After 30 years of laughter, craic and local talent – The Empire Laughs Back comedy club is showing no signs of a curtain call.
Started in 1992, a time when Northern Ireland was crying out for some joy, the club at The Empire in South Belfast has been attracting major stars and emerging NI talent since it opened its doors.
As the comedy club celebrates three decades in the business, Production Executive Jade Henry told Belfast Live about how her father Jackie Hamilton and comedian Patrick Kielty started the club not knowing the future they would pave.
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Jade said: "Their vision was to bring comedy back to Northern Ireland - it was a different Northern Ireland back then. 1992 would be have been pre-ceasefire so I think they were shocked by how many people came out to support it and showed how everyone was dying to have something to laugh about.
"My dad is a comedy producer and had been to clubs in London and wanted to have something like that here and wanted to give the local comedians a nurturing ground to thrive and develop and also bring the best the comedy world has to offer to our doorstep."
Jade, who shares a birthday with the comedy club, very literally grew up on the comedy scene and took over from her father eight years ago.
"The goal has always been to bring the best comedy to Northern Ireland and that has not changed over the last 30 years. You don't necessarily need to know who is on either. I like that we announce the line-up really in the week and people come down for the heritage and credibility.
"People know they are going to come and have a laugh and a great night out. We have an abundance here of great comics but we have brought major names from around the world," she explained.
With names like Lee Mack, Kevin Bridges, Sarah Milligan and Michael McIntyre being a handful of the stars to have earned their stripes at The Empire Laughs Back, Jade said there has never been a shortage of talent to grace the stage in 30 years.
"There is something so authentic and intimate about going to a comedy club and supporting live comedy in that setting - what is lovely now is because we've been here for 30 years, we have so many regulars as well as students who come because their parents used to," she said.
"We have become part of a story of not just the comics, who tell us they only feel they have earned their comedy stripes when they've done well in the Empire, we've also become a part of the story of everyone here.
"It is nice to have chats with people to hear who they got to see before they became famous because those household names would have done the club quite regularly before working up the ranks."
The Empire has always been a popular spot and with the NI comedy industry transforming from strength to strength over the last number of years, things are showing no sign of slowing for Jade and the team.
Jade continued: "I am always so amazed when I meet someone who hasn't been to a comedy club because I grew up in it - I love when they come down and discover how brilliant it is. You can never replicate a night at a comedy club because that line-up is special to that night, that audience is special to that night and it really is a shared experience.
"It really brings people closer together, especially in Northern Ireland. It is great to have everyone come down a share a laugh with.
"It is a coping mechanism when times are tragic and we have had a lot of tragic times over the last 30 years. After the pandemic too, I think there was just such a thirst of people getting out and enjoying themselves again."
The Empire Laughs Back runs every Tuesday night in the Belfast Empire and is sponsored by Harp who offer a free pint with every ticket.
Looking to the next 30 years, Jade wants the laughter to continue to bellow through South Belfast.
"You don't need to be famous to be funny, you don't need to know who is on to have a good night, you trust the brand and come down and have a laugh. My dad has really created an amazing legacy and I want to continue it and make sure the people of Northern Ireland have the best comedy on their doorstep."
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