What makes over one hundred people queue for the best part of an hour on a freezing cold Sunday night in Edinburgh? Well the answer is that the capitals premier comedy club, The Stand, had pulled off yet another scoop in presenting Stephen K Amos in a one night only special.

So what makes Amos, who starred in the Royal Variety Show last year, want to appear in a small club when he is more than capable of selling out theatres? Simple, like a lot of other major players, he really rates the Stand and the way it is run by Guru Tommy Sheppard and his staff, a sentiment we at one4review can agree with entirely.

The packed out club were all psyched up for a great evening and they certainly were not disappointed. From the onset, the showman that Stephen can be, was to the fore and with a vociferous crowd behind him, occasionally coming up with very random heckles, his initial set was an entertaining ‘getting to know you’ session with a whole host of material, some well loved, other obviously brand new and topical.

After the interval, he performed the basis of his critically acclaimed 2008 Fringe offering entitled ‘Find the Funny’, a show that I didn’t get a chance to see as she who must be obeyed snaffled the review ticket!!  He has the knack of engaging the audience with his own unique style, usually getting as much enjoyment as his fans do. The crowd age range was wide, almost as many teenagers as us more mature citizens but the approval was uniform.

Although he performed for approaching two hours I’m certain if he had played for another two it wouldn’t have been enough. But like all good things, it did have to come to an end, and to his credit Stephen made his way to the bar and seemed only too delighted to chat with his fans, pose for photographs and reinforce his reputation as not only an exceptionally funny comedian, but a nice guy as well.

All things being equal Stephen will be making his annual August pilgrimage to Edinburgh for Fringe 2009 so take this as a recommendation get in early for a ticket as his shows are always a sell-out and you sure wouldn’t want to miss out.

The Stand operate comedy nights both in Edinburgh and Glasgow virtually every night of the year and I can advise checking their website www.thestand.co.uk for all the details. We have and are planning at least a dozen visits and that is only up to March. Maybe see you then.