Northampton’s ‘best kept secret’ approaches 10 years of bringing quality comedy to the town and beyond
Northampton’s “best kept secret” is approaching 10 years of bringing top quality comedy to the town and beyond, which has hosted the likes of James Acaster, Ed Byrne and Maisie Adam.
Business partners Mike Chase and KJ Bradshaw launched The Comedy Crate in November 2016, alongside mutual friend Connor Fitzhenry who introduced the pair and was part of the founding trio.
Over the last decade, The Comedy Crate has hosted gigs all over the county and beyond, including Franklin’s Gardens, Royal & Derngate and Delapré Abbey, and next year will be the fourth Northampton Comedy Festival run in collaboration with Northampton BID.
This all began when the trio joined forces to put on something they wanted to see, as there were not a great amount of middle ground comedy options in Northampton at the time. It started with a mixed bill night at The Lab with 30 filled seats and people stood behind.
“None of us are comedians, we’re all comedy fans and this started out as a hobby,” Mike told the Chronicle & Echo. “We all had jobs and worked around those. We put on a night a month to have a laugh, meet comedians and hang out with like-minded people.”
Connor has since moved to London and joined a big comedy agency, leaving Mike and KJ to continue and build on what they started.
“We’re Northampton’s best kept secret after 10 years,” said Mike. “We generally put on mixed bill comedy nights with three acts and a compère. There’s diversity within our line ups and we’re aware we need to make sure there’s something for everyone.
“We put on touring shows and work in progress shows, and in 2027 we’ll be putting on our fourth comedy festival with Northampton BID in a variety of venues around the town centre.”
The Charles Bradlaugh is The Comedy Crate’s hub in Northampton, with other county locations including Stanwick, Thrapston and Cogenhoe and they spread out regionally into Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire too.
It depends on the venue as to whether the events are hosted monthly or quarterly, and it is the community feel that is praised most by audience members.
Mike continued: “A lot of people actually come on their own, meet others and make friends. We make sure they are safe and inclusive spaces, and the main aim is to put on a show and make sure everyone’s laughing and having a good time.”
The pair do not know where the past decade has gone and remain “very proud” of what they have achieved, including big gigs at venues like Franklin’s Gardens, Royal & Derngate and Delapré Abbey.
“New people are still finding us and it still feels like it’s just the beginning,” said Mike. “By July 2017, we put on a 30-act weekend Edinburgh preview festival with comedians like James Acaster and Ed Burn. That was crazily ambitious and we pulled it off.
“It’s incredibly rare that people come along to The Comedy Crate and don’t enjoy themselves. We could all do with a laugh as times are tough and laughter is the best medicine. There’s no harm in trying it as the tickets are great value at £15 or under.”
Looking to the future of The Comedy Crate, Mike and KJ hope to continue making more people laugh with bigger nights at more venues with the comedians we all know and love.
“Thank you to the people who have come to the shows and taken a chance on us,” Mike concluded. “We’re really grateful for the support of the good people of Northamptonshire. We’re not the only ones trying to do good things in Northampton and we champion that.”