Manchester’s comedy scene is thriving, with new nights springing up all the time. What’s remarkable, though, is that one city centre comedy night is fast approaching its 30^th anniversary, and many comedians on the national circuit regard it as something truly special. In fact, Joe Lycett called it “the best comedy club in the world”, and he knows what he’s on about.

Run by friendly enthusiasts on a not-for-profit basis so that punters can see an expertly curated line-up for the price of a ticket that makes them gasp for all the right reasons, XS Malarkey is a gem, an oasis, and a weekly delight.

Curiously, its stellar reputation has nothing to do with the venue because, down the decades, it’s had a few locations, starting life as Murphy’s Malarkey in a Fallowfield bar in 1997. On relocating to the nearby Bar XS, it changed its name, then left it intact over various venue changes as it crept ever nearer to Manchester city centre. Currently, its handsome theatre space 53Two, a stone’s throw from Deansgate, is where it calls home.

A few other factors have remained constant. It’s always been hosted by its founder, actor/comedian/writer Toby Hadoke, and takes place on a Tuesday night, tucked away from the boozy rowdiness of weekend audiences (with attention-seeking hecklers actively discouraged). “There has never been a grand plan,” Hadoke says. “Tuesdays were just when the manager of Scruffy Murphy’s wanted a comedy night, so my Tuesdays have never been the same since.”

According to Hadoke, the aim of XS is “to provide really affordable comedy in an environment free from stag dos, hen dos and office parties. You won’t see YouTube clips of me telling an audience member that they’re ugly or thick, that their job is terrible or where they come from is a shithole. It’s for people who enjoy a comedy night that never has any intention of being a ritual blood-letting, one that keeps the prices as low as possible, and that always gives an opportunity to newer acts lower down the bill, but always showcases a top-end act as the headliner – sometimes TV names, sometimes seasoned club veterans, and occasionally someone from left field who gives you an energy and a comic sensibility that you might not be used to seeing at a comedy club.”

Here, Hadoke is swift to credit the team who work with him on XS, not least booker extraordinaire Ros Bell.

“In the early days, when I was booking it, I’d play it safe, but Ros took over the booking and introduced a whole wave of comics I perhaps might not have known or have been able to lure to a badly-paid gig on a Tuesday night in the North of England. That developed the ethos of the night being a bit more experimental, a bit more oddball, a bit more misfitty – as well as community-based and not too expensive.”

On that matter, Stewart Lee played the club back in 2007 when he was making a return to stand-up.

“At one point, he took questions,” Hadoke recalls. “Somebody put their hand up and said ‘how come it’s cost two pounds to see you here but it will cost me 20-odd quid to see you in London?’. And Stewart Lee was taken aback. He said ‘did you really pay two pounds for tonight? God, well, this must be a really good comedy club’ – and there was a kind of outbreak of applause. That was lovely, because his reaction was genuine, and it said everything about what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.”

Sure enough, established comedians hold the club in the highest esteem – at this stage, it’s likely that they first cut their teeth there – and recent months alone have seen sets from the ‘them off the telly’ likes of Jason Manford, Laura Lexx, Robin Ince, Josie Long, Alisdair Beckett-King and Sophie Duker – even the aforementioned Joe Lycett. They’ve been sharing bills with likely big names of the future such as Joe Kent-Walters, Oliver Bowler, Jennifer Zheng and Scott Bennett.

The immediacy of live comedy

On April 29, Lucy Pearman will be XS Malarkey‘s headliner. She’s perfect proof of the fact that, at XS, comedy can take many forms. In Pearman’s case, that form might be an egg, a suitcase or a bunch of grapes. At present, she’s working towards a full new show with the working title Lunartic, and consequently she’s likely to appear as the Moon, complete with a Brummie accent.

Standard issue stand-up it ain’t, but Pearman is gifted, brilliant and hilarious – albeit hard to describe.

“I mean, my mum says it’s harmless nonsense, so that’s quite useful,” she tells Northern Soul. “I think as I’ve made more shows, I’ve tried to weave in a bit of a message. So maybe it’s – how do I describe it? – I think it’s positive storytelling. Interactive, optimistic. When I tell people that I do comedy, it is a challenge to to explain to them. I just say it’s quite visual and maybe like a one-woman pantomime.” For her forthcoming XS appearance, Pearman promises “lots of hats, maybe a cow…a song – or two, a couple of songs. And hopefully just a bit of escapism.”

Actually, Pearman’s work being tricky to categorise is all part of what makes it so delightful. “It’s nice in a way, not to fit in a box,” she says. “I suppose some people would call it character comedy, but I change my characters every time. Years ago, when I was dressed as an egg, [Taskmaster star and fellow comedian] John Kearns said ‘careful what you do, because if it’s good, you’ll be stuck with it’. I really took that in, so I’ve changed every time I’ve done a new show. I’d wait for the story or the characters and – without sounding like a wanker – I would let them come to me and say, ‘can you tell this story about us, please?’”

But how exactly does one go from growing up on a Cotswolds pig farm to becoming a chatty Brummie moon? Like many fine performers before and after her, Pearman studied Drama at Bretton Hall in Leeds. “It was quite an incredible experience, because they were so supportive of alternative performance styles and Theatre of the Absurd, and I was introduced to a lot of those influences there.”

Gradually, she began to inch her way towards her chosen field. “I always knew I wanted to do comedy, but I just couldn’t work out how. I never really aspired to be a stand-up and write jokes. That wasn’t my skill set at all.” She went on to study in LAMDA in London, and formed a double-act, LetLuce, with fellow student Letty Butler. “We went to Edinburgh with a sketch show and had such a great time. That’s where I completely fell in love with the creativity and immediacy of live comedy and how different it is every day.”

Another door opened when Pearman discovered the teachings of Philippe Gaulier and his legendary French ‘clown school’.

“I didn’t do the whole year, I just sort of dipped in, But he was a huge influence on me, an incredible teacher. He’s like a wizard.” Notoriously, Gaulier can be ruthless in his appraisal of students. “It can be brutal. It’s not for everyone. He doesn’t hold back. If you’re no good, he’ll tell you, but then, so will an audience.”

Pearman – who cites the likes of Nina Conti, Harry Hill, Nick Mohammed as personal favourites – has since built up an admirable reputation as a genuinely unique live performer, besides making TV appearances (Mister Winner, Please Help, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Red Dwarf). She first played XS Malarkey back in 2019, at The Bread Shed, one of its previous venues.

“It was just such a lovely atmosphere,” she recalls. “I just remember the energy of the the audience, and also the tone that Toby sets. He’s built a following and they’re very open to alternative stuff, which is always nice. I couldn’t wait to come back.”

Hadoke returns the compliment: “Lucy is, I think, emblematic of the sort of acts that have thrived at XS in recent years, the sort of stuff that I imagine can be a harder sell in a bustling Friday night comedy club. It’s not very rock ‘n’ roll to say it these days, but I just want people to have a nice time. I don’t need XS to be full of conflict and posturing and put-downs and all of that. I want the audience to come and put themselves in the hands of the very talented people that we’ve put on the stage, and let them do what they do. Nobody can do what Lucy does quite like Lucy does. She’s a perfect fit.”

Asked what she reckons makes a great comedy club, Pearman replies: “I’d say it’s the atmosphere and the audience, maybe some nice beer. It’s about a group of people coming together and sharing an experience, isn’t it? And if that’s laughing, then how lovely is that?”

By Andy Murray

Main image: Lucy Pearman. Photo by Claire Haigh.

 

Lucy Pearman will headline XS Malarkey on April 29, 2025: https://wegottickets.com/event/646105/