Loads of laughs at THSH

This past week alone, there's been two comedy events right up my street at Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham and as blogger ambassador, I was excited to review them.

The first was a 'bring your own baby' comedy club, where parents could go along with their little one(s) - under 12 months of age - and enjoy some adult comedy whilst still keeping their baby happy. To me, this is such a simple but clever idea and a great event to go to.

Mums and Dads need time to be themselves and to enjoy activities and entertainment that's meant for adults - not just be resigned to In The Night Garden and Peppa Pig on repeat for the first few years.

Particularly those on maternity leave like myself are often looking for a reason to get out of the house for a couple of hours, or something new to try. The Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Club offered great value at £10 a ticket (babies come free) and created an engaging environment for the babies whilst the parents could relax and little and enjoy some humour in a grown up setting. Makes a change from daytime telly or baby sensory groups - both of which, don't get me wrong, are great of course, but we all need a bit of a break and change of scene now and again, don't we?

The next Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Club will be on Thursday 20th June 2019/

The second comedy gig in my diary last week was Nish Kumar. You may know him from panel shows such as QI, appearances on Questiontime, his host role on The Mash Report or his own show, Joel and Nish vs. The World. As he jokes, he's 'the Asian comedian that's not Romesh Ranganathan'!

I really like Nish and the enthusiasm and expression he puts into his appearances and performances and was not disappointed seeing him in the flesh. His gig was at Town Hall, which I find to be a great location for comedy as it feels grand but intimate enough at the same time, for you to feel close to the act and to join in with the audience's reactions.

Nish makes no apology for taking a political stance and this tour, 'It's In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves', was framed to be a scathing attack on our current political circumstances. Taking issue with Brexit and Trump, racial profiling and male feminists, Piers Morgan and social media, Nish made keen observations, well supported points and managed the audience - who he called 'Guardian munchers' - with an expert comedic hand. Not afraid to let his feelings show, part of Nish's appeal is the emotion and reactions he has during his set and the show was high paced and well received from what I could tell.

Going to see someone like Nish means you are likely to be familiar with him, his views and therefore the focus of his material, and therefore would not be disappointed at all by this stand up gig. However, if you are a Brexiteer... well, maybe this isn't the comedy show for you.

Nish is still on tour around the UK until the end of this month.