Posts Tagged ‘Vodafone comedy festival’

Ok so the Vodafone Comedy Festival has been over for a little while already but I unfortunately never got to share some of my highlights so I figured why not throw them up today? I wanted to include some of the random photos I took over the course of the 4day festival (a picture speaks thousand words obviously!) but unfortunately my camera is no longer accessible to me either so I’ve substituted some video clips instead

First up have to be Abandoman who wowed the crowd with some freestyle hiphop!

 

Dead Cat Bounce may be a threesome now but they still have some funky trousers and rocking tunes

 

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So here we are again. Another Friday. Just like every other week eh? Except it’s a Bank Holiday weekend! Wohoo! So to get you lot in the mood we have a bit of random gatherings from the internet for you this week….

Let’s start with this video that our friends over at Chunk.ie sent to us during the week which is a little strange and just God damn funny! Restores my faith in human kind so it does!

 

See told you it was a little strange!

 

Now for some tweets from the people of Twitter this week…

Do you miss the days of being carried to bed when you fell asleep on the couch when you were a kid??

You know your childhood is over when you fall asleep on the couch, and wake up on the couch.

-@laughbook

 

This made me literally laugh out loud today!

 

A sign of the times we live in?!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imaginary boyfriends on Twitter? Sure why not Perez!?!

My imaginary boyfriend of the day is Calvin Harris! Yum! And TALENTED! PS That would have been a tad creepy/stalker to @reply him, right? Ha

-@perezhilton

 

To finish off Radomania this week I have for you a video from Abandoman. It’s their “what’s in your pocket song”. See how good they are for yourself. Till next week. Have a great Bank Holiday! Be happy, smile and most importantly laugh!

 

As is the tradition with The Comedy Scoop we have gathered together a few highlights of the weekend into one easy digestible post! We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend in the Iveagh Gardens despite the weather at times being typically Irish! First up Paul gives us his highlights….

I thoroughly enjoyed the Vodafone Comedy Festival this year. The atmosphere, entertainment and range of performers make it a veritable wonderland for fans of comedy. It was my second time tumbling into the rabbit hole of the festival; what will stick with me most about the Journey?

 

 

 

The Iveagh Gardens – Oh my God, what a venue!! From the beautiful foliage to the delightful waterfall, the gardens serve the relaxed feel of a comedy venue very well. These aesthetic elements, coupled with an outstanding effort from Vodafone for on-site entertainment such as jugglers, stilt performers, mime artists and photographers make the Iveagh Gardens my favourite festival venue in Ireland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reginald D. Hunter – Sitting in a packed Cherry Top and watching Hunter perform was a joyous experience. Completely confident and smooth in his delivery, Hunter managed to weave his controversial joke elements into some hilarious and relatable stories. From commentary on current affairs to some hilarious musings on relationships and experiences with infidelity, Reginald D. Hunter showed a masterful grasp of live comedy.

 

Seann Walsh – As someone who is relatively new to covering the Comedy Circuit, it’s always a wonderful surprise to come across a comedian you have never heard of and be blown away. Entering the Jokeshop to see Seann Walsh, my hopeful anticipation was met with triumphant jubilation. An eclectic mix of sharp observational humour, animated storytelling and effortless likeability ensured that every joke hit its intended mark. It’s so rare to find a comedian who doesn’t misstep or hit any bum notes in their set but to watch Seann Walsh perform was a true demonstration of such an achievement.

A great set of comedians to check out there and we recommend checking out the Iveagh Gardens all year round too!

 

Now Amanda shares with us her highlights of the festival weekend.

 

 

First up for me is Abandoman. This guy was simply just amazing. I am a hip hop and an improv fan so this gig couldn’t have been more perfect for me! To be able to rap at the drop of a hat to the beat of hip hop music demands a high level of talent! I especially loved his “whats in your pocket song and his “riot” song! By the end of his set he had us all wanting to head on the town!

 

 

 

Second up is a non  comedy related thing. It was really nice to wander around the park and stop to have random chats with strangers! It’s a laid back atmosphere which lends itself to many a random rendezvous including even with total strangers. It’a quite nice to be wandering around chatting to the public and comedians alike.

 

 

Finally  for now my last highlight is Michael Winslow. A bit obvious? Possibly, but frankly I don’t care. This man is a legend. What he can make come out of his bed is nothing short of astonishing! Plus he is very funny to along with that talent which makes for the perfect combination if you ask me! His easy manner on stage made him fun to watch. I was in awe of him and he was definitely worth the trip into the Iveagh Gardens!

 

 

 

So there you go, our highlights of the festivals What are yours? Anything we have missed? Let us know!

 

 

 

 

For the first time all weekend I had to join a queue to get into the gig in The Comedy Hub and with a headliner as well-known as Al Murray I can’t say I was surprised at the droves of people filing into the tent for the show. Having found a seat among the excited crowd I sat back and wondered if the evening would be worthy of the build up.

 

The MC for the gig was well-known Irish comedian Karl Spain. Launching straight into audience interactions with an ease that only comes from experience Spain successfully managed to find a comedic angle no matter who he spoke to. Quickly getting the room on side with relatable material and funny quips Spain prepped us well, keeping the crowd interested and laughing before introducing the first act of the evening Sammy J & Randy.

 

This unusual double act began their set with a metaphor battle as part of a bittersweet love song with hilarious results. Much of their set was based on the idea that they are friends conversing and involved them playing out their conflicts and stories on stage through the medium of music. With songs based on topics like secrets and forgotten tradespeople Sammy J & Randy bring a lot of unique material to their set and I really enjoyed the unexpected lyrics and witty punch lines. The amusing banter between the duo along with Randy’s exaggerate physical expression throughout the performance drew a lot of laughter from the audience and they even manged an impressive ‘improv’ song based on a member of the front row! Definitely not your usual comedy act these guys managed to bamboozle and amuse me in equal measure though the same cannot be said for some of the audience, leaving me feeling yet again that perhaps they were not best matched with the rest of the evening’s line up by the festival’s organisers. Completing their set with a lullaby with an unexpected twist Sammy J & Randy are definitely an act I would happily see again.

 

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Sunday afternoon saw me back at the Iveagh gardens in search of more comedy! What better place to be looking than a comedy festival filled with comedy tents eh? This time round I was off to see Dead Cat Bounce and Totally Wired. The gig would be MC’d by Damian Clark. This one I was looking forward to!

 

Sitting in the Comedy Hub it was obvious that the gig was not full to capacity which was a shame as the two acts deserved to have a bigger audience but Damian dealt with the lack of audience quite well and appointed the middle rows as the back rows from the very start! Damian was his usual high energy self  with lots of crowd interaction from him that even prompted a comedic rant about how everything is ready made these days….ye know like popcorn and milkshakes etc. Damian did get a lot of hecklers but he seemed to be able to deal with them fairly well from where I was sitting. The room (or tent) had a strange vibe and Damian struggled to hold the crowd together after the break as they wandered in while he was on the stage trying to start the show again

 

First act of the night were Totally Wired. Introducing themselves as Ireland’s oldest and least successful boy band they launched into their “love song”, a romantic tale of sorts. How does one follow this song? With a song dedicated to your gay best friend of course! Emmett did various accents throughout their set which were remarkable I must say. The duo walked on thin ice with a song titled “Organ donor”. With lyrics like “I’m glad you died”….it’s hard not to recoil in horror but laugh at the same time! The lads have a problem with Weight Watchers (let’s just ban these skinny bitches!) but the lasting memory I will take from their set is Emmett’s impression of Stephen Hawkins singing Footloose! Totally Wired had the audience laughing from start to finish of their set and are well worth checking out when you get a chance.

 

 

Headlining the gig was Dead Cat Bounce. Walking out in some very shiny trousers and as a threesome they were ready to entertain! They figure we should build a giant robot to get past Australian Border control. They sang about a second date that went wrong…tip for you, don’t ever go kayaking with these guys! They were also very clever and added in the phone song which has become very popular after its debut on Republic of Telly earlier this year. Ever wanted to know what animals really say? Well Dead Cat Bounce knows….Damo also treated us to a free drumming lesson; look out for the instructional DVD coming out soon! In true music band style we were treated to an encore and what an amazing encore it was. Mix drumming and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and you get an awesome piece of music from Damo. James made a cup of tea while playing the guitar, see men can multitask! And Shane used his guitar as a violin. Is there anything these lads can’t do? They are an explosion of music and comedy and are one of the most exciting acts around at the moment.

 

 

Overall the gig was a fantastic one. It was a pity that Damian couldn’t hold the audience together better but he still managed to get some very funny material in. If you would like to check you any of the acts above you can do so on their Facebook pages: Dead Cat Bounce, Totally Wired & Damian Clark :)