17th January saw the successful launch of our Strath Laughs Comedy Night. Strath Photo Club’s Jack Dunsmuir captured the atmosphere with his photography and Strathclyde student Manjunath Ramamurthynagar was kind enough to share his blog entry with us, describing the night’s events.

“When was the last time you laughed your heart out?

Most of us will have to think for a while before being able to answer that question.

Laughter is such an important part of our lives, yet, these days, comedy is not at the forefront of everyone’s minds. If that just so happens to be you, see this article as your reminder. If you missed out on the launch night, fear not! #StrathLaughs will return for some much needed laughter on February 21st and on the 28th March as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Marc Jennings, the host of the night, set the pace right from the beginning - blazing a trail for others to follow. Talking about the diversity of Glasgow - a diversity that was very evident in the audience - it was quite wonderful to see how certain emotions can unite the people across borders.

Liam Farley was not so expressive, but did what he had to do - get the audience on the edge of their seats. Maybe Marc had set the bar high in terms of expression, which made Farley look a little mellow. But he was good nonetheless, with a very evident Scottish accent.

Not all standup comedy needs to be aimed at just making an audience laugh - Amelia Bayler is unique. That’s not criticism, our expectation of a ‘Comedy Night’ is to laugh at every sentence that the person on stage utters. She defied this very basic assumption - you can’t just laugh at everything she says. She entertained in her own unique way - singing with a touch of comedy - a brave experiment. Not many comedians would dare to do that, which makes it applaudable.

Someone once told me, “Content as such is never sensitive, it’s the method that we adapt to deliver this content which makes it sensitive.” Raheil Ahmad did remind me of this statement, in his brilliant job of taking up a sensitive topic and delivering it in amazingly humorous way. He was calm and composed whilst making everyone laugh till their cheekbones hurt.

Rosco was unconventional and bold, but funny to the core. He did not leave a second for the audience to relax. He went on and on with his words and actions, leaving only one way for the audience to react – bursting out in fits of laughter.

Last, but not least, Christopher MacArthur-Boyd proved to be a perfect headliner for a night filled with laughter. Christopher is a three-time Scottish Comedian of the Year finalist, a ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’ finalist and a two-time nominee for Best New Act at the Scottish Comedy Awards; and you could tell. He worked the audience with ease, grinning and cooing, as if he was letting everyone in on a big secret. He connected with the audience easily, maybe because of the relatable topics he chose to speak about.

Overall, in this young and growing sector of standup comedy, there are numerous possibilities to explore. One thing I noticed is that all the artists welcomed and complemented one another, rather than seeing each other as competition.

If they can carve a niche for themselves right now, I’m sure they can go ahead and become veterans one day.”

- Manjunath Ramamurthynagar

#StrathLaughs

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