XS Malarkey Welcomes Josie Long To Manchester

Josie Long

XS Malarkey is one of my most beloved Manchester venues. There’s no point me listing all the now-famous comedians who have played here because they all will have done at some point in their careers. XS has run at various venues over the years but has only very recently moved. It was once at Remedy’s in Fallowfield but has since moved over the road to Queen of Hearts due to Remedy’s closing its doors for good. Fallowfield is the student epicentre of Manchester, a bustling cluster of kebab shops and bars, and it is here where XS has been making its mark.

As I turned up at the club there was already a queue of over a dozen bohemian-looking student types, no doubt both Fallowfield and Josie Long pull similar audiences – it was also a mere £3 entrance fee, which I think for an Edinburgh award nominated show isn’t too shabby. The drinks are also far from expensive with bar food also available. Queen of Hearts is an old church which has since been renovated into a gothic, yet oddly modern, student bar. It’s a really interesting place to watch comedy, especially with the tall ceilings and the stain-glass windows. The room definitely works for comedy, the stage is raised and well-lit whilst the room is long with plenty of seats and areas to stand. There’s also an added bonus if you’re performing as the giant balcony is used as an extra-spacey green room.

As for the show, at about 8.20 Josie Long bounced onto stage with her charismatically cheery yet mischievous persona at hand. She truly has a fantastic energy which she amusingly uses to tell the story of how she almost died, a story which is both baffling and hilarious in equal measure. With the audience sufficiently warmed up she introduced her support act; Nathaniel Metcalfe, a brilliant act with some strong, dry yet surreal observations. Thoroughly enjoyable. There was a quick break and then Josie returned to do a full-run of her show Be Honourable.

The show was fantastic – like a lot of Josie’s stand-up it rotates around the small, enjoyable details of life which she shares with great enthusiasm. The best thing about Josie is that she’s clearly a lovely human being who’s very good at making a whole room feel warm and fuzzy inside. She floods the room with whimsy and happiness before descending into a densely-political routine about why she dislikes the government. However, what Josie does here is instead of ranting at us she maintains a sense of fun which dilutes the material to make it enjoyable yet poignant. Josie uses drawings, slide shows and general excitement to make a heart-warming show which presents the ups and downs of life with an optimistic and successful moral message.

However, I feel bad reviewing acts when I’m a comedian myself. Therefore, for me, the real star of the show is XS Malarkey. It’s lovely to see a niche show touring in such a welcoming atmosphere, and this is what XS does for the North-West comedy scene. XS facilitates a venue for the more colourful acts the circuit has to offer, presenting top-class line-ups weekly and for a fraction of the price at The Frog and Bucket or The Comedy Store. It also gets more interesting acts than the circuit regulars you’d get at normal clubs. With that in mind, XS is very much a comedy club for the comedy connoisseur. The acts here are never boring, never typical but they are always professional, interesting and above all else entertaining. XS Malarkey is for those who prefer their Stewart Lee to their Michael McIntyre.