Monday 22 February 2016

DLCF 2016 REVIEW - our favourite shows of the festival

.....and it's all over for another year. 

The biggest ever Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival ended yesterday with the final 35-ish shows of a whopping 780 that have taken place over the last 3 weeks.

Personally I probably saw around 30-35 shows (a little less than usual, having missed the middle of the festival due to illness), so obviously I missed plenty of great ones (particularly gutted not to have seen John Kearns). But I'm glad to say the ones I did see were of a consistently high quality, with these ones in particular standing out:

Innovative: Marny Godden
Marny Godden: Flap 'em on the Gate
Surreal and highly innovative character comedy from a lady with bags of talent and a commanding stage presence. At one point she sustained several minutes of laughter without saying a single word, to the point where one lady had to be dragged out because she couldn't stop laughing. As well as brilliantly funny characters, Godden also showed impressive professionalism in the face of a large group of highly disruptive drunk punters. A definite future star in the making.

Reeves & Mortimer: The Poignant Moments
The danger with this tour is that it would be a lazy nostalgia trip full of tired old catchphrases and in-jokes. Thankfully, Vic & Bob are still bursting with creative energy, and treated a packed out De Montfort Hall to over two hours of old characters in new situations, brand new video sketches, a few great new songs and plenty of off-the-cuff sparring, laced with attempts to make each other corpse on stage. An absolute joy to see these two masters of nonsense still enjoying themselves so much after 25 years of doing it.

John Robertson: The Dark Room
One of those rare shows that you randomly wonder into without any prior knowledge, and it absolutely blows you away. One at a time, the audience are invited to play a multi-choice, 80s style video adventure game, with Robertson as their guide. One of the few shows that manages to be fully interactive without becoming too chaotic, mainly thanks to Robertson's commanding performance as the booming-voiced guide, clad entirely in black and lit only by shining a torch in his own face.

Adam Larter: There My Hat
Hats off to the four performers involved in this play set in a 1980s office, for managing to make it consistently funny and lovably ridiculous despite having to squeeze themselves into the tiniest performance space imaginable. Lots of silly home-made props, a wonderfully melodramatic script (which some of the cast had actually learnt), hilarious 80s style overacting and literally bags of cocaine (talc) made this one of the festival's most memorable shows.

Sketch insanity: Silly Billies
The Order of the Silly Billies
Insane sketch comedy from Newcastle. Treads a fine line line between hilariously funny and head-scratchingly experimental, but remains engaging and inventive throughout, with strong performances by the two main protagonists Jack Gardner and Sam Megahy.

Will Franken - Who Keeps Making All These People?
A show so densely packed with gags, sketches and clever little asides you'll want to see it again just to be able to take it all in. Superb characterisation and darkly satirical subject matter combine to produce a show that is as bold as it is funny.

Bruce Edhouse: The John Pertwee Recipe Book and Me
This was a sort of 'coming-of-age' show for Leicester-based Bruce, who started doing stand-up in 2012 to overcome his fear of speaking in public. Over the years he has become very comfortable in his comedy skin, delivering here a gentle show that combines his love of terrible Doctor Who merchandise and his penchant for leaving baffling reviews of products on Amazon, and proved to be every bit as warm, engaging and cuddly as the man himself. 

Rob Newman: The Brain Show
Never before has the field of neuroscience proved such a fertile ground for comedy, and I suspect it never will again. Newman used the science of the brain as a springboard for entertaining stories, intelligent satirical gags and a whole host of beautifully crafted little vignettes.


Original: Andrew O'Neill
Andrew O'Neill is Trapped Down a Well
Surreal gags aplenty, lots of references to 1980s adverts, satirical songs, inventive observational material, Geoff Capes - this show had it all. O'Neill is a fan of many different types of comedy and still refuses to be pigeon-holed when it comes to his own material, another brilliant show from a true original.

Commentary
A fine showcase of local talent, this show mixed comedy with dance, poetry/spoken word, live music, original film and improvisation. There was even a lady performing with a musical cat jumper. Commentary happens at the Phoenix every few months and I thoroughly recommend checking it out next time it's in town, whatever your favourite type of performance art.

Kieran Hodgson: Lance
Deservedly nominated for a Foster's award last summer in Edinburgh, this is a thoroughly engaging hour in which Hodgson tells the story of his youth in Yorkshire followed by his relocation down south to university, all framed by his idolisation of disgraced cycling star Lance Armstrong. Packed with smart jokes and excellent characterisation from start to finish.

Ian Hall: IANertia
The third full-length show from the man they call 'The Bard of Wigston'. Ian's shows are becoming something of an event in the city, with scores of local comics and regulars from the comedy scene turning out to join in with the lengthy catchphrases and silly songs. His characters have lost none of their appeal over the years, and even though the theme of the show was Ian's inherent laziness, this show still displayed a wealth of invention and a strong commitment to the downright daft.


Superb character: Jo Neary as Celia
Jo Neary: Faceful of Issues
A superb character piece, Neary presents the whole show as Celia, a home counties dwelling, radio 4 listening, repressed housewife. Celia is so well fleshed out that at times it's easy to forget you're watching a character. Presented as a sort of village hall magazine show, there's poetry, dance, songs, Buzzfeed style articles and layer upon layer of parody as she warmly sends up the sheltered, privileged and eccentric dwellers of Middle England.

Battle for Leicester
Another fine showcase of local talent. Leicester's four monthly comedy nights competed against each other in a series of stand-up challenges which illustrated perfectly the breadth of talent we are lucky enough to have here in the city. From straight observational comics, through gagsmiths and surreal one-liners all the way to crazy performance art involving Barbie Dolls on a fishing line having sex with one another, this show really did have something for everyone!


Well that's that for another year. If you went out and enjoyed some shows, well done you! Just remember that comedy is not just for February - there are a wealth of shows happening all year round at places like The Criterion, The Cookie, Manhattan34 and the Exchange to name but a few, so follow the venues/regular nights on social media and keep an eye on Leicester Comedy Scene and Leicester Fridge who will be doing their best to keep you informed of the local happenings.

And finally a huuuuge thank you to all the performers, promoters, venue staff, festival organisers and volunteers who continue to make this the best damn comedy festival in the land! Already looking forward to next year! :)
Cheers,
Paul.

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