The 99 Club at Storm

Fresh off the comedic circuit, Tom Webb, host extraordinaire jumps up on stage and delves straight into the struggles of living and travelling in London. Amid a small dictionary’s-worth of curse words and banter with various audience members, Webb – self proclaimed “Tee-Wee”, but “not like over-caffeinated urine” he protests – rouses the crowd with a cheer scale from a silent 1 to a roaring 10, and  later a blistering 13, to bring out the first comedian of the evening.

Chris Martin – “not that Chris Martin” he points out – is a tall 20-something lad, having just moved in with his first long term girlfriend. The trials and tribulations in awkward personal accounts – a one-on-one surprise karaoke night with his girlfriend going horribly awry seems to be the crowd favourite – leave the room clutching stomachs and wiping constant tears away from their eyes. His last anecdote, on his planned course of action should an attack happen in his own house at night, with the line “don’t be alarmed” after picking up his bedside alarm clock for his weapon of choice is irrefutably his climax, and he hops off the stage to a vivacious brouhaha of cheers and applause.

The next act, Ola, is a complete 180 on the act before. He’s quiet and his humour is panned out and well thought up. His lines, when delivered, sometimes take a few moments for the more tipsy audience members to catch on, and the ripples of infectious laughter his accounts receive are a continuous occurence . His observation on the polarities of men and women in today’s world – fantastically egalitarian; don’t play host to misogynistic ideals, a common pitfall for some stand-up acts – are not only for the purpose of comedy, but to examine some of the unfortunate truths of modern day society. Ending on a tidbit of racial humour, he walks calmly off stage to the loudest applause – so far – of the entire evening.

Rob Delaney is the final act, with a tremendous beast of a beard to go with it. The American-born comedian is pulling tears from the get-go, and throughout his entire sketch, detailing the occasionally unfortunate sex and family life of a married man, there is a constant cacophony of laughter splattered throughout the venue. His self-deprecating reflection on relationships is undoubtedly the most sardonic, blithe and blunt act of the night, and unequivocally, one of the best stand-up acts around.

Hannah Ross

The 99 Club is on nightly at Storm Nightclub Leicester Square. For further information or to book visit the 99 Club’s website here.