Booze and Craic: A Night of Scottish and Irish Comedy took place at Be Merry, a cosy little pub tucked away in Nick's Lane. We sat at the darkly lit end of the pub by a small stage, level with the crowd, and a bright light aimed at the performers. A suitable setup for these presenters and their ‘people’.

The Scottish MC, Gary, welcomed everyone, introduced himself, scanned the audience and chose a few members to briefly share their stories. Next up was Irishman, Michael. With his strong lilt and smiling bearded face, he was very funny with the way he sledged himself and life in general. There were, of course, audience members of the same nationalities, and both presenters compared their connections with them. As an Aussie, it was like sitting at a bus stop listening in on someone else’s conversation.

As for the accents, there were times I found myself laughing even though I had no idea what was just said. I put the positive mood down to the congeniality of the presenters… but it wasn’t just that. They had an eclectic crowd that kept the mood rolling. On one side of the room, there were the more verbal, including a FIFO crane driver, a fellow Irishman with his two girlfriends, and a retired Scotsman with a fascinating background. On the other side of the room, more subdued crowd members, the ‘don’t pick me, I just came to laugh’ crew, whom the presenters still managed to draw something out of, earning reluctant but relieved smiles from those targeted.

For a first night, there were a couple of moments when the lines could have been sharper, but they had us all engaged from start to end. I enjoyed the way they interacted with us, and a shout-out to those in the crowd who added to the vibe.

Overall, it lived up to its title! They made me forget it was a Monday evening. Best enjoyed with a beverage in hand.