READING Indie Comedy Festival returned on Friday with a whole host of events in 3 days of events around town.
It began with the Reading New Comedian competition, where budding performers gave 5-minute sets which would be scored by the audience as well as a panel of judges.
The competition saw an assured opening set from Frances Keyton, dry, deadpan humour from Henning Nilson, sharp material from Sam Coade, a consummate performance from Maria Fedulova, and a confident set from Juno Jones to close.
Frances Keyton placed third, while Maria Fedulova placed second.
Josh Faulkner took the top spot, as selected by the judges and the public vote, following a set full of tight one-liners and longer, but well-crafted anecdotes and performed with an easy, confident style.
He said: “[Winning] caught me off guard- the standard was so high all night, so getting the laughs is one thing, but to be announced the winner is great.
“The Reading crowds were fantastic, and winning means that I get to come back soon, which will be amazing.
“It’s something I love doing, and am absolutely hoping can be my full-time career, so I want to share the trophy with everyone.”
Among those performing full-length shows was Rhodri Buttrick, whose show at The Outlook, mY CoNtRiBuTiOn tO ThE ArTs, was supported by Nick Byard.
Byard performed with his usual disarmingly cagey style juxtaposed with his charmingly bawdy yet judiciously considered material.
The set began with Buttrick riding onto the stage on a bicycle before meticulously folding it away.
His set radiated his trademark chaotic energy, combining well-spoken, sculpted anecdotes with more unhinged moments of mania full of self-referential stories.
Organiser and performer Nick Byard, of Mates Rates Comedy, said following the event: “We did twice as many shows this year after selling out last year and attendance was even higher this year.
“There’s quite a lot of comedy in Reading at the moment, but it speaks to the fact that people enjoyed the festival last year and came back for more.
“We felt last year was more of a proof of concept, so we refined things this year with earlier shows and things like that.”
He added: “It was amazing how much people supported the local shows: we had more than 50 in for Rhodri [Buttrick]’s show, and a really strong showing for those local acts, including our own Dan Collins.
“That level of support was a real surprise.
“I also really enjoyed my roast battle with Helen Kaye, who won it, and that was one of the highlights of the festival for me.”
He explained: “The venues all want to do it again, as do we, so we will be returning for the same weekend next year.
“So we will be looking for sponsors next year– we’ve sold out so many rooms, we’d love to get a bigger budget for bigger rooms and bigger names.”
Mates Rates Comedy hosts events in Reading year-round, including open mic shows, with details for upcoming shows available via: matesratescomedy.co.uk
https://www.matesratescomedy.co.uk/
