Your Guide to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival makes me think of a story that Lawrence Mooney once told on a podcast that I’m aware of, The Little Dum Dum Club. He chronicles the morning after the last night of the 2015 Melbourne Comedy Festival. When he wakes, he realises that he’s been asleep, while standing in his kitchen, without a phone or the costume he was wearing the night before and with a hangover from the devil on the forefront of his mind. Listen to it, Episode 243. It’ll give you an insight as to the hardship that these comedians go to, in order to make you laugh. Which is something that, once the festival is over, do we ever really think about? What happens to these hard working joke factories? After vying for the most tickets sold during the festival, or scoring that coveted five-star review from The Age, who looks after the comedians?

We’re still not 100% sure of the answers to those questions posed above, but it got us thinking… Who should you not miss this MICF? Find our top five below:

Daniel Sloss
The man hails from Scotland and you only need to go back 365 days to see him sell out the MICF night after night. Sloss has the ability to take that Scottish slouch mixed with his intelligent (ish) humour and make you loose your shit laughing. He’s taken the US by storm, twice. Check him out here on Conan.

Laura Dunemann
Not really up and coming, because Laura’s already killing it. You’ll know her from Offspring and Upper Middle-Class Bogan. Flannelette is a brand new show for Dunemann and after attending a preview, I think you’ll enjoy it.