Comedy: House of Fun feat. The Chaser

The Library Pub

Thursday 9th February

4/5

 Sinha’s act was executed flawlessly; it included him recalling an encounter with extremist Anjem Choudary and concluding with a kiss from a random audience member

As a newcomer to the smaller comedy circuit I was apprehensive about the quality, yet my worries could not have been more misplaced. As the modest upstairs venue filled to the brim with students who had braved the snow and cold, it became clear I was in for a treat.

The night got off to a flying start, with Geordie compere Barry Dodds warming up the crowd, pandering to the predominantly University of Leeds students with quips about boozing and jovial exchanges with audience members.

Spirits were high for the arrival of the first act of the evening, Paul Sinha. Sinha began his set with witty jokes about his parents’ relocation to the United Kingdom and the crowd were instantly charmed. As the son of Bengali immigrants, openly gay, a qualified GP and professional quizzer of ITV’s ‘The Chase’, his background made for a tremendous stand-up set.

Through tales of his non-conformity, love of sport and fear of coming-out, Sinha saw to it that his sexuality informed his performance, delivering a realism that had depth, wit and was downright hilarious.

Sinha’s act was executed flawlessly; it included him recalling an encounter with extremist Anjem Choudary and concluding with a kiss from a random audience member. In sum, his performance was crisp, unique and very funny.

Sinha’s act was hard to follow but headline act Joey Page stepped up to the mark well. Appearing on ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ in November last year his similarities to the surreal humour of Noel Fielding and Bill Bailey were clear to see as the beginning of his act revolved around the sword-fighting and bee-keeping hobbies of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ star, Nicholas Lyndhurst. Stewart Lee was also echoed in Page’s lengthy, elaborate humour and reference to having no ‘real jokes’. Despite the similarities, Page stamped his own unique style on his act; his hand-puppetry-play was a particular comical highlight. His quirky fashion sense, excellent rapport with the audience and imaginative jokes created a great atmosphere that proved popular with the young crowd and was fantastic end to the evening.

Image: Paul Sinha, courtesy of Mrs Bear