Comedy & Jazz

Comedy & Jazz comes to Artista on Thursday 26 November, a night that puts stand-up and live jazz on the same stage. It's presented by The Secret Comedy Club, and the whole thing is built around a specific old-school format: the house band plays right alongside the comedians, adding musical stings, playful riffs, and a live soundtrack that lifts the gags as they go. When the comics step back, the band takes over with a full jazz set that turns the room into a late-night lounge. It's a nod to 1940s stand-up rooms, where comics and musicians shared the bill and bebop sets filled the gaps between the jokes.

On the comedy side, the line-up features MC Paul F Taylor, Jodi Wheeler, Kizza, and Nick Helm. They'll be trading off throughout the night, with the band providing the musical punctuation in between. The jazz comes from the Brighton Jazz Allstars, who handle both the supporting riffs and the full set. The Secret Comedy Club runs the night, and they keep a strict no-heckling policy to keep things friendly.

It's a 16+ event that runs for about an hour and a half, with the jazz band playing for around 30 minutes of that. Tickets are £11.50, and it starts at 20:00 at Artista, 42 Brighton Square, BN1 1HD.