A comedian launching a new comedy night for Salfordians at the iconic Salford’s Lads club venue says he hopes to add to its legacy.
Richard Renda, 43, is showcasing six north-west comedians for an accessible price as part of a partnership with the club, at a range of all ages, with the first event launching on the 29th of this month for just a fiver.
Richard described seeing himself as: “Seeing the space and falling in love with it. This would be the perfect space for a performance… I’m a massive Smiths fan as well.”
He added that Salford’s comedy scene is one that is ‘booming’ and said that after putting up a call out for Salford Laughs Club, he had to whittle down 50 applicants to just 20.
“For the kids in this local area, it’s been a lifeline for decades,” he said of the iconic venue.
“I’ve got friends now that are in their 50’s and 60’s who used to be members there and they still go back regularly. It’s a nostalgic thing for them, but they genuinely believed it saved their lives.”
He also described his personal family ties with the space: “Locally I knew of Salford Lads club because my dad used to go there when he was younger… it was close to his heart. My dad used to tell me stories about it.”
Richard started in 2025 just doing charity fundraisers and then ‘just getting a bug for it’ and said that his mum and dad used to call him a ‘clown’.
He also talked about how the comedy scene has changed: “The currency nowadays is in followers and likes. I think growing up comedians were always in their 30’s and 40’s, but now some of the most high profile comedians are in their mid to late 20’s, so I’ve come to it quite late, and it did feel like a little bit of a mid life crisis at first.”
People as young as 19 will be performing at the event. Richard explained what punters can expect at the shows. “When you look at people like Peter K, John Bishop, Jason Manford, all northern comedians who’ve had massive successes…
“I’m not going to say they’re on a level with them, but they’re definitely on the way to becoming that”.
“I think we have set it at a price point for the local area because we know that Salford is one of the most deprived areas in the north west, and we want it to be accessible”
“There’s no better place than Salford Lads club because its been giving people access to performing spaces, sports, entertainment for decades. I just wanted to follow on that legacy and add to it”
“It’s at a price point which suits peoples pockets, but also supporting the club. Its very rare you can have a night out for a fiver nowadays”
This comes after the 120 year old club was on the brink of closure in 2024 and deemed to be in a ‘financial crisis’, but after reaching its quarter of a million pound goal fundraiser, this enabled the club to narrowly escape closure and be ‘officially saved”.
