Jan 19th, Ulster Sports Club, Belfast

Last night my friend, Tarah, and I went to see some stand-up at the Ulster Sports Club in Belfast. The aux cord in her car was broken so we listened to BBC Ulster radio instead, which was surprisingly really good? Much love to Billy Nomates and her new album, Cacti. We hope you get some mates in 2023. You don’t have to just 🎵hold hands with the desert🎵, you could also hold hands with us:)

I was super excited to see my first Northern Irish stand-up (even giddy!). How would the style of humor differ from that in mainland Britain or even the United States? What would the crowd be like? What hilarious insights into NI culture would I discover? I’m embarrassed to admit that in actuality I couldn’t understand a lot of it. Genuinely so embarrassed! I think it was a combination of the fuzzy mic, the ambient noise from the crowd, and the speed at which the comedians were speaking, but the night was a callback to study abroad in uni when I would nod along enthusiastically to someone’s chat at a party, while understanding about 40% of what they said. This is not a dig at Northern Irish accents. It is much more me hanging my head at my dumb American ear. But despite my confusion, I still have quite a bit to say about what we saw. Like my forefathers before me, I am but a good patriot coming forward - with exclamation points and caps lock at hand - to speak on something I only vaguely understand. If the younger generations don't strive to keep tradition alive, then there really is no hope. I hope you enjoy!

Like I said, I was most excited to glean some new knowledge about NI culture from the show. I wanted niche, niche, nicheee. I wanted to feel like a kid who’s been homeschooled their whole life, gets invited to their friend’s school dance, and hears KE$HA for the first time. Well, Ulster Sports Club did not disappoint. Comedians were dropping references to Nutty Krust Bread and the science behind toasting the oversized slices without burning them (not easy!). There was a detailed critique of West Belfast’s very own Banksy: Wanksy. One comedian pointed out how NI took Chinese food and somehow arrived at chicken balls and chips with chili and salt. “How could you possibly eat such a giant ball of chicken with chopsticks,?” An excellent question. Yes, Ulster heard the pleas of this American tourist and it delivered. In fact, during the 10 minute break, Tarah noted that most of NI humor in general revolves around inside jokes and cultural references no one else would understand. She said a lot of this comes back to the strong pride in being outsiders who have banded together as a nation, despite violence, adversity, and political unrest. We talked about how that attitude will evolve over the next few decades. Tarah’s parents are part of the last generation to live through the Troubles. How will NI be different when she is their age? How much inherited trauma will carry over to the generations that come after? Will being Northern Irish mean something different in 50 years? Will NI humor become a bit less niche? Would that really be a good thing? As someone from a country whose pop culture dominates the whole! wide! world! I think it’s quite special to be from somewhere with so many inside jokes. Inside jokes = commonality, comradery, affection. It’s not as fun to roll your eyes at Marvel’s compulsive need to spit out “films” for adults with ADHD when the whole world is rolling theirs too. Americans are out here trying to find just ONE inside joke but the world is always onto us! Yes, it’s true that individual parts of the US have their bits. Look no further than Vermont’s @uppervalleymemes ig. But as a whole? We’re pretty much the antithesis of niche. Not very witty or mysterious of us. Of course, I know that all of this cultural influence makes us very scary because we’re capable of homogenizing the entire galaxy. But that’s the thing! Northern Ireland’s culture is special. It’s unique! It should be protected, especially as the internet continues to blend the planet into a giant vat of Relatable Content Soup.

Now onto the performances. The show was organized in the familiar 6-ish act lineup with each comedian getting 10 minutes on stage, a more fancy/ well-known comedian going at the end, plus an MC in between. I love this format. Variety is the spice of life! Comparing comics with your friends after the show is so fun. Of this particular group, most comics were young men adorned in black jeans as well as black shirts. Some also wore black jackets. Honestly on most days I would be twinning with these men so I can’t really shade the outfits. There was also one woman and one non-binary person. All the performers (and actually the crowd?!) were of the caucasian persuasion. Essentially the diversity was mid and my presence did not help. But there you go. It’s possible - probable- that Northern Ireland has a ways to go in bringing more diversity to its circuit. Anyway. Some more thoughts from meeeeee.

My favorite part of the night was a hiLaRiOus bit by a very monotone dude who Tarah said looked a bit like a cartoon. A young Inspector Clouseau perhaps? This detective had one burning question for his audience: Where have all the leap year babies gone? We know they exist but where are they? And by the same token, where is a single person named Tucker? And where are the leap year babies named Tucker? Our life on Earth is shrouded in mystery, it’s true. He asked because he wants to find these bizarre characters and berate them for being weird faux-babies. 60-year-old 4-year-olds? A bit pathetic!! His delivery was completely dead-pan and it was perfect. Because I love the Craft✨ of stand-up so much, I often find it quite difficult to just get lost in the joke and not fixate on all the mechanics of the performance. But this dude’s leap year bit got me out of my head and into a fit of giggles (guffaws). That precise feeling is where the beauty of stand-up lies. Good stand-up severs you from your self-awareness, or your awareness of anything, and places you in that blissful state where you’re just lost in the laughter. Who knows what you look like? Your face is all contorted, you’re laughing so hard. Who knows what you were worrying about 20 seconds ago or what you’ll be worrying about when the show is over. It’s a feeling that exists so completely in the present moment and that feeling is even more BEAUTIFUL when everyone in the room is riding the same wave. The same thing happens at concerts and when a DJ is really killing it. It’s that gooey communal joy. My favorite thing in the world. And comedians are so amazing because they get to give that to people.

Some other thoughts on the show that aren’t as positive (I’m a critic now and I must be ruthless). Some of the comedians were very visibly nervous. I actually think this is quite endearing and I feel for them. Stand-up is probably one of the scariest things a person could submit themselves to. But appearing nervous does take away from the performance. It puts the audience on edge because they’re waiting for you to stumble or forget a line or check your notes. They should be holding their breath for the punchline but they’re holding their breath for a fumble. One of the best acts of the night - the last guy - planted his feet and delivered his entire set from the same spot. His confidence was palpable and as a result he captivated the audience while letting them know that he’s got this and they don't need to worry. King moves tbh.

Speaking of notes, omg don’t use them. When a comedian squints at some scribbles on their hand or pauses to check the Notes app on their phone my insides start churning. The illusion! The magic! You’ve shattered it and now you’re going to have to work so hard to get it back. This is a performance, baby! If 15-year-olds can memorize all their lines for their school’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet, you can memorize this ten minute set. To be fair, only one person checked their hand last night but that’s still one too many if you ask me.

My final critique is that there was not very much crowd work. The MC really didn’t interact with the audience all that much and I think this is a shame. Crowd work is so essential for creating the sizzle! Who's gonna ask get asked a question? Is the MC going to be nice or nasty? And what’s the deal with this audience anyway? Who’s in here and what are they about? Some chat makes the show more personal and it’s good practice to come up with jokes on the spot. Be courageous! Plus, I think an underlying fear of public humiliation at any moment makes the show more fun. The audience shouldn’t get off too easy. Then again maybe this crowd just wanted to sit back, sip their pint, and have some laughs and the MC was just respecting that. I’m but a humble tourist, it’s not for me to say.

All in all, I had so much fun. Some bits truly killed (leap year king, I’ll never forget you). The atmosphere was very friendly and the bar had gluten-free beer so no complaints from me. Tarah is one of my favorite people to do anything with and she also has one of the most beautiful laughs in the game so that’s a double win. Getting to learn more about her world by visiting NI and going to events like last night’s show warms my heart. Comedy is magical because it’s storytelling and connection and learning filtered through joy and laughter. That’s probably the best thing ever and last night was a nice reminder💫