Doing tour support for a bigger act is a key way to hone the craft and increase the fanbase for a lot of up and coming comedians. For fans it's a great way to discover comics they wouldn't have otherwise known about - sort of like a real-life recommendation engine for fans - if you liked the act you've booked for, you'll probably like their support.

The ins and out of being a support act was something I thought our fans would be interested in, so I caught up with Brennan Reece, who has supported some of the best comedians in the UK including Joe Lycett, Micky Flanagan, Jason Manford & John Bishop, to let us in on what it's like.

What are the best things about doing tour support?
There’s so many things. First of all, the rooms. I have done tour support at every level from Arts Centre studios to Arenas. And it’s an incredible insight of why these acts play these rooms, it requires a different skill. A next level ability. Second, you are exposed to a brand new audience, and if you do well, they will become your fans too. And finally, the experience, the circuit is great, but to make 18,000 people laugh who are not there to see you is like nothing else.

How do you get that sort of gig?
Various ways. Comedians might see you and love you. It might be friends you have made along the way. And sometimes an act will have no clue who you are as you’ve been booked by the promoter via your agent.

What challenges do you face doing tour support?
The first 2 minutes. You are in the way of the night the audience want. They have looked forward to seeing their favourite comedian, and then you pop up. But if you have the ability and poise and jokes…you’ll be fine!

Any funny stories?
Less funny. More daunting. I was booked to support Steve O from Jackass. I turned up to a room full of people who wanted someone to staple their balls to their legs rather than tell stories of growing up on a Manchester council estate. 500 people, no one was sat down. I panicked and did a cartwheel. That’s as exciting as it got!

What makes a good tour support act?
Depends on the act. Some want to hang out. Some want you to turn up and do the job. But the main thing they all want - is you to be respectful to their audience and absolutely smash the gig.

Brennan's got two shows on NextUp - Everglow and Evermore - would highly recommend! And also, he's got his own UK tour next year, with his next hour special, 'Crowded', soon to be released. You can follow him on insta @brennanreece

Edinburgh has come to a close and we're into tour season. Many of the great shows up at the Fringe will start to tour, alongside shows that haven't been up there.

Here are six shows I'd absolutely recommend catching on tour:

Laura Smyth : Living My Best Life

https://laurasmyth.com/pages/tour-dates

I love Laura. She's smart, hilarious and says it how it is. She's recently done Live at the Apollo and deserves to be absolutely huge.

Esther Manito : Hell Hath No Fury
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/esther-manito

I've loved Esther since seeing her first hour at Edinburgh a few years back...and she's on FIRE at the moment. Get in there!

Jordan Gray : Is It A Bird?
https://www.comedy.co.uk/JordanGrayTickets/

If you haven't seen this show yet you must! Jordan won our Biggest Award in Comedy at the fringe last year and went on to do multiple TV performances and a sold out show at the Palladium. The talent is insane.


Josie Long : Re-enchantment
https://josielong.seetickets.com/tour/josie-long

Josie is my favourite. She's political and f*cking funny. Her shows are always perfectly crafted and whilst I haven't seen this one, I will certainly be booking in for the tour.


Rosie Jones : Triple Threat

https://rosiejonescomedy.com/live/

Rosie's a national treasure - a must-see act who keeps getting pushed over by naughty Nish Kumar. She writes for and performs on loads of TV shows and this is your chance to catch her live on stage!

Jen Brister : The Optimist

http://www.jenbrister.co.uk/tour/

Jen is one of the funniest acts on the circuit - her rants are legendary. Definitely catch this tour.

We're nearly ready to head up to the fringe again so thought it might be good to share some highlights of 2022 to wet your whistles...

1) We launched our 'Biggest Award in Comedy' and the incredible Jordan Gray won it - going on to perform at the Palladium in London and on numerous TV shows. 

2)We streamed over 60 shows, with themes of gout, death and ADHD coming up a LOT last year (thank you lockdown!)...wonder what 2023's trends will be? (guesses in the comments below please).

3) Jason dyed his hair in NU green in support.

4) We streamed The Wrestling. It was epic.

4) Our flat had a power outage at a crucial moment, so Carlos had to cadge power from the bar below (health and safety please!!).

5) We tried out some striking new posters.

6) Dan's mum was texting him from London about the laughter in the room of one of our live streams. 

7) The bin men went on strike. 

8) Bonus content: we were reminded of our first NU fringe - the NextUp baby is now SIX!

Just in case you're struggling for where to start with our Summer Showdown content drop...here are a few recommendations (definitely watch them all though - it's an awesome list).

Firstly - check out Emmanuel Sonubi's 'Emancipated', his debut hour from last year's fringe. He's a comedian on the rise, with material about his past career as a doorman, his kids and his stint in the magic of the musicals...you'll be able to say you saw him here first.

Second, another up-and-comer - definitely watch Lily Phillips's 'Smut'. Absolutely smashing the sh*t out of this set at the beautiful Bedford in Balham - she's going to be huge (Not physically! Though you'll probably notice that she was fairly pregnant when we filmed this).

Finally - if you fancy something a bit out there, check out 'Clinton Baptiste vs Ramone' - this incredible character from Phoenix Nights battles for the title of Britain's Greatest Paranormalist.

In terms of short-form sets, start with Esther Manito's 'Being A Parent' (speaks to me personally that one), and Micah Hall's 'The Two Meanings of Polyamory' ...and then watch all the rest too, they're only short.

Feel free to pop other recommendations in the comments too...all welcome!