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.

JUNE COMEDY LISTINGS

It's June! Yes, already! Don't tell me you weren't expecting it, given that it's been May for basically a whole month now... Anyway there's loads going on this month now that we're into Edinburgh Preview season, and here I punctually present your complete listings for the month, so you can't blame me if you miss out on something:

1st/2nd - Daniel Sloss, Dana Alexander, David Whitney, Ian Cognito @ Just the Tonic
3rd - Deborah Jane Appleby, Ola, Ben Hustwayte @ Just the Tonic
6th - Ship of Fools Comedy Club @The Looking Glass
7th - Tom Deacon, Jigsaw @ Just the Tonic
8th/9th - Keith Farnan, Jojo Smith, Bobby Mair, Eric Lampaert @ Just the Tonic
10th - Schadenfreude (new act night) @ The Soundhouse
10th - Romesh Ranganathan, Bryan Lacey, Adam Staunton, Bobby Mair @ Just the Tonic
14th - Pete Firman, Roisin Conaty @ Just the Tonic
16th - Phil Nichol, Ray Peacock, James Acaster, Andrew Ryan @ The Y Theatre
16th - Jeff Innocent, Pierre Hollins, David Morgan, Mike Wilkinson @ Just the Tonic
17th - Alan Anderson, Peter McCole, Fin Taylor @ Just the Tonic
21st - Laurence Clark @ Embrace Arts
22nd/23rd - Rhod Gilbert @ DeMontfort Hall
22nd/23rd - Ivan Brackenbury, Ian D Montford, Jason John Whitehead, Romesh Ranganathan @ Just the Tonic
24th - Jonathan Elston, Andrea Hubert, Ben Van De Velde @ Just the Tonic
29th - Michael Winslow @ DeMontfort Hall
30th - Rob Rouse, Patrick Monahan, Matt Richardson, David Morgan @ The Y Theatre
30th - Ken Dodd @ DeMontfort Hall
29th/30th - Alun Cochrane, Diane Spencer, Dave Johns, Darrell Martin/Chris Mayo @ Just the Tonic

As per usual - if you know of any other gigs going on, email me on this address or post on the facebook page or tweet @LeicComedyScene and I'll update this list, I may even give you a wee write-up if you bribe me heavily enough ;)

THIS WEEKEND: Andrew Lawrence and 'four for a fiver'

Well wouldn't you know it - another weekend is creeping up on us with all the subtlety of Gary Glitter in full 70s glam outfit, which means more big-name comedy shenanigans in our fine city.

Just the Tonic play host to Gary Delaney (not to be confused with fellow funnyperson Rob Delaney), Chris Martin (not to be confused with the singer from Coldplay) and Adam Staunton (not to be confused with former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland footballer Steve Staunton, not that you would). Tickets are a jolly reasonable £5 for Friday evening (Darrell Martin compering) and £6 on Saturday (Jim Smallman). Get 'em here: http://www.justthetonic.com/leicester-comedy/

Meanwhile, over at Embrace Arts on Saturday, everyone's favourite ginger-haired, Pasquale-voiced misanthrope Andrew Lawrence will be sharing his skewed view of the world as part of his 'Best Kept Secret in Comedy' tour. The Embrace website appears to be a tad broken at the moment so call 0116 252 2455 to book your ticket. Lawrence is a unique performer and Chortle describe his latest show as "filled with his usual brand of miserable, splenetic ranting delivered with typically explosive rhythm". Check out this clip for a locally-relevant example of his impressive ranting skills: http://vimeo.com/39797447

APRIL LISTINGS - all the live comedy coming up this month

Okay - it's all very well previewing and reviewing comedy gigs, but sometimes we just need the simple facts - what's on, where, and when?
So here goes with my first monthly round up of what's coming up this month in our fine city:

APRIL
6/7th - Tom Stade, Jason John Whitehead, Bryan Lacey, Romesh Ranganathan - Just the Tonic
10th - Paul Merton - DeMontfort Hall
13th/14th - Ardal O'Hanlon, Simon Bligh, Carey Marx, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
14th - Terry Alderton, Nick Helm, Ed Gamble, Roisin Conaty, Tom Rosenthal - Y Theatre
14th - Stewart Francis - Loughborough Town Hall
15th - Magners Funhouse Comedy presents Should I Stay or Should I Go? - Kayal
19th - New Act night - Cookie Jar
20th - Gary Delaney, Chris Martin, Adam Staunton, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
21st - Gary Delaney, Chris Martin, Adam Staunton, Jim Smallman - Just the Tonic
21st - Andrew Lawrence - Embrace Arts
27th - Russell Kane, Steve Royal, Darrell Martin - Just the Tonic
28th - Chris Stokes, Jarred Christmas, Fergus Craig, Vikki Stone - Y Theatre
28th - Danny McLoughlin, Matt Forde, Steve Royal, John Robins - Just the Tonic

I'm all excited now - seeing it all laid out like that makes you realise what a truly great city this is for comedy! If anyone knows of anything I've missed out or any changes to the line-ups, let me know either on Twitter @banxii or via email leicestercomedyscene@gmail.com and I'll update the listings. Or if you have a gmail account you can comment below (I think!)

Andrew Lawrence... you know, the funny looking ginger guy with the squeaky voice

Those of you who have never heard of Andrew Lawrence, you're in for a treat! Seeing him for the first time is a real experience to remember, because I guarantee you've never seen or heard anything like him before. And once you've heard his extended rants, self-deprecation and too-much-information honesty, you'll definitely want to see him again*
He's widely acknowledged as a unique talent in stand-up and has been tipped for greatness for some time now. His last tour was called 'Too Ugly for TV', a reference to the fact that he hasn't had nearly enough mainstream exposure to match the glowing praise which is regularly heaped upon him. Obviously this gives him an extra level of bitterness to explore in his routines, and believe me he's at his best when he's being bitter!
Sticking with that theme, he's bringing his 'Best Kept Secret in Comedy' tour to Embrace Arts, Lancaster Road on Saturday 21st April, so I strongly suggest you get yourself a ticket and experience this unique performer for yourself by going to https://uk.patronbase.com/_EmbraceArts/Productions/W104/Performances
*Terms and conditions apply. Enjoyment of comedy down to personal taste - Leicester Comedy Scene is not responsible for ensuring you enjoy the gig, nor will we be held liable for any injury, swelling or death resulting from recommendations or opinions contained within this blog. May contain nuts.