Liverpool’s Comedy Circuit

There is a sense from some that Liverpool is the worst place to do comedy on account of the fact that many of the people in the audience think that they’re funnier than the comedian.

There is also the problem that Liverpool is a big stag and hen party city, so performances on Friday and Saturday nights can often be done in front of people who are incredibly drunk and therefore not all that interested in what the stand-up has to say for themselves.

As a city that has probably produced more famous comedians than anywhere else, though, it is impossible to ignore it. So if you’re looking to get started in comedy, is Liverpool a good place to do it?

Limited Venues

The most important thing to acknowledge about Liverpool’s comedy scene is that there aren’t many venues in which you can perform if you’re just starting out.

The big chain companies that have venues in several cities, such as Jongleurs, avoid Liverpool as a general rule. That means that if you want to try your hand at standup comedy there you’re going to be limited to Hot Water Comedy Club. Whilst it’s an excellent place to perform, it isn’t somewhere that you’ll be guaranteed to get on. That can obviously be a big frustration if you’re having to build yourself up to get on stage in the first place, only to end up disappointed.

You Don’t Like Kids? 😂 pic.twitter.com/2cuXTmcmj4

— Hot Water Comedy (@HWCCLiverpool) June 4, 2024

The way that Hot Water works is that all comedians hoping to perform need to arrive at the venue at around 6pm on a Monday evening. You put your name on a piece of paper and that piece of paper is then put into a trainer. Yes, really. At 6.30pm, the first name is drawn from the trainer and the selected comedian draws the second name and so on. Normally there are 12 slots on the open mic night, so 12 names will be drawn out. In addition to the 12 selected comedians are any other comics who are well-known and can simply turn up on the day and take a slot. This means that it can be a long night for the audience.

The problem is, the combination of most Scousers thinking that they’re really funny and Liverpool being a student city means that there can be dozens of people hoping to take one of the slots. If your name isn’t pulled out of the shoe then you aren’t getting on. Whilst you’re welcome to stick around and watch the open mic night, you might not want to if you’ve worked to build yourself up to perform only to end up disappointed. The good news is that if you do get on then you’ll get to perform in front of a decent-sized audience in one of the country’s best venues that is aimed specifically at standup comedy.

One of the other big venues for comedy in the city is Laughterhouse Comedy, performing regular nights at the Slaughterhouse Pub as well as flagship events at the Bombed Out Church or the Philharmonic Hall. There are no open mic nights held regularly at the Laughterhouse, however.

Some open mic nights do occur at random locations around the city, but knowing where they are and what they’ll entail is another question entirely. Round the Corner is a bar that hosts an open mic night, for example, but it is advertised as being on a Wednesday on the website and it’s actually on a Tuesday, so it isn’t overly popular with punters.

There are numerous other locations where comedy takes place around Liverpool. Although Hot Water Comedy Club made its name through the viral work of comedians such as Paul Smith and Adam Rowe, there are also nights at locations like the Unity Theatre, the Royal Court and the Everyman.

These aren’t really aimed at people looking to gain some experience in the comedy circuit though. Instead, they tend to be chances to see established comedians plying their trade, which is a great opportunity to see what you think works and what you feel doesn’t. They are a way of figuring out who you are as a comedian.

Liverpool as a Comedian-Generating City

The interesting thing about the lack of opportunities for up-and-coming comedians in Liverpool is that it is a city that has produced more than its fair share over the years. The ‘Gagmasters’ of Liverpool were who inspired Ken Dodd to take to the stage with his tickling stick, making hundreds of people laugh.

Names such as Jimmy Tarbuck, Lilly Savage and Alexei Sayle became household names during the 1980s and 1990s, appearing on BBC and ITV almost every week and introducing the rest of the country to the Scouse sense of humour. In the modern era, John Bishop and Neil Fitzmaurice’s Scouse accents will be recognised by most.

The invention of things like TikTok have allowed comedians to get their name out there thanks to the manner in which social media is shared. Paul Smith’s crowd work saw him shoot to fame, ribbing people in the front row of the gig and going viral as a result.

Social media sites like YouTube have also helped, with Adam Rowe being a good example of a Scouser who has been able to make a name for himself to such an extent that he has appeared on the BBC’s main standup comedy show, Live at the Apollo and won the award for the best joke at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018, helping him further his development.