On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September, Rich Hall came to Metronome with with Just The Tonic as the venue officially reopened.
It has been an uncertain few weeks of government U-turns and lockdown restrictions potentially being re-imposed, so last weekend’s Just The Tonic comedy show, featuring a selection of hilarious comedians, was a welcomed distraction.
We as a venue have worked hard to ensure all safety precautions and social-distancing guidelines are adhered to whilst keeping as much normality to the show as possible. This was really highlighted by the atmosphere of not only the crowd but also the staff, with everyone looking relaxed, with a smooth and routine entry and exit of the auditorium.
We began the night with an explosive entrance from Lou Conran, who ran onto stage and instantly commanded the attention of the audience. She took no time in finding her prey for the evening (a few front-bench couples), and was an instant mood booster with her humour edging on just the right side of controversy that it left everyone in bits. Conran was on true form all night.
Next up was Hal Cruttenden, a charismatic comedian who played on his middle-class upbringing, family life and of course the new normal of Covid-19. This led to a set that was easy to engage with and had a good flow of laughs which made it a great warm-up act to ease us into the night’s event.
Out walked Mike Newall with his wonderfully dry, deadpan and sarcastic comedy. He really played on his Northern upbringing and unique style to deliver a well thought out set which, to our surprise, had very little about Covid-19/lockdown. This made a great, refreshing change to the norm right now. He left the crowd wanting more.
Our final act and main headliner for the night was the much-loved Rich Hall. He was a great act to follow Newall as his deadpan, quick wit and grouchy style was in-keeping with the trend of the night. His quickfire comedy and hilarious mix of improvised and planned country ballads was a hit with the crowd.
After playing a few of his pre-prepared songs about Nottingham, he took his chance to pick on a few members of the crowd. He aimed for a male who responded to the question of what he does for a living with “marketer for a Beauty Salon, industrial products, and a photographer”. Hall managed to craft his answer into not only a funny, but rhythmic song which got a great reaction. Another song he created came from a heckle. It was a love song about two lovers blocked only by their home town rivalries; Nottingham and Derby. A true hit with the crowd and a great way to finish the set.
To put it bluntly, this show was a great break from the impending news of a potential second wave. All the comedians had great routines and managed to raise the roof all night, leaving the audience grinning ear-to-ear as they left the venue.
We hope to continue this trend and bring you more shows in the coming months. Thanks to everyone who came and the comedians who made it a memorable night!
If you did manage to join us in person, we’d love to hear from you – leave us a review on Tripadvisor.
Steve Shanyaski also performed on the Saturday night.
Photo credit Tom Morley
Highlights from the show
If you’d like to discover something unique at Metronome, we’ve got lots more events coming up, so take a look at what’s been rescheduled and announced.
