There were canapés, there were drinks and there were three awesome comedians; The Swanston Hotel put on the perfect night at their downstairs lounge at this year’s comedy fest. MC Mike Klimczak runs the venue and has just casually invited three of his comedian friends down to help him out for the evening; it’s difficult not to be jealous that he’s got these three acts in his phonebook. But the whole evening does have this lovely laid back feel to it; it’s their last day off before the final week of the fest, the calm before the storm perhaps! Either way the atmosphere is great for a night of chilled comedy. Claire Hooper has just had her second baby, is doing a solo show at MICF and came along on the 11th; she’s an all-round superwoman. The whole set feels like she’s just riffing off of what the audience give her. Hooper’s maternal instincts kick in when she spots a 14 year old girl in the second row with her parents. Her Mum looked particularly …

You either love stand up comedy or you don’t. It’s that harshly critiqued genre where the person on stage goes home with either the roars of audience laughter in their ears… or the sound of tumble weeds, crickets and broken dreams…. No pressure. These guys were funny. Genuinely funny. But you literally couldn’t find two more different blokes, and I think that was what worked so well.  First to take the stage was David (Private) Boyle. Full of traditional Australian humor, the crowd were really into his act and laughed the whole way through. David is high energy and enthusiasm with the usual twisted perception on real life which people go to stand up nights to hear.  And then came Miles Milson. A completely different kettle of fish. He had the kind of chilled, ‘off-on-a-tangent’ humor you and your best mate would laugh your heads off at 2am after a big night. Real dark, random humor. Which after all, is the best kind. A fun way to finish the show, I’ll definitely never look at …

Poking fun at ‘bros before hoes’ culture, and unfairly branded ‘crazy girls,’ This is an Excuse is live sketch comedy for the ladies who’ve been there, and done that. Pretty much any woman you know has a bad relationship story, these witty women take that next level, turn it on it’s head, polish it up and make you laugh in it’s face. From the differing views of Cupid and Psyche, to the fiery condemnations of the Devils Advocate, we found it fast paced and enthralling throughout. The show was a super fun girl’s night out with sharp and intelligent humor, relatable jokes and a relaxed vibe – the packed out audience loved it. We roared with laughter throughout, especially when hit with those ‘oh my gosh, that has totally happened to me’ bits. Hayward and Hadid: This is an Excuse runs as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until 17 April. Get along and see it in it’s final days and support our local talent. P.S  – These guys post daily ticket offers on their Facebook page, …

“A straight, white male doing a comedy show, that’s novel”(!) Paul Culliver might be a middle-class man, but don’t worry you haven’t walked into some terrifying Men’s Rights Activism lecture masquerading as a comedy show. Culliver is super aware of his privilege; in fact he’s even invented a scale to determine just how privileged he is. (It’s 17 doors by the way). With his cheeky, chappy nature he can talk about race, feminism and politics, and the combination works. Culliver seems to have an endless supply of intelligent, quipping lines. The show never feels scripted; just one hilarious stream of consciousness, making his ability to be so quick witted all the more impressive. He doesn’t get it quite right all the time; you can feel bits of the room tense up during certain sections of his stand-up. But in fairness he does go back and correct himself when he can feel this happening, Culliver says he “really doesn’t want to be a shit head in this show”, and he definitely doesn’t come off like that. …

We Know Melbourne were invited along to see comedian James Rankin share with us, exactly what it takes to ‘Be a Man’ at his aptly named Melbourne International Comedy Festival show. During his hour-long one-man show, we were regaled with entertaining tales of his youth (including a wildly inappropriate but hilarious story about teddy bears), interesting insights into growing up with Jehovah’s Witness parents, school stories, girls stories and a bunch of other recollections and life observations which helped shape him, as the man he is today. Unlike some comedians who rely very heavily on dark humour, James’s content was light and easy to follow. The audience were kept laughing constantly, particularly when met with relatable experiences (which was often) and you could tell everyone was having a blast – hanging on his every word. We could literally just sit back and enjoy the show for an hour without fear of audience participation (perfect for the introverts in the crowd), and walk away with a spring in our step. A light, entertaining and fun show, for boys and girls alike. Be …