Monday 30 April 2012

Topical panel show and midweek stand-up at The Looking Glass



This week, The Looking Glass is the place to be for midweek laughs. Tuesday night sees the recording of the pilot for a new topical radio show called Here are the Headlines. Regular panellists Bruce Edhouse, Damien St John and Tom Young are joined by guests Jim Shields and Lindsey Warnes-Carroll to chew over some tasty current affairs, in an effort to digest them with lightning speed and excrete the finest nuggets of topical comedy (nice metaphor, Paul, hope you're proud of that one).
Entry is FREE, so get yourself down to Brauny Gate before 8pm for a little slice of local radio history.


Then on Wednesday, Alan Seaman's regular Ship of Fools stand-up night returns to the Looking Glass. Starting at 8pm, the line up features Bruce Edhouse (again), as well as Ben Clark, Jon Pearson, Jon Wagstaffe, Vinnie Vitriol and James Hately. I have been reliably (I hope!) informed that tickets are usually a fiver, but you might get in for half price if it's your first time - be prepared to present your comedy hymen on the door to prove it! (Good grief man - what is it with you and the metaphorical wrongness today??)

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Two-for-one tickets for Jarred Christmas, Chris Stokes etc at The Y


This Saturday sees the next Bottle Rocket Comedy night at The Y Theatre, featuring loveable kiwi Jarred Christmas, who can often be seen brightening up panel shows on TV, compering events such as The Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year, or confusing us in the odd Pot Noodle advert. Also on the bill are Hinckley's own deadpan star Chris Stokes (winner of Best Show at this year's comedy festival); Vikki Stone, the comic songstress with an unhealthy obsession for Philip Schofield; and award-winning actor and stand-up Fergus Craig. For more information go to http://www.leicesterymca.co.uk/y-theatre-whats-on-details.php?listing=1074 and to get your two-for-one tickets for only a fiver each, call The Y's Box Office on 0116 2557066 quoting offer code LC01.

Russell Kane and booty-shakin' tunes at JTT this weekend


Get down to Just the Tonic this Friday to see TV favourite Russell Kane delivering witty and intelligent stand-up that promises to challenge our notions of masculinity. He's being supported by Steve Royal and  compere Darrell Martin, and the comedy is followed up by Club Faith, JTT's new booty-shakin' club night. Promising an eclectic mix of Motown, northern soul, funk, ska and rock'n'roll, the folks I know who went last week said it was well worth checking out.
Back to the comedy, and JTT's Saturday line-up features Danny McLoughlinMatt FordeSteve Royal and Lloyd Griffith.
As usual head to http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/ for tickets and details.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

THIS WEEKEND: Andrew Lawrence and 'four for a fiver'

Well wouldn't you know it - another weekend is creeping up on us with all the subtlety of Gary Glitter in full 70s glam outfit, which means more big-name comedy shenanigans in our fine city.

Just the Tonic play host to Gary Delaney (not to be confused with fellow funnyperson Rob Delaney), Chris Martin (not to be confused with the singer from Coldplay) and Adam Staunton (not to be confused with former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland footballer Steve Staunton, not that you would). Tickets are a jolly reasonable £5 for Friday evening (Darrell Martin compering) and £6 on Saturday (Jim Smallman). Get 'em here: http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/



Meanwhile, over at Embrace Arts on Saturday, everyone's favourite ginger-haired, Pasquale-voiced misanthrope Andrew Lawrence will be sharing his skewed view of the world as part of his 'Best Kept Secret in Comedy' tour. The Embrace website appears to be a tad broken at the moment so call 0116 252 2455 to book your ticket. Lawrence is a unique performer and Chortle describe his latest show as "filled with his usual brand of miserable, splenetic ranting delivered with typically explosive rhythm". Check out this clip for a locally-relevant example of his impressive ranting skills: http://vimeo.com/39797447

Monday 16 April 2012

Hurray! Leicester Comedy Scene is One Month Old today!


Well holy shizzoli - I was just typing a catch-up email to an old friend and I realised that my little blog is exactly one month old today (awwww....) and what an incredible month it's been!

This is post number 29 I believe - there's been lots of previews, some listings, and a handful of reviews. I've tweeted and been retweeted to thousands of people (thanks to the venues for that). I've bombarded Facebook with links to every post (sorry to my old friends if you've felt a little swamped lately!). The blog's been quoted in a venue's press release and on a few local websites. I've been invited to attend and review comedy events, and had several requests for write-ups from event organisers. Keep it up guys - if it's happening I want to include it!

Right - own trumpet successfully blown. To be perfectly honest I don't think myself or anyone else expected such a fantastic response. I'm a great believer of giving credit where credit's due, so I'd like to say a special thank you to Gemma Collins at the Mercury for suggesting I have a go at the old reviewing lark and Alex Dawson the former Features Editor, for giving me a shot; Chris Elston for suggesting the blog idea in the first place; Kieran and Sharon for convincing me that people might actually need and read a comedy blog, and of course Kirsty for the constant encouragement and for giving me the space and spare time to do all this! I also have myself to thank, specifically for injuring my ankle whilst running, for it was during a couple of days resting said ankle that I finally sat down and started writing this thing.

And of course last but not least (wrap it up for Christ's sake man - this is starting to sound like the frickin' Oscars!!) I have to thank everyone who has looked at and commented on the blog, liked the Facebook page and commented on my posts or spread the word in any way whatsoever. I feel privileged to be part of the scene here and I'll keep up the posts as long as people keep wanting to know about live comedy in this fantastic city of ours.

Big-up ya'selves, easy now...
PB x

Comedy, music and pie at Entropy, and it's all for charity.


Do you like Pie? Well DO YOU???
Of course you do.

If you like pie and you also like laughing (which I assume you do if you're reading a blog about comedy) then I suggest you trot on over to Entropy, Hinckley Road on Wednesday 25th April for 'Nibbles with Giggles', the ultimate union of Pie'n'Mirth.

For a very reasonable £12, you will be treated not only to a choice of deleeeeeecious pies and a dessert, but also music from Benn Hartmann and live stand-up from some of the region's finest young comedians, including headliner David Anthony Wood, Kevin Mahon, Sam Chaplin and Ricky Lout. Compere for the evening is Chortle Student Comedy Semi-Finalist Jack Campbell, and proceeds from the evening will go to Parkinson's UK.


Reserve your seat by calling 0116 2259650, and for more details visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/329368623765780/

Sunday 15 April 2012

REVIEW: Helm and Alderton shine at the Y Theatre

Saturday 14th April 2012: Fresh from their triumph at being named Best Promoter at this year's Comedy Festival awards, Bottle Rocket Comedy presented their first line-up of the new season at the Y Theatre last night, and I think it's fair (albeit massively clichéd) to say it was a game of two halves.

To begin with, the audience were reasonably reluctant to get involved and compère Ed Gamble may have struggled if it weren't for Ann from Fleckney, who proved to be a constant goldmine of  'isn't she posh and bonkers?' laughs during the evening, although her willingness to talk at length to the compère did begin to grate with some audience members after a while.

First act Pat Cahill delivered some very inventive material from a brain that is clearly adept at sideways thinking, and some of his darker material, whilst not to everyone's taste, drew pockets of heavy laughter from certain areas of the room.

Next up was Roisin Conaty, whose 'chatty girl down the pub' persona and fairly standard observational material never really got the audience going. She seemed at times painfully aware of this on stage, making references to her sweating and occasional stuttering, and failing to engage the audience in any particularly successful banter. Nonetheless, some of her observations were very well received and she ended her set strongly with the 'porn tape' anecdote, leaving the stage to warm applause.

It seemed clear that the audience had come mainly to see the final two acts. First on after the interval was Nick Helm, who was as disturbingly brilliant as always. He simply doesn't let the crowd be placid, and forces them to take part by shouting very loud threats at them until they do his bidding. This proved to be a winning tactic, as his unique combination of bitterness, bad one-liners delivered with gusto, enforced singalongs and uncomfortably intimate audience interaction had the crowd regularly hooting uncontrollably.

And finally there was headliner Terry Alderton, who was.... erm.... um...
It's difficult to find words that can fully express the bizarre mixture of voices, sounds, facial expressions and movements that is Terry Alderton. His set was like a fever dream, flitting unpredictably and non-sequentially from wordless opera to reverse midget-walking, through talking shoes and Formula One noises, 'pilled-up' dancing and self-deflation. Baffling and edgy, Alderton is clearly a massive talent - a master of physical comedy, expressions and accents, and able to self-criticise and ad-lib during the set without losing the momentum of the show. Some will be put off by the sheer randomness of his act, but those who like to embrace the chaos will want to see him again and again.

The next Bottle Rocket event at The Y is on Saturday 28th April, headlined by Jarred Christmas - for details and tickets, go to this bit of the web: http://brcomedy.com/events/

And there was me thinking Lyons Maid ice cream...

You've always wondered what lions eat when they're not ripping wildebeest to pieces for the sake of the television cameras, right? Of course you have.

Well here's your answer: 'Lions Eat Ice Cream', as well as being the answer to that niggling question that's haunted you for as long as you can remember, is also the name of a regular free stand-up night at Hub, the small but delightfully eclectic bar on Braunstone Gate. Taking place on the third Tuesday of every month (the next one being this very Tuesday, 17th April, hosted by the terribly manly Dr Ettrick-Hogg), this is an open-mike showcase for emerging local talents and more established names trying out new material. Recent shows have included the likes of Johnny Sorrow, Ian Crawford, Anthony King, Matt Hollins, Jane Hill, Rob Coleman, Masai Graham and Carl Jones. The whole thing is delivered lovingly to you by local stand-up Leanne McKie, co-star of the bonkers 'What have you done with Denise's 30p?' show at this year's comedy festival.


Tickets are available from nowhere, because this is a free open-mike night. I thought I made that clear. Now stop thinking about lions and concentrate... join the LEIC (nice acronym) Facebook group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/144056692334050/
Go on then, off you pop!

Saturday 14 April 2012

Eat, drink, laugh and judge people at Kayal on Sunday.

If you're not all laughed out from a spectacular weekend of comedy in Leicester, get yourself along to 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' upstairs at Kayal, Granby Street on Sunday. It's basically a gong-show with glowsticks in which stand-up newbies compete for your adoration, all compered by the loveable Spiky Mike.
Doors open at 7:30, the show costs a very reasonable £5.Visit http://funhousecomedy.co.uk/index.htm for tickets/info etc.

Like one-liners? Get thyself to Loughborough tonight.

Loughborough Town Hall plays host to the Canadian king of one-liners Stewart Francis tonight. His gags are simple yet still very clever, delivering a deft mix of groansome puns, sideways thinking and punchlines to catch you on the wrong foot, and has become very popular in the past three years thanks to some show-stealing performances on Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Live at the Apollo.
Tickets are £15, available from http://www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk/events/2012/04/14/stewart_francis

"What's that then Ted?" - Ardal O'Hanlon live at Just the Tonic this weekend

This weekend, Just the Tonic is playing host to the one and only Ardal O'Hanlon, best known as 'lovable eejut' Father Dougal McGuire in legendary sitcom Father Ted. Of course he's probably sick of just being remembered as Dougal so many years after the show finished in 1998, but that doesn't stop it being fantastic that he's here to perform for us as a stand-up, which was his profession pre-Ted. Chortle describes him as a "charming storyteller", prone to "surreal flights of whimsy", so get your tickets from http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-comedy/shows/saturday-14-apr-2012/688/ for your chance to see a real comedy legend tonight. Also on the bill are cheery yet frantic Liverpudlian Simon Bligh, as well as the dark and mischievous Carey Marx, and as always the evening is compered by JTT founder Darrell Martin.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Five Go Mad at The Y this Saturday

Still grinning smugly at their award for Best Promoter from this year's Comedy Festival, Bottle Rocket Comedy present their first awesome line-up of the year at the Y Theatre this Saturday.
Headlined by the fast-moving and unpredictable multi-award winner Terry Alderton, it's bound to be a cracking night with four other quality acts on the bill.
The first of these is Nick Helm, who epitomises the word 'unique' - let's just say I went to see him in February and he had me up on stage in a pink rain mac, ringing a little pink bell and tap-dancing on bubble wrap. Prepare to be shouted at...
Also appearing are Edinburgh award winner and burgeoning panel show star Roisin ConatyTom Rosenthal, who won Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year in 2011 and has since appeared in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner, and last but not least Ed Gamble - the 'straight man' of comic duo Peacock and Gamble (and by straight man I mean mildly less juvenile, but still wonderfully silly nonetheless).
Tickets are £13 and you can get yours at http://www.leicesterymca.co.uk/y-theatre-whats-on-details.php?listing=1070

Saturday 7 April 2012

APRIL LISTINGS - all the live comedy coming up this month

Okay - it's all very well previewing and reviewing comedy gigs, but sometimes we just need the simple facts - what's on, where, and when?
So here goes with my first monthly round up of what's coming up this month in our fine city:

APRIL
6/7th - Tom Stade, Jason John Whitehead, Bryan Lacey, Romesh Ranganathan - Just the Tonic
10th - Paul Merton - DeMontfort Hall
13th/14th - Ardal O'Hanlon, Simon Bligh, Carey Marx, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
14th - Terry Alderton, Nick Helm, Ed Gamble, Roisin Conaty, Tom Rosenthal - Y Theatre
14th - Stewart Francis - Loughborough Town Hall
15th - Magners Funhouse Comedy presents Should I Stay or Should I Go? - Kayal
19th - New Act night - Cookie Jar
20th - Gary Delaney, Chris Martin, Adam Staunton, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
21st - Gary Delaney, Chris Martin, Adam Staunton, Jim Smallman - Just the Tonic
21st - Andrew Lawrence - Embrace Arts
27th - Russell Kane, Steve Royal, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
28th - Chris Stokes, Jarred Christmas, Fergus Craig, Vikki Stone - Y Theatre
28th - Danny McLoughlin, Matt Forde, Steve Royal, John Robins - Just the Tonic

I'm all excited now - seeing it all laid out like that makes you realise what a truly great city this is for comedy! If anyone knows of anything I've missed out or any changes to the line-ups, let me know either on Twitter @banxii or via email leicestercomedyscene@gmail.com and I'll update the listings. Or if you have a gmail account you can comment below (I think!)

Friday 6 April 2012

REVIEW: Doug Stanhope in 'America is Awesome' Shocker!

Doug Stanhope has been touring the UK for several weeks now, and boy is he grumpy about it.
Playing to a not-quite-full Just the Tonic, much of his set consisted of world-weary grumblings about being on the road in Blighty, sleeping in bus stations, failing to fill theatres and how the only thing keeping him sane is watching his friend Henry have to experience British peculiarities for the first time. He even surprised us all by featuring a lengthy section on how great it is to live in America (needless to say, I was mortified!).
These curmudgeonly observations were mixed in with some more intelligent, 'social commentary' bits, but for me the high points were a couple of blisteringly filthy segments, including one fantasy about an American football player which had the audience hooting uncontrollably at the grotesquely detailed mental picture being painted.
A lot of people seem to see Doug Stanhope as something of a natural successor to Bill Hicks, and yes there are similarities in their approach to comedy. But I don't think either performer really benefits from the comparison, and if you haven't seen Stanhope yet I strongly recommend doing so, but without expecting him to be like anyone else. He is a unique performer and is justifiably thought of as a stand-up legend in his own right.
Also worth checking out is Stanhope's friend and support act Henry Phillips, whose 'amiable slacker' persona and wonderfully silly comic songs warmed the audience up nicely. My favourite has to be "Just Say 'Oops' and Move On" - check out an early version of the song here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAp4O9dxWbg

Four top comics for a tenner at JTT this weekend

The Easter weekend is here and that means most of us are enjoying a lovely four-day break from stinky old work - hurray! If you're looking to fill your festive break with some laughs, then get yourself to Just the Tonic tonight or tomorrow, where Tom Stade, Jason John Whitehead, Bryan Lacey and Romesh Ranganathan will be performing for your delightment and entertainance. No they are not real words.
It's a real mixed bill so there's bound to be something to suit your comedy palette. For more info on the acts and to grab yourself some tickets, just head to Just the Tonic's site of webness:  http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-comedy/shows/friday-6-apr-2012/684/

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Legend alert!! Doug Stanhope in town tomorrow...

For any of you who have watched Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe in the last year or two, Doug Stanhope will be familiar to you from his 'Voice of America' segments ("I'm Doug Stanhope... and that's why I drink"). He's acerbic, unflinching, political, hypercritical, not afraid to say controversial and downright offensive things, and naturally I'm very excited about seeing him live at Just the Tonic tomorrow (Wednesday) night!
Obviously don't bring your grandmother, (unless she likes drunken, heavily un-PC ranting), but for those of you who delight in experiencing a heady mix of wrongness and intelligence, get yourself a ticket before they sell out!! They're not cheap at £20 + booking fee, but I'm guessing it's going to be worth it...
Head to http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-comedy/shows/wednesday-4-april-2012/724/ for tickets, and try not to be confused when you click on the link for tickets and get redirected to the website of Leicester Square Theatre, London!