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!

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...

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...

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.

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.