0-Die : 1-Cr@p : 2-Watchable : 3-OK : 3.5-Nice : 3.75-Cool : 4-Good : 4.5-Very Good : 5-WOW
Legend : T=ticket : F=coffee/food : C=Commute, ie, public transport/car($2/10km)
Summery lists :- TV Movies - Cinema Movies - Band List(600-ish)
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I'm the SIA of comedy watching, ie, I don't want to be famous, so please don't doxx me photo-wise or I'll cry - lol -, ie, I would prefer not to have photos posted. Thanks.
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NEWS :-
I wouldn't recommend the Pixel 6 for this kind-of thing, ie, low light with zoom. I don't think the Marques Brownlee's low light test was done with any zoom, because my pics end up grainy. And when I looked it up I found another guy complaining about grainy pis as well. I tried an old Pixel 4a - the budget line -, and its' pics are fine in low light and can focus fast. I would say the 4a is better than the 3XL and 6XL in photo quality, it's just that it doesn't have much zoom(7x).
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11.03.25 : Spaghetti Tit Live : The Lady Hampshire(Camperdown)
I've pretty much seen everyone before so only went because David Correos was on, and it was worth it because he was the funniest. It was ok. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3] [T-$15 + F-$11 + C-$6]
PS: This is how F-ed things are now, like they introduce Annie and I'm thinking it will be good because of her lateral punchlines, but then I find it not as funny as I expected because I just saw her a couple of days ago and was remembering faster than she was talking. It's the same with Ben Kochan, ie, not as good as I remember because I've seen him something like 5 times in 2 weeks. And that's why these musings are total trash and shouldn't be read, ie, they are biased by emotions.
Danielle Walker(MC), Fran Middleton, Annie Boyle, Jackson Stewart,
David Correos.jpg)
10.03.25 : Comedy Night @ Taffy's Bar (April) : Taffy's Bar(Neutral Bay)
Everything is so same same I went somewhere else, the problem is the comics are the same same, and the venue isn't new - lol -. I was thinking of going to Enmore Comedy Club but decided against it because I just saw David Smiedt a few days ago, then Cameron James gets sick and I get David Smiedt anyway - lol -. Luckily he always makes a room LOL, and because there is so many people here all that extra laughing makes it feel like it's not a repeat at all. The 3 supports were good, it's just the crowd didn't laugh that much even though they listened intently and hung on every word, ie, liked it. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$20 + F-$10 + C-$6]
Marty Bright(MC), Laura Hughes, Bonnie Tangey, Shash Kapoor, Cameron James, David Smiedt.jpg)
10.03.25 : Spit - movie
M : Comedy - Crime - Drama : Ex-con returns to Australia after 20 years, gets detained. He faces old enemies, makes new friends in detention, and teaches his version of Australian mateship while staying ahead.
It's amusing in places, which is about the best you can get from an Australian comedy, ie, never seen a LOL OZ-Com - lol -. It's not earth shattering, but there is enough that I didn't get bored. I was thinking 3 during most of it, but by the end it felt a touch lower than that. [2.75] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$0]
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09.03.25 : Knock Knock at The Troc : The Trocadero Room(Enmore)
It was fine, it's just that some of the big names posted pulled out - I found out the next day Cameron James was sick, but I don't know about Jacques Barrett -. One good thing was that we got a new MC with Cameron Duggan - Sam can't write fast enough for the amount of times I see him. lol -, and he's been very good lately, ie, more material and no more attacking crowds - lol -. Imaan was also good, but then again he always is. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$13 + F-$17 + C-$6]
Cameron Duggan(MC), Imaan Hadchiti, Lauren Bonner, Dave Henning,
Freddie McManus, Eden McGovern, Michael Cho, Dahn Rozario.jpg)
08.03.25 : Friendlyjordies Presents: Alien Hunter : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
When I saw 14.02.23 : Friendlyjordies - A Call To Neck Beards(Trial) : Carousel Bar(Darlinghurst) I thought it was so good I was thinking of throwing another $50 in and seeing it again. So when this turned up I was also thinking of doing the expensive $50 when this trial turned up, and it looks like a dodged a $50 bullet because it wasn't good. I don't know much about Friendlyjordies other than his last show, but I was wondering why Jordan would do something as flaky as aliens when he just did a factual historical based show, but then I remember he's friends with the Youtube channel Boy Boy and I Did a Thing, and they got detained by the AFP when they tried to visit the US military surveillance site Pine Gap in Australia. As for the show, at the start it looked like he was mocking conspiracy theorists, but as it went along it started citing with the CTs, and that's kind-of where he lost the audience, ie, they went silent. Basically everyone was so stoked to see Friendlyjordies everyone was chatty and laughing at the start, but by halfway the crowd went very silent. You know how in the West we know too much so that we turn away from anyone spouting rubbish like religion or CTs, well I think that's what happened, ie, everyone was thinking to themselves this is far fetched rubbish. As a person of science it was all gobbledygook, and maybe the crowd did also. Either that or it just wasn't funny, which is pretty normal if you have to be forced to listen to CTs - lol -. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 2] [T-$32 + F-$4 + C-$6].jpg)
07.03.25 : Coogee Diggers Comedy Club : Coogee Diggers Club and Gym
Simon Taylor smashed, Annie's lateral punchlines are exceptional because they make you think, and everyone else was good. Probably the audience was a bit of a let down, but not during the jokes because they laughed a lot, but just their applause, ie, it should've been stronger based on the amount they were laughing. Good. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 4] [T-$25 + F-$10 + C-$6]
David Smiedt(MC), Andrew Hastings, Gerard McGowan, Annie Boyle,
Simon Taylor, Chris Radburn, Cam Knight.jpg)
07.03.25 : Mickey 17 - movie
M : Sci-Fi - Comedy : Mickey 17, known as an "expendable," goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet.
I was looking forward to this film because it looked like a weird concept that would be fun, like Edge of Tomorrow (2014), but it was just a one dimension film only based on an unusual concept, ie, it wasn't fun nor funny. Even the end was kind-of meh. Basically in Asian films someone comes up with a far-fetched idea, and if you are not 100% invested in the film the idea feels corny, well that's what the end solution felt like. It's ok, it's just that I didn't find it new or clever. [2.75] [T-$10 + F-$4 + C-$0]
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05.03.25 : Stand OUT Comedy Club : The Chippo Hotel(Chippendale)
It was good, it's just that I don't know what happened because I left early. [Crowd : na - Me : na] [T-$22 + F-$4 + C$7]
PS: got told off for laughing so I left at the break - if I'm spoiling the show I don't want to be there -.
Reece Boyall(MC), Dan Rath, Sam Bowden,
Bonny Tangey, Tom Witcombe, Kathryn Mae Thomas?.jpg)
04.03.25 : Arcade Comedy Club - Tuesdays : Arcade Bar Sydney
There wasn't much choice with this one, like it would've been 3 times in 2 days of Barney at the Running Joke or 3x2days of Anisa Nandaula at Enmore Comedy Club, so I went with the one that might be different, and it was. Even though this is a tough crowd room, at least I had enough $s left from Skinner's crazy $75 gift voucher that it didn't cost anything if it wasn't great - lol -. So I'm sitting there not expecting much, but this time the crowd actually made noise and that made enough of a difference that the whole night was good. This is not a problem for most crowds because most in the audience are one-offs, but I have the problem that I see so much comedy that people who I thought were good now fade away because of the many repeat jokes, ie, the surprise level decreases when you know the gags. But in this one there was a lot of new comics that were quite decent, and because they are new they standout more than their skill level simply because it's new and fresh. I liked it, and probably should've paid for this one - lol -. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$13 + C$3].jpg)
04.03.25 : NSW Seniors Festival Comedy Show 2025 - Sydney Town Hall
The big difference between this show and yesterday's was that this crowd actually laughed, and that made this show better. There was still a lady next to me that was laughing without noise - lol -, but there was many more that actually laughed-out-loud. You would think Barney and Anisa twice in two days would be bad, but they were actually very good again. Gary was FIRE, with Rebecca D getting even more applause - I was quite surprised how this older set got the concept of Impro and worked out everything that was going on, ie, a Shakespeare play using an audience couple's answers to questions. Simon and Barney also got high laughs. Super show. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 4.25] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Andrew Barnett(MC), Gary Eck, Anisa Nandaula, Rebecca De Unamuno,
Bec Melrose, Simon Kennedy, Tommy Dean.jpg)
03.03.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
Unfortunately only 9 people turned up, but what was worse is they didn't laugh. Even I had trouble because of the ded room and I know most of the gags. The highlights was the Hammo grabbing the show by the throat and shaking the laughs out of the crowd, and Nikki that was quite new to me and fresh, ie, I didn't know her stuff - I'm terrible with faces, but is that Hammo's GF. lol -. The whole show had the vibe of regulars knowing the jokes, so they smile instead of laughing. You can't win them all. [Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3] [T-$0 + F-$14 + C-$3]
Danielle Walker, Luka Muller, Nikki Justice, Andrew Hamilton, Dan Rath.jpg)
03.03.25 : Penrith Seniors Festival - Comedy Gala : The Joan - Penrith Performing & Visual Arts
This was a very old demographic, and they don't make much noise. I guess it's years of oppression of being beaten as a kid that they learnt not to make noise - lol -. One lady would turn to the isle and make the face of laughing, but without any noise coming out - lol -. Either way, I though it was exceptional. Anisa was clever. Barney and Sean Woodland rejigged their routines for the older demographic - it made it feel new-ish -, and Sean even had a new bit - lol -. And Laura had new baby stuff that was good. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 4] [T-$0 + F-$0 + C-$6]
Anisa Nandaula(MC), Andrew Barnett, Laura Hughes, Sean Woodland.jpg)
02.03.25 : Robot Royale 3 : UNSW(Kensington)
It wasn't as big as last time, and there wasn't as many fun high-powered robots. Basically the last time was a Maker day with solar boat and car racing, but this was more a small robot club event, ie, you have to be hardcore because there was nothing else to keep you occupied during the breaks. There was 2 classes:- non-destructive with plastic weapons, ie, not many spinning weapons because blades made of plastic aren't strong, and destructive with metal weapons, which there weren't many. It's ok if you are competing, ie, it's your thing, but just to watch as a spectator it's not that entertaining. [Crowd : 3 - Me : 2.5] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Chicken Vs Big Arms Mac box Vs Fangs plastic spinner metal spinner.jpg)
plastic spinner 1x150g Vs 3x50g with 3 drivers Angus YT Maker's Muse
28.02.25 : In the Lost Lands - movie
M : Fantasy - Action - Adventure : A queen sends the powerful and feared sorceress Gray Alys to the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands in search of a magical power, where the sorceress and her guide, the drifter Boyce, must outwit and outfight man and demon.
I was hoping it would be something highly visual with exciting action like Resident Evil, but it wasn't in the same league. They gave it an amber tinge so it looked visually quite bland, and not much happened in the first half so that part wasn't that exciting. The action did start at halfway and continued all the way to the end, so it was kind-of ok from then on. Not very spectacular, ie, only passable. [2.5] [T-$10 + F-$5 + C-$3]
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27.02.25 : Rozelle Comedy Club : The Native Rose Hotel(Rozelle)
I don't know what happened at The Red Lion, but after the renovations it's now moved to here. The packed-out crowd could've been better, but then again they were the same at The Red Lion, and since most said the came from TRL, it must be an area thing to not make much noise. Probably the stand-outs were Christina Van Look and Al Del Bene, and even though Al crushed, ie, the crowd actually laughed a lot, somehow they didn't applause enough at the end, ie, probably too lazy to cheer, even though they did for some of the earlier comics. 3.75 good, but because of the crowd it felt like a 3.5 night. Also the crowd clapping was 4 in the 1st half, but only 3.75 at the end. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$26 + F-$5 + C$6]
Christen Elderfield, Ruven Govender, Ben Kochen, Christina Van Look, Al Del Bene.jpg)
26.02.25 : Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee - S02E11 : ABC(Ultimo)
I was wondering why there was an odd number of episodes, and evidently this is a holiday special - hint: it's being recorded 10 months early lol -. I guess the show must be doing ok in the ratings recording an ep so far ahead, plus this season had more eps commissioned, plus the ABC is showing the NZ eps on AU TV. As for the ep, there was nothing that special - lol -. No one stood-out as being extra funny, and it didn't help that one constant wasn't even a comedian and another was young and not very well known. Aaron's games also didn't really standout either. Like the 1st one was a bit plain without many gags. The 2nd singing one was long-winded with Aaron only doing the intro. The 3rd cooking one was funny, but there was big pauses between setting up the different dishes, ie, it slowed down in places. It was ok, but it was nothing to write home about - the edit should make it good -. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.25] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Kitty Flanagan, Briggs, Bronwyn Kuss, Joel Creasey
25.02.25 : Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee - S02E09 : ABC(Ultimo)
No one stood-out as extra funny, but this time I wasn't looking at my watch all the time, ie, I didn't get bored in slow spots. What I noticed was that when Aaron comes on to do a game it usually get funnier because of his crazy gags, and this one had a crazy fish game and a crazy AUS movie game. As an aside, they kind-of took reactions out this season. Like last season when they mentioned the dunce's corner we all ohh-ed, but this season they make you do slow claps that feels very out-of-place and not fun. Also we have to stay dead silent when they are spelling in-case it gives away if they are wrong, but the few times it happened last season usually made things funnier. It was still fun even though it wasn't super. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.5] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Hamish Blake, Lou Wall, Suren Jayemanne, Kirsty Webeck
24.02.25 : Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee - S02E07 : ABC(Ultimo)
No one stood-out as being extra funny and no game was super clever that it was extra funny, and if nothing stands out as super funny you start noticing the slow spots. There was one game that looked like it was going to be extra fun, ie, spell a word or do a maths problem, but nearly all of the people on the panel ignored it. Not one of the good ones, but it was fun enough that it was ok. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.25] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Dave Hughes, Elouise Eftos, Sashi Perera, Kirsty Webeck
22.02.25 : Lewis Garnham: Stream of Contentedness : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
Doh!. Tomorrow's Knock Knock at The Troc sold-out so fast it disappeared off Moshtix before I even knew it was on, so I figured I would do this as a substitute. His show sold-out yesterday so I thought it would be good, but I didn't find it high in laughs. Oddly the crowd, which was pretty big, also didn't laugh much, but at the end they clapped wildly - I'm guessing they were fans -. And coupled to the lack of laughing, I wasn't able to find a coffee between shows to keep me awake so I was yawing pretty hard. You could say it's observational comedy, but over analysed, ie, a stream of consciousness - lol -spoken out loud. Like he must be the first person to question the trope "You will swallow eight spiders per year in your sleep", and found it was made up by a student doing a thesis about people passing on BS - this wasn't funny, but it was interesting -. It was ok, but I'm probably too old for late shows where there is not much to do, ie, laugh - doing this all the time desensitises you to jokes that aren't supersonic, so I'm a different case to normal people -. [Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 3] [T-$32 + F-$0 + C-$0].jpg)
22.02.25 : iD Comedy Club : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
We only had a 3/4 crowd in the room's compact configuration, but I found the show good. It's the same comics I always see, but because most are doing new material that is quite good, they are all fresh to me again. - insert filler text here - EJ Rovedi held the mic too far away and was too soft volume-wise to command the room, and Lachlan McAllister, with his angry don't give a Fuk delivery, did well again. The crowd could've done better, but I liked it. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$21 + F-$0 + C-$6]
Michael Cho(MC), Rohan Arneil, Billy D'Arcy,
Lachlan McAllister, EJ Rovedi, Alex White.jpg)
21.02.25 : Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee - S01E05 : ABC(Ultimo)
It was another good one, with Alexei being the funniest. The funniest bit was where they had to spell a famous person's name while doing an impression of them, because most of them had never done any impressions before - lol -. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.5] [T-$0 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Becky Lucas, Alexei Toliopoulos, Tony Martin, Kirsty Webeck
20.02.25 : Sporties Comedy Club : Moorebank Sports Club(Hammondville)
It was good, it's just the redneck crowd gave me the Ick - why is it that the smaller the minority, eg, T-rump, guns, that always make the most noise - these F-wits were talking loudly randomly through the show -. Lazy crowd didn't clap much, even though they liked it, but it was those F-wits that lowered my score for the overall show, ie, it was probably a 3.75 show. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$10 + F-$6 + C-$6]
Chris Franklin, Christina Van Look, Tommy Dean.jpg)
19.02.25 : Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee - S02E01 : ABC(Ultimo)
Tom Walker knows Guy Montgomery very well, so he was mucking around all the time, and that 'made' the show because he was so funny. The crowd was weird because they were overly enthusiastic before the show started, eg, they were clapping before even being asked, but during the show they didn't react as much. Overall this was one of the funnier eps live, which is quite rare based on season #1 - only 1 recording was fun last year -. Good. [Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$0 + C-$6]
Lloyd Langford, Hannah Gadsby, Nina Oyama, Tom Walker
18.02.25 : Arcade Comedy Club - Tuesdays : Arcade Bar Sydney
The audience was pretty quiet throughout, but I liked it because there was a lot of new stuff by practically everyone. Plus there were some comics that I barely see and they were like they were new also - lol -. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$13 + C$6]
PS: I didn't go to The Running Joke because Tom Witcombe was supposed to be on and I just saw him yesterday, but then he turns up here - lol -.
Pat Doherty(MC), John Glover, Tiffany Spurway, Tom Witcombe,
Luke Heggie, ?, Billy D'Arcy, Alex White.jpg)
18.02.25 : Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - movie
M : Romance - Comedy : Bridget Jones navigates life as a widow and single mum with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel. Back to work and on the apps, she's pursued by a younger man and maybe - just maybe - her son's science teacher.
It's nice enough, but it did wander on occasion. To be fair I'm not the demographic, ie, a mommy - lol -, so the callbacks had no effect because there weren't any shared experiences. There is also some scenes that are staged/forced, but that was only in 2 places. [2.75] [T-$10 + F-$5 + C-$0]
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17.02.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
It was pretty low-key because only 15 people turned up - weird because the weather was fine except cool-ish -, but overall it was fine. Tom smashed 2/3 of his set but the last 1/3 was pretty silent, and that might sound bad, but everyone clapped enthusiastically at the end so it looks like I was the only one that noticed - lol -. I watched one Flog Cabin on Youtube - I don't follow comics because Socials is were stuff gets written and it spoils live shows for me -, and I noticed Tom was pretty sharp on the ad-lib. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$0 + F-$14 + C-$6]
Freya Reviews(MC), Michael Cho, Ryan Sim,
Bec Charlwood, Andrew Hastings, Tom Witcombe.jpg)
17.02.25 : Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - movie
PG : Action - Family - Animation : Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance.
I was yawing pretty hard through this one, and I just had a cappuccino to keep me awake - lol -. There just nothing funny or fun to keep you from getting bored, not even Jim Carrey made a difference, and coupled with Sonic's lame dialogue - all the rest had decent dialogue -, it made it bit lame for adults. Tolerable. [2] [T-$10 + F-$5 + C-$0]
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15.02.25 : Secret Comedy Club in Surry Hills - A Laugh And A Half : Crown Hotel(Surry Hills)
I was going to iD Comedy Club because I have a discount, but then I saw this, ie, a venue I haven't been to yet, and since my life is a big repeat - I should quit -, I ponied up the extra $12 just for the change of view. It was good, but it ended on a low. Basically the crowd was too old for gamer jokes or the concept of not having blood, but all the rest were pretty strong. Peter Meisel was good, Kate Dolan was strong again with her animated style, Divya was nice, and after Peter Green's set I overheard someone behind me say "that guy is good", and it was Greeny that got the best response. It's the usual PSA show, ie, stops starts, and even thought it doesn't seem to affect sales, ie, it soldout(80+ people), there were no repeat customers. And I remember the 1st time I didn't mind the PSAs, but by the 2nd they were pretty annoying. Basically if they want PSAs they should talk/deliver them a lot faster. Super nice venue, ie, clean, carpeted, fancy, and with a trendy/nice dressed crowd, ie, no rough-nuts here - lol -. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$33 + F-$9 + C-$6]
Peter Meisel(MC), Kate Dolan, Divya, Peter Green, Peter Gleeson.jpg)
14.02.25 : Broken Hearts Club : The Chippo Hotel(Chippendale) - music
I don't know bands anymore so when I looked up the name a band popped up that I instantly liked - because of all the music I've heard 20sec and I know if I will like it -. This was not that, this was a collective of singers doing sad girl songs for Valentines Day - damn people using common names in music -. I quit slow and emotional stuff more than 20 years ago, so after 2 hours of S-n-E I was prepared to write-off the night. But then all the girls came out and formed a band with energy, and it was awesome. Out of the solo stuff Charley Castle stood out, ie, interesting voice and a fast song at the start, and maybe Isobel Knight who actually used the guitar to impart gravitas to phrases of her songs. All of them are technically good, ie, hit the right notes, it's just that most of it is 4 chord 4/4 stuff that doesn't stand out. It ended on a high. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$24 + F-$4 + C-$7]
Gracie Jean, Abigail Wighton, Charley Castle, Isobel Knight.jpg)
14.02.25 : Flight Risk - movie
M : Action - Thriller - Drama : A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
When I saw the trailer this looked like a boring POS one sentence drama, ie, 3 people in a plane trying to kill each other, but it wasn't exactly like that. This thing actually stared out light comedy, and amongst the drama that levity would surface at times. When it got to the end the credit's said Mel Gibson, and that's when I realised why Mark Wahlberg's character was so crazy good, ie, it was so good you didn't know to laugh or be terrified at such a crazy sick character - lol -. It kept my attention throughout so I liked it. [3.5] [T-$10 + F-$5 + C-$0]
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13.02.25 : Hunters Hill Comedy Club - Australia's Best Comedians : Hunters Hill Club
The Stevenson Experience aren't my favourite, but because I've got nothing left except new venues, I kind-of had to go. This is another one of those remote club situations, in that you bring a show to an isolated club with big local support and it gets a big turnout because there is nothing else nearby, ie, the people probably would've been there anyway - lol -. The only problem with that is, these people aren't regular comedy crowds, like you would find at the Comedy Store, so they are going to be timid and not very loud. It was packed with maybe 150 people, and even though they weren't as loud as you would expect for that many people, they are quite happy with the lower laugh-level simply because they don't know what a high laugh-level is. Even though they didn't make the noise of a 4, they still probably thought it was a 4, and if they were louder I probably would've given it a 3.75, ie, it was the crowd that dropped my score. Still a good night, but get in early because it sells out. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$26 + F-$9 + C-$8]
David Smiedt(MC), Christina Van Look, Bruce Griffiths, The Stevenson Experience.jpg)
13.02.25 : Captain America: Brave New World - movie
M : Action - Adventure - Sci-Fi : Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.
It's nothing special, but more disappointing was that it wasn't fun. It's not diversity problem, it's that the main actor and character is weedy, which is supposed to be a different hook, ie, a weaker person over-coming big problems, but because the guy has no presence, gravitas, or something that makes him better than an ordinary person, you are less likely to get invested. Like if it was a big good looking dude you would get enamoured instantly. In fact most of the cast didn't standout except the old dudes, Harrison Ford and Giancarlo Esposito. In one ear and out the other bland stuff. [2.5] [T-$10 + F-$0 + C-$0]
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12.02.25 : Broken Bay Brewing Co - Canned Laughter : Broken Bay Brewing Co(Brookvale)
I like it here because they get a big crowd, but for some reason they weren't very good in the first half apart from Akila. It did pickup in the 2nd half with Eli and then Hammo smashing, so it did end on a high. My fun factor was only 3.5 because of the quiet 1st half. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$25 + F-$15 + C-$6]
Lewis Holt(MC), Akila, Hughie Phillips,
Henry Zhu, Eli Jackson?, Andrew Hamilton.jpg)
12.02.25 : Becoming Led Zeppelin - movie
PG : Documentary - Music : The film traces the journeys of the four members of the Stairway To Heaven rockers through the music scene of the 1960s and their meeting in the summer of 1968, culminating in 1970.
It only went to 1970 when they became a super group and got their first #1 album Led Zeppelin 2, which was only 2 years together, but it started way way back when they were still in school. I was a Zep fan and probably had Zep on repeat for 10 or maybe even 15 years straight. I have walls of Zep posters. I've got all the records, plus some bootleg vinyl albums that were taped by people in the crowd, and a rare single. Seen every Zep movie, even an old blues film with them in it. I got every music mag with Zep in it and have read all the bio's that I could find, yet I knew nothing that was in this film. To be fair Zep never did press or media, and I came in after Zep stopped touring, so all I knew was from mags and books, where as this was straight from the member's mouths, ie, very detailed. They said it was never seen before footage, and it wasn't just by me because they showed a clip to Zep of their first festival in the UK, and not even they had seen it before - lol -. As for the film, I think young people will think it's corny with it's self-indulgent drum and psychedelic soundscape solos, but for old people like me it was immensely interesting. [4.5] [T-$10 + F-$5 + C-$0
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11.02.25 : Spaghetti Tit Live : The Lady Hampshire(Camperdown)
It was better than I expected. I've seen alternative comedy and some of it was sh!t - flipping tables to get a reaction is too simplistic for me -, but this was more straight comedy, but leaning to the weird on occasion. Ignore my score because I'm still in a funk/down. [Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3] [T-$17 + F-$11 + C-$6]
Danielle Walker(MC), Demi Lardner, Brendan Hancock, ?,
Kate Dolan, Hannah Malarski?, Jordan Raskopoulos.jpg)
10.02.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
I was expecting the bad storm would scare people away, but the sun came out in the afternoon and most of the usual big crowd still turned up. The crowd were a bit subdued this time, but by the number of foreigners that is pretty normal, ie, they are less animated/loud. Billy's new routine is killer, except for the one little bit he changed about 30 year old business women's tools. Like when he was trialling it in Erskineville that gag was much more descriptive and long, and I can't remember the wording but it was something along the lines of 'a jackhammer tentacle thing with buttons, lights, bulldozer blade, arm that comes out and tickles the ring-hole, etc', that was so long and funny it got 10 laughs compared to this abbreviated one that only gets one laugh - comics should record their set and use the wording that gets the most laughs -. Edan was good, Sam was good, and the new to me Jacob was pretty alright. I was hoping Harry would bring out the Korean stuff that hits so hard, but he and Laura were trialling new stuff that isn't there yet. It was more of a quite one, but it was fine. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$0 + F-$14 + C-$6]
Harry Jun(MC), Laura Coleman, Edan Mcgovern,
Billy D'Arcy, Jacob Henegan, Sam Bowden.jpg)
09.02.25 : Story Club : Factory Theatre(Marrickville)
I probably wasn't in the mood, ie, thinking about home stuff, or that it is a low-key show, ie, it's kind-of aimed at sophisticates, so it didn't grab me in the usual way, but overall it was fine/good. We got a big turn-out this time - the last Comedy Store show was probably too close to Xmas because it only had maybe 40 people -, and bigger crowd makes it better.
Osher Günsberg - a broken sewer pipe had him walking in sh!t, and costing $10K to fix.
Adrienne Ferreira - Kissing her first high school crush had her less than impressed, ie, no magic.
Mark Sutton - the arrogance of a teen bought no Valentine gift for his GF, when she bought him a guitar
Rob Carlton - a one night stand had Rob thinking he had a VD, but then realising the consequences when he had a GF
Shaun Micallef - a sarcastic love letter to Peter Dutton, that exposes him as a right-wing racist
Zoë Norton-Lodge - Zoë's scorn is felt by her husband and father after they fuked-up simple tasks.
[Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 4] [T-$35 + F-$5 + C-$4]
Osher Günsberg, Adrienne Ferreira, Mark Sutton,
Rob Carlton, Shaun Micallef, Zoë Norton-Lodge.jpg)
08.02.25 : Comedy Night : Club Berowra
It's a good idea doing shows a bit far out and isolated because all the locals will turn up due to it being easier for them when the show comes to them, rather than them having to travel somewhere major to see a show. The only weird thing was the delay between the punchline and the audience reacting/laughing, ie, it felt like a minute - lol -, so Jacob stared talking slower to try and get the laughs closer to the gags - lol -. Good night out, except for the travelling. basically I was rueing that the trains were not working because the station is right there, and having to travel on replacement buses that turn up when they feel like it - I was stuck at Hornsby for 45min -. But halfway I realised the show was so cheap I could've burnt the $15 of petrol and it still would've been a cheap night - doh! -. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$5 + F-$15 + C-$3]
Marty Bright(MC), Jacob Perry, Stella Wu,
Carolyn Swindell, Andrew Barnett.jpg)
07.02.25 : Who The Fook Are These Guys? And Friends! : The Locker Room Sydney Olympic Park
This is going to sound crazy but I went to a supposed MMA comedy night, and I loath UFC/MMA - lol -, ie, same-same is why I'm here - lol -, also it was free - lol lol -, and also it was down the road - lol lol lol -. I don't know what it is about violence that makes these people think of comedy, because I saw 27.02.11 : Joe Rogan Live : Laugh Garage CBD : Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4.25, twice 26.02.11 : Joe Rogan Live : Rooty Hill RSL : Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4 do straight standup, ie, not UFC related, when he was in OZ commentating for a UFC fight. He was good at stand-up, before he went insane - lol -. In the ad it said something along the lines that it was going to be UFC fighters doing stand-up, but what it was was a podcast recording. Nick Cody riffed jokes on the panel for about 15min, then some Youtuber did 15min of funny vids, but after that they just talked about the fight and that's were I did a Stella Wu, ie, "What game!, What sport!, because I didn't know about any references they were talking about. I decided I'm not going to understand the rest, so left. Not for me. [Crowd : na - Me : na] [T-$0 + F-$0 + C-$5]
06.02.25 : Harvey Comedy : Fortress Sydney(Chippendale)
*DON'T READ this BS*. Here comes Mr Sour-Puss nit-picking again. Everything is feeling very same-same, ie, same rooms, same comics, and it's only this new room on opening night that made me come, and is why this post ended up so negative. This is how f-ed my opinion is, I get upset when comics miss their best lines, eg, Sam missed his AstraZenecock gag again, and I think even Ben and Billy also missed some stuff - did I mention I nit-pick a lot -. On the bright side The Fang is now adding preposterous elements to his gags, and that makes them extra funny. It was fine, it's just that I like the commercial grade shows. I'm making up theses categories - lol -, but commercial is where the crowd are strangers that don't tolerate stuff so you need to stack comics to keep the momentum high, where as community based everyone kind-of knows each other and tolerates the stop start nature of things like PSAs. IDK but Friday for $10 in an old pub was a no-brainer, ie, it's no pressure so it can be rough, and even $20 Fri is a deal, but there is something about Thur that is less fun - nit-picking again lol -. I'm sure it was fine and I was the problem - lol -. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$22 + F-$12 + C-$7]
Jake Harvey(MC), Alan Fang, Ben Kochan,
Sam Bowden, Brea Macey, Billy D'Arcy.jpg)
06.02.25 : Companion - movie
MA15+ : Horror - Sci-Fi - Thriller : A billionaire's death sets off a chain of events for Iris and her friends during a weekend trip to his lakeside estate.
Goo said it was a Horror/Sci-Fi, but I wasn't expecting that, ie, some mild comedy gags in a supposed drama with murder and a robot - lol -. It's no high-level thought provoking Sci-Fi, more a murder mild drama, ie, not horror, but it was ok. [3] [T-$10 + F-$0 + C-$0]
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05.02.25 : Magic Mic Comedy - Wednesdays : Potts Point Hotel
I wasn't really in the mood beforehand. I've been chasing Charo’s Comedy Club : Charing Cross Hotel, but all they've got is that generic placeholder ad, ie, 1st Wed of the month, and you never know if the room is still running because it never get updated, or removed if it has closed - I'm guessing it's defunct because they weren't taking bookings -. Then I tried Stand OUT Comedy Club : The Chippo Hotel, but they don't do the discount codes anymore and the lineup wasn't spectacular - I probably should've gone because it had 3 comics I haven't seen before -, so I wound up here because of the cappuccinos across the road - lol -. What can I say that I haven't said before, everyone was good, but what stood-out for me was that frick'en Aleks runt - Westie speak lol - that has that charm of speaking to you like you've known him since you were kids, and because I had Serb friends that were like that he is very familiar to me even though I haven't even met him - lol -. Even though I was thinking of staying home, we got a decent crowd that actually laughed on their own, and it made it worth it in the end. Good. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 3.75] [T-$21 + F-$15 + C$6]
Elliot McLaren(MC), Luka Muller, Harry Jun, Rohan Arneil,
Aleks Milinkovic, Hughie Phillips, Steph Broadbridge, Marky Sahin, Michael Cho.jpg)
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03.02.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
It was insane. Not only was it packed to the rafters but it wasn't the usual conservative quite crowd, but a bunch of crazies that were laughing out loud to everything. And because of the super big laugh-track everyone smashed the room. To tell the truth I was thinking about skipping, because the only times I've seen Reuben was on TV comedy festival specials and he only did songs and no gags. And in fact I didn't even know he did standup, yet alone something that crazy good. He was super clever but super rude/disgusting, and that made him insanely good. Steph "Spraygun" Broadbridge - lol - was back, and it looks like I'll see all the songs before I even see her Breaking the Musical show - lol -. Sam forgot to pick out a guy from the audience and ask him if he's been vaccinated with his AstraZenecock joke, ie, "It's coming for you brother" - lol -. Freya smashed - I was thinking last week they should get Freya to MC next month -, Bek smashed, Tom smashed. Smashing [Crowd : 4.5 - Me : 4.5] [T-$0 + F-$16 + C-$6]
Freya Reviews(MC), Bec Charlwood, Sam Bowden,
Steph Broadbridge, Tom Witcombe, Reuben Kaye.jpg)
01.02.25 : A Succulent Asian Comedy Showcase : The Concourse Lounge(Chatswood)
I don't know what happened, but this used to be a big Lunar New Year show in the big room, but now it's a small show in a small room. Actually it wasn't small at all, more a medium show in a medium room - lol -, because there were still 300 people. Everyone smashed, The End - lol -, ie, everyone was 4 woofs so how do single anyone out - lol -.. Harry did a good job with the crowd work except for the POS in the front that spoilt the show at the start. It was brief, and Harry did rescued it, but if you don't want to talk you don't sit in the middle of the front row right in front of the comic, and if you do you just shake your head and not say anything, because what he said did upset 300 people that wanted to have a good time. Harry did bring out some of the old stuff, ie, Korean material, and it always crushes. I was wondering what Hing's new Submarine show was about, and we got a sampler - I also remember he did small bits in another show as he was constructing it -. Kevin and Stella had some new stuff. Chris and Esky were good, but I wonder where they hang because I barely see them around. [Crowd : 4.25 - Me : 4] [T-$30 + F-$4 + C-$6]
PS: Century Venues have been losing it lately, ie, all their sites are down on some browsers, but this time they sent me an email on the day that this show was at the Comedy Store, and when I looked at the Concourse site the event was gone. I had to go to Harry Jun's FB/Insta page to find out the tic was correct.
Harry Jun(MC), Kevin Jin/Han, Christina Zheng,
Esky Escandor, Stella Wu, Michael Hing.jpg)
31.01.25 : Lili Alaska, Kate Moth, Polly : The Lady Hampshire(Camperdown) - music
I was thinking about iD Comedy but only had discount tickets to the late show and didn't want to do a late night, so I went for something different than the same comedy rooms over and over again. But then iD sent me a free ticket late in the afternoon - DOH! -, and I forgot bands end even latter because it's 3 x 1 hour sets - DOUBLE DOH! -. It was ok, but nothing really stood out as special, ie, songs or singers, which is par for the course because you only find an iOTA once in your life - lol -, and there are a lot less bands these days. Headliner Lili Alaska had 2 decent originals, but it was her covers of Massive Attack - Teardrop and Radiohead - Karma Police that were the highlight for me. Kate Moth's songs were too busy for anything to standout, but in their 2nd half had simpler songs that were easier to digest. And Polly had some decent fast/high-energy songs. I think it's going to take a lot more research, ie, find and listen and like their stuff before you go see them. Plus I'm pretty spoilt from all the amazing singers I found during the lock-downs, eg, Umjibear, Mr Wobbles, The Dooo, Billy Wilkins, etc, that make the hair on your neck standup, so it's now hard to go back to normal. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 2] [T-$0 + F-$11 + C-$6]
Lili Alaska.jpg)
Kate Moth Polly
30.01.25 : 4 Pines Newport - Canned Laughter : Block's Bar Manly
I think Manly Comedy Club : Shark Bar died, ie, Nov's crowd was tiny and Dec got cancelled probably for the same reason, so this is the only scenic comedy night left - lol -. Jokes aside, this is one of Canned Laughter better rooms, and coupled with Barney turning up it was a no-brainer, ie, he smashes. His roasting the room is sublimely funny, and his solar app gag always gets some old person holding up their solar app and getting more laughs. For a long time Hastings only had one joke - Hing's joke about Hastings was the funniest Hastings joke lol -, but now all of his set is strong to the point that the crowd didn't want him to stop because they ohh-ed when he tried to leave -lol -. Kiyanosh was good, be it a bit edgy for a white crowd - lol -, and Juni was good. I can't find her name, but the lady was nice also. It's got the common problem, in that the crowd won't make a great deal of noise, but they do listen intently - people tuning-out and talking sux -, and that not a detraction for a show here because practically every crowd in Manly does that same thing, ie, if your set didn't get great laughs they probably still liked it. Good. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 4] [T-$25 + F-$5 + C-$6]
Lewis Holt(MC), Kiyanosh Sahebi, ?,
Juni, Andrew Hastings, Andrew Barnett.jpg)
29.01.25 : Live Comedy Night : Bar 53(Canley Vale)
I wish we could get more people to turn up because it would help, ie, it was a pretty quiet with maybe 12 people, so you have to kind-of have to make the best of it. Kim has a strong laugh set so was good, and Truongy was good because his high school bully was in the crowd and he was trying to tell him off - lol -. I don't know what happen to Ian because he was good when he started, but now isn't as strong. I also thought The Fang had more stuff, ie, he was good when he opened for Hammo@The Factory, but he covered enough with crowd work so was fine. It was a mild one, kind-of like you get at the free Super Chill Comedy Club : Otis, but it was fine if you don't expect that much. [Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3] [T-$0 + F-$16 + C-$5]
Fadey Yuseef, Ian Mu, Kimberly Snow, David Truong, Ian Fang .jpg)
28.01.25 : The Running Joke Comedy Club : Potts Point Hotel
Even though I could've gone to Arcade Comedy Club for free, I was thinking 3 weeks in a row was a bit too much, ie, I'd probably get Elliot again - lol -, so I switched to this. Plus the rest of the lineup looked good, and plus Enmore Comedy Club are slack and didn't post a lineup. Everyone was good and did live up to expectations, it's just that the crowd went quite during Cruckshank's set when he one of the good ones. It's kind-of like appearance shock, ie, they take one look at him and decided not to laugh much. It didn't really seem to matter because he got the same good applause as everyone else, ie, they still liked him, it's just that it was very weird - I think he got upset because he usually doesn't swear at the crowd as much lol -. Annie's dead-pan delivery was again exceptional, and Ben was fun, and what can you say about The Muggleton except he's a crowd-work Master Sensei - lol -. Good [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$25 + F-$15 + C-$6]
Daniel Muggleton(MC), Ben Kochan, Annie Boyle, John Cruckshank .jpg)
27.01.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
They wrangled Smiedt this time and he smashed, which is common practice for every set he does - lol -, and it was one of the few times this room got uncontrolled big laughs, ie, they are a bit reserved noise-wise here even when they are having a good time. I'm usually complaining that Heggie's new set is a bit too technical and niche/obscure and hard to follow, but this time he did his full show and it a bit slower and with explanations, and coupled with new bits it was rather good. In his short sets he is so fast you need to know all the references beforehand and can't hope for context in the next sentence, but this long/full show format you can work it out before the forth coming joke. Jess got angry and started shouting at the audience because they were giving her nothing during the crowd-work, and that made it extra funny - rofl -. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$16 + C-$6]
Jess Fuchs(MC), Rohan Arneil, Alex Jae,
David Smiedt, Kiyanosh Sahebi, Luke Heggie.jpg)
26.01.25 : Knock Knock at The Troc : The Trocadero Room(Enmore)
I finally saw Demi's set with the video clips, ie, the media/vids was broken last 2 times and I thought I missed a lot, but now I find out it was only a small portion of those shows and that they weren't really spoilt by the lack of them. Jacob Lingard, aka Jonny Cr@p, took a break from comedy and came back with a very edgy new set that was very good. It's like Milinkovic turns up with a different set each time - lol -, and as usual it was very good, ie, he does that thing where he talks to an audience like he's known you all your life, eg, Ben Ellwood/salesman/Scientology way - lol -, and it sucks you in to enjoying it straight away. Never seen Kiyanosh before, at least for 2 days - lol -. The crowd felt keen, but they didn't make as much noise as you would expect for the keenness. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$13 + F-$21 + C-$6]
Sam Bowden, Elliot McLaren, Laura Coleman, Kiyanosh Sahebi,
Aleks Milinkovic, Steph Broadbridge, Jacob Lingard, Demi Lardner.jpg)
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25.01.25 : iD Comedy Club : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
Damn that Skinner with his discount codes, he is forcing me to come every week with his low prices - lol -. I don't know what happened because every place was selling out 2 weeks ago, but lately it's been half crowds. Either way this crowd was ded at the start until someone started making reaction noises, and you could see people getting keener and loosening up/enjoying themselves and making more noises. Basically everyone is shy/scared to make the first noise, but the 2 guys at the front, who's Deadly shorts I recognise from other shows, got people going and made the night good. I notice certain comics hang at certain rooms, and this time we got some from The Laugh Inn. I think Rachel did well because she got good laughs, but because I was under/behind the speaker I couldn't hear the words. Lachlan now has a strong consistent laugh set - only 6 months ago he was a bit patchy -, and has now delved into the absurd, ie, his Make a Wish joke change from nookie with a female teacher to a male teacher - lol -. OMG that Kiyanosh gets around, and I think he is gunning for Steph's crown of most shows in a year - Steph is busy with her Spraygun musical this year -. Nearly everyone was good and at the same laugh level, so I can't pick anyone out, and even with the diminished crowd I think everyone left happy. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$21 + F-$5 + C-$6]
PS: You have to hand it to Seizure Kaiser(The Laugh Inn) for his promotion of comics, because I have a hard time recognising comics I don't see often - I usually remember them from their jokes -, and or usually can't hear/remember their names, but searching TLI's FB page I can usually find them, ie, I had to lookup 3 for this one - lol -.
Elliot McLaren(MC), Kiyanosh Sahebi, Alan Fang, Lachlan McAllister,
Mark Sahin, Rachel Hornbuckle, Michael Cho.jpg)
24.01.25 : Katie Noonan - Jeff Buckley's Grace : Sydney Theatre Company(Dawes Point) - music
It was ok, but I prefer Jeff better. To be fair the band were a little too loud and over-powered the vocals, where as Jeff's CD the vocals are prominent, but overall it had the same feeling that I had every time I saw Katie's band George live, in that Kate's vocal were sweet, it's just that I don't feel anything, eg, emotion, etc. I remember the first time they came to Sydney at Bar Broadway opposite the UTS maybe 2000-ish, great voice but the songs are not interesting, and that's what this kind-of felt like.
Annoyingly I saw the ad in the street press for Jeff Buckley - Live at The Phoenician Club, Sydney Australia 6th Sept 1995 and decided not to go -DOH! -, because back in those days the internet was so new you couldn't watch a vid to see what he sounded like, and I decided on appearance he was not for me. Soon after he became famous and was all over the radio. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3] [T-$32 + F-$5 + C-$6]
Listen - Jeff Buckley - Live at The Phoenician Club, Sydney Australia 6th Sept 1995.jpg)
PS: I found a photo of the show I saw here A Doll's House with Miranda Otto but didn't know the date, and it's 2002 - lol -..jpg)
23.01.25 : The Sands - Canned Laughter : The Sands(Narrabeen)
It was tough going because the crowd was predominantly old people that don't react much. That being said, some young comics did break through, ie, Kimberley and Shasha. Thankfully they got the big-gun headliner David Smiedt, who is an expert with tough old crowds, and he broke through leaving everyone on a high - maybe Louis knows the problem with the old demographic and stacked the lineup in his favour with David to ensure it finishes strong -. I make it sound worse than it probably was, but silence makes me tense, ie, are people losing interest not listening and going to start talking. I think this room and Minskys needs a pro at the end because they get non comedy crowds, but places like Broken Bay Brewing seem to always be good because it gets a fun crowd. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$20 + F-$11 + C-$6]
Tavis Harrod(MC), Kimberley Snow, Josh ?,
Shash Kapur, Lewis Holt, David Smiedt.jpg)
22.01.25 : Stand OUT Comedy Club : The Chippo Hotel(Chippendale)
It wasn't a sellout this time so there was less people, and they weren't the most boisterous, but they were good enough that it was ok. It was all pretty standard stuff, but mentions was motor-mouth Jess who was good again. Dan doing all proven routine, rather than trail stuff, smashed, ie, he always steps up with set routine and becomes exceptional. And Brian with cerebral palsy was good. Fine. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$17 + F-$10 + C-$7]
Reece Boyall(MC), Jess Fuchs, Becky Lucas,
Louisa Jones, Brian Freeman, Dan Rath.jpg)
22.01.25 : Den of Thieves 2: Pantera - movie
M : Action - Crime - Drama : Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled in the treacherous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world's largest diamond exchange.
It's slow and not very exciting, and even the heist that is supposed to be tense and suspenseful was pretty meh. Dull. [2.5] [T-$10 + F-$0 + C-$0]
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21.01.25 : Arcade Comedy Club - Tuesdays : Arcade Bar Sydney
The crowd wasn't good, ie, didn't react to anything, so it wasn't very good. I also wonder if comics get paid here, because it was practically a new material show, and that was another reason for less laughs. I expect it with The Big Sumo Comedy Show because it's free, but this supposed to be a proper $20 show. Duggan turned up with a new set and stuck to his routine, ie, no crowd abusing, and got the most laughs along with Hutton. I was happy to see Sun because he has a blistering new set, but I think he wings everything and didn't deliver that good set and his whole set fell flat, ie, he should record his sets and script what works so he can replicate it reliably. I've seen jokes fall flat when the wording isn't quite right, so it doesn't take much to kill it. Even Elliot has changed things around, ie, the kicked out of rugby joke is supposed to be before the gay joke, but now he does it the other way around and it doesn't have that surprise factor anymore. Even I couldn't get the crowd going with reactions, ie, me making noise gives people permission to laugh because they are not alone, so it was pretty quite overall. [Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 3] [T-$11 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Elliot McLaren(MC), Eric Hutton, Dan Rath, Rohan Arneil,
Cameron Duggan, Nick Sun, Ben Kochan .jpg)
20.01.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
It was a bit mild but picked up in the 2nd half, and when you end on a high that is what sticks with people. Even though headliner Kate's new set is good, I wasn't keen on going because I just saw it last Wed, but she turbo charged it with stunts, skits, songs, raps, boob-dance, and general mayhem, and it wound up being the best on the night. I finally got her chain mail gag, ie, the medieval chain mail clothing and the repeating chain mail the letters. Fuchs again talked up a storm as MC. I've only seen Frankie Rosethorn maybe 3 times, but every time she seams to have had a new set. Ended good. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$14 + C-$6]
PS; this room reached capacity again so I don't know if I'll get in next time - lol -.
Jess Fuchs(MC), Jen Carnovale, Frankie Rowsthorn, Liv McKenzie?,
Christian Elderfield, Daniel Muggleton, Kate Dolan.jpg)
19.01.25 : The Big Sumo Comedy Show : The Lord Gladstone Hotel(Chippendale)
For some reason The Fang abandoned The Killa - lol -, and was a no-show. It's not quite Open Mic, and it's not quite a standard standup show with younger comics, but more a testing new material show. Basically most of the comics have good stuff that can get laughs, but because no one is getting paid they mainly tested new material, ie, not as laugh prone as their regular stuff. So long as you are happy with the level, and that it's free, you can't really complain. [Crowd : 3.5 - Me : 2.75] [T-$0 + F-$11 + C-$6].jpg)
18.01.25 : Walking : Burwood
I've been walking past this AC/DC mural a couple times a week for years and was wondering why anyone would put AC/DC in Burwood. Then for the last couple of days I've been looking to get back into bands - there aren't many anymore yet alone something I would be interested in -, and I found a FB post saying they just knocked down the house that AC/DC's Young brothers grew up in the 60s, hence why the mural was a few doors up the street in the car park. I've been watching them knock the house down the last week or two and never knew - doh! -..jpg)
18.01.25 : iD Comedy Club : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
I guess this is now the norm for crowds here, ie, they sit and listen patiently, but don't want to do anything like contribute with laughs/noise. Lachlan McAllister got the most laughs - yeah I know lol -, ie, I've never seen him kill before, with Dan Mug again in top crowd roast form. It was kind-of weird because there were heavy hitters that usually do well, eg, Kiyanosh, Henning, Sim, Ramsey, yet here they didn't get big laughs - I guess it was a crowd thing. My score is a bit low because of the dead crowd, but it was pretty nice. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$21 + F-$4 + C-$6]
Dan Muggleton(MC), Kiyanosh Sahebi, Dave Henning, John Glover,
Makensy Pike?, Lachlan McAllister, Ryan Sim, Ramsey Smith.jpg)
16.01.25 : Erskineville Comedy Club : The Hive Bar(Erskineville)
I thought I FOMO-ed when Super Chill Comedy : Otis(Leichhardt) posted late that their first show of the year was on today - I have to buy this ticket early to get the early bird discount -,ie, 1st show might have a big crowd, but this show was so good I think this would've been the better one - does this sentence even make sense with this weird punctuation lol -. I put Kochan off with a reaction so he lost his place - lol -. I find if I react more people react more, and now it's so common for me I forget I'm doing it - lol -. Billy D'Arcy has a new set, and the bit about middle aged women is blistering rofl stuff. Hastings also had new. Rath is working on new stuff, and even though it's not as good as "my carer usually has TASER-ed me by now", it should be good by the time the SCF rolls around. Good night. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$12 + F-$5 + C-$6]
Tom Orr(MC), Riv Narak, Billy D'Arcy,
Ben Kochan, Andrew Hastings, Dan Rath.jpg)
Sam Bowden, Steph Broadbridge, Neel Kolhatkar, Dan Muggleton
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14.01.25 : Prime Cut Comedy : Buchers Brew Bar(Dulwich Hill)
I don't know if I misheard but I swear he said they were going to take a 30min break in the middle, and coupled with the 1hr wait at the start due to an exaggerated posted early start time, I couldn't be bothered waiting and left. Call me impatient, but there is a lot of boring waiting around when you do this all the time. To me it looks like the show is secondary to them keeping you around as long as possible in the hope you buy more. It was the younger comics. [Crowd : na - Me : na] [T-$17 + F-$14 + C-$5].jpg)
13.01.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
I guess people finally worked out the biggest comedy secret in SYD, and we again got a full room. It was a bit of a tragedy the comedy level is quite high, and this is free, yet not many people were turning up, so it's good that we are getting a bigger crowd/laugh-track - lol -. As a sense of the level, we got a double headliner show with Al AND Ray. Again the fast talking Fuchs captivated the crowd. Beforehand I was trying to remember Badrun - lol - jokes to try to remember what style he was, but it's been so long I drew a blank except for his aptronym gag - lol -. Basically his style is a Master of the Silly, ie, looking at everyday things differently, eg, Crunkshank style - lol -. I did remember half the stuff, but half was new, so it was very good. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$10 + C-$6]
PS: the Badrun joke is, I misspelt his name decades ago and he sent me an email telling me off - lol .
Jess Fuchs(MC), Barry?, Chloe Maddren, Al Del Bene, Ray Badran.jpg)
11.01.25 : New Stuff - Becky Lucas & Cameron James : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
I wasn't crazy about the last show 19.09.24 : Cam James & Becky Lucas - New Jokes 2024 : Factory Theatre(Marrickville), but this one was ok, and that's with me already knowing the jokes - lol -. This one was also different, like last time they sat on stage and had a conversation, but this one was two separate standup sets, ie, it was more like a proper show than what felt like a podcast last time. I actually kept sitting there after the show expecting them to do a second half with the conversation - lol -. LOL, the jokes are getting so familiar that I notice a word change, like Cam switched from dog's "vulva" to anterior fornix - lol -, actually he said "labia majora". It was plenty fine. [Crowd : 4 - Me : 3.5] [T-$22 + F-$0 + C-$6]
Cameron James Becky Lucas.jpg)
10.01.25 : Aditya Gautam - Unskilled Migrant! Trial Show : The Newtown Hotel
I pretty much gave up on trial shows because they are usual only $5 cheaper and can be very half-baked - I remember one that stopped after every joke for a discussion whether to keep it or not -. Basically you are better off paying for the full show rather than paying for a half show, and then paying full latter for the finished product. This one was way cheaper, and I had nothing to do, and even though I wasn't expecting much from a relative new-comer, it ended up being pretty good. The best thing you can do for a solo show is have a lot of material, so there is no dead/slow spots for people to get bored, that way it doesn't have to be as funny, and Aditya Gautam has a lot of stuff. It's low-key but it's interesting, so I stayed focused/captivated for the entire length. The crowd wanted to listen but weren't that loud, so their score was a bit lower than it should've been. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$10 + F-$4 + C-$6].jpg)
09.01.25 : Erskineville Comedy Club : The Hive Bar(Erskineville)
It's small but it's nice/cosy, and because the audience knows it's small they are quite alright with the level. These nights were no one is getting paid is were new material gets tested, and if the comics roast themselves when something doesn't land it is still funny. Fine. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.25] [T-$12 + F-$5 + C-$6]
Tom Orr(MC), Jacob Perry, Lachlan McAllister,
Hughie Phillips, Kiyanosh Sahebi, Laura Coleman.jpg)
08.01.25 : Magic Mic Comedy - Wednesdays : Potts Point Hotel
I guess iD's plan of giving out discounts is working, because I seam to be gong to a lot of them - lol -. Well at least there is good cappuccino across the street - lol -. NicSun went back to that fast delivery and smashed. SamBow has a new set and it's super good. Dan and Elliot were good. Overall it was only ok, but because it ended on a high with Sun and Bowden, people will remember that more. Probably a bit less than last night, but it's close enough to still get my 3.75. Crowd again not super loud, hence their score. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$21 + F-$15 + C-$6]
Elliot McLaren(MC), Dan Rath, Ben Kochan, Alex White,
Amelia Navascues, Luke Heggie, Nick Sun, Sam Bowden.jpg)
07.01.25 : Arcade Comedy Club - Tuesdays : Arcade Bar Sydney
The first time I came here (24.09.24 : Arcade Comedy Club - Tuesdays : Arcade Bar Sydney) I was thinking this was a weird place for comedy, ie, posh and isolated so not much walk-by traffic to see the comedy sign, but now a decent sized crowd is turning up. It was a strong lineup, it's just that some were doing new stuff and that wasn't hitting at the same level as they usual do. Like Nick Sun did new stuff and it wasn't as good as the last 2 blistering times I saw him. Glasses Harry Jun is still better than no-glasses Harry - lol -, but to be fair it was new stuff, be it that this new stuff has been going on so long it's now kind-of oldish - lol -. Elliot McLaren changed the order of his jokes, ie, the gang joke is usually before the gay joke, but was still excellent. 2 of the masters of the silly, Hutton and Kockan, again were exceptional. Neel is not hitting as hard, but that's because I just saw him and I'm starting to remember his routine. And Alexandra is always delightful. Pretty good. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$11 + F-$13 + C-$6]
Elliot McLaren(MC), Ben Kochan, Nick Sun, Alexandra Hudson,
Neel Kolhatkar, Mackenzie?, Harry Jun, Eric Hutton.jpg)
06.01.25 : Fitz of Laughter : The Old Fitzroy Hotel(Woolloomooloo)
A big crowd again turned up, and they were pretty decent with the laughs - free shows don't specifically get comedy crowds -. In the old days all the young comics looked up to Nick Sun, but I never found him that funny - the ded cockroach joke was the only thing I remember -, but these last two short sets were insanely clever and good, eg, his fake crowd-work where he asks questions and doesn't wait for the answers is crazy good - rofl -. Jess is again impressive with the fast-talking crowd-work. Jacques Barrett was super good, but it was actually kind-of a double headliner with pro Mick Meredith also turning up. Stella was nice, but not as fast delivery as the early days, and Jackson got more laughs than expected considering is oddball stuff. Pretty good. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.75] [T-$0 + F-$15 + C-$6]
Jess Fuchs(MC), Stella Wu, Jackson Stewart,
Mick Meredith, Nick Sun, Jacques Barrett.jpg)
04.01.25 : iD Comedy Club : Kinselas Hotel(Darlinghurst)
It was one of those FIFO crowds, ie, turn up, do the bare minimum, and leave straight away. Basically they were physically there, but not actually there - lol -. That was the best Nick Sun set I've seen him do, ie, fast and hard hitting. Steph did some Spraygun the musical - lol -, and it went over pretty well. Fergus from Melb was something new. Luke's set is getting very technical with the cryptic stuff, eg, "celebrities solving a puzzle on the grass" as a Taskmaster reference, and a lot less people cotton-on to what it was about so there is less laughs - even I have trouble at times to get so many in-jokes -. Unfortunately I'm starting to remember all of Cruckshank's jokes, but he was still good. I always get my Perry mixed up with my Ramsey - lol -, but they were both fine. It was fine, it just lacked atmosphere because of the crowd. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$28 + F-$6 + C-$6]
Fergus Neal(MC), Micheal Hing, Nick Sun, Luke Heggie,
Steph Broadbridge, John Cruckshank, Jacob Perry, Caleb ?, Ramsey Smith .jpg)
03.01.25 : The Laugh Inn : The Newtown Hotel
I was wondering how I could wrangle a Steve Hughes show for his up coming tour when tickets are expensive($50) and shows are all in woop-woop(fuel cost), but then this turns up and I figured I would take a Temu version of his full set as a substitute - lol -. Well there was an altercation before the show and security wouldn't let Steve in so he bailed - comics don't get paid much so it's not a big loss to skip -, so it ended up not being worth it. As for the show, there was so many good comics that I haven't seen, it WAS worth it - lol -. There was also a drunk person talking through some of the show, which didn't really affect me because I was far away and I have to wear earplugs because of hypercusis, but what did affect me was the comics angrily complaining - it's their art so I can see why -. 3.75 in the 1st half, but the talking in the 2nd dropped it to 3.5. [Crowd : 3.75 - Me : 3.5] [T-$26 + F-$9 + C-$6]
Seizure Kaiser(MC), Aditya(IND), Mandy Scotney, Alex White,
?, James Clarke, Ruby Jones, ?, Alex Choi.jpg)
02.01.25 : Bondi : Bondi to Bronte
I remember doing the Bondi to Bronte walk when we used to go Boogie Boarding at Bronte, but it's been so long I didn't remember anything along the way, nor even remember the decade - lol -. As a hit of the decade, the rumour at the time was that you would get AIDS if you walked across Tamarama because the beach was full of syringes from people shooting up at night, ie, 80s-90s? [Me : na] [T-$0 + F-$5 + C-$6]
PS: Did I tell you about the time we got chased down the Bondi promenade by the police, dog squad, and a news crew, and had to hide behind the rocks at North Bondi. The hoons were accumulating at Bondi and one Sun they got so big(300+) "mob rule" kicked in and they would violently rocked buses from side to side - you could see people's heads being shaken inside -. Of course 2 squad cars turn up, but when someone threw a bottle at the cop car, which luckily fell short and slid under the car, they left. 20min latter everyone turned up, cop cars, dog squad, riot police, so much so they nearly lined the length of the car park. Basically if you see the riot squad, don't think just RUN, because they don't care if you are innocent they just want to charge people. We were the last to move, and that's how the back of our heads ended up on 10 news - lol -.
Bondi Beach Bondi Icebergs.jpg)
Tamarama Bronte Beach
