OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 18 November 2012

FOR MANY years, Gilded Balloon have been bringing the best of new comedy talent to Scottish audiences.

THE COMPERE for Sunday’s show was gay Glaswegian comic Scott Agnew, with his witty comments about Inverness and the surrounding area. Although these references to the local area were relatively funny, they were greeted by an uncomfortable silence. I didn’t understand why the audience weren’t laughing more; I assume its since the acts are still up and coming, and the crowd needs them to earn the laughs. But Agnew worked hard, and eventually the 100 or so gig-goers were letting their reservations go.

Janey Godley (photo Steve Ullathorne)

Agnew then introduced the first comedian, Davey Connor, who didn’t have such a successful battle with extracting the laughs. Although his observations were funny, and he had some beautifully written routines, it would appear that the audience didn’t enjoy, and the customer is always right.

The third act was Aberdeen-dwelling Ed Patrick. Patrick was the only comic I’d never seen before, and surprisingly he was my favourite of the night. He had wonderfully crafted wordplay and a brilliant routine about a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ type book called ‘Regeneration’. He was extremely good at working the grumpy crowd, and is certainly an act to watch out for.

After a short interval we were introduced to the superb headline act, Janey Godley. Godley is a stand up veteran with numerous Fringe shows under her belt, and just as many entertaining anecdotes. She mentioned her Aspergers suffering husband, late-life pregnancy and even launched into a McIntyre-esque routine on Airports. Janey’s set was the one which reduced the Eden Court audience to tears. She went down fantastically, and it was a great way to round off an evening of top class- bottom bill comics, all of which deserve a solid career.

Gilded Balloon Comedy Circuit returns to Eden Court in February, March and April next year.

© Connor Wallace, 2012