Cat Laughs 2010

Miguel_Sanchez

Anyone head down to Kilkenny for this year's Cat Laughs?

I only caught one gig myself - Simon Amstell, Rich Hall and Mike Wilmot on Friday - Maeve Higgins was MCing.

Rich Hall was good although I got the feeling he was trying out a lot of new stuff so it was a bit rough around the edges.

I was a bit worried that Simon Amstell would be no great shakes after reading the review of him in the Irish Times during the week but he was excellent. Quality stuff with excellent delivery throughout - really got the whole (tiny) room behind him.

Mike Wilmot was dreadful though. Now I hear tell that this guy is supposed to be good but everything about his act on Friday smacked of desperation - delivery awful, gags (when there was some) falling flat, getting angry with the audience when they refused to play along with him. Just a complete mess from start to finish. Did anyone else see him during the weekend? Was he just having a bad show on Friday or is he always that crap?

So what were the highs/lows out of the rest of the weekend?

i57dwun4yb1pt8

just back from it

meave higgins should be shot to death with her own faeces - she is not a comedianshes a fcuking moron - a very very unfunny ****ing moron

simon amstell = rubbish , absolute cack .

aidan bishop - a big fcuking meh


daragh o briain , andrew maxwell, rich hall, jason byrne , and the pyjama men - all great .

des bishop werent bad .


the finale last night was brutal for the most part.

Miguel_Sanchez

DaDumTish wrote: »

simon amstell = rubbish , absolute cack .

....the finale last night was brutal for the most part.

What night did you see Simon Amstell on? I saw him back to back with Rich Hall and I thought he was better.

Who was at the finale - that's the Goodnight Cats gig isn't it? Heard it can be a bit hit-and-miss alright.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

i saw him sat night , he was last after meave higgins -

to be honest he had no chance anyway - as she killed the whole vibe with her amateur waste of time 'act'

the closing gig - was karl spain and some ok dude with playing tunes on large mouth organs - and various drop ins - pyjama men were the best followed by maxwell - rest was dreadful.


im pissed i didnt see rich hall .

fascination

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

I was a bit worried that Simon Amstell would be no great shakes after reading the review of him in the Irish Times during the week but he was excellent. Quality stuff with excellent delivery throughout - really got the whole (tiny) room behind him.

I was worried same as yourself but thought he was the best I saw all weekend. Love his style!! Saw him on Friday with Neil Delamere, Fred Cooke (MC) and Jason Byrne all of who were pretty solid.

Saw Mike Wilmot on Saturday with Sarah Millican, John Lynn and Dermot Whelan (MC). No one really stood out for me here. Mike Wimot's stuff can be pretty cringe-inducing and I think I was laughing more at people's reactions than anything else.

I went to the treasure hunt on the Saturday and that was good value for a tenner. Had a chat with a few of the comedians who were the 'answers' to the clues en route. The gig at the end featured Andrew Stanley, Fred Cooke (unfortunately some material was the same as night before but that's understandable), Neil Hickey, Damian Clarke and someone with a horse mask!! He totally crashed and burned...still wondering who it was! Free biccies at the end too!

underpants

I went to see Karl Spain, Jarlath Regan, Arj Barker and Jon richardson on Friday night.

It was terrible!! And the place must have been over half empty.
Karl Spain was hosting and seemed a bit uncomfortable in the role. Maybe nerves but he wasn't able to relax and the comedy was forced and awkward because of it.
I seen Jarlath Regan in Dublin last October and he used 95% of the exact same material! I expect there may be some overlap but for a comedy festival it's probably best not to regurgetate the same jokes you were using last year!
Arj Barker looked like he was half locked and had a touch of the old red eye although he still looked like he was wanted to curl up and go asleep! He talked a bit with a few jokes here and there. When his time was up he just carried on talking! I wouldnt have minded but he just wasnt funny.
Jon Richardson was easily the best of that show. very funny! Although I think at that stage anything would have been funny! Just a pity he was ending the show.
Overall it was very disappointing.

sNarah

We went to see the show on the saturdaynight

Rich Hall was deadly I thought, very funny, the room loved him.

Simon Amstell... Meh... fair enough yes, he was funny but I felt mroe sorry for him than anything else - which is not a good feeling to have for a standup comedian, as his stories were just a bit bitter...

Damien Clarke was MC-ing, had never heard of him before, Ozzy bloke and we both thought he was funny enough albeit a bit rough on the egdes.

Finally Andrew Maxwell... who was "performing" also... what to say...

1 - we met him on the street on the way to the venue ... he was steaming drunk. He was wearing white shorts, a white jacket, an Einstein wig and a stuffed hen. He was asking people to "stroke his cock" (i.e. the stuffed hen). Two girls were supporting him to walk...

2 - We had a wee chat with him and me and the BF escorted him into the Killford Arms - again - still with Andrew asking people to stroke to hen

3 - We went into the venue and Andrew kept walking from one place to the other, chatting to people, playing funny games with the security staff etc

4 - When he came on (he was last) - I thought he did very well, considering the state he was in. He was funny although he wasn't doing a routine as such, rather so adressing the audience in a strange drunk monologue. The audience didnt seem to mind and reacted very well.
(Rich Hall stood watching him with frowns over at the bar )

One of the girls in work sister went to see Andrew on sunday and said most of the audience left the venue because of a lack of performance and jokes on the edge of acceptable behaviour.

2 sidenotes on Andrew's performance:

1 - I had great fun watching him, was slighty "Oh my, I talked to a 'celeb' after chatting to him and the audience loved him. So no complaints over him showing up loaded before performing.

2 - On the other hand - all the people in the venue PAID to come and see him, and on that level I find it is completely unacceptable for a professional stand up comedian to show up for a gig steaming drunk and acting the maggot.

Any thaughts on this matter?

This seems to be a recurring issue with Mr Maxwell,I can't stand 90% of his material or even his stand up style so watching him get laughs whilst making a bit of a tool out of himself drunk,seems like it could be a laugh.

He turned up on the Opie and Anthony radio show last Paddys day,still awake from the night before after taking ecstacy,he talked complete crap for about an hour,most of his jokes bombed and then he finally decided to walk out,because he felt unwelcome..easily the funniest I've ever heard him

Here's an off air clip from the show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSwi513Mj44