The Music’s Weekend Comedy Hit List At The Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The biggest weekend of the 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival is about to commence, with more openings than an octopus's turtleneck!

But, being so god-damn spoilt for choice, what do you see, where do you go? Who can answer this most perplexing of conundrums? Well champ, you’re in luck! This ain’t our first rodeo.

Being a comedy obsessed lot here at The Music, we’ve picked out the acts we’re most excited about seeing over the next few days. Here’s our pick of the fest’s best jests this weekend.

For lovers of off-kilter wisecracks about the modern world, pairing big smarts with a youthful irreverence, we recommend:

Deanne Smith: Post Joke Era

You could be forgiven for assuming a gender-queer Canadian vegan might be a black hole of self-righteous hipsterness, but boy (or girl, it’s all good) you’d be wrong! DeAnne Smith is the poet-cum-clown you’ve been looking for, decoding the perils of our geopolitically fractious world with gags ranging from the perks of anti-depressants, to accidental pro-life chants, to prank texting millennials. You’ll leave feeling just a tiny bit more hopeful that all is not lost.

Catch if you’re a fan of: Kitty Flanagan, Matt Okine, Garfunkel And Oates

For lovers of brash, unapologetic, oh-no-she-di’hint comedy that’ll make you laugh at yourself as much as others, we recommend:

Urzila Carlson: Unacceptable

This South African-New Zealander has had it with the bubble-wrapped, princess-and-the-pea sensibilities of Western Society. From Paleo bullshit to gluten-fascists, Carlson is taking aim with a uniquely razor-edged assault on all those prim and prissy, mamby-pamby types who just can’t live without their macrobiotic, pre-activated, biodynamic wholefoods… among others! A salty combo of insult and observational comedy, her tickets are selling like hot cakes – definitely not gluten free kind.

Catch if you’re a fan of: Judith Lucy, Arj Barker, Charlie Pickering

For lovers of comedy with upbeat energy that skews the news for your entertainment, we recommend:

Stuart Goldsmith: Compared To What

This British stand-up stalwart is a winning combo of charmingly middle-class and accessibly down to earth. He’s always been a family man, often using the highs and lows of his relatives' lives as the basis for his schtick. But now he’s a father, and his latest show is taking the family themes to new, sleep deprived, occasionally spit-up stained heights. Where Goldsmith's comedy stylings are concerned, it’s all about the punchline, so expect to take some zingers home with you to reel out down the pub.

Catch if you’re a fan of: John Oliver, Russell Howard, Celia Pacquola.

For lovers of no-nonsense observational comedy that taps into the humour of everyday life, we recommend:

Nick Cody: On Fire

Those in the biz call Cody “The Crusher.” Cody refers to himself as an “Alpha Idiot”. In short, this is a comic who means business, but that said, he’s not in the least bit scary. The smiliest guy in Australian comedy – seriously, they should make his face into an emoji – he has had a huge year since playing MICF last year: a massive tour of his last show, a DVD release, appearances on Conan in the US, and on top of all that, he got married as well. Expect all these amazing experiences to feature heavily in this fresh new offering from an Aussie stand-up on the up-n-up.

Catch it if you’re a fan of:  Wil Anderson, Denise Scott, Tom Ballard.

For lovers of comedy with an irrepressibly, contagiously positive message:

Josie Long: Something Better

Charmingly befuddled, utterly likeable and so very, very salt of the earth, Josie Long’s humble, adorably awkward geek chic demeanour belies the fact she’s one of the brightest lights in British comedy at the moment. Her material is heavily driven by her personality, which is by turns off the charts wacky, thoughtful and full of compassion, and fiercely passionate with a strong political tilt. She utterly slayed it at the MICF Comedy Supershow earlier this week (in our humble opinion, one of the top turns of the night), so we can vouch that she is on fine form. If you’re looking down the barrel of a Brexit-Trump-Hanson shaped shame spiral, she’s the comic to get you out of that tailspin.

Catch if you’re a fan of: Sarah Millican, Patton Oswalt, Claire Hooper.