Monday night was another of G&B’s Dark Delights at The Star of Kings, our evening dedicated to comedy’s darker side and quite definitely not for the easily offended. I love these nights so much. It’s taken us a few years of doing them to get it just right so that the acts and audience are in complete synch of dark depravity. And last night was one of the best we’ve had. First to the stage, and just off stage, was Nicky Vere-Compton, Rubynia Reubens and the musical tale of matricide and the one eyed trouser snake. It was then over to Ben Marciano and why it’s best just to say no…especially to mirrors when tripping. Becky Jade was next with the idea that if Barbie was to be truly representative there needed to be a Suicidal Barbie (remember, it was our dark comedy night!). After becky was Stephen Portlock and why rainbow crossings are a bloody stupid idea. We then had Amelia Fritz who may have ruined spag bol for all but a very weird few. Tim Purchas then confessed to identifying as a couple of letters not usually associated with the sexual spectrum and are arguably best left that way. We then had a bit more music thanks to Barbara Fernandez and why she’s finding younger guys easier that the men her age before the crowd had their chakras re-centred by the irrepressible Yoggie Belle, Supreme Grand Master of ASMR. Closing the show was the darkly delicious Andrew Dipple (pictured). After taking the crowd on a trip into comedy darkness, Andrew left us with a great bit of advice: If on your travels you ever come across a stranger, apologise and wipe them down.
After the break we got off to a fabulously dark start thanks to the hilarious Damian Krushner and everything from Her Majesty’s noonie to casual cannibalism and Michael Jackson’s spare room. It was then over to Josh N. Taylor and just why Genghis Khan might not have been such a bad dude after all. Tej Master then told us he wakes up each morning to the sound of gagging…just not the good kind. It was then a bit of twisted magic and the world’s most dangerous card trick before we got to see a darker side to a G&B fave, Phil Green, and a tale of a wedding we’d all have loved to attend. It was then over to the utterly puntastic Mark Rivlin, the gatling gun on one-liners, and why “Nonce upon a time…” may or may not be the opening line of Prince Andrew’s new kids’ book. The evening’s penultimate act was Luke McCarthy and what do you call your best mate from Israel. If you want to find out, our next Dark Delights night is at The Bell on April 9th. Closing the show we had the Prince of Darkness himself, the delightfully deviant Elliot Curtis. I’m not even going to try hinting at anything from Elliot’s set as I’ll have Facebook on my case within minutes. Suffice to say he’s the first person I ask when booking our dark comedy nights. Elliot has the ability to have an audience sore with laughter and shocked at just how dark they actually like their comedy, whilst also leaving them feeling like naughty school kids who’ve discovered their first swear words. Just brilliant.
So that was our Dark Delights show. Several people last night asked when our next one is. As I mentioned previously, it’ll be at The Bell on April 9th. We’re taking booking now. Next Monday at The Star of Kings we have the first of our two All Stars heats before the final on our 10th birthday on March 12th.