Comedy club opens in Luxembourg

Luxembourg could be about to make a name for itself on the comedy circuit thanks to the launch of a new comedy club.

Konrad Komedy, hosted by Konrad Café and Bar in rue du Nord, will welcome British comic Andrew O'Neill on January 6-7 as the first in a talented line-up appearing to Luxembourg audiences on a monthly basis.

Konrad manager Ture Hedberg launched the project with two other backers, as well as sponsors Luxair, Prisma and Greenfields.

A fan of English-speaking comedy, Ture stepped up to the mark when he saw potential to use Konrad's basement for more than just music gigs. He said: “It's not because I'm a comedy buff that I started this. I think it's because we're such a diverse and multi-national English-speaking community that it's obvious something like this should exist. We've got a small venue and since our sponsors help us to fly comedians out and give them a place to stay we've been able to make this happen.”

Since getting the ball rolling, Ture and his team have managed to secure a diverse line-up of top quality comedy acts to appear once a month for the next year.

“The guys we've selected have all been on TV at some point and are all English speakers. Not all are Britons, we've got Tony Law and Craig Campbell, for example, who are Canadian,” he said.

While Ture hopes that the new event will help put Luxembourg on the comedy map for touring comedians, he also hopes to inspire a few local stand-up wannabes to try their hand at comedy. In two weeks, Konrad will host its first open mic night, which Ture hopes will attract more than just musicians.

The café manager explained: “I used to do a Tuesday night dive, which was a sort of amateur comedy night, during the 1980s. That was what I wanted to achieve with the open mic thing here. We want to drag out a little bit of talent. There are a lot more creative people in Luxembourg than you realise.”

Konrad Komedy opens on January 6-7 from 8.30pm. Entry is 10euros. The opening two nights will feature comic, musician, metalhead and amateur occultist Andrew O'Neill, who regularly features on comedy stages at Reading, Bloodstock and Leeds music festivals.