The Comedy Mixtape lineup, hosted and curated by Joe Daymond, was billed as a stand-up showcase built like a perfect set list, comedians you already rate mixed with rising stars you’re about to fall in love with.

The night kicked off with DJ Randy from Mai FM spinning classic Hutt bangers. Joe described the aim as building up garage party vibes, and DJ Randy nailed it. As the sold-out crowd trickled in, we were grooving in our seats to old-school party favourites like Digable Planets and 50 Cent. Joe even demanded that the crowd sing along to Flo Rida’s “Low” before he’d take the stage. A brilliant way to set the scene.

Joe Daymond himself is a charming and unassuming host. It’s no small feat for someone who has amassed millions of fans online and toured internationally with comedy legends. I had the privilege of seeing his show “I Hope I Made You Proud” last year, when he brought us through how surreal it was for him to be on the cusp of all his dreams coming true. We left with laughs in our bellies and hope in our hearts for all that lay ahead.

The opening crowd work got off to an awkward start. Was it an unusually introverted audience? Was it because it was straight after work on a Tuesday? Was it because a Wellington audience is never going to voluntarily shout their personal stories across a room without at least three drinks? Or was it Joe’s unusually chill demeanour? Whatever led to the slow start, the night did pick up the pace.

It was a packed lineup of local and some international talent. Highlights included Clarissa Chandrahasen, with fantastic timing and confidence; Martin Urbano, with his satirical role-playing and horrific one-liners; and the legend himself, Raybon Kan.

The lineup opened with Q Potts, who shared very relatable material on being of both Warrior (Māori and Cook Island) and coloniser (German and British) heritage. This was followed by newcomer and regular face at open mics in Wellington, Jenice Goveas. I must say, I’ve really enjoyed seeing her hone her comedy into what was a very impressive short set about the idiosyncrasies of being a new migrant in New Zealand and why a butter chicken tsunami might be exactly what the country needs.

Clarissa gave us insight into the sports lesbians get to choose when they come out of the closet and the correlation between academic achievement and lesbians. Leki Lyons, another Hutt comedian, delivered smart, punchy lines with layered context, deserving of a sharp audience.

The evening went up a notch when New York comedian Martin Urbano took the stage. He perfected the art of confusion and surprise, and with his 1950s radio voice, he threw the audience into a full ten minutes of one-liners that caught us off guard and could get a little dark, if not dirty.

Tama Alexander kept the laughs going with a polished set of well-timed physical comedy and self-deprecation.

All of this rounded off with a wonderful end to the night with Raybon Kan, a legend in the NZ comedy scene. Raybon did his first comedy festival in 1996 and brought a fresh take on the “in my day” jokes. This was followed by an explanation of how to prepare the New Zealand Olympic team for Beijing when you’ve never been there yourself.

You can still catch some of these fantastic comedians this week:

 

Review by Nadia Freeman