A night at Comedy Dundee proves laughter is the best medicine

Is there anything better for the soul than a few drinks and belly laughs with friends? Entertainment reporter Leston Paul takes us along to Comedy Dundee for a night of side-splitting comedy in the city.

With so much uncertainty in the world at the moment, having a few hours of laughter can make a huge difference for us all. Thursday the 24^th February was definitely a night where my friend Orlaith and I had a chance to just breath and enjoy the moment. It was a time for us to take a break from our busy days jobs to just have a good old belly button laugh. 

We did just that when we visited Comedy Dundee at Number 57.

Our night started at the Holiday Inn Express Dundee Hotel, as another friend joined us for pre-comedy drinks. For some of us attending a comedy night can be terrifying and it should be, especially when you can be the butt of the joke. Also in the middle of winter and an evening after there were a snow storm, what better way to start your evening with a few glasses of vodka and lemonade to calm the nerves. The view from the hotel bar was magnificent as we looked onto the passing traffic and the numerous pedestrians rushing through the streets.

At 7.30pm we made our way across the road from the hotel to the Number 57 where we would eventually leave at the end of the night with a sore jaw. By this time we were a bit calmer and not as scared as before.

As we entered the bar, we were greeted by Charlie who is the promoter for the Comedy Dundee. Charlie made us feel like VIP members and, even though we had front row seat access to the comedy session, I knew instantly that was a set up for our demise. Sitting at the front is like being the pink elephant in the room where everyone sees you – especially the comedians. So we opted in for the last table at the back of the bar where we could see all the acts and appreciate the crowd’s reaction. Obviously, we could not come to a bar without drinking, so had some more drinks to awaken the spirits in us. 

By 8:00p.m the doors shut and lights were dimmed. The stage lit up and Des McLean came on as the first act with stories from Glasgow to Las Vegas. His light hearted banter and interaction with the audience really helped everyone settle in and the laughter to flow. We couldn’t believe it. On a dreich night in February, in a cosy corner of Dundee sits Number 57 Bar bursting with personality. 

With cocktails on tap and a roster of Scottish comedians we were set for a great night. The wise decision to sit towards the back allowed us to enjoy the night without being front and centre for a Scottish comedic berating, although I didn’t fully escape it as we were sat at the back where all the comedians were hanging out. 

Then came Pishy Wishy Steven with that distinctive west coast accent, who had the crowd in stitches with his down to earth story telling. 

But, just when you thought nothing could beat Pishy Wishy, the biggest bear in the form of Colin Higgins made his entrance. He came as a rainbow surprise for me being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. I always knew we were a funny bunch of people, but Colin’s way of just being big, gay and Scottish with a pint in the hand and an amazing outlook on life. My sides were hurting the whole time. 

As the acts continued, my jaw felt like it was about to rupture from so much laughter, but then came Foamy Dave to the stage. At first I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream with his short foam joke one liners while in the character of a 6 foot tall praying mantis, but dressed in a very smart suit.  The act became even funnier with the knowledge that he is a medical student.

When we thought the night couldn’t get any better, we had our own Dundee home grown talent in the form of Steve McLeod who really summed up the city of Dundee. There’s no better person to tell us the true story of Dundee than a college engineering lecturer by day and delightful self-described “pallet cleanser” by night.

The night was far from over, because we got a taste of John Carruthers, another west coast comedian who just had the crowd in stitches with his chaotic, yet hilarious set. At one point I didn’t know how to separate the man from act it was so seamless. But, hearing John’s story of how he found a love for comedy as a way of fundraising for cancer in honour of his father and still hosts fundraising nights in Glasgow just melted my heart. Funny to the bone and emotional to the core.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and if this is the case, Number 57 is shaping Dundee when it comes to comedy thanks to the excellent assortment of top-notch Scottish comedians.  As we all know, Scottish comedy is not for the faint of heart, or the self-deprecating. With such amazing comic skills on display, this show did not disappoint. 

Scottish comedy has always been a love of mine with massive names like Billy Connelly, Frankie Boyle and Kevin Bridges. I absolutely love visiting the Fringe Festival when visiting Edinburgh, and now I know there is a brilliant small club comedy scene in Dundee perfect for dusting off the midweek blues on a dreich night.  

Be sure to catch Des McLean as he comes back to Dundee to play Bertie Auld in ‘Bend it Like Bertie’ at the Whitehall Theatre on the 1st of June.