With all the snow around and having to travel back from a few days in Yorkshire I really hoped that the atmosphere in Edinburgh’s premier comedy spot was going to be warm on this Thursday  night. It wasn’t warm however, it was red hot!!

The club is normally very busy on Thursdays and this, together with a visiting contingent of Welsh rugby fans up for the weekend’s game, swelling  the numbers it was virtually sold out.

Billy Kirkwood was mine host for the evening. It was a while since we had seen this very funny Ayrshire born guy resplendent with flowing hair and beard and I had almost forgotten just how good he was. It didn’t take long for him to remind us however, taking the club by the scruff of its neck and whipping up the enthusiasm for the acts to follow. The art of compering gigs is much different to doing a routine and Billy is equally adept at both styles.

The opening act was Edinburgh resident, although Northern Ireland native, Niall Brown. He was quickly into his stride and delivered a well paced and gag packed set. I had seen Niall a few months ago and was quite impressed. He certainly reinforced his appeal this time so check him out when you get a chance.

Second on the bill was a surprise, but a very pleasant one, in the person of teenage ‘superstar in the making’ Daniel Sloss. It was only just before Xmas that we first saw this Fife phenomenon and he blew us away with his set then and we were not alone. Already he is writing material for certain TV comedians and gigging round the country. Sloss was trying out new material before heading off to London, so 99% of his stuff was different. What was consistent was the quality and presence he generates while performing. The lad has ‘it’, almost too difficult to explain, maybe that elusive X Factor that Simon Cowell bangs on about, but mark my words this guy is destined for the very top.

Following on to close the second act was Josh Howie. I had seen his show during last year’s Fringe was left a little under whelmed. However, he may have had a bad day then so was keen to see if he appealed more. His material was different from August and a lot was better in my view, however, unlike the previous act he never reached the heights I would have expected given the amount of time he has been performing. Not a bad act, although he wasn’t helped by some gobby woman who talked through a chunk of his act. For me the jury is still out.

Following the second interval, top of the bill Carey Marx took to the stage with his ‘pal’ Parsnip the teddy bear. Carey has been a favourite of mine for a few years and since I introduced Sheila to his humour there is another convert. His very funny, occasionally straying into ‘off’ humour, and that is where Parsnip helps out, a cute teddy as an antidote assists!!

Marx has the audience in his palm for the duration of his set. I having seen him many times occasionally recognised a gag, but nearly everyone else hadn’t and anyway good material, and his stuff is certainly better than good, bears more than one hearing.

Carey is a much-respected comedian amongst his peers as we have heard several notable names saying that he is the funniest on the circuit. I cannot help but agree that he is certainly up there with the best and if you miss checking him out for yourself then more fool you!!

So there we had it. The weather may be awful, however the comedy is superb. To check out what is in store here for the next few months go to www.thestand.co.uk for details and maybe we’ll see you there.