“A line up of Australia’s Gun Comedians” is what Gunn Comedy, Melbourne’s newest comedy room, promises. Having already played host to the talents of Chris Franklin, Christine Basil, Bev Killick and Gabriel Rossi this description fits well.
Walking into the Gunn Island Hotel, you enter a swank looking pub. It is an open plan venue with a restaurant in the front section which leads into the main bar area with it’s TVs tuned to Fox Sports. A long bar runs down most of the length and depth of the venue, behind which stands the shiny vats of a micro brewery enclosed in floor to ceiling windows. The back corner of the room is where the comedy takes place. Meals aren’t restricted to the dining area, so you can order food to be eaten as you take in the show.
A small (but fairly tall compared to its size) stage is located in this back bar area with tabled seating arranged in front. Ashtrays on each table indicated that smoking will be welcomed here for the next 12 months. An open fire is nearby to keep the audience warm. A ridiculous amount of firewood was arranged in neat piles along every wall, even behind the stage. Des Dowling, who was one of the opening acts on the night I attended, proclaimed that everyone receives a complementary log.
The show is in the standard two bracket format with the first comprising of two 15 minute support acts and the headliner taking up all of the final hour. An MC holds the night together in the traditional way, warming up the crowd and introducing the acts. Even though the night began about a half hour late the show wound up at 10:30, a reasonable time to end a midweek room.
Chris Franklin is said to have had a hand in booking the room and it is apparent that they are trying to cater to a mainstream crowd. All of the headline acts that have been announced so far (Elliot Goblet, Marty Fields and Garry Who are amongst them) have had considerable exposure in the media and are assured to attract the casual punter. With this in mind you should expect consistant sets of tried and true gear that appeal to a broad audience. In the audience I was a part of, Bev Killick’s dirty songs went down a treat so you shouldn’t expect much experimental stuff to grace Gunn Comedy’s stage.
Although an intimate crowd witnessed the show when I visited, word will soon spread of this latest addition to the circuit. With big names and free entry, punters are sure to check out Gunn Comedy as the season progresses.
Gunn Comedy is on every Wednesday at the Gunn Island Hotel (102 Canterbury Rd. Middle Park). Entry if free and the show starts at 8pm.