On Thursday of last week, Oyster held its first ever stand-up comedy night at Piccolino in the West End. This was an event put on for our London network, Oyster’s way of saying how much we appreciate the relationships we’ve forged.
The whole event was a rip-roaring success of hilarity and most importantly, charity!
The evening’s host was Wes Dalton. Dalton is an Irish actor, writer, and comedian, living in London. He compères his own comedy club: Funny Feckers – one of London’s most popular comedy clubs. He regularly gigs around London and the UK in sell-out shows. On Thursday night it was easy to see why he was so popular – he was brilliant at getting the crowd going and keeping the energy up throughout the night.
We had a total of 4 comedians who regaled us with acts ranging from the trials and tribulations of a Red Neck American living in London, to the problems of an out-of-work actress played through a ukulele.
The first act of the night was Brandon Burke. Burke has only recently moved to London and you may recognise him from Comedy Central, The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, Ha Ha’s, and The Improv. He is currently touring the UK – #brandoninbritain. His act tells of his funny and fearless journey from the Ozarks in the USA to London. In it we heard about everything from rednecks and bigots to big-haired country women. He had most of the audience crying tears of laughter with his country humour and well executed, honest deliverance.
Brandon was followed by Hannah Fairweather. Born a bonny Scottish lassy, Hannah was raised in New Zealand and Australia but now lives in London. Hannah sees herself as the Taylor Swift of comedy, savagely but hilariously ripping into people who have wronged her in the past. She is considered 2019’s rising start of the year, winning the Rising Star New Act of the Year, as well as being a semi-finalist in both the BBC Radio4 Introducing Comedy Award and So You Think You’re Funny.
Third on stage was the exotic Essex superstar, Abigail Carter-Simpson. She is relatively new to gigging on the comedy circuit, but that didn’t stop her from performing a riotously successful act that involved lots of self-deprecation and tales from an out-of-work actress, all accompanied by her trusted ukulele!
Raj Poojara completed our comedy lineup. He delivered a hilarious sketch full of quick one-liners relating to his extreme life as a Private Banker by day and secret stand-up comedian by night!
Throughout the evening we were provided with amazing food and service. The drinks flowed freely and many of us overindulged on everything, including the tequila shots! To top it all off there was a raffle with incredible prizes including, Director’s Seats with Hospitality Premiership Football Tickets, Michelin star restaurant vouchers, and spa gift certificates.
Most importantly, in amongst the food and laughter, we managed to raise a huge amount of money for LandAid, one of Oyster’s charity partners. The night was such a massive success and we can’t wait for the next one!