ONE OF the most hotly-anticipated parts of Reading Indie Comedy Festival’s programme is the new act competition, which sees some of the freshest names in the local scene taking up the mic.
Participants hone their comedy chops in front of audiences and vie for the top prize of a paid slot with Mates Rates Comedy Club and a cash prize–as well as the all-important trophy.
This year saw eight fresh faces grace the stage at Reading Biscuit Factory, with each given just five minutes to compete with a stand-up set.
The night kicked off off with Alfie Nelson, whose sassy and surprising style shone through a confident and canny set.
A punchy routine kept a blistering pace with quick lines and a number of left-field handbrake turns which kept the audience guessing–and laughing.
Hot on his heels was Andy Hillier, whose more classical, casual delivery saw longer set-ups and strong pay-off full of approachable material, including diatribes on aging, relationships, and social media.
Third on the bill was Eden Voss, whose set barrelled out of the gate with a strong start and very confident delivery.
Tight, well-written material was matched with an expressive style, full of edgy punchlines and a strong closing bit.
Next up was Emmanuel Idemundia whose understated, conversational delivery belied a well-earned confidence.
While confident enough to take the time to let the material breathe, Idemundia’s material was taughtly topical, with a snappy and satisfying closer.
Martina O’Sullivan gave a supremely polished set full of tightly-written jokes which came thick and fast.
Topical material was interlaced with more conversational observations and diatribes on religion and culture, performed with an engaging, energetic, yet wry style which felt natural, but particularly professional and assured.
Olly Miller followed, with a disarmingly understated and endearingly awkward delivery–but which gave way to a philosophical, often existential and high-concept, set.
Miller’s style invites a keen audience to lean in before leaping on them with surprising and ensnaring punchlines on the nature of being alive and riding the “trains” of thought.
Penultimate act Rob Duck was immediately arresting, stepping up to the mic in a full black and white, Pierrot-style clown outfit.
This striking costume work was smartly played off with a dry, deap-dan delivery and smartly-self-referential one-liners.
Zuzana Spacirova closed the show with a charmingly conversational set full of confident and relatable material, opining on life in the UK.
After audience members submitted their votes for the night’s winner, the show’s judges deliberated and selected Olly Miller to take the top spot.
He took home the coveted trophy and cash prize, as well as bagging himself a paid spot at an upcoming Mates Rates Comedy Show.
Following his win, Olly said: “I never expected to win, and everyone else was really fantastic, so it was great to win.
“We live in a time when there’s endless entertainment to be found–anything at any time.
“So supporting live performance is more important than it’s ever been, but it also means the standard of performance has so far surpassed what it has been.
“The more people that can come and support live comedy, the better. It’s got to be better than doomscrolling.”
He explained: “Being there in the room is such a different feeling to recorded comedy, and superior, because of that energy.”
