At Runoff Towers we are haltingly reentering the galaxy of semi normality and now attending Greater Kennington’s own top flight comedy night Always Be Comedy in person. Over the past 16 months MC James Gill and his ever optimistic team made a noble attempt to make ABC a virtual experience but it was a bit like watching stand up in a toilet cubicle, so it was refreshing to see a return to face to face laughing. 

On Monday night we saw the irrepressible Joe Lycett and the hilarious Sarah Pascoe, and on previous trips we’ve seen the likes of Harry Hill, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdecombe (whoops – better pick up those names we just dropped!), all for a tenner. The only trick is you need to be quick off the mark, and also some are billed as ‘secret’ so it is probably a good idea to be on their mailing list. And if you’ve never heard of the comedian, you might discover somebody new and only exerted a walk over and hobble back from The Tommyfield pub in Kennington Cross in the process. 

The demographic at ABC does makes you feel a bit like you’ve stumbled across reunion of contestants from ‘The Apprentice’, but if you can move beyond that and a the pricey pints then it’s a fun night. At the moment the seating is limited and socially distanced and people wear masks when they are milling around, and as expected you’re expected to tap in when you arrive and this will continue to be the case next week.