Top-class comedy at the Horsebridge

The main performance space at Whitstable’s Horsebridge Centre was virtually sold out for a Friday evening of top-class comedy acts, all up-and-coming talents on the national scene. It was refreshing to see an audience which had a genuinely wide age range, and who all seemed to enjoy themselves equally much – including a sizeable group of teenagers who were evidently regulars at Chatback Comedy events in Canterbury, and who compere Matt Crosby and all three acts clearly enjoyed engaging in banter with.

 Crosby warmed up the audience quickly with a distinctive contrast of punchy audience interaction and hilarious yet self-deprecating anecdotes, before welcoming on the first of the three acts, Joel Dommett, whose sharp social observation was combined with ironically outdated topical references (often teasingly directed at the youngest members of the audience).

Next up was Lou Sanders, who cast a satirical eye over everyday experiences in a way which was fresh and free of cliché – turning her attention, for example, to such hitherto neglected topics as overenthusiastic railway announcements and the vagaries of living in rented accommodation with fire alarms. Perhaps the highlight of her act, however, was when she brought out her alter ego, a grotesque parody of the ‘edgy female comic’ named Kerry P, who cleverly made fun of current comedic clichés.

The headline act, Celia Pacquola, had a style which was perhaps more gentle and reflective than the other two, but no less entertaining for it – touching on subjects such as, among others, the status of female comedians. As an Australian who has lived and worked in London for the last few years, she made good use of her experiences of British life seen from an outside perspective, but without making it the main theme of her act or resorting to tired stereotypes of either country.

All in all, an extremely entertaining and professionally-presented evening, and something we’ll hopefully see more of. It was interesting that all three acts stayed firmly away from politics and topical issues – though at a time when there seems to be very little in the news to laugh at, a bit of escapism and poking fun at the mundane and everyday is no bad thing. It should possibly come with a warning, however; although people of all ages clearly enjoyed the show, a fair bit of the material is the kind of stuff you wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable laughing at together with your parents or children!