The Lost Treasures of the Black Heart
The Black Heart, London, 05/07/11
Tonight, Josie Long’s comedy club should probably be renamed a variety club. Most of the acts aren’t funny in the traditional sense. We get a eulogy to a forgotten pop star, a story, a couple of songs and a re-enactment of the characters from the Sweet Valley High novels. It’s always entertaining but doesn’t reach the highs of previous months. Winners of the night were James Acaster who talks about his (frankly horrible-sounding) mate, a comedian whose name I didn’t catch who is brilliantly funny (although I can’t work out if it was intentional or not) as he explains why his dad is an unsung hero, which mainly involves detailing the things he can fix and David Trent’s simple but effective video-comedy.
The Lost Treasures Of The Black Heart
The Black Heart, London, 07/06/11
Josie Long’s monthly night in a room above a pub in Camden features a bunch of upcoming comedians venerating heroes in some way; a concept which most of the acts adhere to somewhat loosely. Long is unprepared, quite awkwardly personal at time but almost always brilliantly funny. She also includes audience-participation games between acts (I won an out of date cake!). Awesome. The comedians vary wildly in style and quality, but somehow, you can’t help but be taken in by the whole ramshackle feel of the night.
