Ruled the room… Sara PascoeReview: Knock Knock Comedy Presents Sara Pascoe
Venue: The Post Office Club, York, April 4
I have not attended a Knock Knock Comedy event before, although I have heard good things, both about the venue and the line-ups.
First up was our MC for the night, local legend James Christopher, who kicked off proceedings in his own inimitable style. He made us chuckle while welcoming us, and introduced the opening act, Richard Massara, with a fairly obvious, but very fun “knock knock” joke.
Massara, simply put, was excellent. He brings a confident swagger and a level of filth that should be off-putting, but skewers it nicely with a self-deprecating routine poking fun at his own ineptitude.
After a short beer break we had two more performers, Al McWilliam and Fern Brady. McWilliam treads a fine line between offensive and charming, especially when talking about his children, but on this night his hang-dog persona won out, drawing hefty chuckles from the whole room.
Fern Brady is a transplant from central Scotland who I couldn’t help warming to, a lovely line in misanthropy and some very sharp material. So far, so good!
Upon welcoming us back from a break, the promoter took to the stage very briefly, apologised for doing so and then thanked us for coming, and supporting the night. A nice personal touch, this club seems to be a labour of love for everyone involved.
It was then time for us to be joined by the headliner, Sara Pascoe. Pascoe has been steadily making the breakthrough into TV over the last six months, with appearances on Live At The Apollo and a regular spot on Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week.
Smaller than I was expecting, but charismatic and endearing, Pascoe seemed relaxed and confident. After performing on live TV every week, it must be nice to be at a smaller scale gig in front of a welcoming audience. The entire room warmed to Pascoe’s particular brand of whimsy, I look forward to seeing her again.
Knock Knock Comedy have some excellent shows lined up, and on the basis of this night, has a very bright future. Coming in at only £5, they seem to be by far the best value comedy night in York and if they can continue along these lines, I will be there every month.
