Caught another dose of Ross Noble at this years comedy festival last night since my sister and her boyfriend are down from Edinburgh and wanted to catch some decent comedy. Turned out Ticketmaster made an error in our tickets and printed LAST Wednesdays gig as opposed to last nights so our seats were double booked. We had to stand which kinda sucked but I’m used to standing around for hours waiting for tickets or watching bands. The only problem was that the Athenaeum theatre gets incredibly hot and when you’re standing at the back, all the heat sits there like a bad smell. Luckily the inclusion of alcohol is permitted into the theatre otherwise I would have come out looking like I’d just sat in the sauna for two hours.

Ross’ new show Noodlemeister wasn’t too bad, regurgitating a few jokes from last years stellar shows but bringing mostly new material. His Yeti impersonation was a nice touch and a comedy show wouldn’t be complete without dick and fart jokes but I couldn’t get into his act this year. I found the best parts were when he improvised on the spot when asking the audience for any questions. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the crowd loved it but the majority of us agreed he didn’t get to stomach-hurting comedic heights this time around. But for a two and half hour show at $20, who’s complaining.

Already booked tickets to Dave Hughes in a couple of weeks but man, you’ve gotta be quick to get tickets. If you’re going with a group of 4 or more (which I am), chances are you’ll end up with back-row seats, particularly for such a popular local comic such as Hughes. Luckily I scored the second row but it’s in the upper circle (that’s the top section people). And this was booked for a weeknight too!

Now I wanted to see Steven Wright but with tickets costing just under $70, I thought that was a little steep. Then there’s Bill Bailey from TV’s Black Books (although I remember him most as Bilbo Bagshot from Spaced) who could be quite good. I was never a fan of Black Books though but then again, he has stated that his live shows are nothing like his television work, so it could be money well spent.

Anybody else seen or planning to see some good acts this year? Let us know.

Off to see Ross Noble at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this Friday night. Comedy is just what this patient needs at the moment. Love seeing live comedy acts but the problem is it’s often a hit and miss affair if you don’t know the comedians work. I saw Daniel Kitson last year at the festival and he was pretty funny. But I had seen some of his material before. I tried to get tickets to Dave Hughes at first this year but he’s probably THE most popular act in Melbourne so his show sold out lightning quick. Hughesy is probably at his most hilarious when he appears on ABC’s The Glass House on Friday nights. He’s joined by Wil Anderson and Corrine Grant and a couple of guests, chatting away about world and local news. Sometimes it goes off on some pretty weird tangents but that’s the great thing about it. One minute they’re talking about the Iraqi war and the next they’re chatting to Andrew Denton about ‘fingering’. Yes it’s not for the kids or for those easily offended by generation X and Y humour but those who visit this site will probably get a kick out of it.

Quick Links:

- I told you previously that PJ Harvey has a new album on the way. Well here’s the complete details.
- Jack Black cast in King Kong. Hell yeah!
- Finally. The review board doesn\rquote t succumb to Niles narrow-minded ideologies.
- Check out my amazon wishlist. Feel free to buy me whatever! ;)