The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club

I’ve seen some Gold and some absolute garbage on stage at the Frog & Bucket but would gladly come back every week. Hours of Comedy, cheap Beers and Burgers, it’s my favourite example of ‘Cheap and Cheerful’ I can think of in the UK

My boyfriend and I bought comedy and curry vouchers for The Frog and Bucket so I came here with expectations of receiving a ‘voucher priced’ experience. Unfortunately this did actually happen. We were given a booth seat upstairs and right at the back. We had to share as it was apparently fully booked however as the doors closed and the show started, half of the tables were empty. My boyfriend is vegetarian and I like vegetables so we both went for the mysterious ‘vegetarian curry’. This was largely chickpeas in some sort of sauce. It wasn’t spicy at all and lacked any distinct flavour. The naan was rock solid and the rice was… Well. It was rice. Really I wasn’t surprised about the food but it wouldn’t be hard to make it slightly better. My boyfriend was still hungry so he ordered chips. They took a whole comedian’s worth of comedy for them to arrive but we were given a serving of nachos to make up for it. Drinks are very overpriced like they always are in a venue like this and the options are limited.
The comedy itself wasn’t bad although on this particular evening the comedians struggled with a lacklustre audience. I don’t think I’ll hurry back and I would definitely never pay full price. And I’d eat at home before the show.

So the night didn’t start well.
We booked previously over phone too make sure incase it was packed. I wanted to book a table a 10 but only pay for myself & the others would ring themselves to book.
Unfortunately that could not happen and I could only book & pay for myself or book & pay for the 10 right there and then. (Which would have been £180).
In the end I booked for myself and was told to tell the others to just say they where part of my party. (Not to hard then to be honest…)
So we arrive at The Frog and Bucket only to be told that there is a problem.
While there was 9 of in the end only 4 seats had been booked.
The rest of the group had been booked for the week after ???
To he fair the Manager did let us in but due to the problem with the booking 4 had a table and the rest had to stand at the bar. Yes I payed £18 to stand at a comedy club.
So anyway not good 1^st impressions for my 1^st visit.
But the rest of the night went very well
1 compare (who was very good)
3 acts (all had a different style of comedy and all 3 very good. One was even Jimmy Cricket’s daughter)
Bottles where expensive. I paid £4.00 for a bottle of Desperado.
Beer was a bit better @ £2.50odd.
There where some good deals on pitchers of beer but as we had no table we had nowhere to place the pitcher.
There is good available but I believe it’s best to pre-​order as the kitchen does get busy.
There was a DJ on after the acts if you wanted to spend all night there.
Apart from the booking issue everything was good and that issue alone has stopped it from getting 5 stars.

Really enjoyed the Big Value Night at the Frog and Bucket last Thursday. It’s a regular night where for around £9 you can watch 5 comedians perform. I think the Frog and Bucket is a good comedy venue. The atmosphere is always lively and friendly. We also took advantage of their 2 curries for £10 offer and to be honest they weren’t bad for the price we paid. Next came the comedy. I enjoyed all 5 comedians which is unusual at a comedy night because there is usually one dude one. I will definitely go back to the Frog and Bucket for this night again.

The Frog and Bucket was the location of my recent work Christmas do and we weren’t dissapointed. The price of £25 (I think) covered a two course Christmas meal and 3 comedy acts. When we arrived it was all done up nicely inside but we quickly realised that there was more than one sitting happening that day and, in fact, there were only going to be a few tables at this one; we went for the lunchtime meal as we were granted the afternoon off from work — woo!
The Christmas meal was your standard fare, with turkey, ham, and all the trimmings, followed by the richest chocolate dessert ever. After a few spoonfuls the dessert became a bit stodgey and gooey, too much for after a roast with all the trimmings and before an afternoon of drinking. Service was quick but lacking in conversation, probably annoyed that they were working on Black Friday whilst the rest of us were enjoying ourselves.
The comedy itself — I got here eventually! — was… okay. The compere was really good, got the crowd warmed up with a few risqué comments but predominantly ripping where people came from, an old favourite. The first act, however, was really crude. Now, I’m all for a bit of blue comedy don’t get me wrong, but at 2 in the afternoon? It felt a bit like The Frog and Bucket hadn’t quite considered what time it would be (and how sober people would be) leaving us a bit lost for word or response. The second act brought us all back up again, discussing his girlfriend’s drinking habits and the benefits of making yourself laugh, cleverly shunning the hecklers in the crowd, who eventually got a telling off from the management and soon shut up.
The real plus of the afternoon? Getting a free set of tickets for a Friday or Saturday showing of our choice. That’s sure to get the punters back.

Don’t think I’ve ever had a bad night down the Frog & Bucket. Whenever I’ve been it’s always been on for the ‘beat the frog’ night. Cheap food & drinks and a decent array of up and coming talent.
To be honest, even if one of the comedians is a bit below par a good heckle from the crowd can change all that :)
Would be good to see more ‘big’ acts onRichard Herring always sells out quickly more like him please!

I’ve never actually been inside the Frog and Bucket comedy club. Then why on earth are you reviewing it? I hear you ask. Maybe.
Well, I did try and go to the Frog and Bucket once. It was the free Monday night comedy club that me and the girlfriend wanted to go to it. So we got our going out clothes on, got a couple of friends and headed over to the comedy club.
Which is where we discovered a big queue, and people walking past the queue who had already booked a table in advance. When it came to it, the place was so busy that we couldn’t get in, and were turned away.
So my advice would be just to book a table. It costs hardly anything to book and guarantees you a spot which would avoid the annoyance that we experienced. I’m assuming this place is really good if it’s this busy!

After Fallowfield’s XS Malarkey, the Frog is my favourite place to see stand-​up comedy. Unlike the Comedy Store, the entry prices are really reasonable. Yet the Frog still attracts some very

If you’re looking to see upcoming comedians in an intimate and sociable venue then the Frog and Bucket is the place to come. If you’d rather see more established comedians in a theatre-​like venue then you’d be better off heading to the Locks to catch a performance at the Comedy Store.
I used to come here as a student as it’d normally be free, or no more than a couple of quid, during the week and under £7 for a decent bottle of house wine (I’m surprised there are not more hecklers!). At the intervals there was sometimes the opportunity to write notes about your friends, which would be passed to the compere to use in his act — this was an amusing way to engage with the audience which helped us to succeed in embarrassing our Belgian friend
As far as I can remember I haven’t seen anyone here who has gone on to become famous (unlike the Comedy Store) but there are upcoming performances from the likes of 21-​year-​old Jack Whitehall, who has hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks and has appeared on Mock the Week. One to watch, I’m sure. It’s possible to book online through Ticketweb for these kinds of events, otherwise it’s fine just to turn up.
Word of warning — if you’re shy and do not want to be picked on then choose to sit upstairs on the balcony, where you still get a good view of the stage. Like at any comedy club, if you sit at the front then you will be targeted.

This is another of those places that I always intend to come back to but always forget. Every time I’ve visited I’ve had a great night; I went on the open mic night they have called ‘Beat the Frog’.
It’s free and the first couple of acts are invited ones so they’re almost certainly decent. The ones following are trying it out for a five minute slot, and can be voted off before time by selected audience members. It’s a great way to get the audience involved, and when you throw in the compere, an experienced comedian in his own right, who performs between acts, you end up with a highly entertaining format.
I’ve not been on the other nights, but I’d really only bother visiting for this night or if it was a comedian I really knew. Stand-​up is something I enjoy best in moderation, so I wouldn’t want to pay for something I could get for free another day. It’s certainly great value whichever night you choose though, so make sure to visit it at least once should you be in the area.

A pretty decent Comedy Club in Manchester’s ‘Northern Quarter’ I recently booked tickets for my Boyfriend and I for a Saturday night show, we paid about £15 each, including the obligatory booking fee. Doors open about an hour before the compare gets things warmed up. It was a little annoying that we had to cue up outside with the non pre-​booked guests, but we were personally shown to our seat once in. Depending on whether you like to become part of the act or blend into the laughs at the back can controlled when booking on-​line. You can also book the mezzanine gallery that offers a good view.
You can but food once you are in that is OK if you don’t mind basic fried bar food, but if you are making a night of it… I would suggest going to eat somewhere else before coming.
Drink prices were average and you can get a decent bottle of house wine for £6.95, which may be a better bet. The staff were good and very friendly and we didn’t have to wait to get served for any of our numerous trips to the bar.
The acts were fantastic and we both had an excellent night that left our ribs very sore from all the laughter… I will be booking us more tickets VERY soon!

Since moving from its previous Newton street address back in ’93, the Frog has steadily grown in reputation and has helped to launch the careers of some of the countries biggest comedic talents including Peter Kay, Dave Spikey, Dave Gorman and Johnny Vegas.
Predominately though it is a venue for smaller local acts and being a Scouser was something of a lesson in patience for me.
Every single act found the time to include the obligatory thieving Liverpudlian jokes and it was quickly turning into something of a miserable evening for me until by chance an unassuming little Merseyside gent hopped onto the stage and proceeded to completely steal the show.
Oh the cruel irony.