Punchline!: Frankie Boyle, Seann Walsh, Andrew Lawrence, Idiots Of Ants & Mark Olver @ Usher Hall

Big rooms are a mixed blessing in comedy. Tonight’s show has attracted what would constitute a huge crowd for most comedy venues, but not enough to fill the cavernous Usher Hall. The empty seats make it hard to create an atmosphere, and compere Mark Olver struggles in the opening section.

The opener is a mystery guest who turns out to be none other than Frankie Boyle. A free slice of Frankie is definitely good value for money, but his low-energy delivery doesn’t help with the atmosphere problem. He does about 20 minutes of the usual Boyle schtick: ingenious one-liners padded with attempts to shock that completely fail (unless you think it’s still too soon to joke about Shannon Matthews).

Following him is Seann Walsh, who looks like Steve Coogan’s porn double but is in fact a very pedestrian observational comic. Yarns about drinking Jaegerbombs with his mates are delivered with style, but hardly the kind of wild ingenuity needed to make this gig feel like A Proper Event.

Fortunately, it all comes together after the interval. Olver attacks the second half with an “I’m going to make you laugh or die trying” bravado which pays off, getting some energy in the room before Idiots Of Ants. This gig is an open goal for an energetic sketch group and the Ants don’t miss, cranking out some of their classic sketches at breakneck speed.

Headliner Andrew Lawerence comes on to a crowd that have finally warmed up and the overall weirdness of the gig is perfect for him. He’s the first act to openly criticise the empty seats and lack of atmosphere, which ironically breaks the ice and creates an atmosphere. Lawrence specialises in long, carefully-worded rants with a poetic rhythm and his voice thunders around the huge hall. It feels like he’s a High Priest delivering a sermon to the Church of the Disaffected. It’s great.

So, a mixed-night for an ambitious project. The second half certainly shows that there’s potential for these Punchline nights. With a bit of tweaking, this could become a very welcome addition to the Edinburgh comedy scene.