IT has often been said that laughter is the best medicine (aside from getting vaccinated) and West Belfast comedian Paddy Raff proved that to be true as he took to the stage in The Devenish last night for a Féile an Phobail special.
 
Having grown his fame through social media posts, the star of the hit BBC Paddy Raff sketch show opened the night with a video montage poking fun at everything we have been through over the past 18 months from clapping for the NHS to off-licenses closing early.
 
Taking to the stage, Paddy’s multitude of talents shone through as he delighted the audience with a parody of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 — which he reworked to cover the ups and downs of having to work from home.
 
The former wedding singer also treated fans to a rendition of the hit Vengaboys song Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom which poked fun at the craziness of a year of Zoom quizzes and online family get togethers.
 
Among other songs covered on the night was the Bryan Adams classic Summer of ’69 which he re-wrote from the perspective of Adams growing up in Belfast at the start of the Troubles. Suffice to say, the lyrics had the audience in tears of laughter.

Being from West Belfast, Paddy had numerous tales to tell about growing up and attending the Féile. He recalled Fun Lovin Criminals playing at the back of the Andersonstown Leisure Centre in 2008 — akin, he said, to Taylor Swift playing in the Busy Bee car park.
 
Paddy Raff’s previous career in event entertainment really shone throughout the night as he had the audience gripped by tales of kids at weddings and dealing with chief bridesmaids to being asked to play “controversial” songs by the father of the bride.
 
However, one of the more useful tales of the night informed the audience of how his regular attendance at buffets allowed him to master the art of piling your plate high with a trick involving a wall of sandwiches. For full details, you will have to attend his gig.  


Following the interval, the audience met his most famous character, everyone’s favourite BT9 resident, Nigel.
 
Taking to the stage in a Dryrobe and dinner jacket, Nigel had the audience bowled over with tales of Malone Road life while being accompanied by the lucid tones of Jarlath, his-classically trained piano accompaniment, who doubled up as the butt of most of his jokes.
 
Paddy finished the night off by returning to the stage as himself for one final song, a reworking of the Wheatus classic ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ which had audiences taking to their feet to send him off with a standing ovation.