SOME of the nation’s best up-and-coming comedy talent are coming to Swan Hill.
The event next week is set to be headlined by the self-proclaimed reckless champion and beer enthusiast, Brett Blake.
Joining him for the night of laughter, a first for venue One28 Doors, will be Patti Fawcett, Andrew Portelli and the night’s host Ash Greblo.
Blake said he hadn’t performed in the region before but he preferred to perform for crowds in regional areas.
“This will be my first time performing in Swan Hill,” he said.
“I’ve been up that way before, but it seems like all the places up that way all sort of blend into one in my head.
“I’ve spent some time in Lake Boga, a lot of good biking around there which I love.
“I kind of prefer doing gigs in the smaller areas, it feels like the people appreciate the show and my vibe a bit more.”
Small Town Comedy organiser Jamie Benbow said he started the program as a way to bring comedy to regional areas.
“There was no cool story about setting it up,” he said.
“I just noticed that some towns didn’t have things like comedy shows, and I thought I’d be able to pull it off.
“I have a background in band promotion, I was running local gigs in Bendigo from the ages of 17 to 19.
“That saw me move into tour management and a few skate comps, but that eventually fizzled out.
“I’ve always wanted to be involved in something else like that, and I’d been going to a ton of comedy shows so I’ve got to know a lot of the Melbourne and Australian comedians.
“I just wanted to be able to come back to these places and bring some exciting events with me.”
Mr Benbow said as soon as he saw One28 Doors, he knew it was the perfect comedy venue.
“I actually attended my great-uncle’s surprise 70th at One28 Doors a couple of months ago,” he said.
“When I walked in, I was blown away by it as a venue.
“It’s such a cool place, and it’s the type of place that Swan Hill needs.
“The whole time I was there I was thinking, I need to be able to convince them to let me run a show here.
“When I was speaking to one of the managers, she told me that her husband had only told her that week that he thought they should run a comedy night.
“It really couldn’t have worked out any better.”
There were hopes that with continued success, Small Town Comedy could bring a monthly comedy night to town.
With tickets on the night including a free drink or cocktail on entry, Blake said his choice would be the latter.
“I’d be going with the cocktail,” he said.
“Probably a Long Island iced tea, I’m all about that value for money.”
Small Town Comedy is on next Friday, starting at 7.30pm.
Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite or from One28 Doors.
