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Best of Hull Comedy

A review by Andy Hampel, one half of comedy double-act B13

"Just two weeks ago I was here writing about the success of the Hull Comedy Festival curtain raiser The Burlesque Trifle.  I’m now in another extremely privileged position to have been involved in one of the end of festival shows.

I say a privileged position, because all of the six acts on the bill would have been quite capable of filling a room in their own headlining shows.  But instead despite our raising status in various guises locally and nationally we performed together as we did in the first festival, as we did last year, and as I strongly suspect we will next year.

Our show opened with a very special un-billed guest Mr Rich Jackson all the way from New York.  Rich is a larger than life performer on cable in the US with his improve group The Nat Turner Review.  He didn’t seem out of place in a best of Hull Show with his use of audience members and no holds barred say what you mean attitude. 

Rich raised the bar for the night, but it was soon lowered again by recently resurrected 80’s double act Wood n Hart.  I jest of course, if anyone has seen Wood n Hart then you will know that they specialise in corny old jokes many of which are listed, and therefore can’t be changed.  And why should they – their innuendo and catchphrases sent waves of laughter through the room, and they did a top job of keeping the show together.

Sam Jones gave one of the slickest performances ever with an ever growing audience to laugh at his cleverly crafted songs.  On the edge humour and kitchen sink surrealism made Sam’s quirky world strangely accessible.  Sam Jones is an honourable gentleman and a very fun one at that.

B13 closed the first half with a fast paced mixture of slapstick, multimedia, puppets and sci fi from at least nine of their characters.  All the more fantastic as B13’s Andy and Sean played them all with enthusiasm and energy and a sense of fun which truly reflected the first half of the show.  Sean and Andy readily admit that their main aim is to make each  other laugh, but happily they infected the rest of the room in much the same way.

Andy Train opened act two with a set which managed to be cheeky with the audience whilst still making you feel warm and looked after.  Andy was iconic in his presence and called on his many experiences from being a nurse to being a living statue.

Andy ended his set with his signature swallowing a balloon trick, and coined a new catch phrase in “It won’t go down!”.  Andy got the crowd going read for the final piece of the night – Scarlet Lights five star Edinburgh Festival show – Retail is Detail.  Set in the world of a Hull supermarket, there was a familiar character, situation or feeling around every corner so well played by the girls, that it was amazing to think there where only five of them.

To end as I started, I have had the pleasure of already seeing Retail is Detail a couple of times previously so reviled in the audience reaction to the various jokes and situations, the biggest reactions however came from Mr Rich Jackson proving that English and American humour does travel, and that the Hull Comedy Festival has become more than just a local event.

For the past couple of years we have used the selling point of seeing us while you can before the rest of the world gets us.  However over the last three years between us we have been on BBC 1, 2 and 3, The Edinburgh fringe festival, and the Edinburgh Film Festival BUT consider The Hull Comedy Festival to be home, a chance to celebrate. 

Next year we won’t perform in the Best of Hull show because we’re on our way up, but because we love Hull and the comedy festival.  It’s our duty to keep the city laughing."

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