BUFFALO COMEDY | LIVE REVIEW
Buffalo Bar, Cardiff, Sun 2 Feb.
With Buffalo Bar firmly established as one of the more vibrant, eclectic venues in South Wales, it is somewhat surprising to find that, up until now, it has had no regular comedy night to stand alongside its collection of club nights and vintage fayres. With many promising comedians emerging on the Welsh scene over the last few years, the newly launched Buffalo Comedy night has appeared at the perfect time to service this need.
Taking to the stage to inaugurate this event, organiser and MC Robin Morgan wasted no time in familiarising himself with the capacity crowd; no one was safe from his good-natured and often self-deprecating observations as he dictated proceedings with a flourish..
First act up was Welsh-Egyptian Omar Hamdi, who offered a sparkling, if sometimes overenthusiastic, performance. On occasion he appeared to lose the crowd, before bringing them back with some well-observed remarks on the quirks of British multiculturalism.
With the crowd well lubricated thanks to Buffalo’s generous cocktail menu, Newport native Lewis Bowman continued in similar form. Shuffling from one anecdote to another, the relaxed, almost surrealist nature of his comedy demonstrated an understanding of his craft that belied his years, despite occasional hesitation.
Following Lewis came Funny Women 2013 Finalist Bethan Roberts, whose deadpan style nicely contrasted those before her. Willing to play on regional and gender stereotypes, the Rhondda-born comedienne some clever, occasionally outrageous observations.
And finally, an hour and a half in, Matt Richardson took his bow. The Xtra Factor host started strongly, and didn’t relent. He rattled through some neatly delivered material, but arguably his finest moments were when he willingly deviated to whatever filled his head; his singling out of an unfortunate audience member as ‘the man with two haircuts’ was particularly memorable. The Oxford comedian seemed to enjoy the opportunity to showcase some of his more profane material, whilst also managing to keep, marginally, within the lines of good taste. Familiar topics from family to relationships were covered in a refreshingly offbeat manner that connected well with the crowd. Having become a feature on the comedy circuit since debuting as an 18 year old, Richardson demonstrated just why his star has been rising so inexorably, and it is not hard to see him going onto bigger and better things.
For both the assembled comedians and Buffalo Comedy itself tonight was not quite flawless, but this is in part what made it so enjoyable. For all parties, great things are expected.
words JAMES AYLES
Info: www.facebook.com/buffalocardiff