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!

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.

Funny Women required at the Red Tent!

Calling all funny ladies! Laughing Cows, which recently started bringing all-female line-ups to the city's comedy scene, are looking for talented up-and-coming female stand-ups to do a five minute spot alongside more established acts at the Red Tent, Pocklington's Walk on January 8th.

The evening will be known as Laughing Calves and aims to give newer acts some exposure and the opportunity to share the bill with the likes of Barbara Nice, Shazia Mirza and Zoe Lyons. If you're interested, email Maureen Younger contact.maureen@yahoo.co.uk to book your spot.

If, like me, you're neither funny nor a woman, don't worry - you can still be in the audience... hurray! More info can be found right here: http://www.laughingcowscomedy.co.uk/comedy/gigs.html

Get your fix of funny femmes at the Red Tent tomorrow

Righty then - "what have we got coming up comedy-wise this week?", I hear you all asking (when will these voices in my head stop???). 

Well, if you're a fan of women as well as stand-up comedy, you're in for a real treat tomorrow, because it's another all-female line-up from Laughing Cows at The Red Tent on Pocklington's Walk. Laughing Cows was set up in 1998 to showcase the finest funny ladies in the country and has been running shows across the country that redress the hormonal imbalance in what is still a heavily male-dominated profession.

Performing tomorrow are Jen Brister, described by Chortle as "a confident and forthright performer" and by Time Out as "Gorgeously Talented", as well as "the self-styled thinking pensioner’s crumpet" VG Lee and regular Laughing Cows MC Maureen Younger.

Tickets are £8 and are available from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/195176. More information about Laughing Cows can be found at http://www.laughingcowscomedy.co.uk/

Also on this week is the next installment of Nibbles with Giggles on Wednesday at Entropy on Hinckley Road. £12 gets you a delicious gourmet pie, dessert and a fabulous line-up of talented local comics and even a bit of live music. And as if you needed any more encouragement, a healthy dollop of proceeds from the night goes to charity too! More details here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/489042107780734/?fref=ts

UFI host another night of improvised comedy on Friday as part of their World Tour of Leicester, this time bringing their quick wits to Curve. Find out more at the end of this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/465226590184584/

And of course, don't forget Just the Tonic are hosting regular Christmas shows featuring some of the best comics on the national circuit. They're starting to sell out though, so now's the time to leap into action and find out if there's any tickets left at http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/

That should do you 'til the end of the week, right?