New Barrack Tavern: Comedy club is a hidden gem

This club takes place on the first Sunday of every month from around 6.30pm – but I would strongly advise buying tickets in advance.

I was lucky to be present at the April event. The format can change from month to month, so I’m told, with different artists honing comedic skills or trying out new material in an intimate environment – very intimate, and very brave in my opinion.

The audience sits so close they are within touching distance of the comedian – Chris Rock would feel very uncomfortable.

There is seating for about 60 people in a small staged concert hall.

On the night we were presented with six comedians and the compere who came from various parts of the UK including Leeds, Bradford, Grimsby via London, and Manchester.

Compere Anthony Williams expertly and wittingly held proceedings together with an opening set.

I was pleased to see it was all with original and current content, introducing all the acts.

I didn’t know what to expect as the £6 price is pleasantly very cheap.

There were five acts on before the headline act appeared.

All comedians carried themselves well. I hope to, and am sure I will, see them in the future in a larger setting.

All acts demonstrated original content or at least content that I’d never heard before.

To me there was nothing to cause any offence or distress to the audience – even managing a joke about Myra Hindley and Harold Shipman, without causing offence.

The headline act Lloyd Griffith 38 showed why he was the headline act, with seemingly effortless ad-libing, jokes and interaction with the audience.

It was a show stealing back and forth with audience members – you had to be there.

Griffith interacted with the audience expertly and with great humour.

Well known to watchers of Soccer AM, although he’s not been on there since 2019, showed that he is a quality act with ability to quickly react to any situation.

Like many people over the last two years, lives and careers have been put on hold or affected by Covid, we all have that back story.

This also applies to Griffith’s 2020, which seemed to be the year where things were going open up, with tours and TV shows, but this was all affected by Covid – where would he be now but for Covid?

It’s obvious to any observers that Griffith is multi-talented and can break into classic aria at any given time.

I’m now definately a fan of this multi-talented Grimsby comedian.

To find out more, go to https://www.facebook.com/NewBarrackTavern/