Opening his show with some timely and well-observed topical jokes from the day’s headlines, Rozenbachs spends the following ten minutes showing off his improvisational comedy chops by chatting to the audience. He is an outstanding ad-libber, rapidly retorting with jokes for the various professions of crowd members. I must commend the professions of carpenter and electrician for being great sports and always sitting in the front rows at comedy gigs. Rozenbachs is cunning and quick in his banter, which in return provided some of the biggest laughs of the night.

Moving into the scripted section, Rozenbachs covered the usual topics: phone surveys, relationships, breaking up and so on, with much aplomb. His line on judging a friend by their opinion of Two and a Half Men is a new favourite of mine. Back onto the theme, reasons why he is single, Rozenbachs’ material was never groundbreaking, but damn funny all the same. Adroit and quick with a quip, Rozenbachs is a perfect example of an archetypal stand-up comedian. An uncomplicated show with guaranteed laughs, Singledumb is a lot smarter than Rozenbachs pretends to be.

Brennan is a solid gold, professional comedian, right down to the suit he takes to the stage in. Assuming the roll of an ill-informed American tourist to the hilt, “Do you guys have cows?”, he provided an unrelenting assault of jokes and observations. Aiming to offend in the most likable way, Brennan worked his way through local references before moving to a regular set of race and affront. Mercilessly bantering with the audience he offered some very sage advice, “Don’t sit in the front row if you can’t take a punch.” Every line from Brennan’s mouth resulted in laughter, demonstrating a pedigree of comedy performance honed across the American late night talk-show circuit and a stint writing for Saturday Night Live. Brennan provided an absolutely perfect set of American, deadpan arrogance and knife-edge wit.

Upcoming international acts at The Festival Club will include Al Madrigal (14 to 19 April) a rising star of American comedy and Bo Burnham (21 to 26 April). Or just turn up for the ever-changing late-night roster of comics dedicated to making you laugh.

Moore is an extremely likeable, engaging performer; onstage he operates effortlessly without a microphone. Opening the show with self-deprecating style at the expense of the tiny Carpet Room at the Forum Theatre, Moore is then joined on stage by his accompanist, singer-songwriter Emma Heeney, who provides the soundtrack to Moore’s life story. The resulting show – Moore chronicling his life’s course and Heeney’s delicate voice singing sweet acoustic songs – feels like a stand-up version of an independent drama/comedy flick. Think Garden State with Heeney in the ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ role.

It is a show of entertainment more than hilarity, with honest and sincere storytelling. Moore comes off as friendly and approachable while Heeney is lovely to listen to. Their two parts sit well together, and while their content does not strongly relate to each other, it effectively sets the mood for the show. Tale of Two Cities verges on confessional comedy cabaret and as such is a refreshing change of pace in the approach taken to a festival show.

The Audacity of Frank has been scripted and directed to within an inch of its life, leaving a finely tuned machine of laughter. Such analytical precision has left little room for improvisation, which is a huge shame as Pickering excels while ad-libbing. These issues wouldn’t have been noticeable had he not opened the show with outstanding audience interaction, deftly riffing with members of the front row. Audiences like to feel the show they are watching is unique, and in this respect Pickering should allow himself more room to digress in search of these special moments.

Once into the scripted material though, the show really does set a cracking pace. Jumping from topic to topic, Pickering has become edgier with his material and it pays off. Allowing the subject matter to wander off like into tangents, unconstrained by the requisite comedy festival ‘theme’ has freed the show, and Pickering himself, to explore other facets of his comic potential.

Pickering is a very gifted storyteller, assured in his talents, and he never falters in his constant delivery of jokes. Rarely was there a gag that missed its mark. Every year his show is a sell-out, so if you can lay your hands on tickets do go, you won’t regret it.

Alter ego of New Zealander Jesse Griffin, who has shone at past MICFs as one third of the Four Noels, Wilson Dixon Rides Again is a joy from start to finish. What makes the character of Dixon so funny is that he’s not written with any condescension ­– he’s a real flesh-and-blood character, not just a simple caricature.

One would expect a New Zealander (or an Australian for that matter) to tmake all sorts of cheap-shot redneck and dumb American jokes, but thankfully Griffin is much smarter than that. Instead he’s set up a much shrewder show structure, giving Dixon time to win over the audience with a barrage of sharp local references before launching into his first song, a three and a half minute ditty of unrelenting one-liners called ‘Life’. From there we were treated to Dixon’s journey of self-discovery ­– absurd adventures in search of life’s meaning while on a epic hunt for ‘The Man with No Name’.

Much comparison will be made with Flight of the Conchords, as both acts are folk-singing Kiwis. But this show is all about character comedy and is all the better for it. Droll, witty and musically and verbally literate, Griffin’s star is on the rise. Go and see this show while you can.

First on was Mick Davies, a self-assured lad with a tight set of observational jokes. John ‘Cambo’ Campbell followed and was the standout performer, a case study in straight-faced, deadpan one-liners. Matt Burton was the storyteller of the evening and his enthusiastic routine built to a warm and rewarding conclusion.

Luke McGregor was last on and he really was an interesting comedian. Working a nervous shtick as his onstage persona, his material was fresh and original. He took offbeat or under-examined ideas all the way through to his own logically twisted conclusion – what would it be like if make-up were a new invention?

There is a lot of promise in these four boys. They had good solid gags, and plenty of swagger on stage. Tasmania will have a lot more to be proud of than Boag’s beer and David Boon if they fulfil their comic potential.

Taking pointers on what it takes to be an adult from a seven year-old girl, Earl has hashed out an ideal framework to hang his show on. Diverging down various tangents such as marriage, driving or property leaves him plenty of room to fit in his eclectic material and songs. Earl’s style of comedy sits somewhere between a Lucksmith’s song and Demetri Martin, right down to the collected comedy graphs and Northcote references. I do not say this as a bad thing, as he does it very, very well.

Earl appears to be all haircut, tight black jeans and a ‘please love me’ smile, but lurking underneath is a deceptively clever performer. I loved this show, full of witty songs, sly pop culture references and just plain funny jokes. From correcting punks on the grammar printed on their clothing to telling his old high school’s graduating class they are lucky to have not lived in the dark days of researching reports on Encarta, he is razor sharp. Earl is a brainy comedian who’s not afraid to throw in a crass joke when his material is getting too clever. If this is the show of a man-child’s brain, I can only hope he never grows up.

Narrated by Callinan, who spends the night both literally and figuratively steeping over the fourth wall to talk to the audience, The Dave Berry Story sets its sights at being a stand-up version of a Charlie Kaufman script. Standing on stage, in character, and deliberately telling abysmal jokes is an absolute tightrope walk to pull off, and for the most part it works. The scene of Raw Comedy heat contestants hosted by Callinan, as himself, and also played by him is brutally hilarious in its portrayal of wannabe comedians. The meta-fest continues throughout the show with Callinan, in character, complaining about stand-up character performers: ‘If you can’t tell a joke as yourself, why even try?’

Callinan sells the blank-face awfulness of his comic creation perfectly, but is wise enough to include sections of his own stand-up while addressing the audience to ensure genuine laughs and break up the cringe-worthy, awkward laughs generated by Berry. It’s an interesting and funny show, dark with plenty of laughs, and a welcome change of pace for a festival full of stand-up.

The result of his uprooting is that a lot of his material is that of an outsider looking in; observations of quirky traits and behaviour that has helped make that age-old stereotype of The Irish. In this case, it works – Bishop’s fresh eyes are able to cut straight to the home truths of Ireland. What sits uneasy is his American side, bringing out his earnest belief in expressing emotions.

Much of the show is set around the comedy of the confessional and his dysfunctions (hence the show’s name) but at times it veers to the solemn and sober. Preaching is not for everyone at a comedy show, though these themes do also radiate with tremendously positive intent. Bishop hits his stride with his regular material, his nuggets about Irish backpackers travelling around Australia and the requisite local references. He is a consummate professional in this regard, working the crowd and ultimately owning the large room. Bishop provides plenty of laughs and plenty of jokes you will try and fail to retell to your friends.

The women are engaging and vibrant performers, bouncing lines and looks off each other, but are let down at times by their lack of confidence in the material. Chish had a tendency to mumble through punchlines she felt weren’t going to get a laugh, and as a result they didn’t. But overall she was in control of her material and role as mischief-maker to Flanagan’s lecturer. Chish has twice been a semi-finalist in Raw Comedy and it does show. She has self-assurance on stage and appears as a grinning, naughty Puck of fashion. Flanagan has taken the slightly thankless role of straight woman, but spices it up with a highly entertaining assortment of accents. Much like the fashions it makes fun of A Stitch in Time also has its highlights and lowlights. Some dropped lines between the girls were disappointing, but by the end of their previews when the kinks are worked out, this could be a great local act to catch.

Working twin narratives of living a full life and winning back his girl, Bushell spins tales of travel and lost ardour. He laments his lot to a Spanish mountain and gambles the fate of his love on a game show, intertwining jokes and voyages of fantasy into his stories with confidence and ease. As a performer, Bushell takes to the spotlight with joy, at home with the mic in his hand he seems to inhale adrenalin and exhale jokes. No props, no high concept set-up, no help from the A.V. department, just a man and a microphone making the crowd laugh. More local comics should be like this.

Demonstrating belief in his material and assurance of delivery, Bushell sets the audience at ease from the get go, which in turn enables the audience to give themselves over to the comedian, no matter where his flights may takes them. Bold, frenetic and hilarious, Dave Bushell is a must see of the Comedy@Trades lineup this year.

Tales of Richard’s father serve as a jumping off point for digressions and asides, taking the audience from the trenches of World War One to back stage at a U2 concert and in search of buried treasure. It is a warm-hearted journey, much like pushing the chairs back after Christmas lunch and working though the family story highlight reel.

It is much to Richards credit that this premise even works, we all have stories about how mad and stupid our families are, why pay to hear someone else’s? Because of Richard; his stage presence is magnetic, a real, personable charisma, like a dodgy black sheep uncle telling you what your dad used to be like. His performance is filled with light and shade, a rare find in a stand-up comic. When the material calls for emotion, he has it in spades, the wounds still appear fresh, even if he just building to the next laugh. A Sting in the Tale displays with a bite but leaves you wanting to call your dad and ask what he did today.

The nature of the setup, comics telling stories along a set theme is its strongest selling point, much credit to the clubs creator, Sarah Bennetto. Because of the themes, comics are forced to create new material rather than just recycle parts of their current shows. As a result you get the flavour and style of every performer without running the risk of having to sit through it again at their own show.

Opening night was Spooky Stories with host and narrator Sarah Bennetto introducing such friends as Josie Long, James Dowdeswell, Danny McGinlay, Maeve Higgins and Alison Bice. London based Bennetto has managed to rope in a lot of her UK friends, making this is a great way to see a lot of international comics cheaply. James Dowdeswell made school shootings an outing of laughs, Maeve Higgins found gags no matter how off the topic she veered and Josie Long, lovely as ever, shined with tales of her own night terrors. On every Friday night of the festival, Storytellers’ Club is a perfect primer for the comedy fan. Upcoming shows include:

Trave and Adventure with Brendon Burns, Yianni Agisilaou, Josh Earl and Dave Bushell. 10th April.

Family and Childhood tales with Sarah Millican (UK), Richard McKenzie, James Dowdeswell (UK), Courteney Hocking and Tommy Dassalo 17th April.

Love Stories with Josie Long (UK), Lawrence Leung, Geraldine Hickey and Louise Sanz 24th April.

Fiona’s material is based on what she portrays as a careless disregard for the conventions of motherhood. Revisiting the comedy gold of ‘my children say the darndest things’, she scrutinises the machinations of her copious litter to great comic effect throughout the show. Hers is an ethos of pinot over parenting. Finely extracted details from her everyday life are delivered with a grin and a laugh, giving you the feeling that each joke is spontaneous and new.

The laughter, and there is plenty of laughter, comes from recognition of the negative sentiments you may have about people’s children but never expected their mother to say. Her stage persona is natural and well-developed. Seldom do you feel you are watching scripted ‘bits,’ because it’s more like a wine-infused chat with friends. I have long harboured the suspicion that there are very few, if any, good female stand-up comedians (I am not being sexist’go on, name five right now!) but I was wrong. Fiona O’Loughlin is very, very funny.

Tackling themes of religion, politics and the oil crisis, Levelland could have been heavy going but it is sustained throughout with strong performances’Nathaniel Davis is outstanding as the disturbed Scrope. The show is acerbic, intelligent and well written with some great one-liners. Set at cracking pace, we barely get to meet Hall’s character before the action starts to unfold.

Director Guy Masterson has crafted a claustrophobic and conspiratorial atmosphere for the show. It is dark and dramatic, lightened by Hall’s wit and ear for dialogue. While the conclusion might not hit the heights the rest of the show has been aiming for, it is still a damn good. Designed to get the audience thinking as well as laughing, Levelland succeeds at both. And as far as personal philosophies go, John Cougar Mellencamp’s ‘You have to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything’ isn’t too bad. Actually it is. But go to this show’it is sharp, smart and funny.

The show is based on a very good central idea, taking a hostage that isn’t alive, in this case, Walt Disney, so there is less chance of an escape. Disorganised mobsters, police snipers and a cult for the disabled all become involved in the plot to ransom the cryogenic frozen head of the beloved cartoonist.

At about half an hour in, the show loses all direction. The plot becomes nonsense and the quality of the jokes deteriorates. That being said, the performances were a highlight, especially Teri Brabon as Wilma, the ditzy New York gangster’s mole. The entire cast are enthusiastic and work very hard to get the maximum laughs out of the material they are working with. Staging and lighting design were also of a high standard; the digitally projected backgrounds were very effective. But it is a show that has lost its way. The script needs to be cut down and worked on some for it to become a winner.

As the shows title illustrates, there are plenty of cultural stereotypes associated with both being black and Jewish, which Rain uses to great comic effect. From her grandmothers, an upper-eastside Jew and a black brothel madam, to ditzy high school valley girls and a coke addicted, womanising dad, Rain is at comic ease with what could be very painful material. This cabaret style performance is, by turns, funny, insightful and touching, and Rain shows great warmth and vulnerability on stage. Exhibiting an overabundance of talent, she is a comedian, singer, mimic and narrator of her life story throughout the show. The characterisations of friends and family are fully constructed, and Rain, not surprisingly, does a pitch perfect impersonation of her father. But the show doesn’t just hang on the ‘famous dad’; it’s the personal experience and influences of growing up a black, Jewish woman that shines through. It is well-constructed show, allowing Rain to show off her fantastic voice, which adds emotional pauses. This is a very funny show; if she is back in town any time soon, get yourself there.

What the show lacked, however, was structure. The title So I Married an Arab suggests a unifying theme, which wasn’t there. The well-observed jokes about her dealings with in-laws of a completely different cultural and religious background were the strength of the show. Unfortunately, this was mixed with generic material about marriage that could have been slotted into any stand-up set. Judging from opening night, Barb gained confidence from her more personal material, which was also her funniest. There were some very funny passages and sharp one-liners, which highlighted a well of possible material from which she was drawing. Throughout the festival this show will only get stronger, making it a great gig to catch while it is still in a pub.