I was lucky enough to the invited to a few Fringe World Festival events, first up two stand-up comedy shows. The first night of a festival can always be hard as the final kinks get ironed out, so what would it be like?

Best of the Fringe: Comedy Superstars

Held at Rosie O’Grady’s Comedy Hub, I must start by saying a huge thank you to the staff who helped secure my transport and escort me through the back way into the lounge. Inside, the room was the perfect intimate size for stand-up and the coloured lights helped cement the party mood.

It’s always a good idea to attend a “Best Of” show at the beginning of a festival. The evening provides a snippet of what’s to come, which helps you decide where to invest your money. O’Grady’s will be running a series of these nights with the acts changing each week. You could just go to each of these shows and not bother with the full shows. However, from what I saw last night several of the acts will be seeing my face again in their audience.

Simon Taylor launched on stage as MC and instantly set about expertly working the enthusiastic audience, whilst providing insights into his own musings about Australian life. He set the perfect tone for the evening.

Sam Kissajukian continued the exploration of Australian culture, from Fremantle hipsters to black market gold stars and sleeping positions.

The two female comedians Rose Callaghan and Sarah, or is it Eleanor Conway, showed that stand-up comedy is not just a male domain. Callaghan delighted us with the ‘hotness’ exchange rate between French and Australian men. Meanwhile Conway was on a roll having just finished her show Walk Of Shame. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Conway for moving my online stalking to a higher level.

Rounding out the night was Brett Blake. Festooned in his quintessentially Australian mullet, he proved to be both a bogan and a genius, which is handy given it’s the name of his show.

While I’d love to catch all their shows my time is limited, as I’m already booked for ten more events. So, if I had to really narrow it down I’d say Simon Taylor and Brett Blake.

Venue: Rosie O’Grady’s: 18+ years venue. Cost: $18 to $25 Rating: M occasional course language. Duration: 60 minutes. Disabled accessible For dates and tickets go to https://fringeworld.com.au/

Two Englishmen and an Aussie

Earlier that night I started off at the Aberdeen Hotel. Again, thanks go out to the staff for looking after my transport.

With a similar sized audience, but in a larger venue, the feeling of intimacy was lost a little. This combined with the earlier start meant the audience was less primed and the comedians had to work harder. None the less they did a great job, especially with a tricky sound issue for those seated up the back. No doubt these issues will have already been ironed out.

The line-up featured Englishman Christian Elderfield who has devised an intriguing way of tricking his computer into thinking it’s still back home, thereby allowing him to watch BBC programs. Elderfield was followed by true blue middle-aged Aussie Mick, who had an entirely different take on ball tampering and motivational speaking. Last up Terry North who introduced us to hipster rats and outdoor toilets. Incidentally North was also running the comedy venue, a busy man indeed.

Venue: Aberdeen Hotel: 18+ years venue. Cost: $20 full price. Rating: PG occasional course language. Duration: 60 minutes. Disabled accessible. For dates and tickets go to https://fringeworld.com.au/