Chops Comedy celebrates 5th birthday
Chops Comedy - the small club, with the big heart, located in Bar 57 in Bristol - has recently celebrated fabulous five years since opening. This is an amazing achievement, especially considering a small issue of a global pandemic.
I stumbled across this venue when I attended a WIP for Harriet Kemsley one sunny day in the summer of 2024. The content of this brilliant performance did not seem fitting for a mid-afternoon show, however the warmth of the club and David Hoare as the compare led me to coming back week after week to the regular Tuesday night sessions.
David Hoare and Stuart Goldsmith are the joint founders of Chops Comedy. David tells the audience that "some jokes will be being told for the first time, and some jokes will be being told for the last time".
Hoare explains: "The aim for Chops Comedy is to get incredible acts trying out new material in an intimate venue. A great spot for experienced local acts to test new jokes and then have an amazing secret headliner. Potentially someone off the telly. Always someone excellent. We only announce the headliner on the day! We are incredibly proud to be going for 5 years and are excited for the next 5 years."
The success of this platform is echoed by Goldsmith, who says: "Chops combines the four things necessary for a truly great comedy club: a cosy little room, a core audience of comedy savvy people, brilliant lineups, and a booker who's happy to put me on whenever I ask. I recently performed on Live At The Apollo, and it was brilliant to be performing material on that stage which was first written and performed at Chops!"
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