Applauded for his culinary acting adventures as the “Sandwich Guy” in The Flash (2023), Kieran Hodgson is on a quest to make America great again. Failing that, he certainly made Perth great during his Saturday night show on 10th May 2025 for the Perth Comedy Festival.
With an undeniable talent extending well beyond stand-up, some of Kieran’s most provocative roles have cast him as the fallen prince in the TV show “Prince Andrew: The Musical,” which he also wrote. He’s also the creator of “Bad TV Impressions” on X (formerly Twitter), also available on YouTube.
After witnessing some of his impressions, including Hugh Grant, Bob Katter, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy, it soon becomes apparent that Kieran’s humour is as unhinged as he is unapologetically British.
Held in the upstairs Chorus Room of the Regal Theatre, “Kieran Hodgson – Sounds American” is fast paced and jam-packed with insightful humour as deranged as the state of America. Truly one of the most endearing performers, his delightful demeanour was tested by the couple who talked loudly throughout his act before abruptly leaving – Kieran handled it with all the grace of the Bridgertons and the royal family, impersonations he has also nailed.
It’s easy to see why Kieran is a four-time Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee, most recently in 2023 for his “Big in Scotland” show. He’s playing at the Sydney Comedy Festival on 15th and 16th May before returning to the UK, where he’ll be touring throughout the year.
As the Perth Comedy Festival is currently in full swing, the biggest night of comedy for the festival was the Perth Comedy Festival Gala at the Regal Theatre with a line-up of international and Australian comedians. It was a showcase of 11 comedians giving the audience a taste of each of their shows.
Sean Woodland did a fantastic job as the MC getting the audience warmed up and it was a full house.
The first comedian was Ivan Aristeguieta all the way from the US. Ivan is Venezuelan married to an American woman. His perception of what he finds sexy was hilarious and it involves her having a Medicare card, not her salsa dancing.
Young Australian female comedian Sez had the audience chuckling at the funny side to her dyslexia and bisexuality.
LA resident John Wynn who grew up in Waco Texas but is of Vietnamese heritage was quite clever on his reasoning as to why couples are often referred to as “partners” which has to do with couples acting as detectives to find out why the wife is unhappy.
For those who enjoy a dry sense of humour, Australian Luke Heggie delivered that in spades. It’s common for comedians to talk about their family in their comedy acts and Luke was no different, especially regarding his wife and step-children. I think a lot of men in his situation would relate to his content.
Perhaps the quirkiest comedy act I have ever seen was Elf Lyons. The British comedian leapt onto the stage as though she was a character from a Hitchcock film in a monologue style, so she didn’t engage directly with the audience like the other comedians. Her performance was very theatrical and melodramatic, but I didn’t really understand most of what she was saying. However, I loved her gorgeous cocktail dress.
Another Californian, Ian Bagg absolutely roasted the front row. Joking that the older audience members most likely didn’t even pay full price for their tickets.
In the second half of the show, there were two Scottish comedians, Grant Mushet and Connor Burns, Englishman Kieran Hodgson and Aussies Chris Ryan and Sammy J. Grant Mushet tapped into Scottish culture for his take on parenting with a wonderfully wicked dry humour. Sammy J is quite well known within the Australian comedy scene using his piano-playing skills and song to relay his comedic talent.
Chris Ryan was hilarious in her impersonation of stall vendors. I always love a good impersonation. Another impersonator was Kieran Hodgson of Donald Trump who hit the mark with the mannerisms and the accent, and donning a red tie to top it off.
The final funny person of the night was another fellow Scotsman, Connor Burns, who got into Aussie slang.
Just as entertaining as the comedians was the Auslan interpreter, Diane. Normally, I don’t pay any attention to these interpreters, but I found myself constantly turning to her for her interpretation of what was being said.
All the comedians did their best in showcasing their talent. Their individual shows are worth checking out at this year’s comedy festival.
Heart, flair and talent to boot. That’s how to best summarise Tomas Clifford, who recently dazzled crowds at the understandable encore season of his cabaret Tomas Clifford Got Stood Up.
Having not been able to attend the initial run of the show during Perth Fringe, I was itching to see it, following nothing but praise from others who had snagged a ticket. Presented as part of the Perth Comedy Festival, and showing at the Rechabite – it was the perfect venue for this production, providing a sense of intimacy while also just enough grandeur to allow Clifford to milk his moment in the spotlight.
Though based on his own experience of a date gone wrong, whirlwind hour grapples with themes everyone can strongly resonate with – feeling alienated, the desire to be accepted and most importantly self love. Mostly sung through; the music and vocals – both written by Clifford – are outstanding, featuring an eclectic mix of genres that keeps audiences on their toes. His clever lyricism was both witty and thought-provoking, but it was ultimately his overall candidness that truly drove home the messaging. I really enjoyed the way the tunes were both performative yet conversational, helping to build rapport with the crowd.
Having previously seen Clifford on stage in acting roles, it was great to see his personality shine through here. The authenticity added a whole extra layer to the performance and it was very evident, as is told within the show, that he is so confident in who he is and was proud to celebrate that with the world.
Props must also go to the small but mighty band helping bring the story to life – drums, keys, bass and guitar, rounded out by the welcome brassy tones of a saxophone and trumpet – along with three backing vocals, all phenomenal in their own right. Clifford’s relationship with both his band and BVs was refreshing, ensuring they were just as much a part of the performance as he was – with the vocalists in particular helping to serve as other ‘characters’ in his life.
All in all, this was an excellently executed cabaret that audiences evidently had a lot of fun at – helped largely in part by that fact that Clifford was too. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
Keeping it simple, stupid is never as simple as it sounds. Especially if you’re Andrew Barnett (aka Barney), where life is anything but simple as the father of two teenage boys who don’t yet appreciate that the ultimate sign of coolness is being able to drive yourself to the shops to buy stuff with your own money.
Ah, yes, the woes of being middle-aged while surrounded by teenagers and TikTok is the comedic stuff that dreams are made of, and Barney nails it with his wry outlook that anyone over 30 will relate to. Warning: If you have the audacity to show up below the age of 30, it’s probably best that you don’t sit in the two front rows.
His ease of delivery makes it feel like you’re just chatting at the pub, where he’s doing most of the talking. Barney’s effortless style is down to an extensive career since 2010 as a stand-up comedian, writer and media personality, including TV, radio and podcast appearances.
He currently co-hosts the Not Another F#ing Rugby League Podcast and is a familiar voice on SEN radio, aired in New South Wales and Queensland, when he’s not performing at high-profile sporting, comedy, music and fringe festivals around the country.
Reigning from Sydney to join the Perth Comedy Festival on 2nd and 3rd May, and performing upstairs of the Regal Theatre in the Regal Chorus Room is the perfect setting for Barney’s laid-back banter.
He returns to Sydney for the Sydney Comedy Festival on 8 & 9th May. Keep an eye out at various Perth venues, including The Rechabite and Comedy Lounge, for his quick-witted, relatable and endearing observational humour.
Performances: 2nd – 3rd May 2025, 7pm Regal Theatre, Regal Chorus Room, 474 Hay Street, Subiaco Tickets: $41.58
