Jason Patterson - Live Review

Jason Patterson absolutely sounds the part. He’s got a rich, deep voice that oozes confidence, and a perfectly measured delivery that gives him instant authority.

When it comes to material, however, this relative newcomer needs stronger, more distinctive punchlines, with too many gags that rely on ‘reveals’ that are either obvious or weak. His best line touches on racism at American immigration, but material about still living at home with his mother, or taking easy pot-shots at KFC advertising slogans, lack the power of his impressive stage presence.

Rachel Anderson - Live Review

Still relatively new on the circuit, Rachel Anderson combines an innate Geordie charm with increasingly assured writing.

She immediately gives the lie to her initial butter-wouldn’t-melt sweetness with a scathingly vicious gag about Jordan’s son Harvey that’s cruel, but not quiet in the way that you expect it to be.

She sometimes falls into the trap of going for the crude but artless lines, but there are encouraging signs she’s beginning to write herself out of such easy routines as the lewd doctor’s examination.

For evidence that she’s capable of adding some depth to the depravity, look no further than the sweet-natured ballad, powerfully delivered and accompanied by an unusual folk instrument called the autoharp, that describes exactly what filthy things she’ll do because her self-esteem is rock-bottom.

Yes, it might be nothing more than a more elegant update of the Pythons’ Sit On My Face from a female perspective, but there’s maturity with the muck.

Sharon Mahoney - Live Review

It’s either a sign of national insecurity, or just too many infuriating cases of mistaken identity, but almost every jobbing Canadian comic seems to have a joke emphasising that no, they are absolutely, positively not Americans.

Mahoney doesn’t just have one or two line sabout it, though, but a longish story, set in an Amsterdam swimming baths. It’s jaunty enough, and told with faultless professionalism, but in need of further embroidering to squeeze more laughs out of it. As it is, the segment is entertainingly diverting, but without bite.

Mahoney, who also performs as a street clown called Miss Tallulah, defines herself largely by her nationality, which is limiting, though when she moves off the topic of her Canadianism, the set is even less fruitful. Her routine about centenarians, for example, is rather woolly, and ends in a predictable way.

Yet she’s got a perky, confident delivery and engaging delivery, and a few of the more spontaneous ideas generated in the brief set Chortle saw could easily be knocked into good shape with the aid of a focused eye. But for the moment, appropriately enough for a street act, she seems happy enough to busk it.

Matt Grantham - Live Review

Matt Grantham is what Andy Parsons would sound like with an Australian accent. He has that same dry wit and uses similarly deliberate phrasing, stressing key words, to get his point across.

The approach isn’t as accomplished as the Mock The Week panelist – understandable since the Queenslander has only been performing since 2005 – and some of the gags have rather a slow build. But rest assured he’s normally going somewhere with the deadpanned observations, and each self-contained paragraph of stand-up usually yields a cunning payoff.

A segment about Britain’s pathetic wildlife compared to the dangers of the Aussie bush is a little generic, and a couple of other ideas don’t hit home like they should. But as an up-and-coming act, he’s heading in the right direction.