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...

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

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.