Latest Posts

MICF Review: Nikki Britton is Romanticide

Published by

We recently head along to check out super face-paced, anti-romance comedy – Nikki Britton is Romanticide as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

From the moment we arrived, we were hit with hilarious, laugh out loud comedy from a lady that says everything we are all thinking as she shares her own true stories about dating, single life, getting older and the mysteries behind life.

Every single girl within the room caught themselves out nodding along as her continuous comment “This doesn’t happen to normal people” reminds them of their your own cringe-worthy stories. Being that they are all her own true stories, it does get emotional at times as she describes a heart-break and unbroken hope for true love but always lifts the crowds moods quickly in her hysterical fashion even if that does involve acting out seeing her ex and then falling into a tower of Tim-tams, which quickly melted under her.

Nikki tied her performance together with a continuous reference to the two characters that she is in life – a classy, playing it cool slash keeping it casual dream girl in comparison to the reality of the track pant wearing, packet of biscuits in bed eating, hopeless romantic (aren’t we all).

Beware if you head along to check it out as a couple as Nikki will probably pick you out, want to know all of the details and play with the idea of your ‘happy relationship.’

We’d sum up the performance as a fantastically loud, over-sexual 2nd cousin (that we all have) that stumbles out at the very end of every party with her smeared red lipstick around her mouth.

Sublime! 4.5-stars.

Be sure to check out this little gem before it wraps on 23 April at the end of the Festival.

Where: Ladies Lounge, Forum Theatre (Cnr Flinders & Russell Street)
When:  Nightly, until 23 April
More information / tickets: Check out the MICF website.

MICF Review: Burn the Witch

Published by

Last week we checked out Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Burn the Witch on it’s opening night at the Butterfly Club, a tale set in a small English Village in the 1650’s, a village which keeps experiencing the mysterious disappearance of their children.

Witchhunter General Dunlop and his comical, cockney assistant, Jennifer are engaged to get to the bottom of the conundrum and take the audience on a whodunnit style journey to get there.

Written by and starring Martin Dunlop and Bec Petraitis, Burn the Witch has a great story to tell, a story that unfolds naturally for the audience with intelligent jokes, ironic humor and energy in abundance.

The acting was brilliant, both Martin and Bec really engaged with the audience, and continued to hit the mark with their constant, sometimes dark, humour.

For us, the speed of the execution was the only let down, particularly at the 10pm timeslot, the narrative moved from scene to scene at lightening fast pace, which made it a little hard to follow.

And did they end up solving the mystery? You should really and check the show out for yourself to find out. Burn the Witch runs until the end of the Comedy Festival at the Butterfly Club.

3-stars.

Where: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place
When: Every night, until 23 April.
More information & tickets: Check out the MICF website.

MICF Review: Songs in the Key of Awesomesause

Published by

Matt Kilpa’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival show starts with an introduction song which instantly makes us think of the Mighty Boosh, and it’s a great way to describe Songs in the Key of Awesomesauce, sort of inspired by Flight of the Conchords, throw in a touch of the Boosh-style quirky delivery – and mix it with some cool, original material, for 45 minutes of laughs. One man, a guitar, and a bunch of funny songs.

Matt’s debut solo show show is pretty fast paced, the songs are nice and short, just long enough to be punchy, but not too long that the audience drifts off, as he very easily moves to the next subject matter.

Our personal favourites were the initial workings of his ‘Captain Planet the Musical’ project, where everyone knows that Planeteer Ma’Ti has the lamest power – the power of heart, a topic that any kid that grew up in the 90’s knows about, a parody set to the Dolly Parton classic, Jolene (about a certain red-haired politician), and a song about cheating… but absolutely not in the way that you would imagine.

Songs in the Key of Awesomesauce is on at the 1000 £ Bend until the end of the festival, which runs back to back performances of several comedians. It’s a great and affordable way to see a bunch of performers in one night.

Matt has a dry sort of humour, quick witted, but personable. His show is fun, engaging, and had us cackling for most of the performance, get along and see for yourself . 4-stars.

P.S – We’re loving the key theme throughout this year’s festival, which is the support of Marriage Equality, big ups to Matt, and the rest of the MICF performers who are standing up in support of this cause in their shows.

Where: 1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale Street
When: Until 23 April
More information & tickets: Check out the MICF website.

MICF Review: Just Like Buddah

Published by

Last week we were invited along to check out Anthony Jeannot’s 2017 Melbourne International Comedy festival show – Just Like Buddah.

In a way there were elements taken from last year’s show – Rage Against the Manchild, signature elements which sort of set Anthony apart from his fellow performers like his entrance.. he doesn’t really have one, this year, just popping up randomly from the back row to introduce himself.

There also was plenty of his usual self deprecating, sweet style of humour, but this year the delivery was injected with a lot more confidence, so the show was sharper, more on point.

Some of the jokes from last year were reworked into the new show, but the fresh material in Just Like Buddha takes the audience though trips to Sweden (and other types of trips), Anthony’s date with a Doomsday prepper, and the perils of trying to meditate with an over excited, anxious mind. All the kind of interesting, engaging tales that seem far out, but are relatable enough that the audience always has one of those ‘I totally get that’ moments.

We love how each show is still always signed off with Anthony’s signature warm words of wisdom and every member of the audience goes home with a little present.

Anthony is one of those comedians who keep getting incrementally better year on year. 4-stars.

Performing at 1000 £ Bend for the duration of the festival, and with affordable tickets, you can make a whole night of this, and see a whole bunch of artists (like Mat Kilpa, who we also checked out) in one spot, whilst enjoying their $6 wines. A winning combo if you ask us.

Where: 1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale Street
When: Until 23 April
More information & tickets: Use promo code knowmelbourne at the check-out when buying on the MICF website for $10.30 tickets .

MICF Review: No Tips For Keith Cheng?

Published by

Guest reviewer: Shannon Murphy

On Wednesday night, we were invited to check out Keith Cheng’s debut Melbourne International Comedy Festival show “No Tips For Keith Cheng?”.

This culturally diverse show was MC’d by Melbourne’s own Damian Cosgriff, whose punny goodness and one liners warmed up the crowd, before support act, Singaporean import, Wei got the show rolling.

Our introduction to our main act advises that Hong Kong born Keith, has been a regular on the Brisbane comedy scene and his talents have previously seen him as a Finalist (2012) and Runner Up (2013) in the Queensland division of Australian’s biggest open mic comedy competition, Triple J’s Raw Comedy.  Keith’s arrival to the stage was facilitated via a fist bump with the MC, with Cheng confessing it’ll be the only time he gets to successfully punch a white guy.

Cheng pushes the envelope on taste with his self proclaimed “Terrible Jokes of The Night”, a title that says it all and garners gasps, chuckles and full out laughter from the audience.  A walk out at this point does not deter him, as he continues to make the audience laugh whilst attempting to engage with the disgruntled comedy punter and asking for tips.

Keith’s show combines self-deprecating humour, racial stereotyping, observations of his experience in the Australian dating scene as a Chinese male (ladies, he’s single) and the pinnacle of all humour, the dick joke.  Keith humourously tells stories of his own experiences with racism in Australia and stands defiantly in his belief that if you are going to be a racist, at least be an accurate racist.

Our tip for you?  Get a long and see what “No Tips For Keith Cheng” has to offer you.

Where: Caz Reitops Dirty Secrets (80 Smith Street, Collingwood)
When: April 16 – 8.15pm, April 19 – 7pm, April 20 – 8.15pm, April 23 – 8.15pm
More information & tickets: Check out the MICF website.

Photo: Smurphotography. 2017

WIN: Double passes to the 20th Spanish Film Festival

Published by

Thanks for your entries! Our competition is now closed

 

The Spanish Film Festival evokes reel inspiración with outstanding films from across Spain, exclusively at Palace Cinemas. Discover a charming array of Spanish films ready to tantalize, amuse and evoke. This year, the festival welcomes Australia’s most beloved Spaniard Miguel Maestre as its newest and cheekiest ambassador, who will be joining audiences for a flamenco sensation at the viewing of Sara Baras, All Her Voices. 

True spanish lovers can join in the fun, with 10 x Double passes up for grabs, valued at $30.00. Simply fill in your details to enter below. Terms and conditions are available here

Spanish Film Festival Competition Terms & Conditions

Published by

PRIVACY: We are committed to the privacy of your information. We do not, and will not, distribute, disclose or sell any of your personal information to third parties, other than as required by law or as necessary to process a payment.

By entering the contest, you agree to release the Competition Entities, Instagram and Facebook and Twitter from all responsibility or liability for damages, losses or injuries of any kind resulting from participation in the Competition or any prize-related activities, if any, or any awarding, possession, use and/or misuse of prize(s), if any, awarded herein. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. You are providing your information to ErdiGroup Hotel Collection and not to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

This competition is also in no way affiliated with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The Promoter is ErdiGroup Hotel Collection (ABN 58 328 593 784 & 50 693 006 965)  of 195 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000. Information on how to enter and prizes forms part of the terms of entry. Entry into the competition is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.

WHO CAN ENTER

This contest is open to all current or new subscribers to the We Know Melbourne Marketing Database (and any affiliates marketing databases) who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and live in Victoria.

Employees of ErdiGroup Hotel Collection (the Sponsor) its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and internet agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible. Immediate family includes the following: spouse, ex-spouse, defacto spouse, child or step child (whether natural or by adoption), parent, step parent, grandparent, step grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step brother, step sister or first cousin. Void where prohibited by law.

All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply to this competition. If you cannot or will not comply with these Official Rules, you should not participate in the competition.

By entering this competition, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in these Official Rules or the competitions itself. You also agree to be bound by all decisions of the Sponsor or its designees, whose decisions are final and binding.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older as at the date of entry in order to be eligible to enter the competition.

Entrants under 18 years of age must obtain the prior permission of their parent or legal guardian in order to be able to enter. If the competition winner is under 18 years of age, the prize will be awarded to the winner’s parent or legal guardian.

The Promoter reserves the right to request winners to provide proof of identity, proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address and/or proof of entry validity in order to claim a prize. Proof of identification, residency and entry considered suitable for verification is at the discretion of the Promoter. In the event that a winner cannot provide suitable proof, the winner will forfeit the prize in whole and no substitute will be offered.

HOW TO ENTER

Beginning April 12th 2017, 1.00pm EST follow the instructions to enter the competition by;

Becoming a new subscriber to receive We Know Melbourne (Erdigroup) electronic mail marketing communication;

WHEN TO ENTER

The competition commences on 12 April 2017 EST and concludes on 17 April 2017, 4PM EST. Entries must be received by the Promoter prior to the competition close date and time.

The time of entry will in each case be the time the online entry is received by the Promoter’s database, not at the time of transmission by the entrant.

The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any late, lost or misdirected entries not received by the Promoter or delays in the delivery of the SMS message due to technical disruptions, network congestion or for any other reason.

Entrants may enter as many times as they like, but only one prize will be awarded per person.

PRIZES ON OFFER

Prize # 1 – 10 Winners will receive 1 x Admit 2 Complimentary pass tickets valid at any festival session of their choice featured at the Spanish Film Festival. Valid to one session only, subject to availability. Valid even with ‘no free tickets’ listings. Not valid for Opening/Closing nights or any Special Events. Not transferable or redeemable for cash. Not valid public holidays.

It is a condition of accepting the prize that the winner must comply with all the conditions of use of the prize and the prize supplier’s requirements. It is the responsibility of the winner to confirm such conditions with the prize supplier or other relevant third parties.

In the event a winner does not collect the prize, then the entire prize will be forfeited by the winner and cash will not be awarded in lieu of the prize.

Note that the redemption of the prize is subject to availability.

Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name, photos and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation unless prohibited by law.

No substitution or transfer of prize by winner permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event that the advertised prize is unavailable. All applicable income taxes are the sole responsibility of winner.

By entering, entrants and their respective parents or legal guardians release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this competition or any prize won

DRAW AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNER

The prize winners will be the selected in accordance with these terms and conditions that is drawn by a representative of the hotel at 195 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria to be selected at random at the individual close date and time as listed on the competition landing page.

The Promoter’s decision is final and the Promoter will not enter into correspondence regarding the competition result or any other decisions the Promoter makes in connection with the Promotion.

The winner will be notified by telephone or email immediately. The winner may also be announced via the official @WeKnowMelbourne Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts

No purchase necessary. Buying will not help you win. Your chances of winning without making a purchase are the same as the chances of someone who purchases something. It is illegal to give any advantage to buyers in this competition.

Return of any prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

FURTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any attempt by an individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of this promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such individual to the fullest extent permitted by law. Promoter is not responsible for faulty, incorrect or mis-transcribed phone/e-mail transmissions, incorrect announcements of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind including any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit a user’s ability to participate in the promotion.

Promoter reserves the right to cancel or modify the promotion if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by Sponsor/judging agency/administrator, in their sole discretion. In the event of termination, a notice will be posted online and the competition will be conducted from among all eligible entries received prior to termination. Any damage made to the Site will be the responsibility of the authorised e-mail account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry.

Proof of submitting entries will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Promoter. Any entries which are suspected of being fraudulent (including those using robotic, automatic, programmed or similar methods of participation) will be disqualified, based on determinations made solely by Promoter. Promoter reserves the right to prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the account holder fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.

All entries become the property of The Promoter. All opt-in entries will be entered into a database and The Promoter may use the entrant’s names, addresses and telephone numbers for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes in any media worldwide without notice and without any fee being paid unless otherwise advised by the entrant. By opting-in, entrants confirm that they allow their details to be used for this purpose. If entrants no longer consent to their details being used for future marketing purposes, the entrant should contact The Promoter. Any request to update, modify or delete the entrant’s details should be directed to The Promoter.

The Promoter’s privacy policy can be viewed at http://www.theswanstonhotel.com.au/contact/privacy  To request access to, or to update, personal information the Promoter holds about them, entrants can contact the Erdigroup Privacy Officer at 195 Swanston St, Melbourne , VIC 3000 on (03) 8662 1301.

MICF Review: The Morning After

Published by

Last week we were invited to check out Evan Hocking’s 2017 Melbourne Comedy Festival Show – The Morning After, basically, his ode to the next day fear one experiences after only the largest of nights…., you know, the whole – ‘what have you done’ scenario.

The show started with some short banter with the audience and then we were transported to tropical Port Douglas, which made us first think of sea, great barrier reef.

However, a young man nicknamed “Buddha” (Evan Hocking), then walked us through the gradual piecing together of a big night out with friends and the ensuing consequences, with a remembered flashback to his Dad’s words “If you do something wrong, you have to pay the consequences”!

Interwoven with short snippets about his family, his education, his friends, society’s fascination with reality TV, his breakup with his long-term girlfriend and the culture of a small town in Port Douglas, Evan took us on a carefully crafted and compelling tale of alcohol-fuelled misadventure.

What the hell happened last night?

Evan’s gentle, self-deprecating humor and hilarious narrative cleverly drew us in. His show “The Morning After” is one you wont want to miss.

Evan will be preforming on Sunday 16th and Sunday 23rd April @ Hotel Barkly at 5.30pm time slot. So, don’t miss out as it is an amazing way to end the weekend.

4-stars.

Where: Hotel Barkly (Basement), 109 Barkly Street, St Kilda
When: 16 & 23 April, 5.30pm
More information & tickets: Check out the MICF website.

 

MICF Review: Self Sabotage

Published by

Last week we checked out up-and-coming comedian, George Dimarelos in his Melbourne Comedy Festival stand up show – Self Sabotage, at the Bull and Bear Tavern.

Self Sabotage weaves in and out of various tales and recollections throughout George’s life when, essentially, he stuffed things up for himself.  Though simplistic to describe, the stories are fun, and told in a warm, self-effacing manner through which you can’t help but be drawn in, as the story comes to life in front of you. He sure can paint a picture with his words.

George has a super high energy execution, which he maintained for the entire performance, leaving literally no opportunity to tune out, a real sign of an interesting, engaging and entertaining show.

Our highlight, was his musical evolution portrayal of picking up girls, from the 1950’s through to a very intense modern day interpretation of chatting up in a nightclub, which is pretty much burned into our memory. My how times have changed.

Audience engagement in this show is continuous but not uncomfortable, more like a friendly chat amongst friends, no sweaty brows and avoided eye contact here.

We had a quick chat to George after the show and he confirmed all of his stories are all true, which supports that old saying, that ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ (or in this case, funnier).

We highly encourage everyone to support local performers like George at smaller Festival shows, they are affordable, offer excellent value and in a few year’s time, when you see them on TV, you can always say you ‘saw them before they got big!’

4-stars. Get along to see this show before it wraps up at the end of the Festival.

Where:  The Bull and Bear Tavern, 347 Flinders Lane
When: Wednesday – Mondays until 23 April, 6.30pm
More information & tickets: Check out the MICF website.

MICF Review: Coloured Aliens

Published by

Coloured Aliens is a short insight into the interracial relationship between two main characters, Mai Nguyen a struggling female Vietnamese-Australian playwrite and Kevin, her white, western boyfriend, a security guard who grew up in the rough areas of Melbourne.

Each role is ironically played by a western woman (Mai) – Melbourne-based performer Annie Lumsden, and Kevin, by Asia-Australian John Marc Desengano, a quirky twist which works to lighten some of the heavy content of the piece.

The chemistry between the two characters was easy, warm and believable.
Mai, the main character was narcissistic, self-absorbed, irritating and difficult to like – the kind of character that has a chip on their shoulder, who holds onto the sins of forefathers past and thus cripples themselves with blinkers, unable to embrace the positive around them. This, thankfully was balanced with Kevin’s sweeter, more simplistic nature.

Though the intelligent insights, cleverly disguised as witty banter between two lovers were aimed to re-educate western audience members, we felt a little uncomfortable and guilty, for no reason which made the experience a little wearing.

Created by established writer / producer Chi Vu, Colored Aliens is meant to be a lighthearted look at casual and reverse racism in Australian society, but as an entertainment piece, perhaps went just a little too far, unbalancing the to the to-and fro perceptions, making the audience shift uncomfortably in their seats.

Needless to say, this subject matter definitely hit nerves, and made the audience think about how the protagonist felt, through her own eyes.

An interesting, intelligent piece, executed with passion by two brilliant actors, not exactly funny, but well written, thought provoking filled, with metaphors and the odd pho pun.

3-stars.

Where: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton
When: Wed 6.30pm | Thu, Fri, Sat 7.30pm | Sun 4pm – 6-16 April 2017
More information / tickets: Check out the La Mama website.