Magners Festival Club / The Big Lunchtime Comedy Chat Show

There’s so much going on at the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival that it can be difficult to know where to go. With only one performance of most shows, and so many shows going on, sod’s law tells us that two you really want to see are bound to be on at the same time.This makes the good quality mixed-bill shows a great place to scout for what’s hot, or just to grab a spoonful of everything to make sure you’re not missing out. Arguably the best two such shows are the Magners Festival Club and the Big Lunchtime Comedy Chat Show, each a festival institution, and I saw both of them over the weekend.

The Stand is host to the former, which starts at ten on a Thursday night or half past on Fridays and Saturdays, and there’s nothing like The Stand for some proper late night saucery. There’s not much to say about host Susan Morrison; she is consistently great and a perfect compere for a late-night crowd. First act Bennett Arron was a bit lacking in originality, but this was largely made up for by the glint in his eye and a cheeky smile. After the jetlagged oddity that was Sarah Pascoe, Drunk Girl in the Front Row (she gets about, that one) told Mark Nelson he was the best act so far. An odd heckle, but she was right. Nelson is a master at pulling off the insulting without seeming aggressive (he put an apathetic student in her place with delicious mastery). Headliner Carl Donnelly balanced the night perfectly and was battling with Nelson for the honour bestowed by Front Row Girl. A great night to stagger home after.

At the other end of the day sits the Big Lunchtime Comedy Chat Show. A tenner buys you soup, a sandwich and a good hour of relaxed banter. It’s a wonderfully friendly atmosphere which disproves the adage that you need to drink to enjoy stand-up. High on soup alone, I come out a little bit more in love with comedy.

Hosts Scott Agnew and Des Clarke seem to be really enjoying themselves. The format is informal and relaxed; it feels less like a show and more like a group of pals hanging out. Janey Godley was as barmy as ever and proved that, lunchtime or not, the show is definitely post-watershed. Carl Hutchinson left me none the wiser despite explaining his show at length, but The Stockholm Syndrome’s Davey Connor took a better approach, showing, rather than telling us why we should see more of him.

Two great places to catch the best of the festival.