Thursday 13 June 2013

WIN tickets to Bottle Rocket's Edinburgh preview shows

Those jolly fellows at Bottle Rocket Comedy Club are putting on a fine selection of Edinburgh preview shows during June and July, and two lucky winners will each win a pair of tickets to one of those shows - how lovely.

Edinburgh-bound: Tom Rosenthal & Pat Cahill

Their full schedule of preview shows is as follows:

JUNE:
Thu 20th - Nick Helm, Daniel Simonsen @ Firebug
Wed 26th - Romesh Ranganathan, Brett Goldstein @ Firebug
Thu 27th - Tom Rosenthal, Pat Cahill @ Firebug

JULY:
Thu 4th - Carl Donnelly, Carey Marx @ Firebug
Thu 11th - Zoe Lyons, Chris Stokes @ Firebug
Thu 25th - Glenn Wool + Special Guest @ Firebug

Monday 3 June 2013

COMEDY LISTINGS - June/July 2013 Bumper Summer Edition!

Whether you like it or not, summer's here, and that means it's Edinburgh preview season here in Leicester. Bottle Rocket are putting on the usual fine selection of previews at Firebug, which include Nick Helm, Pat Cahill, Chris Stokes and a DLCF2013 Winners' Special featuring Romesh Ranganathan (Best Show) and Brett Goldstein (Best New Show). The Cookie Jar also hosts a strong selection of preview shows from the likes of Andrew Lawrence, Paul Foot, Paul Chowdry and Seann Walsh.

Thursday 9 May 2013

Where will you be on comedy's 'Super Tuesday'?


Comedy proves how similar it is to catching a bus next week, as three great gigs come along at the same time, forcing the city's laugh-addicts to pay their money and take their choice, hoping that they don't end up on the bus that's full of screaming babies or abusive drunkards, and breaks down half way to its destination. Tuesday 14th May is 'Super Tuesday' in Leicester, and your comedy choices are as follows:

No safety net: Tony Law

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Handmade Festival - full of lovingly handcrafted comedy


With one May Bank Holiday weekend all done and dusted, it's fair to assume most of us are already looking forward to the next one at the end of the month. And unless you've been under a rock or in a coma recently, you'll probably be aware that Handmade Festival is taking place over the next Bank Holiday weekend. An evolution of White Noise festival which has seen a host of local bands playing at Firebug over the last few years, Handmade is a full-on arts festival, with music, film, performance, art and of course, comedy, taking place across the city.

Monday 6 May 2013

REVIEW: Andrew Lawrence proves he is the Master of despair and futility

Life is pointless, people are awful, death is the only thing that will spare us from the continuing cycle of disappointment - these are the main points to take away from Andrew Lawrence's show 'Andrew Lawrence is Coming to Get You', performed at Just the Tonic last night. Sounds like a cheerful hour and a half, right? Of course, it wasn't just an hour of doom and gloom, and as far as I know nobody actually committed suicide after the show, primarily because it was so entertaining. Lawrence is a master of despair and misanthropic ranting who manages to fill the entire show with negativity, always seeing the absolute worst in every aspect of life, yet always managing to stay funny and never lose the room - instead bringing the laughter to a peak the more vitriolic his rants become.



All the ingredients are wrong with Lawrence - he's odd looking, with an unusual voice, lacking in confidence about his own ability and socially awkward. He uses all of this to his advantage, which is what makes his act a success. For example, many of the topics covered were pretty standard observational fare - relationships & marriage, children, religion, dinner parties - but he delights in finding the annoyance and futility in each, using his uniquely shrill voice to great effect during a series of extended and highly verbose rants, which are impressively delivered, often without even pausing for breath.

Friday 3 May 2013

PREVIEW: Delaney, Donnelly & Lawrence fill the long weekend with laughter


It's Bank Holiday weekend (yay!), the weather's looking good (yay!) and spirits are high (yay!) - what better excuse to get out there and check out the fine comedy line-ups coming up over the next few days? WELL? I'm waiting for an answer...


Tonight and tomorrow at Just the Tonic we have the nation's premier purveyor of smart, finely-crafted one-liners Gary Delaney, with support from everyone's favourite 'bloke' Paul McCaffrey, angel-faced filthmonger Diane Spencer, and wide-eyed silliness from Eric Lampaert. Tickets vary in prices and are available from http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/


Meanwhile over at The Y on Saturday, Bottle Rocket Comedy present the delightfully deadpan Carl Donnelly, who's cemented his reputation as one of the most inventive and assured comics on the circuit with appearances on Mock the Week and Russell Howard. Carl is backed up by likeable Irishman Andrew Ryan, grumpy Geordie Carl Hutchinson, and intelligent wordplay from Jessica Fostekew. Tickets are ten of your actual pounds, get 'em here: http://brcomedy.com/the-y/bottle-rocket-comedy-club-4th-may-ft-carl-donnelly


Then on Sunday, the unstoppable Andrew Lawrence brings his latest show 'Andrew Lawrence is Coming to Get You' to Just the Tonic. A few years back, Lawrence was the first act I ever reviewed and I instantly fell in love with his misanthropic take on the world and his stunningly-delivered rants filled with inventive insults and lashings of self-deprecation. Back then he was calling himself 'too ugly for TV', but the quality of his material has overcome this perceived barrier and he is now regularly seen on Channel 4's Stand Up for the Week as well as popping up from time to time on telly's big 'showcase' programmes (you know which ones I mean). Tickets be here: http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/shows/sunday-5-may-2013/1057/

Wednesday 1 May 2013

COMEDY LISTINGS - MAY 2013

It's May! The sun is out and there's a distinct whiff of summer in the air, but for how long??? The answer - I DON'T CARE - this isn't a blog about the fricking weather, you know. It's about comedy and there's positively oodles of it coming up this month, as the new season really kicks into gear and we start to edge towards Edinburgh preview territory.

Andrew Lawrence is Coming to Get You. Yes, you.

So you've got your telly faves Andy Parsons, Micky Flanagan and Julian Clary at De Mont, but the ones I'm really looking forward to this month are Andrew Lawrence on the 5th and the awesome line-up for Set List on the 14th (both at JTT), as well as Scott Bennett and Anthony King at the Looking Glass, and another cracking line-up from Bottle Rocket on the 18th. Always worth seeing the circuit's only occultist metal transvestite comic Andrew O'Neill too. Don't forget Handmade Festival at the end of the month, which features some top comedians as well as lots of music, film and art across several venues.
Anyhoo, that's just my baboon-headed opinion - take a look at the full line-up for yourselves...

Thursday 11 April 2013

Buxton's Bug infects two more rooms full of video fans at the Phoenix

Adam Buxton rolled into town with his 'Bug' show, for two more performances at the Phoenix on Tuesday evening. Bug has been running regularly since 2007 and is still as popular as ever, with both screenings packing out the Phoenix's largest room.
The show itself consisted primarily of Buxton introducing interesting and creative music videos, and then gently mocking the YouTube comments posted about each piece. It's a great formula for Buxton, as the constant releasing of new videos and idiotic comments provides him with regular fresh material for each show, none of which he actually has to write himself.
That said, he did do a short self-penned section at the start, in which he took centre stage and used Apple's Keynote presentation software to take us through the ins and outs of a recent earache he suffered, and the resulting embarrassment as his condition was mocked on the local news as being not worthy of attention from his local A&E department.

Bug: Now also a TV series, apparently.
He spent the rest of the show sitting behind his laptop at one side of the stage, introducing music videos along with short biographies of the artists involved, often referencing other works they have produced. This enthusiasm and attention to detail appealed heavily to my 'geek' side, and I found myself wanting to check out some of the artists myself after the show.
The YouTube comment-mocking, whilst not a particularly original source of comedy, produced some big laughs as Buxton injected each comment with extra character, utilising a variety of silly accents and some deft zooming with his presentation software. Most amusing were the wind-up merchants (I believe the correct term is 'trolls'), posting ridiculously offensive and deliberately ignorant-sounding comments to rile fans of the artists, who would always take the comments and themselves far too seriously.

Darwin Deez: looks like an unused 'Nathan Barley' character being played by a young Chris Morris to me...
As for the videos themselves, there's no sense me reviewing them individually, suffice to say it was a enjoyably varied selection of artists and styles, from Darwin Deez being superimposed into cheesy stock footage, to Thom Yorke's crazy dance moves in the latest Atoms for Peace video, and Biting Elbows' blood-drenched, low budget, first-person action flick. Also worth a mention is the latest, surprisingly listenable offering from Travis (remember them? This track's actually not nearly as dreary as the stuff they used to make), which was shot entirely on VHS for that fuzzy, flickery look, and fantastical animations featuring Of Monsters and Men and Grizzly Bear. My favourite though, had to be the Russian guy who filmed his washing machine destroying itself in his back garden and set the footage to 'Gantz Graf' by Autechre - sounds bizarre, but it just works.
Overall a highly worthwhile experience. Sure, you don't need to go to a cinema with Adam Buxton in it to watch YouTube videos and laugh at the comments, but for someone like me who doesn't tend to spend hours idly browsing through internet content channels, I can't think of a nicer way to encounter some new bands and video artists than to experience their work on a gigantic screen with an appropriately chest-shuddering sound system. And there were more than enough laughs to keep the audience engaged and prevent it just being a rather dry procession of short musical films.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

COMEDY LISTINGS - APRIL 2013

Hello there you lot. Hope you all had a good March - and by 'good' I mean I hope you didn't actually freeze to death. I admit I didn't go to see much comedy last month (with the exception of the last ever Lions Eat Ice Cream, during which I made my performance debut as the chief baker at 'Leicester Comedy Scone'). This 'month off' has given my sense of humour a much-needed break after the festival and also allowed me to sorting my work/life balance out, meaning I should now be able to devote more time to watching and writing about comedy - hurray!


So let's start with April's listings, which include solo shows from cheeky Londoner Micky Flanagan, one-of-a-kind mime/prop man The Boy With Tape On His Face and everyone's favourite grumpy American Rich Hall. Adam Buxton returns with his music/video/comedy show 'Bug' and The Criterion hosts the first outing of brand new improv group The Same Faces. Also, don't forget there's still time to enter our awesome three-in-one ticket competition, in which you can win tickets for Zoe Lyons etc on the 6th, Barbara Nice/Mae Martin on the 9th and four tickets to any Fri/Sat show in April at Just the Tonic, with free booze thrown in for good measure! The closing date is midday on Wednesday 3rd, so don't delay - click here to enter today!

Thu 4th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Fri 5th - Steve Royle, Chris Mayo, Mark Maier, Pierre Hollins @ Loughborough Town Hall
Fri 5th / Sat 6th - Mark Maier, Pierre Hollins, Debra-Jane Appelby, Ben Van Der Velde @ Just the Tonic
Sat 6th - Zoe Lyons, Ed Gamble, Paul McCaffrey, Ian Smith @ The Y
Mon 8th - Al Murray @ Loughborough Town Hall
Tue 9th - Barbara Nice, Mae Martin, Maureen Younger @ Duffy's Bar
Tue 9th - Adam Buxton: BUG @ Phoenix Square
Tue 9th - The Reduced Shakespeare Company @ Loughborough Town HallThu 11th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Fri 12th - Markus Birdman, Mandy Muden, Ben Schofield, Spiky Mike @Market Harborough RUFCFri 12th / Sat 13th -  Johnny Candon, Andrew Bird, Liam Mullone, Matt Richardson @ Just the Tonic
Wed 18th - Nibbles with Giggles @ Entropy
Thu 18th - The Boy With Tape On His Face @ Just the Tonic
Fri 19th / Sat 20th - John Robins, Will Franken, Geoff Norcott, Romesh Ranganathan @ Just the Tonic
Sat 20th - Rob Rouse, Tony Jameson, Nick Doody, Rhys Matthewson @ The Y
Sat 20th - UFI: Unidentified Flying Improv @ The Looking Glass
Sat 20th - Maff Brown, Martin Beaumont, Joe Rowntree @ Lutterworth Piano RoomSun 21st - Micky Flanagan @ De Montfort Hall
Sun 21st - Should I Stay or Should I Go? @ Kayal
Wed 24th - Antony King - Not Normal @ The Guildhall
Thu 25th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Thu 25th - Rich Hall @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 26th - Ivan Brackenbury, Dylan Rhymer, Ian D Montford, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Sat 27th - Hormonal Housewives @ De Montfort Hall
Sat 27th - The Same Faces @ The Criterion
Sat 27th - Ivan Brackenbury, Dylan Rhymer, Marlon Davis, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Mon 29th - The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue, Romesh Ranganathan, Anthony King, Dave Twentyman @ Sileby Conservative Club

As usual, let me know if you want to add anything to the list, by email, on the facebook page or on twitter.
Toodle-pip!

Monday 25 March 2013

WIN FREE TICKETS TO 3 GIGS to celebrate our first birthday!

We're back, y'all - and it's party time!!


Leicester Comedy Scene is now officially one year old (woohoo!) and so, suitably rested from the festival and in the mood for a celebratory comedy binge, we have not one, not two, but THREE SETS OF TICKETS to be won in our 'Official Leicester Comedy Scene Birthday Ticket Giveaway Bonanza'!
OK, so it could do with a snappier title. And I need to use fewer exclamation marks. No sod it - I'm allowed to 'cause I'm excited...(!)
Ahem. Read on, comedy fans...

Monday 4 March 2013

COMEDY LISTINGS - March 2013

Right then - with the Festival done and dusted for another year, it's time to resume something approaching normal service in Leicester, which means firstly that comedy fans might actually be starting to enjoy some normal evenings at home; and secondly that all the comics who performed will be either relaxing in the knowledge that their new shows are coming together nicely, or nervously trying to book more practice gigs and write new material if their shows didn't fare so well. It also means once again that Leicester Comedy Scene is the only place you'll find full monthly listings of all the city's comic happenings (smug mode engaged).

Katherine Ryan
Picks of this month include panel show botherer Katherine Ryan at the Cookie this Thursday, political animal Mark Thomas at JTT, two chances to catch newly crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Romesh Ranganathan, and what is apparently the last ever Lions Eat Ice Cream (sobs into cornflakes). Read on, comedy fans...

Sunday 3 March 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 17 - All good things must come to an end

Okay so the Festival finished a week ago, but regular readers of this blog will know that I have had something of a gigantic backlog of work to clear so I hope you'll forgive me for the lateness of this final diary post.
After such an incredible final Saturday of the festival, I awoke late and rather fuzzy-headed to reluctantly get some much-needed work done, before heading out for the final evening of the festival, which I was to spend downstairs at the Looking Glass, which had become something of a second home to me over the past two and a half weeks.

Friday 1 March 2013

FESTIVAL AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED!!

As those involved in the festival have been slowly catching up on sleep and trying to restore some sense of normality to their lives, the merry band of festival judges have been deliberating and arguing the toss over which shows and venues deserve special recognition at the festival awards ceremony later this month. The nominations were unveiled earlier today, and there are some pretty surprising choices!

Nominated - Leanne Mckie reprised her role as local crooner 'Eng'
 in Barbara Steele's Wheels of Steel
Obviously I'm delighted to see my good friend Leanne Mckie's epic 2 hour cavalcade of mentalness Barbara Steele's Wheels of Steel nominated for Best Show, alongside Francesca Martinez and newly-crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Romesh Ranganathan amongst others. Spunky young kiwi Rhys Mathewson is up for Best New Show in a strong field including local songster Anthony King and TV regular Charlie Baker.

Thursday 28 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 16 - Romesh rules and Al rocks the Korma-bunker

So on to Saturday 23rd Feb, the penultimate day of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival, and my appointment with destiny as I took my place on a panel of comedy luminaries to judge the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year competition.

I met with the judges in the lobby of the Ramada Encore Hotel, where most of them were staying for the night. I was first to arrive and I sat sipping tea with Geoff Rowe the festival director, as one by one the great and good of the comedy industry joined us - Steve North (General Manager of the Dave TV channel), Andy Leitch (formerly part fo the festival organisers, now working for Off the Kerb who represent some of the biggest stars in comedy - seriously check out their website and be amazed at the number of famous names!), Sarah Farrell (Head of Content & Development for Comedy Central), promoter Mick Perrin (whom I had watched on BBC iPlayer just the previous night along with his star client Eddie Izzard) and last but not least Bruce Dessau, comedy reviewer for the Evening Standard and writer of the 'Beyond the Joke' blog). To say I felt honoured and privileged to be amongst such company is a somewhat cheesy and oft-used sentiment, but thoroughly appropriate under these circumstances. After the meeting and greeting we headed several yards along the street to Chutney Ivy and enjoyed a lovely selection of Indian treats and a chatted over a cheeky beer, before proceeding to The Y Theatre to take our seats at the judges' table.

Host - Jarred Christmas

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 15 - 'Work in Progress' could mean anything really...

Righty, apologies again for the lateness on this one but I've had to wait until I cleared the enormous backlog of work that had built up at home whilst I was out galavanting around the festival, and boy has it been a stressful few days. but hey, that's not your concern is it? (the correct answer is 'No.')

He's got work to do - Daniel Simonsen

Sunday 24 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY Days 12, 13 & 14 - Chicken-bitches and Could-do-betters

Righty - got some catching up to do here. Had lots of work to do in the last few days so forgive me if I haven't been providing you with your daily dose of comedy festival reviews - I'll start bringing you up to speed now, with a summary of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the festival.

I ventured out on Tuesday night to see Nando's presents Chris Ramsey & Friends at the Y Theatre. It felt like a very different experience to the other gigs I've been attending throughout the festival. A big theatre, corporate sponsorship, big names from the telly, an audience full of young people who you distinctly suspected didn't go to see much comedy - it was a world away from the mostly small gigs full of dedicated comedy fans in pub basements or rooms above curry houses that I have become used to frequenting of late. In the lobby, Nando's staff handed out free chicken wraps to hungry punters, the room contained row after row of Nando's staff, and at the back of the stage behind the performers hung a huge Nando's banner - tonight, we were all chicken's bitches.

High energy - Chris Ramsey

Tuesday 19 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 12 - No reviews please...

Hello comedy fans, and I apologise in advance for the lack of detail in today's Festival Diary. The only show I had on my schedule for yesterday was the work-in-progress double header from James Acaster and David Trent at the Belmont Hotel, and the first thing I was told when I got there was that their management had requested no press/reviews please, thank you very much.

Monday 18 February 2013

BONUS FESTIVAL REVIEW - Grainne Maguire at the Belmont

With over 500 shows in 17 days, obviously I can't see everything at Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival. Clearly I need either a cloning machine or some willing minions to review the shows I can't make it to. With my cloning technology still stuck in the development stage, I sent local wordsmith Louise Jenkins along to watch Grainne Maguire at the Belmont on Saturday evening, and here's what she had to say...

 'The one to watch out for' - Gráinne Maguire
Well hello - Louise here reporting for duty! 

Despite his very best efforts, the godfather of LCS can’t be everywhere reviewing everything at once these two weeks, so it’s with great pleasure (and mild terror) that I contribute to this dazzling festival diary (I’ll try my best not to f*ck it up). I’ve been tasked with sniffing out some of the festival’s ‘quirkier’ acts and so Gráinne Maguire (with all her lovely quirks) would seem to fit the bill!

Admittedly, I hadn’t done my research prior to last night’s engagement at the Belmont (ooh err), so was pleasantly surprised when greeted with such a charming nervous energy as opposed to the deadpan humour her choice of wardrobe might suggest (boy does she rock the Famous Five chic). Instead, we were treated to what felt like an hour round a mate’s house discussing awkward crushes, annoying Londoners (aka Kate Middleton) and being single with the itch that you’re always missing out (haven’t we as fully grown adults all been there).

From the fields of Ireland’s unofficial ‘Clara Lara Fun Park’ to her quest for love at a Labour party conference, Gráinne wove her adventures as an unconventional go-getter with few blips whilst mastering the art of the (slow moving) high five. Her theories behind the Tories’ lack of female voters (closing libraries as reverse psychology) and wanting to change them with her vagina even had me giggling (and that’s coming from someone who hates politics)!

Hailed as the ‘one to watch’ in the past, I would instead argue that she's ‘the one to watch out for’ as, for a woman with ‘surprisingly low standards’, beneath that layer of Kirstie Allsop exists a remarkable intelligence with more to her than meets the eye. Bravo.

(And, ahem, between friends and that - where did you get those brogues from?)

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 11 - Kearns dazzles between afternoon bromance and evening darkness

What a beautiful day it was yesterday - the sun was beaming down, it wasn't bone-chillingly cold or depressingly wet - why, it almost felt like spring was in the air. So, full of seasonal optimism, I decided to leave the bike at home for once and take a leisurely afternoon stroll down to Kayal, to see Scott Bennett & Phil Pagett perform their show True Bromance.

Just good friends  - Phil Pagett & Scott Bennett

Sunday 17 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 10 - Pat Cahill, Liam Mullone & Ian Crawford

Ten days in, there is a distinct pattern emerging to my daily festival routine. Namely: sleep in as late as possible; do my write-ups; do lots of coughing and nose-blowing; dose myself up with medication and load my pockets with tissues for the evening shows, which go by in blur of laughter, moderate amounts of alcohol, smoking and comedy-based chatter; then puff, pant and swear my way back uphill to my house and collapse in bed. Livin' the dream... And yesterday was no exception - even the lure of the mid-festival party at Just The Tonic's late bar was not enough to keep me out past half ten... I must be getting old.

Original thinker - Pat Cahill
Thankfully, though, I was treated to 3 very different sets of enjoyable stand-up along the way.

Saturday 16 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 9 - Doc Brown shines amongst the Friday night chaos

Good Lordy - it's the middle Saturday of the festival already! That means we're half way through, and I've seen upwards of 20 shows in a week (most of them good); cycled about 40 miles in the process; met and wittered at lots of performers, judges, punters and promoters; had my brain thoroughly rewired; made a cameo appearance in one show, and spent the last 3 days coughing and sneezing. Thankfully I haven't felt moved to walk out of a show yet (unless it's to rush off to another show), although I did consider it last night - read on, comedy fans...

Friday 15 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 8 - Tony Law shows us how it's done

After my brief descent into madness on Wednesday it was back to normality last night.Well, if you can describe Tony Law's Maximum Nonsense at Firebug as normality, that is.

Bizarre and wonderful - Tony Law

Thursday 14 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 7 - fever dreams at the Looking Glass

Dear readers, I must apologise.
For I know that you have come to expect from me your daily round-up of the previous evening's festival shenanigans. Well it is my sad duty to inform you that yesterday I fell prey to the dreaded 'festival lurgy'. Too many days of racing from show to show in the icy cold, then sitting in hot, airless rooms stuffed with people and their various germs, meant that I was unable to go out into the festival yesterday, as my brain and body became gripped with an intense fever, and I became delirious for several hours.

I have had fevers before, but I have never in my life experienced fever dreams like these. Obviously I have spent most of my time in pubs and bars watching comedy shows recently, so it makes sense that most of my feverish mental journey was framed by the bare brick walls reminiscent of the Looking Glass basement - I went on some incredible and ridiculous adventures, but every now and then I would look around and realise I was still down there, surrounded by semi-familiar figments of my imagination, with no sense of time, no way out.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 6 - Paul Foot, Bridget Christie and A Finger of Judge

And here we go again... Tuesday was full of promise, with two of the more well-known 'alternative' acts performing in the city.

Alternative Star - Paul Foot
First up was Paul Foot at the Cookie Jar. Regular readers of this blog will know I'm a big fan of the mulleted oddball. Love him or hate him, to see his act is to know that there are people out there who are thinking in a totally unique way and are not afraid to just run with it on stage, taking you to places you never thought you'd go. He has never tried to tailor his act for a mainstream telly-viewing audience, which ironically, has led to him getting a fair bit of TV coverage, having popped up next to Noel Fielding on Buzzcocks, done a spot on Russell Howard's Good News and is now featuring in Comedy Central's Alternative Comedy Experience. Last night's show was all that you'd expect from Foot, starting with a ten-minute intro in which he awkwardly introduces himself to the audience and imagines out loud the different reasons why they might have come to see his show, eventually coming to the conclusion that the next hour's performance will more than likely ruin a couple of marriages within the audience.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 5 - Rhys Mathewson and Simon Donald

After the explosion of life and laughter over the weekend, the city centre was strangely quiet last night. If it wasn't for all the DLCF banners and posters dotted around the place, one might've been surprised to learn that there was a comedy festival happening at all.
But happening it was, albeit on a smaller scale than over the weekend. I had two shows on my schedule and hoped to make it to a couple more afterwards, but due to a slight logistical f**k-up on my part I had to head home early to avoid being locked out of my house all night (so apologies to those performing in the late shows at the Looking Glass that I never made it to).

Value for money - Rhys Mathewson

Monday 11 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 4 - Rob Deering, Markus Birdman and comedy chat with Johnny Vegas

Wow, can't believe we're on Day 4 already - it's all flying past in a big comedic blur at the moment! Yesterday was another long and busy day, the morning spent writing up Saturday's many activities and the afternoon/evening spent cycling from gig to gig, to home, to gig, to gig, to another gig and back home again, in the driving rain/sleet/snow. Why do we do it to ourselves...? Coz we bloody love it, that's why!

First up was Mark Olver's afternoon chat show Dancing About Architecture at Just the Tonic, which was a fascinating hour of comedians discussing various aspects of the life of a stand-up. Mark was joined onstage by Johnny Vegas, Norman Lovett, Markus Birdman, Carly Smallman (who had to dash off at half time to perform at Kayal) and Adam Hess - although it should be noted that the character of Johnny Vegas was very much under wraps, allowing the man who plays him, Mike Pennington, to speak openly and honestly about being a stand-up, without the more unbalanced character of Johnny taking over. We were treated to some fascinating insights from the panel, including how they deal with nerves (drink often being the key, it seems); how male comedians can avoid going on stage sporting a urine stain (the trick is to tuck your little fella under, so any excess dribbleage heads down the inner thigh); Norman revealed how his Holly dialogue was shot in the early days of Red Dwarf (apparently Holly was just meant to be a voice to begin with, but managed to persuade Grant & Naylor to include his disembodied head as well). 

Fascinating insights: Lovett, Vegas, Hess, Birdman & Olver

Sunday 10 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 3 - Four shows and a seminar...

Saturday was rather a hefty day of comedy-viewing...
It began unreasonably early, with a 10am seminar at DMU's Pace building, in which a panel of comedy luminaries discussed the development of live comedy from the origins of the Alternative Comedy movement at the end of the 1970s (or the beginning of the 80s - this was a matter of some contention), through the 90s 'Comedy is the new rock&roll' era to the current environment of megastar arena tours and the lucrative panel show circuit, and ended by asking what's in store for the future of live comedy. It was a fascinating two hours, often dominated by the always lively and forthright Kate Copstick, who left the audience in no doubt as to her views on the current crop of TV comedians - stating in her typically reserved manner that she could shit in a bag, put an 'As seen on Mock the Week' sticker on it and people would flock to see it live. Also on the panel was Comedy Store founder Don Ward, who revealed his plans to record shows at his clubs and screen them in theatres across the country, as well as starting to stream them live on the net. This was greeted with some concern from the panel, who wondered whether this sort of thing would stop people bothering to go out to see live comedy in the smaller venues - as if to ask why would people go out and pay money to see half-formed sets by inexperienced acts when they can stay at home and watch top acts live in HD for free. This fear was tempered, though, by the feeling that there is perhaps too much live comedy around at the moment, and the good acts and venues would always survive, whilst the less competent would have to give up or find their own audience online.

Saturday 9 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 2 - the morning after the night before...

It's ON.
The festival has begun with an explosion of colour, laughter and large animals. It all began with the VIP launch party at Chutney Ivy, which has been transformed once again into Dave's Curry House by Reach Marketing - and a fine job they've done, with red carpet and other luxury trimmings, full-size knight in armour, several large animals dotted around the place and photos of past performers adorning the walls. Outside we could see Captain Comedy wandering the streets along with a posse of Nando's promoters led by a giant chicken - which immediately led everyone to wonder whether we'd see Peter Griffin turn up at some point to fight it. Sadly not... yet.

Friday 8 February 2013

FESTIVAL DIARY DAY 1 - and so the odyssey begins...

Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival Begins today - HOORAY!!!! After months of planning and preparation, the city explodes with comedic mayhem this evening, as the city plays host to over 500 shows over 17 days!
I've been down into the town today and there's banners everywhere, Festival Staff handing out brochures, comedians sitting around in venues drinking coffee and venue owners rushing around making last-minute preparations. I also clocked a mildly terrifying laughing sound, playing on a loop at the top of the High Street, and a life-size bear outside Chutney Ivy! It's all go...

Wednesday 6 February 2013

LCS INTERVIEW - Viz creator Simon Donald talks swear-words & comedy heroes

Sultan of Swearing - Simon Donald
If you've ever found yourself sniggering at a copy of the foul-mouthed comic Viz (and who hasn't at some point in their lives?), then the chances are you'll know that it was created in the late 70s by Geordie likely lad Simon Donald and his brother Chris. These days Simon's a stand-up comic and hasn't worked on the mag for years, but is still heavily associated with the cavalcade of sweary, politically incorrect characters it brought to life, such as Sid the Sexist, the Fat Slags, Roger Mellie and Buster Gonad. A hugely popular Viz spin-off was their regularly updated 'bible of swearing' known as Roger's Profanisaurus, which enhanced the vocabulary of filth-fans across the country, and currently holds over 300,000 rude phrases. 

So it's safe to say Simon knows a fair bit about swearing then. That's why he's taken to the road to educate as well entertain you with his show Simon Donald's School of Swearing, which comes to The Exchange Bar in Leicester this Monday (11th Feb). I took time out from huffing and puffing about how busy I am, to bother Simon last week with some questions which he was kind enough to answer, instead of telling me to go f*** myself...

Just the Tonic offer - Festival Day Tickets and Johnny Vegas for £2.50!!

Just to let you know, Just the Tonic are running some fantastic offers for their festival shows - as well as 'Five Pound Fridays', in which you can see 5 great stand-ups for just a fiver, they are also offering day tickets for their weekend shows, meaning you can buy one ticket and see all the shows on that day at a special discounted price, saving up to £12.50 - woohoo!


The tickets allow you to stay in the venue between shows, where food & drink will be served, and stay around for the late night bar after the Saturday shows (careful now). Here are those weekend line-ups in full (click on the date for tickets):

Saturday 9th Feb - Keith Farnan, Alfie Moore, Jeff Innocent, Tim Clark, Just the Tonic Comedy Club
Sunday 10th Feb - Shappi Korsandi, Johnny Vegas, Rob Deering, So On And So Forth plus others
Saturday 16th Feb - Gary Delaney, Mark Little, Rob Rouse, Wil Hodgson, Mark Nelson plus may more
Sunday 17th Feb - The Nosie Next Door, The Silky Pair, Francesca Martinez
Saturday 23rd Feb - Just the Tonic Comedy Cub, John Robins, Ivan Brackenbury plus more
Sunday 24th Feb - Seann Walsh, Shazia Mirza, Casual Violence plus others

Some top names in there I think you'll agree!


They also have a super-special deal on for this Sunday afternoon (10th Feb) - the unpredictable whirlwind of comedy Johnny Vegas will be appearing on Mark Olver's Dancing About Architecture chat show, and a limited number of tickets are half price (just £2.50 for a bona-fide comedy legend!!) To get your tickets, visit http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-Comedy/shows/sunday-10-feb-2013/945/ and enter the special promo code JOHNNYCHAT

Tuesday 5 February 2013

WIN 2 tickets to see THE RUBBERBANDITS at DLCF!

It's competition time again - woohoo!!

Imagine two guys from Limerick in tracksuits, with plastic carrier bags on their heads, performing demented hip-hop songs with titles like "Horse Outside', 'I Wanna Fight your Father' and 'Spastic Hawk'. Intrigued? Of course you are.


FESTIVAL PREVIEW #4: The Best of the Rest of the Fest (part 2)

Well hello there. With just 3 days to go until the start of the festival, I hope you're getting as excited as I am about the prospect of over 500 shows over 17 days in our town. To further whet your whistle, here we go with another preview post to help you pick which shows you fancy checking out...

An inventive visual representation of something you can't see: Comedy in the Dark.
UNUSUAL EXPERIENCES - There are plenty of events taking place that take comedy beyond the traditional format of microphone, stage and performer, to delight the senses and amuse the brain with a very new experience. Comedy in the Dark does exactly what it says on the tin - a selection of short comedy sets performed in total darkness. The Red Light Comedy Show takes the brightness up a notch, being an evening of stand-up in the haunted basement of the Town Hall lit entirely by bicycle lights. If cookery shows are your thing, the most amusing one you're ever likely see takes place at Chutney Ivy restaurant in the form of the Comedy Curry Cook-off. Fans of history and heritage (very big at the moment with all this ***King Richard III business) can take a guided walk around Leicester's historical places of interest with a short performance at each venue. Another intriguing prospect is Hotel D'Comedie, in which guests wander the suites of Hotel Maiyango, encountering a different comedian/act in each room, making for an unusually intimate, bespoke series of mini-gigs.

Thursday 31 January 2013

FESTIVAL PREVIEW #3: The Best of the Rest of the Fest (part 1)

OK, it's getting awfully close to the start of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2013, and I had lots of preview posts planned, but time waits for no man and I have been very distracted by the twin evils of work and illness (awwww bless!)
So I've combined some of the best bits from the remaining categories of comedy, to give you a few more pointers in terms of shows to look out for at the festival, all neatly pigeon-holed for your convenience (and the performers' annoyance, I suspect!)

Nutter: Terry Alderton

Sunday 27 January 2013

WIN TWO TICKETS to see RUSSELL KANE at De Montfort Hall

Okeydokey, we've got another fantastic ticket competition for you comedy-lovin' folk, and it's a biggie!

Russell Kane, the strutting, metrosexual star of Britain Unzipped and Live at The Electric, is coming to De Montfort Hall on 20th February as part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival, and Leicester Comedy Scene has two tickets to give away courtesy of the kind folks at Avalon Entertainment Ltd!


Of his latest live show, entitled Posturing Delivery, Russell says: "What if I’m one of the guys who never has a baby? Why is this not a 'male subject'? I plan to give birth, live on stage, then raise it - in front of you. Come along!"

FESTIVAL PREVIEW #2: Character and Sketch Comedy

Howdy folks, it's time for my second preview post for Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival - hooray!
Today I'm looking at some of the finest character comics and sketch groups performing over the 17-day laughathon.

Every stand-up has an onstage persona, that is to say even if they perform as themselves, it's usually an exaggerated or more entertaining version of themselves. But creating a whole new character and completely becoming that character onstage, allows a performer the freedom to say and do things they wouldn't dare to under their own name. A well-realised character can get away with the most horrendously inappropriate things, safe in the knowledge that people will never hold them responsible, only the character.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS to see Edward Aczel at The Belmont Hotel

Righty, following on from my Offbeat Stand-ups preview post, here's another awesome ticket competition for you lucky folks. Courtesy of Bottle Rocket Comedy Club, Leicester Comedy Scene has two tickets to give away to see the magnificent Edward Aczel performing his show 'Edward Aczel has no clear plan emerging' at the Belmont Hotel on Sat 23rd Feb, as part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival.


Edward Aczel is known as a hero of 'anti-comedy'. His style is shambolic, poorly presented and he has no confidence in his own skill as a stand-up. For anyone else, this combination would add up to a terrible, unwatchable show, but somehow in the hands of Aczel, it works. His complete lack of witty material and slapdash approach to delivery make for a unique and very funny show. And to prove it, he won the coveted Malcolm Hardee Award at Edinburgh in 2008 and was a runner-up in the 2005 BBC New Comedy Awards, alongside the then-unknown Sarah Millican.

Saturday 19 January 2013

FESTIVAL PREVIEW #1 - offbeat stand-ups

Right then, here we go... the festival brochure has been doing the rounds for quite a while now, and as the annual jamboree of mirth approaches, I am getting more and more people asking me which shows I would recommend going to see. Well, given that everyone's tastes are different when it comes to what makes them laugh, the simple answer to that is "depends what you're into, really".

Of course, if I just left it at that, it would constitute a massive cop-out on my part. So here for your delectation and rumination, I present the first of my festival preview posts, in which I take the intimidatingly vast hog-roast that is Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival and chop it up into easily-digestible bacon-bites for you (facon bites for veggies, obviously) I'll be looking at a different category of comedy in each post - today I present some of my favourite offbeat stand-ups.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

You couldn't make it up - UFI play Just the Tonic next Thursday

For the last few months, Leicester's premier (and probably only) comedy improv group UFI: Unidentified Flying Improv have been literally making it up as they go along, all around the city on their World Tour of Leicester. The final leg of their tour sees them performing at Just the Tonic next Thursday (January 24th).

They describe themselves as performing "short-form improvisation, playing both classic and new games, many of which were made famous by Whose Line Is It Anyway?" I'm assuming since it's live there are no retakes, but they must be good because they were nominated for Best New Show for their Leicester Comedy Festival debut in 2009 (back when it was just called Leicester Comedy Festival).


They're a jolly nice bunch of local performers from varied backgrounds, and performers on the night will include former Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Matt Hollins, stand-up and host of the Emergency! night at The Y Theatre Tom Young, and Lions Eat Ice Cream regulars Ian Hall and Lindsey Warnes-Carroll. Your host for the evening is 'straight-talking, pork-pie eating comedy man giant' Jon Pearson. Definitely not Clive Anderson then.

To see this rowdy rabble of amusing alchemists create comedy gold from nothing in front of your very eyes, simply click yourself over to the Just the Tonic website http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-Comedy/shows/thursday-24-jan-2013/935/ and pick up your tickets for a very modest £6 each, or just £4 if you're a dirty student (or convincingly pretending to be one). Just don't expect a script...


Tuesday 15 January 2013

Stars go back to school for The Stroke Association

Next Tuesday, January 22nd, there is a special night of comedy being held at Beaumont Leys School in aid of The Stroke Association. Last September, a 14 year old pupil at the school suffered a stroke during a maths lesson. He is now recovering steadily, and this special evening of comedy aims to raise money for the charity that has helped to see him through.


Performing on the night are Katherine Ryan, a regular on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Elis James, recently seen on Russell Howard's Good News and supporting Rhod Gilbert on tour. Also appearing is Dan Logan, as well as Tiernan Douieb who will be compere for the evening.

It's a very impressive line-up for a school to be playing host to, and the fact that it's for such a good cause means you really have NO EXCUSE for not going. Tickets are £10 and can be booked directly from the school by calling (0116) 2344480 and asking for the finance department. Full details on the event can be found on the Beaumont Leys School website, or via the twitter account @BLeysComedyEve

Monday 14 January 2013

Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year - finalists announced

The excitement is growing as festival time draws ever closer. Today, the finalists have been announced for one of the most prestigious awards in comedy. Every year, the cream of the country's up-and-coming stand-ups compete for the title of Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year as part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival.

The 8 finalists have been hand-picked by some of the country's top comedy promoters, and will each perform a set at The Y Theatre on Saturday, February 23, hoping the competition will be a stepping stone to stardom, as it was for previous winners Rhod Gilbert, Johnny Vegas, Mitch Benn, Seann Walsh and Jason Manford.

Saturday 12 January 2013

REVIEW: Spikey et al launch the sh*t out of DLCF 2013

Wow - what an evening! Strap yourselves in folks...
A packed De Montfort Hall were treated to a strong and varied line-up last night for the official Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2013 preview show. There was a mixture of old and new, well-known and not so well-known, deadpan and lively, the everyday and the bizarre, so hopefully even the biggest comedy snob would have enjoyed some of the show. I, being a fellow of eclectic tastes, enjoyed pretty much all of it, but in very different ways.

Thursday 10 January 2013

REVIEW: Laughing Calves create a great at-moo-sphere (geddit?) at The Red Tent

Based on my own observations at comedy shows in Leicester, along with the audience stats from the blog and facebook etc, it seems that the regular comedy-going audience is about two thirds male and one third female. And anyone who's been to any comedy night, ever, will tell you that the vast majority of the performers on the evening are male - sometimes there is a token woman on the bill, sometimes not.

How refreshing it was, then, to be one of only three men in the audience on Tuesday night to watch an all-female line-up at The Red Tent. And if all you male readers think this sounds terrifyingly intimidating, you couldn't be more wrong. The atmosphere at Laughing Calves night was nothing but welcoming, friendly and inclusive, with the acts receiving a great deal of encouragement from the crowd. It was definitely a ladies night, but not in the 'drunken hen party, whooping at strippers' sense - more in the 'let's just have a great night without having to put up with all the usual macho bullshit' sense. Even the three vaguely terrified-looking chaps in the crowd weren't picked on too badly.


Host Maureen Younger helped to establish a lively and energetic vibe to the evening, with some very funny material both old and new, and some very sharp and witty put-downs in her audience interaction. Headliner Bethany Black (minus the goth make-up) was very impressive too - a confident performer with material that effectively combined dark and quirky observations with frank and hilariously graphic admissions from her own personal life. The 12 or so new acts, each performing a five minute set, provided a fast-moving and varied feel to the evening. Highlights included Lisa Deville's graphic exploration of the messier side of motherhood, Lu Lo taking the opportunity to quiz the audience on lesbian chat-up etiquette, Ishi Khan-Jackson's playful take on Bollywood dancing and Madge Hooks' beautifully understated silliness. Overall a very varied and enjoyable evening - roll on the next Laughing Calves!

Monday 7 January 2013

Leicester's funny women take over The Red Tent tomorrow


Laughing Cows bring another all-female line-up to The Red Tent tomorrow evening, in the form of their new act night Laughing Calves. Be prepared for a flurry of feminine funnies, as no less than 13 acts (including your host Maureen Younger) take to the stage to perform snippets of their routines for your enjoyment.

Currently the full line-up is:
Bianca Arlette
Maxine Jones
Madge Hooks
Thanyia Moore
Ishi Khan Jackson
Alice Rosenthal
Lisa Deville
Kirsty Munro
Lynsey Bonell
Emma Bamford
Janie Huxx
Leanne McKie

I'm quite excited about this one because I haven't seen many of these acts before, but I'm assuming with that many names on, there's got to be something to suit just about every taste! Proceedings begin at 8pm (doors 7.30) and tickets are £6 in advance or £8 on the door - see http://www.laughingcowscomedy.co.uk/comedy/gigs.html for details.

Friday 4 January 2013

WIN TWO TICKETS TO THE OFFICIAL FESTIVAL PREVIEW SHOW!!

I told you I had free stuff to give away!


Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival is now only 34 days away from exploding into life, but before that we are being treated to the tantalising aperitif that is the official Festival Preview Show at De Montfort Hall next Friday. And because they love you so much, YES YOU, the festival bigwigs have kindly allowed me to give away a pair of tickets to this fantastic event, which features snippets of all kinds of shows from next month's festival, and is generally regarded as one of the year's best nights out in Leicester - Damn you're lucky!

Wednesday 2 January 2013

JANUARY COMEDY LISTINGS

So the world didn't end. Did you seriously think it would? Come on...
No, I'm afraid we've got to do it all over again. Another January back to work, still hung over from New Year's Eve, still skint from Christmas with about four hundred weeks to go 'til next payday. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, don't mind me - I'm just a little grumpy due to lack of nicotine. Thankfully there is a bright side to all this 'inevitable march of time' business, for a new year means a new month, and that means a brand spanking new set of comedy listings for you to peruse - hurray!


The big event this month has to be the festival preview show at De Montfort Hall on Friday 11th, hosted by Phoenix Nights' Dave Spikey, with acts Piff the Magic Dragon, Pat Cahill and Suzi Ruffell confirmed so far, with the Other Preview Show happening on the same night night over at Chutney Ivy, hosted by Ed Gamble with Gareth Richards, Angela Barnes and Joel Dommett with more to be confirmed. And keep your eyes peeled on Facebook and Twitter over the next few days and weeks, because I've got some FREE TICKETS to give away!!!

Tue 8th - Laughing Calves feat Maureen Younger @ The Red Tent
Fri 11th  - Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival Preview Show @ De Montfort Hall
Fri 11th - The Other Preview Show @ Chutney Ivy
Fri 11th/Sat 12th - Roger Monkhouse, Junior Simpson, Julian Deane @ Just the Tonic
Tue 15th - Lions Eat Ice Cream: Dr Ettrick-Hogg Takeover @ Looking Glass
Tue 15th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Wed 16th - Nibbles with Giggles feat Ben Hustwayte and Hannah Silvester @ Entropy
Fri 18th / Sat 19th - Phil Kay, Gordon Southern, Jen Brister, Darrell Martin @ Just the Tonic
Mon 21st - The Mitford Sisters @ The Cookie Jar
Tue 22nd - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic
Thu 24th - Unidentified Flying Improv @ Just the Tonic
Thu 24th - Should I Stay Or Should I Go? @ Kayal
Fri 25th / Sat 26th - Dave Johns, Pat Burtscher, Mandy Knight @ Just the Tonic
Tue 29th - Lions Eat Ice Cream: Festival Sampler @ Looking Glass
Tue 29th - Big Value Comedy Auditions @ Just the Tonic

There you have it - email, tweet, prod, shout or throw things at me if I've missed anything off. Christ knows what I'm going to do for listings next month - there's over 500 shows on! Tell you what - pick yourself up a festival brochure now, they're all over the city and county, then switch the telly off for half an hour and have a damn good look through it, picking out some shows you'd like to see...  YES THAT'S RIGHT - YOU DO SOME OF THE WORK FOR A CHANGE!! Meanwhile, like the jolly good Samaritan I am, I'll be posting during this month with some of my picks of the festival line-up, and if I'm feeling generous I might even break them down into categories to help you narrow down the somewhat elephantine choice of shows on offer.
Deal?
Good. And keep an eye out for the FREE TICKETS coming very soon!!
Cheers,
Paul.