Comedy Remedy in Uckfield

Comedy Remedy is run by Municipal Comedy, who are four comics that live in Sussex.

 

The fun-loving gag-delivering foursome run Comedy Remedy in Uckfield and Chichester, plus Stomping Ground Comedy in Hove. They are Simon Dooley, Simon Harriyott, Obe Arif, and Rachel Quinn.

 

Simon Dooley is our regular MC, Simon Harriyott books the acts and is the stand-in MC, Obe Arif creates our promotional materials, does a lot of show running on the night of the gig, whilst Rachel does promotional bits and deals with the administration of running a comedy night.

 

The Simons set up Comedy Remedy in 2019, and after the four all worked together on running Stomping Ground Comedy in Hove in 2021, the Simons asked Obe and Rachel to work with them on the Comedy Remedy gigs which have been a local blessing. CommunityAd had the absolute delight of chatting with Rachel about why comedy is the best remedy!

 

Firstly, just how good does it feel to have dates in the diary and gigs to look forward to after such a horrid time with the pandemic?

It’s amazing! We all really missed live comedy during the pandemic, online gigs were not the same, so it’s great to be back in person. As comedy promoters we also feel very lucky to have so many regulars who come to every show at the Station Pub.

 

Any highlight that stands out in that time?

Mark Simmons headlined Comedy Remedy in Uckfield last year and asked random audience members what their hobbies were. He had an excellent joke for every single answer! Improvising on-the-spot punchlines is a difficult skill, and Mark is a master.

 

How has the club grown and developed in that time?

We focus on making sure we give the comedians the best experience we can, as well as the audience. As our reputation has spread, we are now able to attract TV comics to come to Uckfield.

We are also very popular with our audience. At our last Uckfield gig, all but two of the audience had been before, and the two newcomers said they will be back again.

 

How has the stand-up comedy scene changed in that time?

The biggest change was the pandemic. We’ve noticed that since the first lockdown, some venues have closed, some promoters have stopped running their nights, and some comedians haven’t returned to gigging. Some comics used the lockdowns to get into online content and transferred their joke writing skills to become TikTok sensations and start successful podcasts.

Audience numbers still haven’t recovered fully from pre-lockdown levels. A combination of the on-going infection rates, the cost-of-living crisis and the unusually hot weather have kept people away, at a time when we all could do with a good laugh. Other promoters we’ve spoken with are saying the same thing.

 

Why is it so important that comedy clubs such as this exist for the good of the industry, and for the local community?

Comedy Remedy in Uckfield is important for up and coming and new acts, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their polished 5- or 10-minute sets and get paid for performing them. This year we had quite a few newer comics doing their first ever paid 5-minute sets. They were all really excited to perform! This is great for the local community as they get to see acts they might not otherwise get to see and hopefully some of them they’ll soon see on the television and know that they saw them first in Uckfield!

 

Why is it so important that locals support these live events now more than ever?

It’s vital for locals to come along to ensure these events continue. We’ve seen from other gigs we’ve performed at, particularly outside the cities, if the promoters cannot afford to pay comedians to perform then the nights close. We have a wonderful cinema and some nice restaurants in Uckfield, but nothing beats the joy of spending the evening laughing at live comedy within walking distance of home.

 

Any dates for readers’ diaries?

In August, Comedy Remedy is having a little break as the Edinburgh Festival is on (a lot of acts and headliners will be in Edinburgh), but we will be back on Wednesday 21st September. The headliner for that show is the amazing Brodi Snook, and as always lots of up-and-coming brilliant acts!

 

Find out more by following Comedy Remedy on Facebook @comedyremedyclub, Twitter @MunicipalComedy and @comedyremedyclu, or Instagram @municipalcomedy and @comedyremedyclub.

by Dave McKenna

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