I went to a comedy club once. It was in London (well, near London) and given that I was in the hostile, alien atmosphere of ‘the Big Smoke’, I think it was understandable that I was a bit overwhelmed by all those jokes. So the Wolfson Howler always had that ace up its sleeve; it was in little old Cambridge. So my friend and I strolled jauntily into Wolfson bar, ordered a pint apiece (I saw them do this in London), and eagerly waited for the laughs to begin. And waited. And waited. A word to the wise; don’t get there on time. You’ll wait.

However, there are worse places to wait. Wolfson Howler had clearly done its publicity, for the place was packed and the atmosphere was buzzing. The compere, Ed Gamble, was a chirpy chappy and he managed the often difficult task of MCing with aplomb, which is easier said than done. All the supporting acts were good value; Keith Akushie’s act was of a particularly high quality. But undoubtedly the best performance of the night was reserved for Liam Williams. Boy, does this guy know how to enunciate, locking his lips around every syllable as if French kissing a vacuum cleaner. There was a confidence in the performance that marked a welcome change from the awkwardness of the earlier acts. This man knew his audience and worked them with consummate ease, littering his stand up with Cambridge jokes without having to resort to tired clichés.

Unfortunately, the headliner, Richard Herring, was a tad underwhelming. In fairness to him, he was booked for too long, but he hadn’t prepared for that fact at all. There were lulls in his stand up where the laughter just petered out into silence. Flashes of brilliance reminded the audience why Herring has been able to sustain a career in comedy for 21 years. But at times he showed his age; some of his cruder jokes felt vaguely antiquated, as if he was recycling gags from the 90’s.

It was a shame to end on this, because the night deserved a better headliner. The Wolfson Howler is a far superior environment for comedy than the ADC, because it mirrors the intimate and relaxed atmosphere of a comedy club. One or two audience members even plucked up the courage to ‘heckle’. The Wolfson Howler showed itself to be in rude health last night, and the next one comes highly recommended. By Nick Beck

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