Ten Must See Comedians in the NZ International Comedy Festival

The 20th annual New Zealand International Comedy Festival is almost upon us with a fantastic line up of local and international talent. With 120 shows to choose from though, deciding who you want to see can seem a bit daunting. All of the comedians, of course, have glowing write-ups, so how can you predict which will have you in fits of laughter? To help you out, here are Concrete Playground's picks for a great night out.

1. CHRIS COX IN 'FATAL ATTRACTION'

Quirky-looking Englishman Chris Cox is no run-of-the-mill comedian; he claims to be a mind reader who can't actually read minds. Using a unique concoction of magic, pychology and bullshit he makes you think he knows what you're thinking. Bit different? You betcha. Prepare to laugh in amazement.

2. DES BISHOP IN 'LIKES TO BANG'

Des Bishop has received five star reviews from both the Guardian UK and Time Out. The Irish American comedian can be a bit controversial, is razor-sharp-witted and bloody hilarious. Don't miss his New Zealand debut.

3. DAVID O'DOHERTY IN 'IS LOOKING UP'

David O'Doherty has won two awards at the Edinburgh Fringe and his Irish sense of humour is wickedly sarcastic. He combines his comedic performance with tunes played on his miniature electronic keyboard and describes his own style of comedy as "very low energy musical whimsy" - or "VLEMWy," for short.

4. URZILA CARLSON IN 'I'M GOING TO NEED A SECOND OPINION'

People rave about Urzila, and rightly so. The South African born New Zealand comedian is prepared to go further than most for a laugh. She's racked up a string of awards, appeared in loads of TV shows and is bound to be great in this, her third solo show at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

5. JASON BYRNE IN 'PEOPLE'S PUPPETEER'

Jason Byrne's comedy has been described as "inspired, original high-energy lunacy" and I'd say that's pretty much spot on. The Irishman's become the biggest selling comedian at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival and his show is called People's Puppeteer, what's not to love?

6. CHRIS MARTIN IN 'NO. NOT THAT ONE'

Relative newcomer to the comedy scene, Englishman Chris Martin is "destined for greatness" say The Sunday Times. He overthinks the most ridiculous aspects of life and can't be on his own for more than 30 seconds. No songs. No Gwyneth Paltrow. Just Jokes.

7. IDIOTS OF ANTS IN 'A COMEDY SKETCH SHOW'

Fast-paced comedy sketch group Idiots of Ants started out in 2007. They've performed regularly on UKTV (Channel Ten, BBC and Fox) and many of their sketches make fun of modern technology. Check out this clip about the absurdity of being friends with people on facebook that you hardly know or never even liked.

For our review of their 2012 performance, click here:

8. THE AXIS OF AWESOME IN 'THE AXIS OF AWESOME WORLD TOUR 2006'

Four Chords by Axis of Awesome has received over 40 million hits on youtube making it one of the highest-rated comedy videos of all time. These three Aussie blokes are here for their debut New Zealand show and will be playing a selection of their greatest hits along with some brand new material.

For our review of their 2012 performance, click here:

9. ALAN MCELROY IN 'GIDDY'

Shortly after making his home here in 2010, Irishman Alan McElroy was awarded the Comedy Guild Award for best newcomer. After performing in various shows at last year's festival, he's back with his New Zealand debut solo show. This promises to be an hour full of anecdotes and hilarious observations told from the perspective of an Irishman living in Auckland. Read the Concrete Playground interview with this expat funny guy here.

10. THE BOY WITH TAPE ON HIS FACE IN 'MORE TAPE'

The local comedian who doesn't speak a word on stage and yet sold out last year's festival uses gestures, music and audience participation to get his form of comedy across. He's fast becoming a regular at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, was chosen for the Royal Variety Performance last year and performed at the Comedy Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Caution - sit in the front row of his show at your own peril.