Despite the apparent misfortune of touching down in Cardiff on the same day as Wales v Ireland opened this year’s Six Nations, anyone expecting an event like this to suffer for attendance – as I did! – was proved wrong. At the New Theatre, the Happy Hour team’s Round Sheep Tour sold out ahead of doors.

Of course, being the most popular British podcast on Spotify helps. For those that don’t know, the podcast is presented by Jack Dean aka JaackMaate, Robbie Knox, and Stevie White (all interviewed by Buzz ahead of the tour), along with new addition to the show Alfie Indra. All four appear on this tour, and it’s the latter that brings one of the best surprises – and laughs – on the night, walking onstage from the audience shouting about not being “invited” on this tour.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to a diehard fan of the podcast who was giving a running commentary of its premise to his friend, and I gladly listened in. This seemed to be the norm for the night, a mixture of ardent fans and newcomers alike; I witnessed audience participation at crucial moments whilst new fans observed.

The show’s second half centred on a large box, placed in the foyer ahead of showtime for attendees to write down their ‘confessions’ and drop them in. Some of these were read out by the presenters, with no apparent filter for vulgarity: as to their veracity, who knows, but they ranged from a Nigel Farage story to a man masturbating over a topless photo which turned out to be his mate’s manboob. In this instance, the guy stood up in the audience and allowed us to put a face to the confession…

By the end of the night, having sat through show favourites like ‘Creepy Library’ and ‘Urban Legends’, the whole crowd stood for what only can be described as an ending to die for – if your name is Stevie White, at any rate. A night that demonstrated the ever-growing reach of the podcast industry – in terms of bums on seats as well as streaming stats – with a watershed moment occurring as I had the pleasure of meeting the Happy Hour Live team backstage after the show. Leaving via the stage door, I walked past a good few hundred fans, all waiting to see the Happy Hour guys. What a night!

Happy Hour: Round Sheep Tour, New Theatre, Cardiff, Sat 4 Feb

words CARL MARSH