Some of the best comedians working in the Highlands today are to play the Strathpeffer Pavilion on the last weekend of October this year.
Many of the roster have honed their talents in the Chieftain Comedy Club, the home of Highland Comedy, which meets on the first Thursday of every month at the Chieftain Hotel in Inverness.
Over the past 18 months, the club, which helps both established and new comedians with writing and performing, has seen its members perform across the UK and Europe, and has also led to the formation of a number of professional acts that are taking the Scottish comedy scene by storm.
Some of them are set to take the house down in Strathpeffer with an evening of adult comedy in association with the Seriously Funny Comedy Show.
Joe Sweeney, who performs with the show, said:
“We’re delighted to be taking our roster to the Pavilion this autumn.
“We travel a lot and it’s great to be performing in our home patch.”
Mr Sweeney, who also performs as ‘Rude & Good’ with Rab Mulheron, named recently as the Godfather of Adult Comedy, will finish a European tour with the Pavilion gig.
“Rab and I will have just returned from a series of gigs as far afield as Ireland and Spain and we’re really look forward to working with others from the area who are making a name for themselves.”
They have also recently been invited to take ‘Rude & Good’ to the Perth International Comedy Festival in Australia in March 2024.
Rab, who classes himself as an Adult Comedy Storyteller, was also the inspiration behind The Comedy Show, which blends comedy with music through a partnership with local man James Fraser.
As a solo performer, Rab has also recently sold out a full run in Aberdeen and enjoyed a return visit to the Edinburgh Fringe.
James, known as The Singing Comedian, will bring a varied style of comedy to the evening.
Concentrating on the irony of family and life in general, he is also an accomplished singer, appearing in events like The Ness Factor.
Also performing on the night is Iain Duncan, an up-and-coming standup comedian from Blairgowrie, currently residing in Dingwall, whose comedy has been described as delivering a unique observation on the current political and social climate.
This year alone he has done shows across including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee.
Amongst the others performing will be Tom Cairns, ‘The Cotswold Count’ and Mulbert, who has made his name over the past two decades as the singing poet.
Both performers blend music and comedy with an irreverent look at everyday life.
The venue for the evening, Strathpeffer Pavilion, was commissioned in 1881 by the 1st Countess of Cromartie as part of the creation of Strathpeffer as a Victorian Spa Village.
The Pavilion went on to provide entertainment for visitors to the area who were there to ‘take the waters’.
In the first few years this including lectures delivered by George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Shackleton and Emmeline Pankhurst.
In later the 20th Century it played host to the Bay City Rollers, the Fortunes, Nashville Teens, Brian Poole & the Tremeloes and many others before falling into disuse.
Reopened in the 21st Century, it continues as a top-rated entertainment venue serving the whole of the Highlands.
Correction.
In a previous article on the Highland comedy scene, we stated that the Chieftain Comedy Club enjoyed the support of Mike Henry.
We are happy to correct this and confirm that he does not support the club and has no connection with it at all.
