A NEW monarch of mirth has been crowned in the Reading New Comedian of the Year competition.
Reading Indie Comedy Festival once again came to venues across town, including the Purple Turtle, where nine rising raconteurs vied for first place with short stand-up sets.
Each contender was rated by a panel of judges as well as audience members, with the winner taking home a slot with hosts Mates Rates Comedy, £100 in prize money, and a trophy.
Selam Amare brought punchy, fast-paced material punctuated with snappy, judicious asides, while Dominic Fraser’s grounded, yet occasionally surreal, material with an understated, deadpan delivery.
Caroline Madds gave a charming, engaging set full of quick one-liners and disarming crowd engagement while Aayush Rathi brought tight materials and an understated delivery.
Jesse Yanase barrelled onto the stage–wearing only a makeshift mawashi–with an eminently playful style and raunchy, quick-fire material, and Deane Dixon-Foster paired casual, low-key delivery with off-hand but assured material.
Abbie Edwards’ endearing style was offset with a cheeky and charming material, which occasionally veered into the intriguingly coy, laced with effortless crowd engagement, garnering her third place.
Josh Taylor’s crisp and offbeat material was punctuated with lightning quick prop work and well-executed visual gags, delivered with an accomplished deadpan style, earning him second place.
Vyome Singh’s confident yet laid-back style was well complimented by assured material, including a very satisfying closing gag, resulting in him taking first place.
He said following the win: “I was really honoured to have been chosen to compete in the final– around 100 people applied for it.
“The crowd was really amazing, and I wasn’t expecting to win at all: I only properly started comedy in January, so I’m probably among the very newest of comedians here.
“I had never seen a stand-up in my life before I started it myself, so it’s been a really surreal experience.
“It goes to show anyone who is reading or listening can start, and in five months’ time they could win themselves.”
The Reading New Comedian of the Year Competition is part of the Reading Indie Comedy Festival, which takes place annually, hosted by Mates Rates.
More information about Mates Rates, including upcoming gigs which run year-round in Reading, Oxford, and London, is available via: matesratescomedy.co.uk
