like the Titanic.

The illumination of the skeletons of fellow viewing friends and the occasional clever song lyric afforded the odd giggle from people who did not know The Maydays on a personal basis; however, many of the sketches stagnated and lacked the skill required to provide the audience with a quality evening of entertainment. 

Stand-up comedy is one of the most challenging acts in the entertainment world and the very idea of improvised stand-up is enough to make the knees of any professional quiver. We all have much love for the improvised stand up sections of 'Mock the Week', and even those are scripted. What are the odds that an amateur group are going to consistently deliver comedy gold over the space of an hour, even with the supply of material from an excellent source? Probably similar to that of Honduras winning the World Cup.

1/ 5 – Great idea, very brave, but incredibly ambitious. Would be better suited to an audience of family and friends.