It's the second day of the festival and a Tuesday so where to call but XSMalarkey? Fallowfield's own comedy gig is legendary and puts on a top night each week regardless of whether it's festival fortnight or not. It's also recently moved into its new venue, the beautiful Platt Chapel on the edge of Platt Fields park. The building remained largely unused for many years until Laughing Cows' Hazel O'Keefe took it over a few months back and as XSMalarkey was looking for a new home in the area, they moved in too. My initial thoughts on entering the building were that it looks like a perfect fit to me.

Though never having been before I still managed to quickly locate comedian's corner at the back of the room – the venue may have changed but visiting comedians as well as the ones on the bill always gravitate to the darkest back corner, which seems like a perfectly reasonable place to me and where I found the likes of Seymour Mace, Phil Ellis, Dave Williams and Jonathan Paylor. All there just for the comedy.

Compere, comedian, actor and all round local legend Toby Hadoke took to the stage to berate the front row of probable students for being so young and optimistic in one of his typical humorously irascible grumbles. Then up first on the bill was open spot and complete newcomer Alex Mettrick with a deadpan delivery and plastic bags of props. It's early days for him but there were some inadvertently funny logistical problems - while trying to read an audience member's mind Mettrick has to ask him 'can you hold my saucepan?'

Next up doing a ten minute spot was the considerably more experienced Simon Fielder, he's performed on the Edinburgh Fringe and at many clubs elsewhere around the country. The experience shows as his is a confident performance featuring enjoyable material that manages to be both self-deprecating and assured. Plus Fielder employs just the right amount of filth.
In the second section was very tall Dutchman Wouter Meijs with a laid back mischief filled set pushing boundaries of insult and prodding a cheeky finger at the crowd to humorous effect.

The headliner was Danny Ward welcoming us into his bargain basement world where he wears cheap shirts with the t-shirts sewn in. He divulges his love of tat and displays his great line of gadgets of the type that you never knew you needed until you've got one, ones invariably fitted with a torch attached. Really, how can you resist one of those? And for just a pound too?

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