The Komedia Brighton has announced its queer and alternative comedy club Down the Hatch (Winner of ‘Best Comedy Format’ award in the 2024 Chortle Awards) will return to this autumn, with some great line-ups. Tickets HERE
Komedia, which values diversity and creativity, will provide a platform for marginalised voices in the comedy scene. By creating spaces where queer and alternative performers can showcase their talents, the arts venue hopes to continue to challenge stereotypes, provoke thought, and bring people together through laughter.
Hilarious resident MC Lee Peart is joined by the likes of:
Josh Glanc – one of Australia’s ‘most exciting emerging talents’ (The Age) and Winner of the Critic’s Choice Award Perth Fringe 2023.
Dane Buckley – LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year Finalist 2022 and one of Skiddle.com’s best up-and-coming stand-up comedians in 2023.
Daniel Foxx – viral sensation and NextUp ‘Biggest Award in Comedy’ Nominee 2023, as seen on BBC One, BBC Three, ITV and Comedy Central.
Lachlan Werner – the “funniest new ventriloquist on the block” (Telegraph), winner of ReviewsHub Best Show Award and nominated for a Soho Playhouse New York Award.
Jess Fostekew – Host of Hoovering podcast, as heard/seen on Guilty Feminist and Motherland and Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show Nominee 2019.
Joe Kent-Walters – Creator of Frankie Monroe and Winner of the 2023 BBC New Comedy Award and ‘Best Show’ at Leicester Comedy Festival.
Riggs – BBC New Comedy Award Nominee and Leicester Square New Comedian of The Year Nominee 2023.
Robert White – Runner up in Britain’s Got Talent in 2018, expect ‘ … souped-up risqué keyboard-based songs, waspish asides and neurotically charged camperie’ (Telegraph).
The Komedia’s current charity partner for the comedy club is the Brighton Rainbow Fund, a central hub for community fundraising for Brighton & Hove LGBTQ+ and HIV support projects.
The venue will be collecting donations through optional ticket donation at the online checkout as well as QR codes at the show.
Lee Peart tells us more about Down the Hatch…
Down the Hatch is billed as a queer and alternative comedy night. Why is it important to spotlight comedians from marginalised communities?
When starting out comedy 10 years ago, it would be very rare – unless it was a Pride special – to have more than one queer or alternative act on the bill.
As such, audiences weren’t really subjected to different voices and when they were you were kind of billed as the outsider or the other.
Ten years on bills are a lot more diverse but it still happens, naturally. This night is so important to highlight and give a platform to those queer and alternative acts who might not necessarily get the showcase they deserve in regular club nights!
Brighton, the gay capital of the UK, must be perfect for such an event…
Well of course, it’s the gay capital. I call it Grindr Live. The audiences are just so great in Brighton though, they’re up for a laugh and they have no problem with diversity. It’s the perfect combination.
There are some big names, and upcoming talent. Which acts should we look out for?
The great thing about Komedia is it gets the big names but also it has its finger on the pulse when it comes to rising stars. We’ve got Daniel Foxx coming up – a social media sensation.
We’ve also got the brilliant Josh Glanc, whose show has just been nominated at the Edinburgh Festival. And Jess Fostekew who I absolutely adore. I’m not just saying it though, the acts are all brilliant and that’s the magic of the night. You might come for one person on the bill but then you leave having become a fan of the others.
The Komedia is such a Brighton institution. What would you say to encourage people to book tickets?
It’s honestly my favourite place to perform and I’m not just saying that. The staff are great, the drinks flow, the acts are brilliant and you’ll leave having had a fab time. PLUS tickets are a steal. And we might just have a few TV names making unexpected appearances…
This season of Down The Hatch will take place on Sunday, 1 September, Sunday, 6 October, and Sunday, 3 November.
Tickets are only £6 for everyone HERE
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