AARON GOCS - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve thought a lot about what to say about Aaron’s show “Divorced… with children”.

Aaron’s work regularly pops up in my social media feeds and it often makes me laugh - his online stuff paints the picture of very funny guy. I’m not sure how or why that hasn’t translated to his stand-up comedy on this occasion. There was some chuckles here and there but there was just nowhere near enough laughs to get this show off the ground.

You might be wondering if it’s just that I’m not in the target demographic but I took along my nephew who is in his twenties and he also thought it was pretty grim.

There’s more I could say about this show but I don’t think there’s much to be gained from that so I’ll leave it there.

Details of the show here.

DANIELLE WALKER (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

It pains me to say it because I loved Danielle’s show last year but unfortunately this year’s effort, “Myths and legends” felt a bit under-cooked. Aside from anything else it’s advertised as running 60 minutes but only just made it past 40.

There was definitely still some laughs and I do love the way she chuckles at her own punchlines in such a girl-next-door kind of way, but there just wasn’t enough joy in this show for me to recommend you rush out and see it. She lost her place/train of thought a couple of times and talked about being on auto-pilot eight shows into the run without much sleep. If that’s an issue eight shows in, it’s going to be a long couple of weeks ahead.

I was reminded yet again this festival that there’s something to be said for just standing at a mic and talking funny when I couldn’t see the screen she was using because I was behind a tall person and couldn’t lean too far sideways to see it without being a creep to the person next to me.

This isn’t a bad show but I don’t think it’s Danielle at her best. My nephew came with me to this show and he was disappointed too, also knowing how great she was last year. Hopefully she can iron out some kinks as the festival progresses. Get the details here.

RHYS NICHOLSON - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve never been disappointed by a Rhys Nicholson show and this year’s “Nice People Nice Things Nice Situations” is no exception. In fact, he’s better than ever. This show is absolute gold! My twenty-something nephew said at the end “Wow, that was next level” and it sure was.

This is rapid-fire laugh after laugh based on some searing and at times shocking observations and incidents. Don’t miss Rhys Nicholson! Get the details of the show here.

LUKE HEGGIE - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Gosh I loved this show. In a way it’s something I’ve seen plenty of before - a white man at a mic - but in other ways he’s unlike any comedian I’ve seen before. Luke Heggie is in complete control every minute he’s on stage. Early on he invites the audience to wander to the bar for drinks, to the bathroom etc, noting that it won’t distract him at all and I believe it. This guy knows his material perfectly and clearly doesn’t take any shit; do whatever you want but he’ll forge ahead knowing no one has the power to derail this thing.

To a room of about 50 people, Luke talked cafe culture, holiday homes, true crime podcasts, Australians in Bali and more. They sound like familiar topics but Luke’s takes on them are full of hilarious surprises. I really laughed loads in this show and highly recommend it.

On a practical note, the room he plays at European Bier Cafe is hot and the chairs a pretty uncomfortable so brace yourself but the laughs are of course an effective distraction!

Get the details of Luke’s show here.

DAMIEN POWER (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is a top notch show that brings loads of laughter. Damien declares from the outset that he’s trying to make his material lighter than in previous shows and he uses the contrast between this and his natural inclination to be quite dark really cleverly.

He talks about the contrast between he and his brothers and family politics with his dad, wealth inequality, conspiracy theorists, peacocking men and reflects on what he values and has been striving for. It’s a bloody hilarious ride! I loved this show and so did the friend I saw it with.

I’ve seen Damien’s shows in the past and never been disappointed. He’s a really talented stand-up comic and this show is up there with his best, which is a high bar indeed. Happily recommending you get along to this one!

Get the details of Damien’s shows here.

STEPH TISDELL (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This show “The Pyramid” was pretty hilarious in spite of poor Steph clearly being quite ill as well as some tech problems.

The audience of about 40 people (packed in way too tight but that’s not her fault!) laughed enthusiastically as Steph mined various pyramids (think the food pyramid and Maslow’s heirarchy of needs, for example) for comedy gold. She touches on the confidence of white men, time spent in Africa doing aid work and vanity on social media along the way, each bit funny enough to have her laughing along with us which was completely charming.

The heat of the room added to her obvious discomfort (she was, by her own observation, really sweaty and had a pretty croaky voice) and some tech problems with her projector/screen set up derailed things for five minutes or so but Steph handled the whole thing admirably. It speaks volumes that when the tech issues were resolved the room cheered - everyone was clearly willing her on.

This is a terrific show and well worth the $20-25 ticket price. Steph is destined for bigger and better things so get on board now while tickets are still as cheap as chips!

Get the details of Steph’s show here.

JOSH SZEPS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Josh Szeps is a natural with a microphone, no doubt. I’d bet my house that he’s delivered at least five cracking best man speeches at weddings and MCd a bunch too.

This show lifts the lid on how and why we’re so addicted to our mobile phones and social media and some of it is really interesting. The problem is that too large a proportion of the material was more interesting than it was funny. He calls out intellectual superiority and sanctimonious posturing online which I dug (*squirms*) but I suspect it made the audience too uncomfortable to laugh at times. Discomfort-inducing comedy can be really powerful but I just don’t think there was enough big laughs from this material to pull that off.

The show was beset by problems with the projector, screen and audio he was using and whilst Josh took it in his stride by and large, it was certainly unhelpful and distracting. I hope that can be sorted out to make the delivery smoother for future shows.

The friend I saw this with said she felt like it was more of a TED Talk than a comedy show and I tend to agree. It’s not that the show isn’t good - there’s a lot to enjoy - it’s that I’m not convinced it belongs in a comedy festival. It would help to end the show on a big laugh rather than what felt like a pretty preachy note, I suspect.

Josh is a great raconteur and if you’re interested in a witty and at times alarming look at what social media is doing to us, then this one’s for you. If you’re after big belly laughs, not so much.

Get the details of Josh’s show here.

PS. If Josh’s voice feels familiar it might be because he’s a regular on ABC TV, radio and podcasts but it might also be, as it was in my case, because it’s so damn similar to that of his father, Henri Szeps! I kept thinking to myself, he sounds so much like the guy from Mother and Son*, and once I googled it I knew why!

*I didn’t know I knew Henri’s voice so well until this moment!

ANNE EDMONDS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Have you ever heard the expression ‘they’ve got funny bones’? You know, that one applied to people that just seem to be funny to the core and you know would be bloody great company over a few wines at dinner? Ladies and gentlemen, I present Anne Edmonds.

You might recognise Anne from the TV shows Have You Been Paying Attention? or Get Krack!n and there’s a reason she pops up so regularly; she’s bloody hilarious.

Anne is playing a pretty big room at the Melbourne Town Hall this year and it’s testament to her skill and popularity. She’s a natural when chatting to the crowd, beautifully physical when it helps nail a punchline and just completely at ease on stage, cruising with the microphone telling really funny stories. She turns the mundane (someone choking on a waffle in a cafe and road rage) into the hilarious.

Anne’s show “What’s wrong with you?” is well worth a look. Get the details here.

CASSIE WORKMAN (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Cassie Workman’s show “Giantess” is funny, poignant and interesting. What more could you want?!

Cassie recently returned to stand-up having started transitioning from a man (accomplished stand-up comedian Michael Workman) to a woman in 2017. I mention this only because it’s highly relevant to the show, which explores the complex situation of your gender identity not matching your body. I know that sounds heavy and of course it is in a way but that’s the incredible beauty of this show - Cassie somehow manages to talk about this in a funny and charming way. I also learnt a bit too but don’t let that put you off if it’s not usually your cup of tea!

The narrative of the show is a fairytale of sorts featuring a troll and the giantess. This is an incredibly funny and clever show but it’s also poignant in a light way that will move you.

The one practical criticism I have of the show is that the chairs were in rows where each person is directly in front/behind, rather than alternating so people’s heads are between each other giving a clear line of sight. I had a fairly tall person sitting in front of me (and I’m fairly tall myself!) and his head entirely blocked my view of the screen on stage Cassie was using. I couldn’t really lean over without clanging heads with the people next to me so I basically missed most of the laughs that were generated by the on-screen material.

Get the details of Cassie’s show here.

NATALIE HARRIS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This show, “Babycino”, is Natalie’s fifth solo stand-up comedy show and it’s a really funny look at her experiences as a waitress. You know how people can be real jerks? She’s seen it all and turned it into some gold.

There was about 15 people in the audience when I saw Natalie and I was struck by what a natural she is on stage and how she deserves to be playing much bigger rooms.

The waitress material was good but it was her material about video stores that really killed and the stuff about dating apps was solid despite it being well-worn territory. It all would have benefited from more people in the room to bring the laughs to life.

Natalie knew her material really well and the show went by quickly which is always a sign that you’ve been engaged.

For me this is probably a 3.5 star show and worth the pretty cheap ticket price.

Get the details of Natalie’s show here.

JUDITH LUCY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The master. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Do not miss this show.

Details here.

NINA OYAMA (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is Nina’s debut comedy festival show. There’s a bucket-load of potential here but it’s early days and she’s not living up to it just yet.

She had a good audience size of about 25 given it’s her first show at the festival thanks to appearances on Utopia and Tonightly, I presume. I got the feeling the audience was urging her on; we wanted her skill to match her undeniable enthusiasm.

Nina stumbled along the way, just in the way you’d expect from someone trying something bloody difficult for the first time, but the source material of formative years living in Bathurst and racking up 13 driving offenses was a goldmine she often tapped effectively.

I hate to get too armchair psychologist about it but I suspect the person Nina needs to believe she’s good at stand-up is Nina herself. More than once she put herself down with comments like, “don’t worry, this will be over soon”. They were throw-away lines but they were reflections of self-doubt that reminded us she wasn’t always nailing it.

I reckon in about five or ten years we’ll be talking about Nina in the way we talk about the likes of Celia Pacquola. For now the potential is there, she just needs loads more flying hours ‘til we’re safe in her hands, and she trusts that we’re safe in her hands.

Get the details of Nina’s show here.

TITUS O'REILY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I follow Titus on social media and listen to his podcast so I really like the cut of his jib. His sharp and funny observations about sport (and to a lesser extent politics) are some of the best going round.

That’s part of the reason it pains me to say that I didn’t love this show “Better Living Through Sport”. It’s certainly not a bad show but to be frank I didn’t laugh that much and I wasn’t alone. He made lots of witty observations but they’re the kind of thing you get from him for free all year round on social media and his podcast “Titus and Sergio’s Variety Hour”. Observations that make you smile or even chuckle but not often cack yourself laughing like lots of comedy festival-goers would hope. The contrast between what was going on in his room and the neighbouring room, from which raucous laughter bled through the walls, was stark.

The friend I saw this with isn’t a Titus fan like me (as in she didn’t know of him, not doesn’t like him) so I was really curious to know what she thought. I think her view can be summarised by her observation that “there’s a point at which sarcasm becomes intellectual snobbery”.

I reckon if you’re a fan of Titus you’ll get exactly what you’d expect and hope for in this show - a bunch of witty and clever observations about sport and the AFL especially. If you’re a fan of comedy and want big LOLZ, I don’t reckon this is the show for you.

Get the details of Titus’ show here.

LESSONS WITH LUIS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Wow. What a ride!

If you’ve never heard of Lessons with Luis, it’s a unique concept. It’s hard to explain to be honest but Luis is a character played by a very talented comic actor and Luis’ brother Luelin also features in this show. (Past shows have included Luis’ dad, a neighbour and others, I think.)

In this year’s MICF show “Stickin’ Together”, Luis and Luelin are working on a sitcom. The show includes plenty of slapstick which appeals to me as well as some baffling - in a funny way - songs. The image of Luis dressed as a salt shaker is emblazoned on my memory and still makes me smile the next day.

I think the thing about Lessons with Luis is that you’re either on board or not. If you’re familiar with Lessons with Luis and enjoy the style of comedy then I reckon you’ll get exactly what you want from this. If you’re not but are open-minded and curious, I’d suggest spending a little time on their YouTube page to establish whether it’s your cup of tea or not.

The friend I saw it with said it reminded her of “a combination of The Mighty Boosh and Julian Clary”, with inspiration from early 90s comedy. If you have even a passing knowledge of TMB and Julian Clary you’ll know how out of left field that combination is. Welcome to Lessons with Luis! Madness!

I laughed lots in this show but often in a ‘what on earth is going on?’ kind of way. If you’re a bit adventurous and want to try something that’s definitely not someone just standing at a mic talking, give this a whirl.

Get the details of Lessons with Luis here.

GUY MONTGOMERY (NZ) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Guy Montgomery’s show ‘I was part of the problem before we were talking about it’ (catchy!) hints at the tricky content he tackles in the show; sexual harassment, opression, exclusion and more. Does he pull it off? Allllmost but not quite for me.

It’s incredibly difficult to make comedy out of such serious and complex subject matter and in many parts of the show Guy does it really well - I certainly laughed a lot in this. But to cover subject matter like this in a sufficiently nuanced way requires a hell of a lot of explaining and at times Guy seemed to be talking for an awfully long time without there being a gag. He even acknowledges it himself, at one point saying, “I’ve done it again. You’re thinking, where are the jokes, Montgomery?” … he was right.

When Guy Montgomery is good, he’s superb and I’d say about two thirds of this show fall into that category. The rest of the show isn’t without merit - for example he’ll challenge you to consider whether just not being a bad guy is enough anymore - but for people who just want lolz, those parts will feel like a drag.

I’m a big fan of Guy’s laconic style and frankly a New Zealand accent makes anything 20% funnier so chuck this guy on your list if you’re keen for plenty of laughs and some though-provoking moments.

Get the details of Guy’s show here.

ADAM ROZENBACHS (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This show from Adam Rozenbachs - a best-of from years worth of shows - is a funny stand-up comedy show. Will it blow your mind? Nup. Is it worth $25 for an hour of solid stand-up comedy? You bet.

Adam is an absolute natural on stage. You can tell he has many, many flying hours.

Some of the material covered some well-worn territory (activated almonds, anyone?!) but even topics that don’t break ground can be really funny and his observations about drinking alone certainly spoke to the audience. I mean, not me of course, but other people seemed to enjoy it…

Get the details of Adam’s show here. It’s a short run so don’t drag your feet.

GEORGIE CARROLL (UK) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Georgie’s name is listed on the Comedy Festival website as “Nurse Georgie Carroll” and make no mistake, the focus of this show is on Georgie’s tales of being a nurse in both England and more recently in Australia following her move to Adelaide from Manchester.

You don’t need to be a nurse to enjoy this show - my 19 year old nephew and I both loved it! A bit of banter with the crowd established there were many nurses in the room and there was certainly the odd treat for them which the rest of us didn’t enjoy quite as much but not so many as to alienate the non-nurses.

I’d highly recommend this show, especially if you’re in health care but it’s honestly a hilarious joy for anyone. Just ask Georgie, she refreshingly cacked herself laughing throughout!

Get the details of Georgie’s show here.

BRETT BLAKE (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is the first time I’ve seen Brett Blake, a self-confessed bogan from Perth, do stand-up. He has a really relaxed presence on stage which leaves you inclined to be on his side.

His show “Bogan Genius” explores the complexities of life with dyslexia, ADHD and a very high IQ and it’s a pretty amusing ride!

On the night I caught his show there was about 15 people in the crowd including four women in their 50s and 60s who were annoyingly disruptive. Seriously ladies, no one cares for your not funny contributions so just pipe down and let the guy get on with it! Brett handled it admirably but they were certainly unhelpful in his quest to stay on track.

To my mind this is a show by someone who has the ingredients for a fantastic show but for now it’s only a good one. In a few years I reckon he’ll probably be filling much bigger rooms with an audience more suited to his material and they will walk away really satisfied.

On a practical note, Brett swears a LOT so if that’s not for you I’d give this one a miss and the room was really cold so dress warmly. Oh and he has a MAJESTIC mullet so brace yourself for that joy.

Get the info on Brett’s show here.

GERALDINE HICKEY (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve seen Geraldine a few times in the past so I know how good she can be. Unfortunately her show this year is good Geraldine but not great Geraldine.

There was some minor first show problems that didn’t help (an IT issue that saw a big screen that would later be used to great effect light up at the wrong moments and the fact there was no ushers to ensure seats near the front were full) but I think Geraldine’s material isn’t as strong this year too.

Her opening gambit took a long time to pay off into laughs which Geraldine herself acknowledged when she wondered aloud, “Is anyone relating to this at all?”

Later in the show when she talked about Christmas, in-laws and gifts saw her soar to the great heights I’ve seen in the past. The small crowd, which we later discovered included said in-laws, really enjoyed this material and gave her the ‘I can relate to that’ laughs she wanted earlier.

I took along a friend who enjoyed the show and said she’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5 but noted that one of those stars is earned simply by getting her out of the house and away from her three children! For me this is more like a 2.5 star show.

Get the details of Geraldine’s show here.

MICHELLE WOLF (US) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Michelle Wolf is an American comedian whose profile rose through the roof this time last year when she was the ‘featured entertainer’ at the Whitehouse Correspondents’ Dinner. The 20 minute routine made headlines around the world for its brutal observations of the Trump administration.

Michelle’s show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is superb. She does not disappoint.

She talks otters being raped, giraffes having babies and takes all sorts of unique tangents but the through-line is absolutely women, men, equality, sex and relationships. Her observations are searing and hilarious.

As the show was coming to an end and my mind briefly wandered to whether I’d note in this blog that she’s not for the faint-hearted (a woman next to me seemed to squirm uncomfortably through observations about vaginal discharge, for example), Wolf started talking about how she’s often described as vulgar. It’s not the word I’d choose. Whether or not you’ll enjoy Wolf sits with you. She is what she is and to my mind the question is, are you too soft to take it?

Michelle is only doing five shows at the festival and many have sold out but if you can get a ticket to the extra show added, I’d highly recommend it. It’s a brilliant show that’s well worth the money.

A couple of practical notes - the venue is really warm so dress light and don’t sit too close to the speakers as for some reason the sound was up painfully high.

Details of her shows, link to buy tickets etc are here.