A heavy-metal concert venue might seem like an odd place to host a stand up comedy show. Juxtaposed with light-hearted laughter, however, the skulls embedded in Katacombes’ walls only served to enhance the already wildly-funny night that was The Dropout! Show. Thursday’s event was the eighth installment in a monthly series of stand up comedy shows produced by McGill student and comedian, Nicholas Krywucki, U2 Psychology. The show hosted a wide variety of comics, ranging from seasoned veterans like Aba Atlas (one half of the YouTube comedy channel, Aba and Preach), to emerging talents like Dawson College student, Harrison Weinreb.

The show kicked off with host Alan Shane Lewis’ opening set. Lewis’ high energy and cheerful disposition held the audience’s full attention as he warmed up the crowd, joking about everything from his lived experience as a black man to mundanities like cereal preferences.

The show was cleverly structured to highlight its diverse range of acts. Last minute special guest Masimo kept the audience convulsing with laughter as he told anecdotes from his childhood. His shrewd impressions and deft physical humour painted a charming picture of growing up in a family of Italian-Canadian immigrants. Masimo’s endearing anecdotes not only evoked one of the loudest reactions from the audience, but also provided a unique cultural perspective.

Following Masimo was Amy Cunningham, whose quiet, mousy demeanour hilariously contrasted the irreverence of her jokes.

“Yeah, I have interesting hair,” Cunningham quipped, running her hands through her dyed-platinum mohawk. “When I got this haircut it actually turned me vegan. You don’t even wanna know what else this haircut made me do.”   

The show closed with headliner Nick Nemeroff, a Toronto-based comedian. Nemeroff boasts an impressive resume: He won “Best Breakout Comic” at the I Heart Jokes festival in Toronto, and has even performed at Up Next, Comedy Central’s annual showcase. Nemeroff’s style was entirely unique; it was neither vulgar nor impression-based, and he was not overly dependent on physical movement. Instead, he drew laughs from his audience with monotonously-delivered one liners, (“Like most people my age, I am 28”). Nemeroff’s strengths also lie in his expertly crafted puns, (“I actually identify as a white guy with dreads. I dread the past, the present, and the space between those two jokes”). Anyone unable to make it to Nemeroff’s local shows will be pleased to know that he will be making his late-night debut on Sept. 25 on Conan, an impressive achievement for any comedian.

The Dropout! Show’s eighth iteration was a definite success. In today’s world of Netflix stand up comedy specials, which can be so enticingly-conducive to staying in and curling up in bed, it can be difficult to summon the motivation to trek to a live comedy show. The Dropout! Show’s  creative and lighthearted atmosphere, however, was worth the outing, and the “bring your own blanket” theme was enough to make even a heavy-metal concert venue feel cozy.

The Dropout! Show’s next installment will take place on Oct. 25. Student tickets are $5.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Kris Bulgar was the host of the event. In fact, the host was Alan Shane Lewis. The Tribune regrets this error.