Manchester had its own Comedy Store venue and it was based at 3 & 4 Arches, Deansgate Locks, Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 5LH. It closed for good in August 2024 (here) and there’s a nice image of the outside here and inside here.
Back in 2002 Jimmy performed there on Friday April 12th (8pm show) and Saturday 13th (8pm and 11pm).
Tickets were £13-14 and the line-up was:
- Dave Johns
- Jimmy Carr
- Paul Zerdin
- Dave Spikey
- MC – Simon Bligh
We know what Jimmy went on to do – what about the others?
- Simon Bligh is still touring, but his career hasn’t quite matched that of the other 4.
- Dave Johns (here) had opened the Hyena Comedy Club (Newcastle) in the late 1980s and there’s a story about one of Jimmy’s appearances there here.
- Paul Zerdin is a British Comedian / Ventriloquist that won 2015’s America’s Got Talent, which came with $1 million prize money and a Vegas headline spot.
- Dave Spikey (here) would go on to appear in 34 episodes, as Captain (opposite Sean Lock), on 8 Out of 10 Cats and then co-created Phoenix Nights with Peter Kay.
There’s also a story here about Jim Jefferies playing this venue, in 2007, and getting punched in the head, by a stage invader.
Who else was gigging?
Thursday night saw Manchester’s Buzz Club putting on a £6 / 8pm show with:
- Tony Burgess
- Hal Cruttenden
- Jonathan Young
- Shelley Cooper
- Wayni Reedman
- Danny Hurst
Friday the 12th and Saturday 13th Manchester’s Frog & Bucket (102 Oldham Street) had a £10 ticket (£12 on Sat and £6 concessionary) at 8.30pm featuring:
- Stu Who
- John Bishop
- Mike Milligan
And, same 2 evenings, at Jongleurs (40 Chorlton Street) £12 got you an 8.15pm show from:
- Man with the Beard
- Greg Burns
- Mike Gunn
- Reginald D Hunter
Background
At this stage of his career Jimmy had been performing above pubs and “going on stage after strippers” (his words) so there was no tour name.
He was now starting to get more regular bookings and was appearing more in dedicated comedy clubs and slightly bigger rooms.
There is a page (here) about the UK Comedy Circuit and Pubs and Clubs 1998-2001 (here) and Pubs & Clubs 2002 (here).
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