MICF 2025: A Rational Fear – 2025 Election Special Review

10 April, 2025 timchuma 0 Comments 3 categories

Wed 9th April 2025, The Malthouse – Merlyn Theatre

Featuring Dan Ilic, Lewis Hobba, Alice Fraser, Tom Ballard, John Delmenico, Vidya Rajan, Melissa McGlensey, DJ Andy McClelland, Belinda Gread

Being as I am a yearly supporter of the podcast on Patreon now I was given a ticket for this. I still would have come as I am working full time now and planning stuff in advance these days.

Thankfully the election had finally been announced when this show rolled around, they were running out of time to do it and it would have been awkward to do an election-themed show without an election being announced.

Was great to see Andy DJing again and he also did so at Dan’s wedding that happened during the year last year so he is moving up in the world! I even go to a DJ night semi-regularly to hang out and see the DJ. Something that I would have never done if I had not met Andy. I need to go to one of his Finishing School shows! I know people who met and got married from going there!

As with previous shows each of the guests says their piece in turn in relevance to the theme with special guests this show being Vidya Rajan and Melissa McGlensey doing some “sponsor” skits featuring the Australian government. Mel’s MOTORBOAT was the funniest and therefore best show of MICF 2024 and I even ended up seeing it at Melbourne Fringe after she had done it 30 times in a row in Edinburgh and then 2 more times in the “tight 5” slots at the Queen Victoria Night Market and one of Janet A McLeod’s comedy showcases. I liked their spot and seeing Mel run away as she didn’t want to be sent back to the USA as punishment.

No thanks to the heckler who gave people the shits the entire show. You a not on mike so nothing you say will be heard in the show! If you want to yell along wait until the podcast comes on! I am sure I will recognise myself laughing during the show I can hear it pretty much immediately when I listen back.

Alice Fraser has been busy with her new novel and I had not really kept in touch with her podcast so it was great to hear from her again. The most cerebral part of the show all things considered as she seems to have considered her arguments and is also still very funny.

Tom Ballard was the cause of people withdrawing from the show and had a big rant about the Greens and political stuff. Pretty much what is says on the tin! I did not know he had supposedly been “cancelled” I am sick of it these days anyhow. Being in a call centre had reduced my interest in getting into beefs online to basically zero. I just block people and move on. I don’t know how people think others are not extreme enough these days? For all the rants from the “right” of politics the left hates themselves more than the right ever could.

John Delmenico was alright but suffered in that I could pick that he was just quoting stuff from the Chaser he had already written. Not to say that wasn’t good but it wasn’t new. Same reason I don’t go to see people I hear on the radio or podcasts as I have already heard most of their bits. Brian Nankervis even did a fallback to his gear in a show I saw last year and people still laughed. One of his crowd-work bits is so well-known I immortalised it in a magazine photo-spread (awaiting publication).

Belinda Gread was a late edition due to other guests not wanting to appear due to Tom Ballard. They went pretty well I thought but some of the joke may have been lost for people listening on the podcast.

As usual Lewis Hobba brings in the extremist angle for the show that he doesn’t really have a need to vent now as he is no longer working for a government organisation where he is not allowed to have an opinion. The theme of “bullying should make a comeback” left a sour taste in my mouth I just could not get into it.

It was a great show and I am glad to have gone and support the podcast as a Patreon member. I will no doubt listen to the show again when the edited for Patreon version comes out. I am sure there may be some bits that need to be censored as they went a bit over the top in parts.

Seemed like it was in the bigger room this year, last year was outside and didn’t seem to be as many people. With the show getting more popular it is going to attract people who might not really be the best to go see it live and think they are funnier than the people paid to do comedy, despite that it was still a funny show and well worth me having to get the replacement bus home as the Victorian State Government in its infinite wisdom has decided to not run trains for 3 months in a row in the busiest time of the year! Give up! The Metro Tunnel is not going to be finished this year no matter what you say!