Review: Laugh Local, Chorlton Irish Club, Manchester

Chorlton’s Laugh Local kicked off 2015 – and its third year – with a brilliant night of comedy at the Irish Club on Friday.

The brain/love-child of Justin Moorhouse and regular club night Bop Local, Laugh Local is Chorlton’s fabulous flag planted on the Manchester comedy circuit, boasting brilliant line-ups and a friendly, comedy-savvy atmosphere – plus pasties. Actual pasties. Everything about Laugh Local is a win.

The monthly club night’s first show of the New Year featured the fantastic Dan Nightingale, an absolutely rock-solid MC and very funny comedian. A regular at Manchester’s Frog and Bucket, as well as Manford’s Comedy Club, Nightingale is a great comic and one worth seeking out. (He’ll be headlining at XS Malarkey in May, to give you all a very early heads-up.)

Laugh Local made it into the Manchester Evening News’ Top Five Comedy Clubs of 2014 (placing it in the company of the likes of XS Malarkey and Sham Bodie) and with very good reason. It’s a warm, welcoming and wildly entertaining night out with consistently great line-ups.

One great thing about Laugh Local is its mix of completely different acts: from a wonderfully deadpan, almost menacingly charismatic routine from Roger Monkhouse to the incessantly warm likability of Daliso Chaponda – and a great set from Sally-Anne Hayward.

Laugh Local is at Chorlton Irish Club on the first Friday of every month. The next show is on Friday 6 February, featuring Phil Ellis, Mick Ferry, Laura Lexx and Eddie Brimson (and pasties, presumably). For more information check out their Facebook page.