Review: Matchbox Comedy, Lantern Theatre, Liverpool

Pictured: Matchbox Comedy compere Alastair Clark.

Liverpool’s new alternative comedy club night Matchbox Comedy kicked off with a fantastic February show featuring a wonderfully diverse platter of acts: one-liners, storytelling – even clowning.

This was a brilliant opening night, despite a difficult moment with a persistent heckler, which MC Alastair Clark admirably managed to save.

The fabulously surreal Liverpool-based Liam Bolton headlined the gig, with a collection of very funny trademark one-man sketches and bizarre, awkward anecdotes. Bolton’s uncertain stage presence is a joy to behold, and something that inexplicably includes the audience in his comedy.

Sam Freeman’s low-key, very smartly funny storytelling – accompanied by a loop track – was a wonderful nugget of the night. His is beautifully written material, almost in Ben Moor-style; definitely worth catching again if you can.

Though the highlight of Matchbox leans towards Becky Webb, whose fabulously funny silent physical comedy is something you don’t see in every comedy club – so bear Matchbox Comedy in mind if you’re looking for something you can’t see anywhere else in Liverpool.

Matchbox is definitely going to be a key player in Liverpool’s contribution to alternative comedy – the Lantern Theatre is a beautiful venue, giving a platform to a really fabulously different variety of comics.

Liverpool has been lacking any kind of alternative comedy outlet; certainly it’s being lacking anything like Matchbox.

This is another case of use it or lose it – the organisers of Matchbox, Frances Greenfield and Alastair Clark, are completely devoted to bringing the best comedy acts, and the acts they love watching, to Liverpool: so every comedian comes highly recommended.

You can find more information about Matchbox Comedy on their website or through Twitter. The next show, on 11 March, features BBC Radio New Comedy Award winner 2013 Steve Bugeja and the intensely funny Sam & Tom.