Perfectly hosted by Greg Behrendt, who professed his love for Pineapple Lumps, the show moved along with a stonkingly good pace in front of a circus big top set.
It's hard to pick out anyone who was stand out because to be honest, pretty much everyone was on the money on opening night. From locals like Dai Henwood to The Boy With Tape on his Face, to the likes of Idiot of Ants and a brilliantly deadpan Milton Jones, the crowd was in sidesplitting mood from the get go. Judging by the proliferation of local talent on the list, we've got some stonkers out this year - Urzila Carlson is clearly destined for stunning greatness based on the few minutes she gave; likewise a superb Jarred Fell, rocking a rude as magician demonstrated why he's the kind of act some will want to punch in the face cos of his cheekiness; and Steve Wrigley hit home with the truth about sick days and how they should be saved for when it's a nice day. Equally The Boy With Tape on His Face demonstrated why he's a surefire crowd pleaser with his ever charming audience participation antics.
But the international acts weren't exactly shrinking violets either - from Jason Byrne's brilliantly manic and chaotic attempt at magic, to the Idiot of Ants sketch involving two fathers to be being subjected to "Dad conditioning"; from Steve Hughes deftly smart anaemic looking Lemmy dishing out lines about being a death metal cook, Wilson Dixon's dry laconic riffing to Milton Jones' hilariously funny surreal deadpan one liners, this is clearly a vintage year for the festival.
If any acts have been left off here (and by the sheer science of maths and space, they will have to have been), it's nothing against them because I promise you every single one of them was great - so make sure, over the next three weeks, you get in amongst it - because you'll laugh so hard, you'll have to book plastic surgery to fix your face at the end of May.
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