Comics knock it out the park at Just For Kicks
A new comedy show held at a Black Country football ground has been hailed a success after the four funny men who took the microphone knocked it out of the park.
Nearly 600 people packed out a suite at Walsall FC's Banks's Stadium for the first 'Just For Kicks' and they were not left disappointed at the rip-roaring laugh-fest that followed.
The debut event, which is almost certain to become a regular fixture now, is the brainchild of Jonny Cole who played compere for the evening.
And the Wednesbury-born comic, combining his brilliantly brash Black Country persona and insightful song-writing, set the tone for a night of no-holds-barred and risqué fun lapped up by the local crowd.
Brummie stand-up Joe Lycett was billed as the headline act but in reality all of the performers, including Cole, could have made a case for stealing the show. It turned out to be an impressively varied line-up.
On the back of Cole opening the show Dudley's Wayne Beese provided more Black Country humour with his deadpan delivery.
He won over the audience straight away by getting them involved from the outset.
While the highlight of his routine was an anecdotal gag around the dilemma of juggling the addictive Football Manager computer game with an aroused wife which came to an hilarious 'climax'.
Next up was Manchester comedian Archie Kelly, best-known for appearing as Kenny Dalglish Senior in Peter Jay's Phoenix Nights.
He was straight out of the blocks with some razor sharp gags that turned the momentum of the night up a notch before settling down into some side-splitting jokes around teaching.
Kelly also chipped in with a cracking musical number of his own in tribute to one particular member of The Royal Family.
If the night had have ended there no-one would have left feeling short-changed but Lycett's arrival on stage left no doubts as to whether Just For Kicks should return.
He showed why he is one of the biggest up and coming names on the national circuit at the moment.
Quite simply he took over, taking audience interaction to a new high on the night.
Lycett's opening salvo featured him lying suggestively on the stage for the first ten minutes, outrageously flirting with two hapless brothers in the front row and kicking a microphone stand.
But coupled with his camp high-pitched tones it all seemed to work.
At one point the crowd tried to goad him into 'downing' his pint with a relentless chant, but he skilfully avoided it by whipping out his camera phone and turning the moment into an Instagram video.
The audience's roar of approval at the close of the show will leave Cole and co-organiser Wayne Thomas confident of selling another 600 or so tickets for the the follow-up event they have pencilled in for the same venue in April.
Cole told the Express & Star: "I am over the moon with it.
"With the first one you are just trying to feel it out but we smashed it and did a great job.
"The venue was brilliant. It's good for Walsall. People from here don't leave Walsall for anything whether it is buying a car or a dishwasher so it is great to be able to bring names like Joe Lycett and Archie Kelly to the town.
"They all had different styles. Wayne is great at working the crowd, Archie is a little more old-school and Joe just smashed it. He makes the very-well rehearsed look off the cuff, that's his real strength."
Mr Thomas added: "We just wanted to have a really good event and for people to have a good time and I think we definitely delivered that. Not only did we have four great comedians we had the band Thunder Chunky playing in the next room until 1am for people.
"We want to make this something we can perhaps do twice a year.
"We have pre-booked Friday, April 27 and have a few big names lined up already."
