Comic Relief Kingston: Albert Nose Comedy

On the night of fundraising spectacular Comic Relief, The River reviews Kingston pub The Albert’s own night of laughs.

Max Parker

Raising money for Comic Relief, the comedy night included four talents, a couple of local comedians and a veteran, Adam Bloom, who has appeared on Russell Howard’s popular BBC show, Good News.

Strong crowd reaction

But before Bloom could take the stage, it was Martin Wyatt’s turn. Surely it must be tricky being the first act on, and the crowd is unsure of what to expect, not quite in the rhythm of laughing yet. Wyatt started strongly, however, though his act was hardly unique.

A flurry of sex jokes garnered a good reaction, but he shone when he took a more personal approach.

The lovely setting of The Albert, with its chandeliers and dimmed lighting, was a nice location for the evening and the room was packed with barely a seat to spare.

Loud and brash

Next up was Bloom, who started quickly, an erratic and constant slew of well-timed lines escalated excitement in the crowd. He was witty, a little shocking at times, but impressive overall. A couple of jokes fell on deaf ears and led to a few awkward silences, but he turned it around quickly and they were soon forgotten.

The host of the night, Lolly, was a loud and brash woman who just constantly talked about sex. It was dismal to start with, and just got worse as the night went on. It was awkward, the crowd did not enjoy it, and she almost ruined it for the other acts.

Musical detour

The final two acts were up after a charity raffle and 40-minute gap. The gap hampered the crowd as when Robin Boot came to the stage many were deep in conversation. Taking a musical approach, Boot was average, a little repetitive and his guitar was a bit too loud for his voice. A couple of his songs were fun, but he is no Tim Minchin.

Closing the show was Madge Hooks, who was full of silliness but the crowd lapped it up. It was a strong way to end the evening.

Albert Nose Comedy was a fun night, with some ups and downs, as comedy can be. Despite the inconsistency, the event raised over £600 and was a nice part of Comic Relief’s record-breaking success this year.