The Comedy Bloomers show was a riveting experience. I was reminded of how single I am but also that I’m really glad to be single at the same time.
The only in-between is knowing that we’re all on the same boat, and that I’m not the only one who’s lost and amused.
The venue was intimately lit with a pinkish red tint, a bright yet intimate lighting for the audience. And dark enough to hide in shame for feeling too seen for some of the jokes.
A stage with gray curtains as the backdrop with a fitting spotlight to showcase the beautiful comedians of the night, ready to steal the show.
Greeted by MC, Dom McGovern, exuded a commanding aura to keep us entertained through the night. As a comedian himself, he shared his story of what it’s like to date a doctor who works for the NHS. It sounded like a lovely relationship, but he would be the friend to ask me to get a second opinion. He lifted the spirits of the room with his gay dating life stories which served as the perfect appetizer for the acts to come.
The opening act was author/comedian/producer Martin J Dixon who made comedy feel achievable with his nervous yet charming presence on stage.
I believe comedians stand out when they hit the right catchphrase to reel the audience in, and Martin did so when he innocently declared that he “decided to be fat.”
He shared his “F*ck It” list, which made me hold my chest and gag till I spit in my own drink. From adventures in a gay sauna to spit-roasting (which loosely translates to, all access points covered), his unhinged humour was sweetly turbulent with a loveable landing.
Next on stage was the lovely Argentinian, voted LGBT comedian of the year, Victoria. She thrives on roasting the UK for its lack of attractive lesbians and says that she is the only lesbian in the UK who’s not a vegan.
Her laidback delivery captivated the audience in such a way that the slander was taken with a pinch of salt and a shot of tequila. Her confidence fits the description of a seasoned comedian and a humble activist who claims Brexit caused the shortage of hot lesbians and, well, tomatoes.
Victoria’s tantalising set was followed by young trans comedian, Joe Mayo who wasted no time and dove right into their innovative set. I could sense the audience trying to catch the pace of their set, but when they said, “Mansplaining as a trans person isn’t mansplaining, it’s just being a c*nt” we all arrived.
They did well to interact with the crowd and induce some wordplay/pronoun humour, and what will make me remember them the most is that they fancy centaurs for a type.
They ended the set by playing us a song to confirm if they heard a particular song lyric right. The song is called Blue Eyes by MIKA and the lyrics say, “Tired of living, misunderstood, think hard woman.” where the latter sounds like “finger a woman” and it’s impossible to unhear it now, thanks Joe!
The last set before a break from the witty oversharing, was by headliner and non-binary with Draco Malfoy inspired hair, Jodie Mitchell. Jodie took me on a journey into their catholic household and straight up to heaven while they switched roles with gay Jesus. Apparently gay Jesus is just a nicer version of Regina Williams from Mean Girls.
A change in their voice gave me an imaginative experience of gay Jesus holding the phone whilst talking to multiple people. A day in the chores of heaven, calling a plumber, flaunting the invention of parties to a friend and hitting up some lovers out boredom.
Admittedly, they couldn’t stop doing the Jesus voice, it went on for a bit of the set and no one was mad. They moved around the stage like they owned it and had a loud voice that captured every soul in the room.
I could talk endlessly about their set, so let me mention keywords with no context which might help summarise it, a syncronised period with other butches in gigs, hawks throwing up tampons and Elliot Page.
After a 15-minute break, MC Dom came back to entertain us a bit more. He fetched one of the few heterosexual people in the crowd, but they were nervous. MC Dom handled it very elegantly, he said we were in a room filled with anxious people anyway and questioned them gently.
He walzted back to the stage and hit us with his 2am thoughts claiming that we should bring back light bullying in this generation, after being bullied himself.
Jokingly, he says that bullying makes us all artists and comedians, urging a confused giggle out of the audience.
MC Dom then introduced the next comedian, Jimmy Tam, who’s a British-born gay man spawned from Chinese parents. He’s also known as Bubble Tea and while I found him adorable, his delivery was a bit rigid. A touch of finesse, confidence and comedic timing could have invited the audience to immerse fully in his raunchy dating life.
A mix of his culture with dirty details of his sex life was rich for material on paper and the more he dives into it, he will have a more compelling set in the future.
In contrast, the next comedian was all about filling the room with their stunning authority over the stage. James O’Donoghe, a London based non-binary comedian started their set with insanely accurate impressions of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and some random dude with a cringed face on the Piccadily line.
Their mockery of the men who have asked them why they wear dresses won my heart as they shared their desired retorts towards these reactions. Wishing they stood up for themselves with a powerful stance but ended up with mom jokes in a manly voice. Their whole set mesmerised the audience and kept me begging for more and more.
Followed by this big personality was a woman called Ria Cohen who had a lot to say.
A nervous jewish comedian with ADHD who fired one-liners I have never heard before. Some of them being, ‘cutting back on celibacy’ and a recent ‘interest in apathy’ made me chuckle in Gen-Z.
A tinge of political humour and biblical references where she agreed that according to the Bible, she is indeed a wh*ore, as we all are. A fast moving train of humour and thought process that stumbled a bit to settle and marinate but a unique brain to witness unfurl right before me.
Up next was a trans woman named Dee Allum, who goes by just Dee. She held the stage for over fifteen minutes and each minute felt like a chapter from a hysterical book I’d buy in a heartbeat.
She began her set with a bunch of FAQs about being a trans woman for those who require a back to the basics approach. And went into further detail of how her hormone journey has been quite self-reflective.
From educating me about the intricacies of shaving down there as a man, to a touch of spirituality on how the process of transition has an uncertain destination, she left me enamoured. A path so unpredicatble created a clever comedian out of Dee who lives and breathes for her journey.
And now she boldly expresses her confusion about other human beings with a commanding voice and illuminating facial expressions.
And finally to the end the night, headliner Hannah Byczkowski (pronounced B*tch-Cough-Ski) grabbed the stage, swallowed it whole and left no crumbs. The power of her voice left the crowd speechless as she scouted the demographic of her audience to anticipate the energy of the room.
She’s an advocate for not having children and teased the fact that she almost hit on a baby daddy when she was a nanny. Men on datings apps with absurd bios were her primary targets, a line that will stay in my head rent-free is a man saying, “My favourite colour is red and blue.”
Her humour was not only relatable, but she’s also the literal embodiment of my intrusive thoughts on display. She, in her bright orange top left a fruity taste on my palate as she cleansed the entire night with her unholy, unruly and unbelievable set.
Click HERE to attend Comedy Bloomer’s future shows in London, the next one is on the 25th of October. See you there!
