Late ‘n’ Live: Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, 2011
Always Be Comedy (2 shows): The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2016
Ed Gamble: Stampede: Gilded Balloon at The Counting House: Edinburgh, 2016
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2017
Always Be Comedy (5 shows): The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2018
Birthday Girls: Late-Night Comedy Party (Guest): Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2018
Berk’s Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2019
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2020
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2020
#SaveLiveComedy: (Show 2): The Clapham Grand, London: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2020
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2021
Off Menu: The Redemption Dinner Party: Online: 2021
Return of The Craic Online Comedy Club: Online: 2021
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2021
Ed Gamble: Electric: The Sands Centre, Carlisle, 2022
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2022
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2023
I first saw comedian Ed Gamble perform with his comic partner Ray Peacock at the Late ‘n’ Live showcase in Edinburgh in 2011. They were a very amusing and chaotic double act. Over the last two years, Gamble became a solo act and has developed into a firm favourite at the Always Be Comedy showcase in London where I have seen him three times to date.
At the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, I have also seen him deliver his one-hour show Stampede. Gamble was superb at chatting with an audience – he interacted well which created a buzz and increased the energy. He was a great storyteller on stage creating background to his tales to make effective jokes that the audience seemed to enjoy very much. His material mainly covered his middle-class struggle with many amusing comparisons to create structure and increase laughter.
Before Gamble appeared at Always Be Comedy in February 2018, I was invited up on stage by resident MC James Gill to perform my regular song. This as usual brought the house down and left the audience energised for Gamble’s act. I have seen Gamble perform a few times at Always Be Comedy, but this was the first time I had seen him headline the show. Again, whilst he made me laugh out loud, I found him to be a brilliant observational stylish comedian with a denigrating sense of humour. After his set, I met him at the bar, and he told me that I was a difficult act to follow! Gamble need not have worried as his set had gone down extremely well with the audience.
Gamble made further guest appearances at Always Be Comedy in March and May 2018 and the laughter rate was once again extremely high. When I saw him deliver his Edinburgh fringe preview show at Always Be Comedy in July 2018, his confidence soared, his banter with the audience was effortless and the subject material which included being stranded in New York with three fellow comedians was first rate.
In August 2018, I was extremely pleased to see Gamble as a guest on the Birthday Girls Late Night Comedy Party at the Edinburgh Fringe. His confidence was sky-high, and the audience loved him.
When he appeared at Always Be Comedy again in October 2018, he mentioned that he had seen me at the Edinburgh Festival having thought that I had not moved from my front row seat at Always Be Comedy supporting the comedians. He also, and not for the first-time mentioned, and delivered an inspired routine about this blog which made me convulse with laughter. His point was that he felt my blog was generally too positive. After the show, this got me thinking. Watching comedy is of course very subjective and dear reader if after what I have written makes you go and see the comedian then that is great, and you can make your own judgement. If you ever see me in an audience at a comedy night, I am always enjoying myself so much that I find it hard to be negative about anyone who has the bottle to get up on stage and have a go. Over the years, I have indeed seen many acts vanish very quickly, but credit must be given to anyone for getting up and having a go. I was genuinely delighted to have my blog be included in Gamble’s set and to be recognised like this.
I saw Gamble again at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing a guest spot for the Berk’s Nest Mid-Fest Comedy Special where during his ten-minutes, he was wildly funny with the late-night audience.
Gamble returned to Always Be Comedy in February 2020 performing new material for a forthcoming show. He talked about the importance of his appearance and his attendance at a local gym with such blistering comic effect, I was convulsing with laughter, and it was great to see him again.
In May 2020, Gamble was a guest for Always Be Comedy Online. He did a solo routine which featured hilarious delivery and timing from reading a bizarre joke book and at the end of the show, together with James Acaster, he did a brilliant Q & A. Due to a worldwide pandemic, the questions came from the virtual audience and front row as everybody was locked down and in their homes. When he referenced me in his set, he was delighted to see me as usual screaming with laughter at him. I told him I had changed seats (not of course sitting live in the front row at Kennington but the virtual front row at home due to a worldwide pandemic). He still seemed convinced that I was in the same seat as I had been supporting Always Be Comedy for so long which was hysterical.
The comedian made a guest appearance on the second live show of #SaveLiveComedy that I watched in August 2020. Again, he delivered a wonderful set and was effortlessly funny to the delighted audience.
He returned to live stand-up when he appeared at a socially distanced gig for Always Be Comedy in October 2020. The inspired routine included his take on gyms, fitness and an embarrassing situation involving a security camera. It was an absolute delight to see him back on stage.
In January 2021, Gamble was a guest for Always Be Comedy Online where he chatted to compere James Gill talking amongst other things about his new pet cat and this blog!
In February 2021, Gamble together with James Acaster co-hosted Off Menu: The Redemption Dinner Party online. First time, online, the hosts of the successful podcast invited previous guests back and were given a chance at redemption for their previous food choices (starter, main, dessert, wine) for a meal. The guests were Greg Davies, Jess Phillips MP, Jordan Banjo, Jen Brister and Joel Dommett. The extremely funny online show was wonderful to see.
In April 2021, Gamble made a guest appearance for Return of The Craic Online Comedy Club where he delivered his wonderful gym routine received consistent laughter from the audience.
I watched Gamble’s hour of new material live at Always Be Comedy in November 2021. Previewing his new tour Electric, subjects covered included gyms, heavy metal and an inspired routine on hotel breakfasts. It was a joy to watch the tour at The Sands Centre, Carlisle in April 2022 where he commanded the stage with effortless ease and was hysterically funny for the entire show, well worthy of my standing ovation. He appeared again and was hysterical as a guest for Always Be Comedy in September 2022 and February 2023.
For me, Gamble is one of the funniest comedians currently working today. I wish him every continued success and he just gets funnier and funnier every time I see him. He is always a pleasure to watch.
